Episode Details

Welcome to episode 67 of The Way Out Is In: The Zen Art of Living, a podcast series mirroring Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s deep teachings of Buddhist philosophy: a simple yet profound methodology for dealing with our suffering, and for creating more happiness and joy in our lives.

This inaugural live recording of the podcast was made in London, England, on April 5th, 2024, before a sold-out audience of more than 400 people. For the first half of this episode, Zen Buddhist monk Brother Phap Huu and leadership coach/journalist Jo Confino explore what it means to step into freedom in the light of Buddhist teachings, drawing on insights from the life and teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh, and including much needed practical steps which can be applied to our daily lives. Their conversation touches upon the pressure of perfection; layers of freedom; the best time to make a decision; experiencing gratitude; true happiness; vulnerability as an expression of love; working with the feeling of ‘not enough’; and much more.

The second half of the episode consists of a live question-and-answer session, with questions from the audience covering a wide range of topics: ways to embrace suffering; compassionate sharing; ending wars by cultivating peace; the joy of missing out; cultivating aspirations; empathy and mindfulness; and more.  

And this time you can even enjoy two short meditations guided by Brother Phap Huu.

Thank you for listening! 

Co-produced by the Plum Village App:
https://plumvillage.app/

And Global Optimism:
https://globaloptimism.com/ 

With support from the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation:
https://thichnhathanhfoundation.org/

List of resources 

Interbeing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interbeing 

Stepping into Freedom: An Introduction to Monastic Buddhist Training
https://plumvillage.org/books/stepping-into-freedom 

‘Cong Phu Journal – Everything You Need to Know About the Practice Notebook’ 
https://plumvillage.app/cong-phu-journal-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-practice-notebook/

Old Path White Clouds: Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddha
https://plumvillage.org/books/old-path-white-clouds-2 

Rains Retreat
https://plumvillage.org/articles/now-we-have-a-path-2023-24-autumn-winter-rains-retreat 

Christiana Figueres
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christiana_Figueres 

Dalai Lama
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalai_Lama 

World Wildlife Fund
https://www.worldwildlife.org/

Quotes

“We’re all looking to feel free, to be ourselves, to find happiness, to be recognized, to love and be loved. It’s at the core of our deepest aspiration in life. And yet, oftentimes, we don’t feel like that. We feel disturbed in our mind; we