Speaking in English with a Buddhist Monk



What can a Buddhist monk teach us about learning and using English in our everyday life? In today's video, Brother Duc Tri, from the Plum Village tradition, generously answers questions such as:

What is a Buddhist monk's profession?
What role does English play in his life and in his day-to-day context?
What is his experience of learning and improving his English skills?
What advice does he give lay (not monastic) expert professionals like you looking to improve their English?
And much more...!

Many of us believe that we cannot reach our life goals until we're able to communicate more effectively in English. In fact, we might see and experience English as an obstacle, a source of pain and suffering. Reviewing our notions can help us understand that we might be limiting our own potential to grow and develop personally and professionally in the present moment as we enjoy our life more deeply, wherever we are and whatever we're doing.

I am so happy and grateful to Brother Duc Tri for this insightful, very helpful and most pleasant conversation, especially at minutes 08:29 and 15:19, where he talks about our "judging mind" and his impeccable intention whenever he interacts in English.

Does this exchange resonate with you in any way? If you're looking for easy and enjoyable ways of making true progress, all you need to do is set up a chat for us to speak 1:1 on zoom about your English needs and goals.

Let's make it happen!

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts

Discover the Benefits of Joining a Book Club in English

Image
  The CET Book Club is starting soon! And what could be a better way of starting a Book Club in English -  for speakers of other languages at intermediate (B1) level or above -  than by reading the transformational gem,  The Art of Communicating , by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, live on zoom together? Very often, students and clients report that although they understand it very well, they feel stuck, anxious or unable to communicate in English satisfactorily, leading to a strong sense of loss of opportunity in their professional contexts. Part of the reason for this might be what I refer to as  undernourished English , that is, insufficient exposure to English through reading and listening.  The CET Book Club in English will address this directly by offering you the opportunity to develop your English language skills through the option of reading the corresponding chapter first, and then by following the transcript as you listen to one of us reading it out loud live during our weekly me
Read more

The MBA and the Eight Worldly Winds

Image
  I completed the Inner MBA over the weekend!  Well done, me! ⭐️ But wait! Don't go. Before clicking "Like" and moving on, read about how earning this Certificate is interconnected with The Eight Worldly Winds . What are The Eight Worldly Winds? According to Buddhist teachings, our human nature necessarily means that we will all experience, at one time or another, being " blown about " (that's deeply affected in the moment) by the Eight Worldly Winds (or Conditions): gain and loss status and disgrace (or success and failure) praise and censure (or praise and blame) pleasure and pain This is great news when the Winds brings gain, status/success, praise and pleasure, but not so good when they carry loss, disgrace/failure, censure/blame, or pain. We all try to find ways of reducing our distress when the winds of the world bring devastating storms of suffering to our doorstep. It is our natural instinct to protect ourselves from the pain of the four (unpleasant
Read more

La meditación - preguntas y respuestas

Image
La intención es que este blog sea el producto de una colaboración entre ustedes y yo – nosotros J - por lo que se me ocurren 5 preguntas que podrían surgir en relación a la práctica y a mi, la autora, las cuales trataré de contestar lo mejor que pueda, pero además me encantaría que en los comentarios agregues tus preguntas, e igualmente, trataré de contestarlas, y si quieres agregar algo o expresar alguna idea adicional, por favor hazlo: te escucho J ¿Cómo funciona y para qué sirve la meditación? Bueno, es importante aclarar que aunque hayan muchos beneficios, los practicantes no meditamos con ese fin, o sea que al sentarnos no hay una meta por alcanzar, sino que nos sentamos porque disfrutamos de hacerlo. Simple y sencillamente, meditamos porque nos gusta. Lo cual no significa que no resulten importantes beneficios . Al contrario, la práctica de la meditación es transformadora , y los cambios que produce son múltiples y de gran profundidad - científicamente compr
Read more