Meanings of Tiep Hien

Tiep:  To receive direct transmission of the good and beautiful qualities that our Dharma ancestors have handed down through the ages.

This is the first meaning embedded in the Vietnamese word Tiep and pertains especially to becoming and being a living exemplar of the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings and spirit of Tiep Hien in daily life and one’s way of being in the world—that is, “embodying” the Dharma.

How our teachers and mentors model and embody Dharma practice in their being and doing in daily life is one way they transmit the practice. We can receive transmission and learn how to be and do ourselves simply by observing such practitioners in the sangha—watching closely with full attention how they walk, stand, sit, interact, participate in groups, invite the bell with mindfulness and concentration, share the Dharma, or lead meditation. As many have observed, how Thay enters the meditation hall is a complete, unspoken “Dharma Talk.”

Personal Reflection:

🔹 What am I learning about how to embody the Dharma by watching how others practice?

🔹 What actions of my body, speech, and mind might I need to change to more fully embody the Dharma in my own life?

🔹 How am I cultivating equanimity, relaxed presence, and ease in my daily life, activities, and interactions with others?

🔹 How am I taking refuge in the three jewels? 

Tiep: to be in touch with the present moment, with the fullness of life

This is the third meaning embedded in the Vietnamese word Tiep and pertains primarily to the fourth through seventh Mindfulness Trainings.

Seeing clearly and looking deeply puts us in touch both with the miracle and beauty of life present in and around us, and with the suffering that co-exists with all the wonders of life. Being in touch is the first step  toward understanding suffering. With understanding comes knowing what to do and not to do to transform and heal the suffering in the world. Understanding is the basis for wise action. Looking deeply into and understanding the world, we also see and understand our own minds.

Personal Reflection:

🔹 How am I practicing mindfulness to deepen present-moment awareness in my life?

🔹 Am I becoming increasingly open to recognizing my own suffering as it arises, being present to it, looking deeply to understand it, and responding with kindness and compassion to heal and transform it?

🔹 How willingly do I accept responsibility for my own suffering--realizing the truth that all suffering originates in my own mind and letting go of any lingering tendency to assign blame, resist, resent, turn away from or dwell in my own suffering?

🔹 How is my clinging to the “mind of dissatisfaction” loosening?

🔹 What progress am I making toward breaking free from my own historical conditioning?

🔹 Am I becoming kinder to myself and others when harmful habits or habit energies arise?

🔹 How am I living the truth that “Just like me, all beings want to be happy and free from suffering?”

Hien: to see clearly what is happening in the present moment

This is the second meaning embedded in the Vietnamese word Hien and is essential to strengthening the seventh Mindfulness Training.

This teaching points to the Dharma door of living peacefully and joyfully by being fully in touch with whatever is happening in the present moment. We are aware, mindful, attuned to sense perceptions, awake, fully present. We touch and experience reality deeply. We practice seeing clearly and cultivating right view in accord with Buddhist teachings of the three seals—impermanence, non-self, and suffering. As we become more present, touch reality more deeply, and see more clearly what is actually going on, we grow in realization of the seventh Mindfulness Training: “Dwelling happily in the present moment.”

Personal Reflection:

🔹  How is my present-moment awareness deepening and clarifying?

🔹 What is my experience of the present moment? How often am I present to what I’m doing when I’m doing it, and how often is my mind elsewhere—e.g., thinking about what’s next rather than fully experiencing what’s going on as it’s going on? Am I generally experiencing routine activities such as brushing my teeth or walking down the hallway fully as I’m brushing or walking?

🔹 What am I seeing when I consider the question, “Is it true?” in relation to my perceptions or views?

🔹 How is my understanding of self changing? My attachment to self and self-cherishing loosening?

🔹 What wholesome and unwholesome seeds arise for me, and how do I respond?

🔹 What habits or lingering reactivities get in the way of my dwelling happily in the present moment?

Hien:  to make the Dharma pertinent to the needs and culture of modern times

The fourth and final meaning of Hien emphasizes the importance of tailoring Dharma practice and teaching to meet the needs of modern people, times, and cultures.

The Buddha modeled this practice of making the Dharma pertinent to his students throughout his teaching years. He chose examples and stories that he knew his intended audience would understand, speaking in ways that made the Dharma appropriate and accessible to people in all walks of life. Thay has done the same, offering teachings and books tailored to both the Vietnamese and to the American experience. We see our teachers engaging in this practice when they offers teachings on the hindrances that they find characteristically American, such as self-hate and difficulty trusting. Teachers also tailor the teachings to make the Dharma accessible for children and young adults.

Personal Reflection:

🔹 Am I gaining confidence in sharing my understanding, practice, experience, and realization of the Dharma with others who are not Dharma practitioners? With children and adults of different ages, cultures, ethnicities or life experiences?

🔹Can I share my experience, understanding, and practice with others in ways that inspires appreciation of how beneficial and meaningful Dharma practice can be?