Two Domains and Three Directions in Cultivation (part 2)

This article is written in Vietnamese then translated to English, and is based on the series of online lectures by Thầy Hằng Trường on the Seven Depths of Meditation in September 2025.

The Domain of Transcendence refers to the times when we sit in meditation, closing one’s eyes, and turning inward. The Engaging Domain, on the other hand, refers to the time when we live in the world — working, interacting, and dealing with various affairs. These two domains are different, and their spiritual universes are also distinct.

When living and interacting with others, there are also three directions of cultivation — corresponding to the three directions that arise during meditation.

1. Unfold kindness, compassion, giving and forgiving.

In meditation, we open the innate clarity of our true nature — that is, we open the True Mind and cultivate the tendency to awaken this True Mind. The True Mind is the inherently lucid nature within us (instead of using the term innately radiant nature).

Here, “radiance” should be understood as clarity — an inner illumination of understanding — rather than literal light flashes some people might expect during meditation. It is the awakening of the inner clarity of the True Mind (for one’s true nature is the True Mind itself).

If meditation is about inner opening, then in our daily life we must also open our hearts — cultivating generosity, kindness, compassion, and forgiveness. Only then can the inner and outer domains be in harmony and alignment. Without kindness, compassion, joy, and generosity, our daily life cannot be in harmony with the life experienced in meditation.

• Unfold kindness means becoming gentle and kind.

• Unfold compassion (that is, developing true love) allows us to empathize with others — to love with understanding, not with attachment or possessiveness.

• Expanding the heart and mind’s capacity means cultivating a broad, open heart and mind rather than a narrow one — leading naturally to giving, generosity, tolerance and forgiveness.

For beginners to the practice, one should cultivate the habit of giving. When visiting someone who is ill or paying visit to a friend, it’s kind to offer a small gift. When meeting children, give to them; when meeting elders, give to them as well. In short, create opportunities to give in every situation. Practice giving, and practice being generous.

Generosity does not mean giving a lot; it means having an open and spacious heart, free from narrowness or stinginess. Generosity is closely related to tolerance and forbearance.

A narrow heart is one that: 

• cannot forgive after being hurt or angered by others, 

• that insists on judging whether someone’s words are true or false, 

• or that enjoys speaking ill of others. 

Such a limited attitude causes people to withdraw from us. And we do not want our friends to leave us because of our narrowness.

Ordinarily, Xả is translated as letting go. We often use the word forgiveness to express the essence of this quality. Forgiveness is a form of spiritual practice—it is the act of release. When you hold an object and then open your hand, it falls; that is letting go. Forgiveness is the same—it is not something we do gradually, like saying, “Give me a few more days, and I’ll forgive you.”  True forgiveness is the immediate act of releasing the burden, of no longer thinking about that person’s wrongdoings.

Opening your heart to kindness and love may come easily to many people, but forgiveness is often harder. The reason lies in our mind and memory—we remember the past. The images of what happened return again and again. We recall the harm done to us, the pain and sorrow we endured, and thus find it difficult to forgive.

2. Untie all emotional entanglements.

In life, we must learn to recognize where the knots are—and how to untie them.

When there is tension or misunderstanding between ourselves and others, we should make the effort to find a way to release it.

How to untie a knot?

a) If we have done something wrong, sincerely admit it and apologize. Ask for forgiveness with humility.

b) Make peace. Making peace means improving the relationship—as if beginning a new and better connection.

c) Follow the first principle—practice giving, generosity, and forgiveness.

When the Buddha spoke of liberation, He was referring to the practice of forgiveness. Without untying the knots, there can be no liberation.

To untie the knots means not to be trapped in the ego—the sense of “me” and “them.” It is to transcend the self-centered mind. Therefore, this practice corresponds to the spiritual tendency of unceasingly transcending duality.

3. Nurture goodness in others.

The third and most important direction of cultivation is nurturing.

To nurture the goodness means to support and encourage the wholesome and beautiful qualities in those we live with. When we nurture goodness in others, we are like the earth. Anyone always has something good within them. Our task is to nurture their goodness—not their negativity.

When they show a kind thought or a good intention, we should recognize it, hold onto it, and help it grow—by adding our encouragement so they become more aware of their own light.

We should befriend good people and learn from their virtues. But when we happen to associate with those who are less kind, we can still look for their good traits and gently cultivate them. We help them notice their own goodness, take joy in it, and continue developing it through their connection with us. In this way, we gradually help bring forth goodness in everyone’s heart.

Our way of thinking should be that the longer we live, the more we learn to nurture others. We must recognize that we already have this nurturing capacity, even if it is not yet fully developed.

Therefore, a mature way of thinking is to live each day with the intention of nurturing others, and to recognize that we already possess this capacity—even if we do not yet know when or how it will fully manifest.

For beginners, we must learn how to work together and how to practice together.

a. Working Together

Many people only know how to work alone and cannot cooperate with others. This can become a serious challenge in any organization because even great individual talent, without harmony and teamwork, can lead to arrogance or jealousy.

We must learn to work with others—as a team. Working together teaches us to listen, to see the value in others’ ideas, and to accept constructive feedback.

To nurture others, we must collaborate, recognizing and appreciating their strengths and contributions.

b. Practicing Together

We must also learn to practice together. During group practice, perhaps someone arrives a few minutes late—that’s all right. If someone struggles to keep up or can’t chant as quickly as others, we should patiently accompany them with compassion and solidarity, rather than avoiding them to find a faster group.

Learning how to work together and practice together is essential. Only through shared practice and cooperative work can we truly nurture and help others grow.

The three qualities or directions mentioned above are very important — they are all attributes of the True Mind, which always keeps us clear-minded and makes it easy for us to forgive.