☘️Hello, what’s your name?
-My name is Nguyen Hoai Anh.

☘️Have you attended the Nhu Khong (Suchness) course?

-I attended the Nhu Khong course on June 6-12 held in Nha Trang.

☘️Before participating in Nhu Khong, did you practice Mindfulness Observation?

I tried observing the mind for a while.

☘️What did you learn from Nhu Khong?

Nhu Khong helps me to observe, recognize reality including body, mind, emotions, situations, see more clearly how the mind works and how to realize them. In addition, the class imparts knowledge on why the skill of seeing is important, and what it means to be awake.

☘️What in the way of teaching at Nhu Khong makes you find the most effective for you?
I really like the way of teaching at Nhu Khong because I had fun, the class atmosphere was comfortable, the teacher pointed out the problems that students were having. I not only learned when the teacher showed me, but also opened up when I heard her answer the problems of people around me. Before going to class, I brought a lot of doubts and concerns with me, but when I left, I felt clear. The theory is not vague, but self-experimentation right through different games.

☘️How is your practice in daily life after the Nhu Khong workshop?
I practice more regularly, though without effort. The class created a momentum for me to self-observe my body, mind, emotions and circumstances; it nurtured the factors that helped activate my mental strength, so after leaving the class, the wheel continued. I realized a lot more at the moment of the incident and felt more and more interested in observing, discovering myself, my reaction to things rather than paying attention to the objects.

☘️What has changed in the way you observe yourself and your surroundings, after Nhu Khong?
I observe myself with the situation, with a natural awareness even though I don’t consciously try to focus on it. I realized many mistakes in my previous practice while still being led by thoughts to follow. Now I understand how thoughts/feelings come and go, without doing anything. Interesting.

☘️What is the difference in yourself that you realize after joining Nhu Khong?
Before, I was always struggling with my emotions, sometimes with great confidence thinking I was a good person etc, sometimes drowning myself thinking that I didn’t deserve anything good. There were times when I was confused as to whether I had bipolar or some kind of mental illness because I was always changing so quickly that I was dizzy with so many crazy thoughts that kept fighting each other. I used to be proud that I was a kind person with a lot of beautiful humanistic thoughts, but then I couldn’t accept it when I glimpsed the shadow of the evil demon in myself. I do not allow. I banished thoughts that were bad by my standards, shoving them all in a drawer in my head, thinking it was over because no one else knew. But the only person who has to deal with those hidden drawers is still me, I am still the one who has to face the quality of life I created for myself after all.

On the last day of the course, I was happy to realize that I am a very ordinary, but unique person. I take pride in living with all my emotions and allowing my wildest thoughts to come through with less and less control over them. I am happy to realize that my life is completely free, not even dependent on my own thoughts, let alone imposed by any outside force.
These are not clichés or things I’ve heard from others, but what I’ve actually experienced. I love the magic, the variability of life.

☘️Does your satisfaction with yourself change after the Nhu Khong workshop?
Before, I thought I had more than other people, I was always aiming for perfection, wanting to develop myself, thinking that I loved and pampered myself, but it was actually a disguise of self-pressure.

I only love me when I’m beautiful, when people recognize me as talented, smart, and pretty.. but when I’m fat, I’m ugly, when I’m not satisfied with something in me, I’m disgusted, I neglected and treat myself badly. Now, more than ever, I am content and grateful for all that I have. I really know how to take care of myself. Naturally, I am also more satisfied with the people around me and know how to take care of others without imposing on their lives. I realized how because of my own standards of beauty, cleanliness, behavior…I had been so intrusive and caused pains to other people around me

☘️Does your satisfaction with your living situation change after the Nhu Khong workshop?
I still have a desire for one or more versions of my life that I love, but I don’t feel pressured to do so to be happy. I welcome the situation and everything that comes to me more relaxingly and comfortably. I feel grateful for what life gives me, and more appreciative of what others do for me. Before, I thought because I was this kind of important person so I deserve all of those things, I take it for granted that people love and treat me well. I thought all that is good is mine, by me and for me. But when bad things happen, I often blame the situation, why at that time I didn’t think it was my own fault? I used to not understand what gratitude is, gratitude is not in my dictionary. But now living in this feeling every day, I feel happiness multiplied many times over, I understand why gratitude is the source of happiness.
☘️Where did you get that feeling of gratitude after the course?
Before, I lived without gratitude because I thought everything was due to me having certain factors, being treated well by people, I also thought that I deserved it.
But then I realized that it has nothing to do with me.

I still remember in Nhu Khong workshop, when everyone did the exercise of tossing small sandbag to each other. Ms. Ly instructed how to coordinate movements to save the most effort, I practiced and suddenly realized that nothing was due to me alone. I am in harmony with the natural workings of all things.
When I first came to the UK to study, when I got off the bus, everyone thanked the driver, I didn’t, because I thought it was people’s responsibility, a driver’s responsibility. And I also didn’t want to follow others when I didn’t feel that way in my heart. But after a few times, I also mumbled my thanks when I felt so different from others (under the pressure I felt from the crowd).
But now when I get a Grab service, just get off the car, I thank the driver very sincerely because the driver drove me to the place and was kind with me.
I feel so small in the vast and wonderful universe, I am like this because life gives. I thank life for giving me the tools to experiment. When I think about it, I’m moved to tears..
☘️How do you deal with unpleasant things after Nhu Khong workshop?
In the past, I used to have one or more pre-built scenarios in my head about possible situations. When things did not go according to the script, I found it very difficult to accept, I was upset inside and there is intense pain in my body. This accumulated over time, causing me to have chronic stomach pain. And every time I just worried about losing sleep, I had a stomach ache. After the workshop, I accept the unpleasant things more gently, no more pain, discomfort, or the uncomfortable feeling quickly passes.

☘️How does your view of Happiness change after the course?
I used to think happiness was when things went the way I wanted. After that, when too many things went my way, I was disappointed, seeing that everything I wanted was boring, there had to be something different to be happy and to have a chance to be creative (and mostly it was to prove that I was good, I was better than people). So sometimes I liked things to happen the way I wanted, and sometimes I wanted it to turn out differently, in the end it was still the desire of the ego, of the self. Now I feel happy that I accept everything that comes my way and live fully with every emotion when it happens. I understand that it is possible to be happy at any time. Sadness, pain, poverty do not necessarily come with suffering. I am now flexible in all circumstances, not tied to likes or dislikes, or the choice of the mind anymore.

☘️Can you tell me more from where you realize sadness, pain, poverty.. do not necessarily come with suffering?
People are often afraid of sadness because when they hear sadness, they will think it is suffering. Before, I wasn’t afraid of sadness, but thought it also had its own beauty and interest, such as watching a movie and then crying, it wasn’t necessary to suffer. I used to be very passionate about watching love movies and then crying. The next morning my eyes were puffy but I could still smile. The end of the movie was the end of the story. I see that in my choices. But when it comes to life, recognition is more difficult, easy to confuse. Many times I choose one thing I know will bring me sadness, but when I no longer enjoy it, I can change it but I often forget this.

Pain with poverty must be more difficult, no one likes it. There were many times when I experienced pain, at first I was still screaming and struggling, hoping the pain would go away, until the pain was too much to lie still, I no longer had the strength to resist, after a while it would go away on its own. . Or sometimes I remember the pain of losing a loved one, I also cried and struggled but if someone told me not to cry, of course I didn’t follow. I feel that the pain is worth it and am also ready to live fully with that feeling without seeing the suffering of pain.

Since coming to Ho Chi Minh City to live in a foreign land, I have been exposed to many people from the working classes, they do manual labor but always smile and thank, there are also poor people who are helpless, but when when they see me, they can still nod their heads and smile. Looking at people like that, I feel that it is clear that poverty does not have to be miserable at all.

☘️What do you think about “maintaining happiness?”?
I am no longer in a position to maintain any state. I understand that everything comes and goes, accept them when they come and live to the fullest. When they go, I do not regret it.
☘️What in the Nhu Khong workshop is the key to helping you?
The answer often came suddenly in the moment when I was brushing my teeth or when I ended up lying on the bed to rest and relax, I suddenly realized, so I don’t remember any exercises in the workshop. In fact, since every exercises in the course is so flexible and rewarding, it’s synergistic that it’s hard to discern which exercise triggered the key to these questions. Every day after the workshop, when I come home, I see many things and break many illusions.
☘️What is the echo from the workshop that makes you continue to realize about yourself and your life even though Nhu Khong has ended?
This I don’t know, but maybe because of the inertia that makes the observation, when I return to my daily life, I still have many moments of realizing myself, realizing what was taught in the workshop. As I said, Nhu Khong has planted a lot of “seeds” inside each student, so when I leave the teacher, leave the peaceful energy in the classroom, I continue to “recover” good results. , continue to recognize yourself and have the right view of life.

☘️Does Nhu Khong help you to clear any misunderstandings?
Too many misunderstandings in the way of practice, as well as too many illusions about myself, about the situation. Before learning in Nhu Khong, I was flying in the clouds of cultivation and attainment, striving to achieve certain virtues, to be superior to others, trying to maintain “Nirvana” and clinging to the feeling of peace and joy I was in.

I force myself to conform to the standards that I consider to be the hallmarks of an enlightened person.
Now my feet touch the ground and feel life with normal senses.

Everything I do is self-managed as the reality of the situation should require, in accordance with reality that my body and mind feels and allows. I see myself participating in life as a normal person, and no longer fantasizing about WHO I am. 😂 I don’t want to be anyone anymore, I don’t force myself to be this or that, I feel like the best version of me right now.

☘️Would you recommend the Nhu Khong workshop to your acquaintances?
Of course. Because I found this to be a very useful course, and so much fun 😆 Learning while playing, playing while learning. Learn once, effective for a lifetime.
I also have the desire to recommend this course to many of my foreign friends if the class conditions allow. In some conversations with foreign friends, I shared what I learned, they asked me why I knew. I have recommended some books that I have read and found useful. However, from my own experience, I have read and heard a lot of theories before, but only when I practice directly, I still see that it still wowed me, still broke many of my misunderstandings
I hope that the course will be replicated to many people, not only domestically but also internationally.

Thank you!