"The other evening when I was practicing sitting meditation, I sent my energy to Sister Dam Nguyen, a nun who was very ill, in Hanoi, Vietnam. When we practice compassion, when we meditate with our focus on compassion, then we practice love. This transmission of energy is a form of prayer. Sister Dam Nguyen enjoyed a remarkable recovery; but that is not the only point. When our heart is full of love, then we are creating more love, peace, and joy in the world.

"When we send the energy of love and compassion to another person, it doesn't matter if they know we are sending it. The important thing is that the energy is there and the heart of love is there and is being sent out into the world. When love and compassion are present in us, and we send them outward, then that is truly prayer.

"In sending love outward, we may notice a change in our own heart. That prayer has begun to have a result inside us. When Sister Dam Nguyen was here in Plum Village, the other nuns looked after her and showed her a great deal of love. All that love and energy is still within her and within each of us. If we return to ourselves and are in touch with that energy, then we have more energy to heal the body and mind of another."