WEBVTT 00:06.360 --> 00:09.680 I remember in 2021 00:11.020 --> 00:14.850 um we have a another chap in 00:14.859 --> 00:18.620 friends and a 00:19.190 --> 00:21.879 but he , but he still does . But he 00:21.889 --> 00:23.833 called me the last couple of weeks 00:24.120 --> 00:27.819 because when he , he do pray and 00:27.950 --> 00:30.719 reminding him uh re re reminding him 00:30.729 --> 00:33.450 about me . So he called me uh last 00:33.459 --> 00:35.348 couple of weeks , he said , hey , 00:35.348 --> 00:37.459 Steven , I still , I still meet you , 00:37.459 --> 00:40.529 miss you and miss time with you . But 00:40.540 --> 00:44.270 he said , I still remember you taught 00:44.279 --> 00:48.009 me how to , to do breathing exercise . 00:49.369 --> 00:51.569 I mean breeding my mindfulness , my 00:51.580 --> 00:54.439 food is breeding . I said , tell me 00:54.450 --> 00:57.119 more about that , how they help you to , 00:57.860 --> 01:01.229 you know what ? Um Right now it's 01:01.240 --> 01:04.139 before I pray I do breathing exercise 01:04.150 --> 01:06.010 first , a single breath 01:08.349 --> 01:12.059 like take a deep breath , reading out , 01:14.139 --> 01:17.400 try to center , center my mind , bring 01:17.410 --> 01:19.889 back , bring my bring , bring the mind 01:19.900 --> 01:22.349 back to the body to be a center in the 01:22.360 --> 01:25.569 bodies in my body . Before I pray . I 01:25.580 --> 01:27.469 feel like it is a power , it is a 01:27.469 --> 01:31.419 powerful uh powerful . After I say 01:31.430 --> 01:34.849 the word to pray , I feel more powerful . 01:35.330 --> 01:37.552 I even teaching my soldier to . He told 01:37.552 --> 01:40.800 me and and then he , I also told my 01:40.809 --> 01:42.976 soldier that you , you taught me , you 01:42.976 --> 01:45.730 teach me the way how to do this 01:45.739 --> 01:49.360 breathing exercise before I pray . So 01:49.370 --> 01:52.010 that's the way II I really share with 01:52.019 --> 01:54.130 them because I have been practiced by 01:54.130 --> 01:57.089 breeding my fullness . And a 01:58.139 --> 02:00.306 because of the breathing exercise is , 02:00.306 --> 02:02.819 is , is not only the Buddhist practice 02:02.830 --> 02:05.163 because you , you also have your breath , 02:05.163 --> 02:07.219 your breath . If you don't breathe , 02:07.219 --> 02:09.552 that mean you will be , you will be die . 02:09.552 --> 02:12.080 So we all have that tool in our body . 02:12.399 --> 02:15.929 Just use the tool in the right 02:15.940 --> 02:19.169 way in the right technique to help you 02:19.179 --> 02:22.570 to stay calm and release your stress . 02:23.399 --> 02:26.100 That's I I share with the people 02:30.119 --> 02:33.059 I remember when I was 12 , that's the 02:33.070 --> 02:36.460 first time I left my family and I , I 02:36.470 --> 02:40.009 ordained as a young monk and then , and 02:40.020 --> 02:43.110 then grew up at the temple or monastery . 02:44.119 --> 02:46.341 That's the first time I left and then I 02:46.341 --> 02:50.320 surf from there age and until 02:51.070 --> 02:52.929 until now . And 02:54.600 --> 02:58.539 so all more over more , I mean , 03:00.009 --> 03:03.529 more than 25 years as I serve as a 03:03.539 --> 03:06.809 Buddhist monk , as a spiritual leader , 03:07.190 --> 03:10.630 as a care provider and 03:10.720 --> 03:14.229 counseling for my uh Buddhist community . 03:15.270 --> 03:17.529 My dad , he was in Thai army . 03:21.289 --> 03:23.929 I want to serve in , I , I still want 03:23.940 --> 03:26.830 to serve in military because my dad , 03:26.839 --> 03:30.399 he is my hero . But in back there in 03:30.410 --> 03:32.410 Thailand , I didn't get a chance to 03:32.410 --> 03:34.466 serve because as a Buddhist monk did 03:34.466 --> 03:38.399 not allow us to serve my dream 03:38.410 --> 03:41.529 come true when it came to United States . 03:42.270 --> 03:44.548 And one of my friends said , hey , man , 03:44.548 --> 03:46.659 if you want to be a chaplain , if you 03:46.659 --> 03:48.770 want to serve in military , you still 03:48.770 --> 03:51.369 have one more choice , one more change . 03:52.139 --> 03:55.139 And , but you need to uh graduate from 03:55.149 --> 03:58.940 the MD , the MD program . That's why 03:58.949 --> 04:01.610 I've been through that to the program . 04:01.619 --> 04:03.830 I complete that . That's why bring me 04:03.839 --> 04:07.529 in as an army chaplain . So I think 04:07.539 --> 04:10.949 my spiritual formations , my spiritual 04:10.960 --> 04:14.009 practice allow me to be that person , 04:14.309 --> 04:17.829 allow me to be um care 04:17.839 --> 04:20.920 provider , allow me to be happy to 04:20.929 --> 04:24.450 serve for the people , for the 04:24.459 --> 04:26.779 people . Usually in the spiritual side . 04:27.170 --> 04:29.392 That's , that's the thing that bring me 04:29.392 --> 04:30.940 in as an army chaplain . 04:37.730 --> 04:39.841 The one thing that I learned from the 04:39.841 --> 04:41.841 soldier and a lot of soldier , they 04:42.279 --> 04:45.619 there being more spirituality . They 04:45.630 --> 04:47.797 don't , they don't care who I am , but 04:47.797 --> 04:50.690 they , they just seem uh they see me as 04:50.700 --> 04:53.549 a chocolate . They can easy way to 04:53.559 --> 04:56.829 approach to me freely , to contact me 04:56.839 --> 04:59.750 and talk to me if they need some things 04:59.760 --> 05:01.982 uh for help and support about religious 05:01.982 --> 05:05.149 practice because I feel I feel they are 05:05.160 --> 05:08.619 open minded to uh other faith . Uh 05:08.630 --> 05:11.950 Even I'm not um even I am the Buddhist 05:11.959 --> 05:14.359 too , but I feel they are open minded . 05:14.510 --> 05:17.019 I also open minded to them too and I am 05:17.029 --> 05:19.429 willing to help them to , to get to 05:19.440 --> 05:22.769 receive care , to receive a spiritual 05:22.779 --> 05:24.869 practice as who they are . 05:26.839 --> 05:28.950 Um Most of the time the soldiers come 05:28.950 --> 05:32.160 to me , they need some help and they 05:32.170 --> 05:34.380 need some , they need . It's one to 05:34.390 --> 05:37.679 share some the way that I approached , 05:38.880 --> 05:42.140 even though uh we have the different 05:42.149 --> 05:44.730 faith and background . But the way I 05:44.739 --> 05:47.079 approach , I just provide my active 05:47.089 --> 05:50.019 listening or listening with the empathy , 05:50.799 --> 05:53.750 with my compassion and loving kindness , 05:53.760 --> 05:55.820 this kindness . Because 05:57.559 --> 06:01.450 for me , the key to address 06:02.220 --> 06:05.739 uh the key uh the 06:05.750 --> 06:08.000 keyword of the provide spiritual care . 06:08.010 --> 06:10.920 Is it active listening ? Because if you 06:10.929 --> 06:12.873 don't listen and you don't , you , 06:12.873 --> 06:15.096 you're not , I mean active listening to 06:15.096 --> 06:17.179 the sort of story . And at the same 06:17.190 --> 06:19.730 time , allow me to be access to 06:19.739 --> 06:23.369 spiritual need , what they need . 06:25.369 --> 06:27.739 That's the way I approach you even even 06:27.750 --> 06:29.472 they have a different face and 06:29.472 --> 06:31.583 background . But , but I just provide 06:31.589 --> 06:34.010 my active visit to what , what , what 06:34.149 --> 06:38.019 do you need for you ? Why you're 06:38.029 --> 06:40.809 here and you share the story . And then 06:41.130 --> 06:43.630 if I access that spiritual need that 06:43.640 --> 06:46.390 help me to be , provide spiritual care 06:46.399 --> 06:49.369 for them , even uh even I need to 06:49.380 --> 06:52.609 coordinate or like co uh collaboration 06:52.619 --> 06:55.390 with other chaplains who are the same 06:55.899 --> 06:58.250 tradition and same practice , same 06:58.260 --> 07:01.200 faith and uh same denomination with 07:01.209 --> 07:03.042 that soldier , I can do that too 07:03.042 --> 07:05.459 because I can access to the need of the 07:05.470 --> 07:08.100 soldiers . I can access to the need of 07:08.109 --> 07:12.000 the people . So that's why , like I 07:12.010 --> 07:14.232 said , when they come to me , they need 07:14.232 --> 07:17.019 something , they need help . And then 07:17.029 --> 07:20.709 the way that I do , I don't care about 07:20.720 --> 07:22.942 the Buddhist , but I just provide as an 07:22.942 --> 07:26.869 active listening to deeply to , to get 07:27.000 --> 07:30.549 what the what is the spiritual need 07:30.559 --> 07:32.670 from that person , from the soldier , 07:32.670 --> 07:35.579 from , from the patient that allow me 07:35.589 --> 07:39.260 to help them , allow me to provide care , 07:39.450 --> 07:42.450 allow me to provide spiritual support 07:42.959 --> 07:46.410 in the right point and the right the 07:46.420 --> 07:47.500 right time for them .