Ancestor’s Death Ceremony at Tay Khanh – Thai Binh Pagoda

Every year, when it turns winter, autumn leaves stop falling, bird herds look for their shelter, disciples heart nurtures an immense melancholy, commemorating Ancestor’s grace – Hoang Phap founder, he is Most Senior Venerable Ngo Chan Tu (1901 – 1988).

With gratitude and a wish to repay favor spirit, on Nov. 26th, 2015 (Lunar Oct. 15th, Goat year), the 27th Death Ceremony was organized solemnly and formally at Tay Khanh pagoda – Cao Mai hamlet – Quang Hung village – Kien Xuong district – Thai Binh province, a homeland where He was born and grown up.

 

The anniversary’s audiences included Most Venerable Thich Thanh Duc – a member of Central Proven Council - Viet Nam’s Buddhist Congregation, head of supreme management committee - Viet Nam’s Buddhist Congregation Thai Binh province; Senior Venerable Thich Thanh Dinh – deputy of permanent member of management committee - Viet Nam’s Buddhist Congregation, director of Buddhism committee - Viet Nam’s Buddhist Congregation Thai Binh province; Junior Venerable Thich Thanh Vuong – cultural committee director - Viet Nam’s Buddhist Congregation Thai Binh province, head of management committee - Viet Nam’s Buddhist Congregation Kien Xuong district; Junior Venerable Thich Thanh Quyen – Deputy of management committee - Viet Nam’s Buddhist Congregation Kien Xuong district, Junior Venerable Thich Tam Quan – Head of Buddhhism committee - Viet Nam’s Buddhist Congregation Bac Ninh province; besides, many monks, Buddhist nuns of Hoang Phap in North also attended the ceremony.

Junior Venerable Thich Tam Kinh is known as the Ancestor’s disciple. Since deputed to be Tay Khanh’s abbot by Venerable Thich Chan Tinh, he annually holds a solemn and formal commemorative ceremony. Thus, professor and religion respectability spirit is one of the heightened factors of Buddhists; moreover, The Ancestor grace is always a steady mental support which is continuously advanced strongly by the later generation.

In the ceremony, Junior Venerable Thich Tam Quan represented for Buddhists and the Followers to interprete the late Most Venerable Ngo Chan Tu’s life history, reviewed main points of his cultivation and Buddhism practice to better educate Buddhists about His life and noble vocation.

 

The ceremony was continued with Ancestor commemorative time. This was a method to imply us to remember His bodhisattva, altruistic tolerant heart and His sacrificed life for living beings as well as giving more strength, judiciousness during cultivation and converting misery in life. Next was the Buddhist Tran Minh Ngan’s impression - His posterity. With very honest and nature feeling, the lecture fully expressed descendants’ emotion in particular and Buddhists’ in general to His soul on His death anniversary. To later disciples and generation, His grace and teachings is always a light torch dispelling all the suffering and is a lodestar rescuing everyone from false port to enlightenment. Furthermore, that spirit was also shown through cultivating and practicing Dang Luc Cung Duong of children in GDPT Tay Khanh pagoda.

The ceremony was more meaningful when the mass could listen to Most Venerable Thich Thanh Duc’s dharma talk, which had had a close relationship with the Ancestor. He advised that trees have their root, water has its source; there are masters to guide our cultivation, we have peace of mind sitting on ashram and practicing, so we have to gratitude painstaking founders. Thus, each of us have to try our best to be wiser as well as following Ancestor’s good example on our cultivation to fulfill His teaching before passing away.

At the end of ceremony, all attendees and monks thurified to commemorate Ancestor Soul.

On this occasion, organizers presented attended Buddhists VCDs of “Deep Grace and Favour”, “Buddhism Light”, “Avoiding Admiring Strange Things” edited by Hoang Phap pagoda

Those are some recorded images: