Dharma Giving at Avalokitesvara Temple, Georgia State, America

In the afternoon of Sep. 29th, 2018, accepted the invitation of Ven. Abbot of Avalokitesvara Temple, Ven. Thich Chan Tinh visited Norcross city, Georgia State and gave a Dharma talk for over hundred Buddhists here.

Georgia State this place the first time he visited, therefore many Buddhists were happy and delightful to welcome him, who they haven't seen before yet but online following only. Mostly the Buddhists stay far away from the temple (around 100km, 1-hour driving) but they try to arrange and attend for Dharma listening and seeing him, the Hoang Phap's Abbot.

In the talk, he pays attention to mind cultivating in practice. People normally take only merit accumulating, sutra chanting, vegan taking… as the main practice, not the three poisons removing.

He repeats a sutra from Samyutta Nikaya, at there Buddha preached there are four sorts of people:

•       People from dark to dark: who didn't create much merit from the past, their present life is poor, fool, and unlucky. By these disadvantages, they create more unwholesome deeds and get more suffering in life.

•       People from dark to light: people who were born with unlucky things: ugly, poor, little fool, but they have a chance to learn Buddhism and practice with the pure mind. by this, life condition gradually changes and mind step by step has peace.

•       People from light to dark: people were born with enough condition for life but care nothing about Buddhism. They spend their advantages for nonsense doing and creating bad karma. They soon will get trouble and suffering in life.

•       People from light to light: were born with a good condition: smart, rich, beautiful… but they also learn Dharma and apply it for self and others benefit. By this, they grow more merit and wisdom for later liberation.

From the sutra, Ven. Thich Chan Tinh leaves a message to all the listeners: take time to recognize which kind of people you are for correcting and improving your spiritual life. The Triratna gives a safe place for us to refuge but can not grand anything. It's useless to ask the help or protection from the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. We are the karma's heir and owner, we have the power to change our karma for a happy life. Seeing this clearly, no one asks the help from the Buddha or bodhisattva anymore. In Buddhism, even the Buddha also just a guide, we have to take the self-practice for liberation from all suffering, remove all defilements.

The next day, Sep. 30th is Sunday, and people normally come to temple for a daily practice. When they know about the present of Ven. Thich Chan Tinh, they spend 3 or 4-hour driving come to see him. This spirit needs to be praised and encouraged.

The life overseas people is good but always in trouble because family members not really understand each other. This makes strong motivation for practice to change the family and settle peace in mind. The sutra from the Samyutta Nikaya shared by him related to Ven. Mahanama asked the Buddha if a person dies suddenly, where will he go? Then Buddha pointed out there are five factors which can drive people to the next existence by cultivating on faith, morality, hearing, giving, and wisdom. These five factors are the norm to value a real practitioner. For example, if we break a pottery contains oil, the pottery's scraps will sink in water and the oil will float on the surface. So if a person cultivates this five-factor will be born in the happy state and on the opposite, they will take birth in the unhappy state. Good karma fruits happiness and bad karma fruits suffering.

The talk makes clear to those who worry about the sudden death and increase faith in the way they practice. What we’ve done, we reap and no one can help.

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