Dharma Talk at Huong Son Pagoda – Da Nang

In response to the invitation of Nun Thich Nu Dieu Nguyen, Ven. Thich Chan Tinh came to Huong Son Pagoda in Group 2, Son Thuy, Hoa Hai Ward, Ngu Hanh Son District, Da Nang to have a Dharma talk to Buddhists attending the four-day cultivation course in the morning of March 6th, 2014 (Lunar February 6th lunar calendar).

Before preaching, the Senior Ven. had taken and offered\r\nincense, recited the Buddha sutra and prayed for the construction of the\r\nmonastic dining hall of Huong Son Pagoda. Although that was the 26th\r\ncultivation course, corrugated iron roofs have used temporarily to make a\r\ndining place for Buddhists because of its shortage of budget. In some years,\r\ncorrugated iron roofs turned off because of strong winds, which could be very\r\ndangerous for Buddhists attending the cultivation courses. Therefore, this year\r\nthe Abbess decided to build a monastic dining hall so that Buddhists could have\r\na place to eat meals and their cultivation have not been affected by any kind\r\nof weather. In his Dharma talk, he complimented on the propagation of the\r\nAbbess and Nuns in the pagoda. He also complimented on local Buddhists’ earnest\r\nlearning. He reminded the first cultivation course at the end of 1999 in Hoang\r\nPhap Pagoda with just about 80 attendants, but until now, cultivation courses\r\nhave known nationwide and many pagodas have also held cultivation courses.

Although the cultivation course is originated from China,\r\nwhen Hoang Phap Pagoda held it in accordance with this model, all rituals such\r\nas reciting the Buddha sutra, praying to Buddha, meditative walking, demeanor,\r\nprostrating, etc. were carried out by former Vietnamese masters without\r\nimitating Chinese’s rituals.

Afterwards, many places imitated reciting voice of Chinese,\r\nwhich had a tendency to be xenophobic and turncoat. Some tranquil pagodas have\r\nturned themselves into places for conducting supportive recitation for death\r\npeople all day long, attended funerals, and turned the pagodas into places for\r\nserving death people. Recently, some places have held Thrice Yearning Ceremony\r\nto pray for the peace of death people.

The sad thing is that Vietnamese carry out the ceremony but\r\nsutras have recited is by Chinese accents. If listeners do not pay attention,\r\nthey will misunderstand that recites are Chinese. A native Vietnamese wants to\r\nbe a half-breed Chinese. Buddhists have to cultivate the right dharma deeply,\r\ndo not cultivate extremes, and do not let the origin be lost.

The Senior Ven. advised Buddhists to cultivate in accordance\r\nwith three fold ways of obtaining a pure karma in the Sutra of Contemplation of\r\nInfinite Life, expressing the spirit of practicing blessings and wisdom at the\r\nsame time to get benefits for themselves and other people. The first blessing:\r\nnursing parents, serving masters, not killing being living, cultivating good\r\nkarma. The second blessing: taking Triratna Refuges and all precepts, doing not\r\nbreak the dignity. The third blessing: giving alms, deeply believing in\r\ncause-effect, reciting Mahayana, advising Buddhists’ practice.

At the end of the Dharma talk, each person was sent a set of\r\nDVDs including A Path to Enlightenment, Propagation Paths, and Intimate\r\nFeelings at the Beginning of the Year. These gifts offered by the Buddhist Nhu\r\nLu – a Vietnamese Australian.

In the afternoon, the Senior Ven. visited Junior Thich Tam\r\nMan’s house chastity in Quang Nam. Knowing that the Ven. paid a visit, local\r\nBuddhists had come to listen to dharma talk shared by him. Before leaving, the\r\nSenior Ven. had dharma gifts to the mass.

Following are some taken pictures:

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