Dharma Talk: How many ten-year times? preaching by Junior Thich Chon Khanh - Fifth day in Summer Retreat 2024

The morning of July 14th, 2024 is the fifth day of the Retreat. All students gathered at the lecture halls to listen to teachings named How many ten-year times? preached by Junior Thich Chon Khanh, residing in Duc Phu pagoda, Nha Be district in Ho Chi Minh City, lectured on the topic.

The length of each person's life is a mystery, we cannot live like time is endless, just like youth still passes quietly... When we suddenly realize that another 10 years have passed, youth is not, what results has our dream reached? Time is precious, because it is limited. No one can know how many times in ten years our lifetime will be.

At this time, we should look back at the past ten years, how have we lived? What seeds were sown to promise a good result for the future? From here, we arrange for ourselves a new lifestyle in the present and create a dream, orienting the future for the next ten years.

No one is completely happy, always lucky and favorable in all life situations. Life is always a pair of sadness-joy, happiness-suffering, ...

So, what is the method for us to get through stormy days: read scriptures or contemplate Buddha's teachings, or read a meaningful book about life, practice meditation, meditate on breathing, ...

You must be very careful when using your phone. When listening to something, we need to know how to filter the information we receive. Using technology as a means, do not become its slave, do not rush to believe anything just because it is repeated by many people; Don't rush to believe it because that is the trend of the media. Only then can we master our thinking. The phone is a means, but if we do not use it wisely, we will accidentally make the distance further and further between family members, between parents and children.

The monk hopes all listeners will look back at the past to rectify their current lifestyle with the material of wisdom and love. Each person needs to look back at the age of their parents leaning towards the sunset... how many times in ten years is that still there? Cherish each of these moments because there is no eternal youth, no time is infinite, how many times do we still have ten years? Should cherish each day.

Then, the Venerable answered all of the listeners' questions about the lecture's topic and life's problems.

In the afternoon, all students participated in a writing contest on the topic “Bringing delight come.”

The refuge taking ceremony has a very important meaning, marking the time when a person officially becomes a Buddhist. Then, that one has entered the Buddhist house and has a good spiritual path for his life.

This ritual for over 400 students took place in the presence of monks at the temple. From countless kalpas drifting in the cycle of birth and death, no one avoids making mistakes, and doing evil things by ignorance obscured. Therefore, each of us needs to recognize our mistakes and vow not to repeat them. By the way, the Most has created conditions for precepts’ receivers to repent of three pure karmas before becoming a Buddhist disciple. On behalf of the monks present, Most Thich Chan Tinh transmitted Three Refuges and Five Precepts to the disciples. Next, the Master gave instructions and encouraged new Buddhists on the path of practice.

The Most Master has very clearly analyzed the benefits of taking refuge in Three Jewels and keeping five precepts taught by the Buddha. The Most also encouraged receivers of the precepts to read books about the life of the Buddha named Summary of Buddha Shakyamuni which better understand the Supreme Master to whom we turn for refuge.

Two origins of blood and spirituality are always present in each of us. For Vietnamese people, Buddhism has a spiritual root from ancient times. We should not run after fame and profit, love but betray its own spiritual roots. Buddhists must have righteous faith. No god or saint blesses or causes harm to anyone, but the blessing is caused by each person's cause and effect, sowing the cause and picking the fruit by himself. Buddhist learners need to believe deeply in cause and effect, spend time going to pagodas to study Dharma, practice vegetarianism, keep precepts, and practice the Buddha's teachings in order to have peace and happiness in life, not fall into three evil realms, and be reborn a peaceful landscape in the future.

 The full personality of a devout Buddhist is as above, and contributes to building a better society.

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