Luggage to life – 5th Day of Summer Retreat at Dong Cao Pagoda

We offen bring for a trip which has essential items. What do you prepare for life?

The fifth day of the retreat was also the last day. All attendees listened to a dharma speech from Junior Ven. Thich Tam Dai – Abbot of Lam Phap Pagoda in Lam Dong Province on a practical theme “Equipment into Life”

By his preaching, the Junior Lecture set upparticipants necessary “equipments” which they will take into their life:

 First, you should eat vegetarian food. From past to now, a soup bowl looks like normal, just a soup bowl, but its hatred is deeper than an ocean. By his own experiences, he adviced you to habituate familiarly with vegetarian foods, because of the following: health, longevity, wisdom developments, without revenge, compassion increase.                                

Second, you should recite the Bodhi, Buddha’s name that helps you focus on right mind, overcome your fears, increase your bless, etc, all of which face with difficulties in life. You were highly easy to win them because of enough power of awareness and right mind.

The third is the believe in causes and effects in life that helps you with the balance of effects and causes law, as well as anger of unfairness of the life because of your unlucky fate. When clearly recognizing the nature of these ones, you will diligently do good deeds, avoid far evil things; then those lead you to a peaceful and happy life.

The fourth is to remember your country. Each always has a country to remember, love and think about after their leaving. Country is like a river bank, a boat; a kite in wandering in the afternoon, a green field which is on the mother’s memories waiting for her children; a hot tea to warm travellers; a green and red roof which echos the sound of pagoda’s bell, etc. The country maintains there and changes daily. The country mother always looks at all directions of her children far from home that becomes older each day. Remember the country for no loneliness, coldness in your living as these beautiful colors are your equipments into life. 

In the afternoon of the same day, to end the cultivation course, all attendees had a conversation to the monks on the organization board on the topic “Understanding and Loving”. Meanwhile, the organizers gave gifts to individuals and group who achieved good results on the competition of sutra and extracurricular activity. The summer’s Retreat at Dong Cao Pagoda formally ended on the sadness in eyes and joynessful on faces of attendees. See you again in the summer of year later! 

Life of cultivators is like canary birds

Living each day is attached together

Time is the same of ship

Containing many memories and fading with time

Do you know I am very sad…

Are you quiet? No, you are not…

White paper will be saved with souvenir words

When being far, we will remember together

Giving flowers to you  will fade

Giving souvenir verses will keep on loving.  

  Following are some recorded photographs: