One Day Retreat on May 28, 2017

On May 28, 2017 (May 3, 2017), thousands of Buddhists from HCMC and other regions attended the 4th One-Day Retreat of 2017 at Hoang Phap Pagoda.

After breakfast, audience gathered at the lecture halls to listen to the Dharma talk from Senior Venerable Thich Chan Tinh, abbot of Hoang Phap Pagoda, head of Retreat Organizing Department. In more than an hour, he shared about the meaning of "Dharma" mentioned in Anguttara Nikaya Sutra and Satyasiddhi-sastra.

 

In Anguttara Nikaya 3, Chapter 6, Unit Worthy of Respect, Mahànàma Sutra, Buddha said: “Furthermore Mahànàma, there is the case where you recollect the Dhamma: ‘The Dhamma is well-expounded by the Blessed One, to be seen here & now, timeless, inviting verification, pertinent, to be realized by the wise for themselves!’”

 

In the book Satyasiddhi-sastra, Harivarman said that there were six supreme qualities of Buddha Dharma:

* Svākkhāto - Self- proclaimed

* Sandiá¹­á¹­hiko - Able to be examined,

* Akāliko - Timeless and Immediate result

* Ehipassiko - Come and See

* Opanayiko - Leading One Close To

The Senior Venerable pointed out the similarities of them and analyzed the six supreme qualities of Buddha Dharma as following:

 

1. Svākkhāto ("well proclaimed"). Buddha's teaching is an exposition of the Universal Law of Nature based on a causal analysis of natural phenomena. It is the truth unaffected by the time. That truth is about the doctrine of impermanence, suffering, non-self, and compounded conditions in the world.

 

2.  Sandiá¹­á¹­hiko ("able to be examined").

 Buddha’s teachings bring us peace and happiness both in present and future. It is not necessary to wait until the future or next existence to be born spontaneously in the Pure Land to enjoy happiness. Things will come true within this life if we apply Buddha's teachings to purify our body, speech and thought.

 

3.Akāliko ("timeless, immediate"). The Dharma is able to bestow timeless and immediate results here and now, for which there is no need to wait until the good time or good situation/environment to practice. The dhamma does not change over time and it is not relative to time. We can always practice Buddha's teachings. That is called timeless.

 

4.Ehipassiko ("which you can come and see"). Dhamma invites all beings to put it to the test and come to see for themselves. It is more likely we can get full after eating and release the thirst after drinking. The same theory to Buddha's teachings, we need to practice to gain benefit and peace in mind.

 

5.Opanayiko ("leading one close to"): Dhamma leads practitioners to bliss, liberation and the attainment of Buddhahood. Dharma is the prajna boat saving sufferers in Samsara, the compass for the lost ones, the good medicine for severe patients ...

 

6.Paccattaṃ veditabbo viññūhi ("To be personally known by the wise"). The Dhamma can be perfectly realized only by the noble disciples who have matured in supreme wisdom. Practitioners need to use wisdom to apply Buddha’s teaching to identify and transform the sufferings in life, otherwise it is difficult to achieve peace and happiness on the Path to the Enlightenment.

 Via analysis and stories in Buddha’s time, the Senior Venerable showed the mass the value of Buddha Dharma. From this point of view, he encouraged participants trying the best in cultivation to experience the joys from Dharma and go further on the Path to liberation.

 

After the Dharma talk, the mass kept on the course as usual.

 

In the afternoon, after the recitation of the Buddha's name, Buddhists listened to the Five Precepts statement and the guidance of how to sit.

Following are the recorded photographs: