Opening Student Summer Retreat 2017

After a hard-working school-year, here comes the summer with joys and relax for students.

To have a wonderful summer holiday, many youths take long vacation to discover new lands or come back home in countryside. However, more than 2,000 young people put on their backpacks and choose pagoda to “enjoy life” with the 13th Student Summer Retreat.

Before the officially opening ceremony of the retreat, young participants take a visit tour around the pagoda to understand more about the place where they will stay and practice in one week.

In the morning of Jul 10, 2017, the Student Summer Retreat 2017 officially opens. On the first day, the participants are busy getting accommodation, joining orientation session and listening to guideline/Dharma talk. They also study about the etiquette for Buddhist as pressing palm together, bowing, kowtowing, praying rites before lunch…

In the afternoon, Senior Venerable Thich Chan Tinh, Abbot of Hoang Phap Pagoda, head of the retreat organization, delivers a Dharma talk regarding the wise view of love.

Young people are more likely budding flowers, as beautiful as pink clouds and full of energy with dreams and bright sky ahead. Especially, everyone desires a wonderful and romantic love with happy end.

At the beginning of love, couples have hopeful and pink view of love and marriage life. Everyone wants to have good image in the eyes of lover/partner. However, after getting married, two different people living together are busy with many concerns, issues and works that take most of their time. They are too busy to have time taking care of themselves and their spouse as they did. Especially the individual freedom is limited by the marriage life.

Many people get stuck and stress after getting married due to coping with many new challenges and hardship. They may want to be freed from such chaos in vain due to heavy responsibilities for family and society. At that moment, freedom or privacy seems too expensive for them. They are more likely desperate birds in captivity watching their herd flying freely in the sky.

Via witty and meaningful stories, the Senior Venerable gives youths the right way thinking of love and right orientation for the future.

After the Dharma talk, Venerable Thich Tam Vuong talks about regulation and schedule of the retreat. In this retreat, there will be many Dharma talks from clergy lecturers with topics as:

Talk with Age 20

Luggage for life

My Mom’s untold stories

Trace of lies

Don’t blame the Fate

Fakebook

Especially, the Dharma Gameshow is renewed with funny activities and attractive prizes.

Student Summer Retreat 2017 promises bringing helpful lessons, impressive experiences, solemn moments of calmness for the youths’ insight to have the right way for bright future. Additionally, this is the playground for youths to exchange, learn, play and relax after stressful school year. Summer Retreat with interesting events are ready for the Youths’ discovery.

Following are the recorded photographs:

BBT Website