Opening The 81th Seven-Day Retreat Courses

On the afternoon of the same day, Ven. Thich Chan Tinh, the abbot of temple and the chief of Organization Department had come to visit the attenders as well as sharing Dharma.

 All people who come to the temple whether for joining daily practice or the Retreat Courses they have the same purpose of finding happiness and tranquility. And the happiness actually comes from the harmony. The equality of Yin and Yang in body makes healthy, the harmonious society makes a happy society, the harmonious world make non-war and peace. Therefore harmony is considered as the fundamental to create happiness for individual, family and society.

 The Buddha teaches about The Six principles of Harmony:

 Harmony in living together: living together without discrimination of skin color, ethnic, religion, wealth, misery, beauty or ugliness… when we are the sons and daughters of the Buddha, we are family. Don’t disregard but respect and share accommodation with others, together practice and follow the Retreat Course’s regulation.

 Harmony in speaking without conflict: harmony in speech and have no conflict. To be in the temple we should not spread piece of slander or jealous which lead to argument. When disagreement arises we keep patient to have smooth and lovely words to make a suggestion to others.

 Harmony in experiencing Dharma bliss: the harmony in mind make happiness. The Buddha said mind has three non-virtue actions: greed, hatred and delusion. In the Retreat Course, people have different mind karma, the neglectfulness of individual in take care greed, hatred and delusion can destroy the peaceful state of community.

 Harmony in having the same viewpoints: everyone has different experience in practice and understanding Dharma. To share it for other one need to be skillful in create harmonious relationship and convince.

 Harmony in observing the same precepts: the Buddhist should keep well their five principles of moral including non-killing, non-stealing, non-adultery, non-telling lie, non-using intoxicants. Besides that the participants have to follow the regulation of the Retreat Course to maintain the peace state for community.

 Harmony in sharing benefits: one should love and share everything to friends, don’t argue for some insignificant.

To practice well the Six Principles of Harmony one must be in the selfless spirit of non-self, nothing is called you and yours. The Buddha teaches this body is created by five aggregates and the four elements forming. Therefore to overcome suffering and ending defilements one should live in the selfless and unselfish spirit, self-sacrificing for others, then one can practice well the Six Principles of Harmony of Buddha’s teaching. If these principles can be applied in the family life, organization, society everyone will be in harmony, ease and happiness.

At the end of the Dharma Talk all Buddhist officially entering the 81th Seven-Day Retreat Courses.

Here is the image recorded: