Sixth day Summer Retreat 2016: I am Home

It is a long time since I have wandered aimlessly in this world, without any spiritual shelter to trust, without any peaceful place to call it home after struggle for existence in life. Now, I have come back to you, my master, for Triratna Refuge, back to the spiritual root of the nation.

In the sixth morning of the retreat, the youths gathered at conference halls for the dharma talk "Love is not to blame – The blame is ..." by Venerable Thich Tam Nguyen, deputy head of Summer Retreat Board.

 

People are terribly scared of loneliness. In our lives, there must be at least once that our hearts fluttered for someone. Everyone has love, but while some has a kind of clear-sighted love, others got lost and painfully drown in the sea of love. In love, we should not rush into it with whatever price but patiently consider things with care. We should not believe in the flashy exterior appearancewithout caring his/her inner feelings or behaviors. Being lack of wisdom, love may bring "danger" and easily make us lose ourselves.

 

To have a happy and sustained love, we need loyalty, empathy, sharing and sincere heart. Love also needs preparation and process to bloom. To maintain the flame of love, we also need to supply it fuel, i.e sincerity, honesty, genuine and heartiness.

 

Buddha teaches us taking responsibility for our lives. We are the karma maker and also the karma beneficiary. When love is broken or cracked, do not blame others, but look at ourselves instead. Sometimes we need to know how to accept, stand and tolerate. Use the 4 divine attitudes (brahmavihāras) as benevolence, compassion, empathic joy and equanimity to sustain and refresh love. Love is neither possession, nor indulging our own sense pleasures, but tolerance, sympathy and together heading to better future. Do not put your love and faith in the inferior, meaningless targets and then take the frustration and grief in life.

 

After six days of practicing, and soaking in Buddha’s teaching, acknowledging the importance of being a Buddhist, in the afternoon of July 25th, 2016, there were more than 1000 registration for the Refuges out of 3000 participants of the retreat. They have recognized where are the true spiritual shelter for them to refuge, as well as the good moral/human values that Buddha has brought to this world.

Ven. Thich Chan Tinh, abbot of Hoang Phap Pagoda, Chief Organizer of the Retreat together with Hoang Phap’s Venerables have come to conference hall to ordain Triratna Refuge and 5 Precepts to the registrants.

During the performance, the Venerable has praised the religious zeal of the youths in learning and practicing with the right option in Triratna Refuge. Buddha teaches us that it is hard to be human, and it is harder to be human without any disability. It is much harder to get the Triratna Refuge and study Buddha’s Dhamma in life. It is such an accumulated marvelous karmic merit.

 

Buddhism is equality without worshiping any God. Buddha is the attained Buddha, sentient beings are Buddha-to-be. We all will become Buddha one day. Nowadays, the whole world admires Buddha of his compassion, wisdom and equality to every sentient beings. Once being Buddhist, we should not exchange Buddhism values and ideal of life for money or love. Then we will have the joy and true happiness in the spirit of Buddhism, both in present and future.

Following are some recorded photographs: