The 49th Buddhist Dharma Light Program

On the morning of January 25, 2015 (Dec. 6 lunar year of the Horse) thousands of Buddhists from HoChiMinh City (HCMC) and its surrounding provinces gathered at Hoang Phap pagoda to participate in the 49th Buddhist Dharma Light Program.

In the above-mentioned program, Junior Venerable Thich Minh\r\nThanh, Abbot of the small temple Phap An (of Bao Loc, Lam Dong province), lecturer\r\nat the High-Middle Level School of Buddhism in HCMC, came to Hoang Phap\r\npagoda in an attempt to clear up all the questions that the Buddhists had sent\r\nto the Organising Board.

Following are the questions raised for the 49th Buddhist\r\nDharma Light Program.

Question. 1: Respected Monks,

I was wondering about the following and I am expecting it to\r\nbe cleared by your compassion. That is : Those who practise the path and pledge\r\nthemselves to leave behind all trifling vows so that their mind won’t be busy\r\nwith worldly affairs. The question is : In such a status, has the person become\r\nan emotionless one? Buddhism has taught us that as Buddhists we should make\r\nlight of everything and should not be tied to anything. That is to say, we\r\nshould regard everything as nought or nothing important, then we won’t be\r\ncaught in annoyance. But, I don’t know what I should act. Let’s take this as an\r\nexample. On my way to do my own business and I witness a robbery. If I don’t\r\nhelp the person being robbed and chase down the robber, I am considered an\r\nemotionless or cowardly person. But if I chase the robber down, I am considered\r\na heart-stirred person because I am affected by greediness and delusion. It is\r\na real problem for me - whether to turn a blind eye and in this case I am\r\nconsidered emotionless or to intervene in an affair and I am considered having\r\nan unrest heart. Therefore, I hope that my problem be solved appropriately.

Question. 2: Respected monks,

As far as I know, from the Buddhist viewpoint, there are six\r\nroads and samsara rules. That means after death, a person may be reborn into\r\none of the six worlds or realms known as heaven, human being, asura, hungry\r\nghost, animal, and hell. Each of these realms has its own scenery depending on\r\nthe karma force that a person has to pay off for what he has previously done\r\nduring his life on earth. Therefore, my question is: Once a person is dead and\r\nis banished to the hell, will he be incarnated into another living body to tell\r\nabout himself or not? If yes, then will this be in accordance with Buddhist\r\ndogmas? If no, then why I have been told that some people who have been dead\r\nand banished to the hell are later incarnated into some living ones to tell\r\nstories in the world of the dead. I have been wondering these matters and\r\nplease give me some appropriate explanations.

Question. 3: Respected monks,

I admit having some good conditions with the Buddha. As a\r\nresult, I have heard and understood much or less about the Buddhist Dharma. As\r\nsuch, I understand that everything happening around me has a relationship to\r\nkarma and it is karma that controls human present as well as his future life.\r\nPreviously, when I did not know anything about Buddhist Dharma, I often believed\r\nin fate or destiny which is the viewpoint of Confucianist scholars.\r\nAccordingly, what is the difference between karma and fate? Or what are the\r\nsimilarities and differences of these two?

NOTICE: 1. The 49th Buddhist Dharma Light Program will be\r\nupdated very soon by the Editorial Board. Buddhists are, therefore, pleased to\r\nwait to and welcome it.

Following are some recorded pictures.

In the one-day retreat this time there still was the\r\npaticipation of the college students who come from HCMC Natural Sciences\r\nUniversity as well as those from the Human Life Club and The Warm Gust of\r\nWind.-