Tuesday, 10/15/2024
Dharma Light
The 60th Dharma Light Program
Update: 26/06/2017
Based on the invitation of the organizer, Venerable Thich Minh Thanh – Lecturer for Vietnam Buddhism Study Institute (Intermediate and advanced level) in HCMC, Abbot of Phap An pagoda in Lam Dong province, came to join and conduct the Q&A session of the event.
QUESTION 1:
On the death ceremony of forefathers, Buddhists often prepare vegan meals for the event. Many other Buddhism followers also prepare or suggest their descendants preparing vegan foods in such ceremony. They believe that using meat (concerning to slaughter) in such day will burden the dead with bad deeds. On the contrary, others suppose this belief a myth because according to the Cause and Effect Rule, one will inherit the fruit of his/her deeds, no one else can influence that.
Despite my efforts explaining them the bad effect of killing activities onto the dead, I cannot convince them yet. Please give me the right solution for this case.
QUESTION 2:
Why suffering is foremost emphasized in Buddhism doctrine all the time? Many people get more misery since knowing suffers and trying to escape them. They always think of how to avoid the sufferings. These activities and mindset even make people unhappier both in body and mind. It seems that we are always afraid of suffering and samsara. We often take the bliss and ease in Buddhism to treat or compare with the temporary secular happiness in life. Is it right to condemn the secular happiness?
Sometimes I even ask myself why Buddhas do not appear in this world every time, everywhere to teach sentient beings how to practice, how to go on the Path of liberation to cease the unhappiness soonest? Please give me the right answer.
QUESTION 3:
I have got the big problem in love that make me get stuck and do not know how to behave properly. Please guide me the right way. I and my boyfriend met each other two years ago when I graduated from medicine and would like to keep on studying English after graduation. My parents did not agree because they wanted me staying home to support the family. For the sake of my future and my career path, I decided to leave home to follow up my dream, work through college to pay for my studying expense. At that moment, my boyfriend and his family have been side by side with me and helped me overcoming the hardship. They facilitated me in studying and preparing the documents for the admission exam in a hospital while my parents did not care. Now, when I have got some achievements in my career path, my parents ask me coming back home to live and work there, and leave my kind boyfriend because his age and mine do not match. In my opinion, I cannot drop the relationship with my parents. I cannot drop my boyfriend and his family, either because they have been so kind saving me in the time of crisis and helping me to the current success. I owed them a lot. Please give me the right solution.
At the end of the program, Senior Venerable Thich Chan Tinh, Abbot of Hoang Phap Pagoda, Head of Dharma Light program summarized and gave the overview opinion of the issues mentioned in the program.
Following are the recorded photographs:
BBT Website