Ceremony of Seating Buddha Statue, Thanking Triratna and Taking Triratna Refuge at Hoa Phuc Pagoda, Ha Noi

On August 9th 2017( June 18th, Roaster Year) Hoa Phuc Pagoda – Hoa Truc Village, Hoa Thach Commune, Quoc Oai Province, Ha Noi City held a ceremony of seating Buddha statue and thanking and taking Triratna Refuge.

Sen. Ven. Thich Chan Tinh – abbot of Hoang Phap Pgoda and over 50 monks and nuns from domestic and abroad pagoda witnessed this ceremony. Besides, there was over 5,000 Buddhists attended; especially, over 900 Buddhists enrolled to take Triratna Refuge.

In the morning, the mandala participated in the ceremony on occasion of 20 years restoring and 10 years reconstructing Hoa Phuc Pagoda. After three welcoming bell-ring, Sen. Ven. Thich Chan Tinh and Juniors burnt incense to Buddha and chanted sutra.

National spirit spreads on each tile roof

Immessurable merciful mind creates sacred pagoda

Right Dharma of Phuoc Quang is conversed and propagated

Cam Lo stream source saves life.

Coming to this ceremony, Sen. Ven. Thich Chan Tinh had instruction to the abbot and Buddhists.

He complimented their cultivating mind and doing good things of Junior Ven to reconstruct the pagoda and hold cultivating courses. 

With talent, appearance, cultivation

You will succeed, gain achievements. 

Getting causal destination and good fortune, full of three above factors, the abbot gets easy to succeed in anything. Although Hoa Phuc Pagoda wasn’t located at a convenient place, it honestly welcomed two advanced boards of sangha and authority. Those are Ven. Thich Pho Tue – board of Buddhist Sangha of Vietnam, and Mr. Nguyen Xuan Phuc – Prime Minister. This is a great honest of monks and Buddhist of Hoa Phuc Pagoda.

This pagoda is built as a hall for monks and Buddhist studying and cultivating. Its material is just for a supporting goal, not a purpose of renunciation men. The most important thing is level of understanding Dharma and its cultivation. If people come to pagoda to visit or beg for something, benefits brought from this pagoda is not gained much.

The priority matter when we come to pagoda is studying, understanding and practicing Buddha Dharma, from which we could get peacefulness, quietness and release. People with many times to get pagoda without studying, practicing according to Buddha preach, also having no precepts, is not considered as a Buddhist even though they took Triratna refuge.

True Buddhist must have right understanding. Buddha is not a god who gives bless or bad things. He is a great wisepersoninstructing us to go to the right path. The monks should hold courses and give the Buddha preaches so that Buddhists could get right recognition about cause – effect, bless – guilty, ignore misunderstanding and superstition. One studying Buddha’s Dharma should have right logic; replace good view from wrong things. That is purpose and real meaning of cultivating at the pagoda.

In the afternoon of same day, Sen. Ven. Thich Chan Tinh and monks went to the hall to witness taking Triratna Refuge Ceremony. With the witness of monks, over 900 people were transferred precept status and resolved to take refuge to spend whole life time for Triratna. Then, Sen. Ven. Thich Chan Tinh said that people should practice 3 principles including “right sight, right speech, right action”; often do good things, protect 5 virtue rules (no killing, no stealing, no adultery, no lying, do no using alcohol and coke) for good karma. Buddhists should recognize about purpose of taking refuge. Studying Buddha Dharma, one must change his attitude and action to the others, often comes to pagoda to practice Buddha Dharma to get peacefulness and release.

Before ending the ceremony, Junior Thich Tam Hoa – abbot of Hoa Phuc Pagoda gave thank to precious closed relationship of the monks of Head of Buddhist Sangha of Vietnam - Phu Tho Provice, monks of Head of Buddhist Sangha of Vietnam – Thua Thien Hue Province, monks of Hoang Phap Pagoda, monks from Hai Duong, Hai Phong, Ha Noi, who came to witness and support to the ceremony without being afraid of hard long distance and hot weather. On behalf of Hoa Phuc Pagoda, The Junior engraved their love in his heart, instructions. He will take those of to be main direction on studying and cultivating path for responsibility of taking Buddhism into life, gaining peace and joy to everyone.

Below are some taken photos of the ceremony: