Dhammapala Regular Meeting

On Sun 26, 11, 2017 (Oct 09, lunar calendar), Hoang Phap Dhammapala group held regular meeting.

During which, participants listened to the Dharma talk from Senior Venerable Thich Quang Thien – Lecturer for HCMC Buddhism Institute (intermediate and advanced level) in Ho Chi Minh City, Abbot of Tinh Quang pagoda – Dist. 12 - HCMC on the topic "Impermanence - Selflessness".

Buddha taught us: “things in this world are not fixed but continuously changing from birth to death, from beginning to ending. That is impermanence”.

Human beings and things are created based on the compounded conditions. The self that we often regard to, indeed, is just a combination of five aggregates including form (rūpa), sensation (vedanā), perception (saññā), mental activity (saṅkhāra), and consciousness (viññāṇa), via body and mind. Form links to body while the rest four aggregates link to mind.

1. Form (rūpa): is human body that is as impermanent as sponge. Form does not fix but changes during time. Form is non-self.

2. Sensation (vedanā): are the un/pleasant feelings that come and go like bubbles on water surface. It is non-self

3. Perception (saññā): is alike illusion that travelers often experience during their journey in dessert. Illusion is not true, neither is perception.

4. Mental activity (saṅkhāra): is the change of mind. Thought appears taking the place of the previous one. This process continuously arises in the mind of human. Concept is initiated by the effect of compounded objects. Therefore, mental activity is non-self.

5. Consciousness (viññāṇa): is the ability of discrimination of things. Thoughts in mind change every second. Due to such changes, consciousness is selfless.

Via the talk, the Senior Venerable helped participants understand more about impermanence, selflessness, have valuable equipment on the way finding truth and true happiness in life.

The meeting closed in the joy of all.

Following are recorded photographs:

BBT website