Dharma talk The Illusion of the Self and preaching by the HeadMaster in the 108th Seven-Day Retreat

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Update: 09/05/2026

On the 5th day in the 108th seven-day Retreat of May 08th, 2026, Senior Thich Phuoc Tien – Vice General Secretary of Viet Nam Buddhist Research Institute, Standing Member of the Central Buddhist Propagation Board of VBS, Abbot of Tuong Van Monastery (HCMC) preached a Dharma talk named "The Illusion of the Self” in the Wheel-Dharma Building's main hall. Head Master Thich Chan Tinh of Hoang Phap pagoda visited, encouraged, and gave a dharma talk to the Buddhists during the retreat in the afternoon.

Dharma talk The Illusion of the Self and preaching by the HeadMaster in the 108th Seven-Day Retreat

The Senior monk taught, “In human life, the ego—the self—is highly valued, and therefore it is a factor in the cycle of birth and death, but also a means for us to achieve happiness and Nirvana.”

The monk explained what the ego is in his dharma talk. It is what forms our unique personality, preferences, or protects ourselves. The important thing is to recognize the different aspects in which the ego manifests. The Senior also emphasized that the nature of the ego is impermanent and illusory, yet almost everyone allows suffering and joy to exist within this ego, and we live and die with it. The ego manifests itself clearly but also very subtly, so practitioners need to live mindfully to contemplate that the ego is not real, and then analyze, transform the suffering and pain in life. Because, the ordinary mind is the way.

Most Master Thích Chân Tính of Hoằng Pháp pagoda visited the Dharma-hall in the afternoon to offer encouragement and guidance to the Buddhists on their spiritual path. He taught that Pure Land practitioners need to diligently keep three-karma body, speech, and mind pure, as this is the solid foundation for cultivating the Ten meritorious deeds according to the Sutra of Contemplation of Infinite Life. He emphasized, the purifying three-karma in the Pure Land sect is inseparable from cultivating the ten meritorious deeds, maintaining pure precepts, and single-mindedly reciting the Buddha's name to live in the "Human Pure Land" in this life, and later be reborn in the Pure Land of Amitabha Buddha.