Fourth day of Summer Retreat 2023

The morning of July 12th, 2023 is the fourth day of the retreat. All students gathered at the lecture halls to listen to teachings preached by Junior Thich Minh Thien, Abbot of Duc Hoa pagoda (Binh duong) with the topic named Paying homage to the Buddha.

Buddha appeared in life for the enlightenment light and benefit sentient beings in three realms over 2600 years ago. He brought the light of truth to help sentient beings have a correct understanding by going through 4 Asankhya (Countless eons) and 100,000 Mahakalpa (1,334,000,000 years) to fully cultivate ten-parami perfections. Thanks to his teachings, many followers of different religions have been transformed from delusion to enlightenment, back to the right path and deliverance. His teachings are like a declaration abolishes classes and regains equal rights for human beings, the right to respect life for all sentient beings.

We have had many troubles and sufferings in life, brought about by ourselves or by others without any way to remove them. Fortunately, thanks to the blessings good seeds have been sown from many past lives, meeting the Dharma, seeing the light of truth helps us to get rid of our insecurities. The Buddha was the only one who pointed out the truth of suffering, the cause of suffering and the way to the cessation of suffering that no other religion in the middle of the life speaks of. Thanks to the Buddha's teachings, so many individuals from ordinary people become saints; from bad to good; from selfishness to altruism, tolerance, .....

A practitioner is one who cultivates insight to correct oneself and to help others correct mistakes. Insightful people recognize what is happening, accept it with a positive attitude so as not to lead to wrong actions. Thanks to wisdom, life is lighter, less sorrowful, lets go of the painful past, and changes the dark life.

Buddhists' vows to live well, to maintain kindness in any situation, to spread the truth everywhere to make life less painful is the most practical thanks to Him.

It is a filial son to his parents; being a Buddhist with faith and protection of Buddhadharma; being a citizen who loves his homeland and country and contributes his efforts to society; be a responsible member of one's own family; be a good friend together. If listeners can do these five things, that one will be a true disciple of the Buddha, inheriting His fortune and career in life.

After that, the Venerable spent 30 minutes answering questions from students around the topic of preaching and problems in life in the spirit of Buddhism.

Young attendees joined the inspirational session shared by speaker Khanh Vy in the afternoon.

Speaker Khanh Vy shared some good methods of learning foreign languages and subjects in general. At the same time, Khanh Vy revealed about her predestined reason with her current job, how to overcome pressure in life and study. Besides, she confided about the benefits of applying Buddha's teachings to daily life. Since then, Khanh Vy has spread this positive energy to the community, advising young people to love themselves more. We are the next continuation of our parents and grandparents, let's live well, take advantage of our youth to contribute and bring the best values to society. That is the way we express our gratitude to our parents, relatives and people who have graced us in life.

Young participants listened to Junior Thich Tam Duoc - the monks of Hoang Phap Pagoda preach about the Three refuges and Five Precepts.

Three refuges are to rely on the Three Jewels. To take refuge is to return, rely, then comply with precepts.

Three Jewels are three treasures. To take refuge in Three Jewels is to return and take refuge in Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.

To be a Buddhist, we need to take refuge in the Three Jewels first. The Three Jewels of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha are considered the most solid refuges for practitioners. Vow to take refuge in front of Three Jewels, the pure power of Buddhas, the solemn demonstration of present monks will help us diligently keep our vows.

After taking refuge in the Three Jewels, we need to practice Buddha's teachings, precepts to prevent evil deeds, strengthen the body and mind, and cultivate the morality and character of Buddhists. When we have taken refuge in Three Jewels, we are officially disciples of the Buddha. As a Buddhist, a disciple must follow Buddha's conduct, as a son must be like his father. Buddha is an exemplary moral person; we must also have morality; morality comes from precepts. Therefore, Buddhists must observe five basic precepts of not killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and drinking alcohol. These five precepts are the foundation for building a happy building for ourselves, our family, and society.

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