One-Day Practice

Good men and believing women everywhere gathered at Hoang Phap pagoda to attend One-day Practice on Jan. 14th, 2024 (Dec. 04th, LC).

All Buddhists came to the lecture halls of the Dharma-Wheel Building to begin reciting Buddha names, walking meditation and chanting precepts in the morning.

After the ritual, all practitioners listened to a Dharma talk preached by Most Master Thich Chan Tinh.

The Most reminded listeners to reflect and summarize whether the cultivation over the past year has progressed or regressed? we should orient our practice in the new year.

Buddhists should set evaluation standards for yourselves to know whether you have improved, or went back, e.g: we heard a Dharma talk every day last year, will we hear more or less everyday this year? We read 1 page of a Buddhist book every day last year, will we read more or less everyday this year? Self-examination of three-karma in body, speech, and mind, are they becoming purer, or are they more sinful? If good deeds are many and evil deeds are few, we practice progress, and vice versa. We gain one year in life, lose one year of life-span when each year passes, because everyone who is born must grow old and die so that no one can avoid this law of life. For those who practice Buddhism, life and death must be seen as normal. The important thing is that we try to diligently practice so that we can rebirth to the Buddha realm peacefully.

Next, practitioners listened to the teachings shared by Junior Thich Tam Truong, Abbot of Hoang Phap pagoda.

By two verses in the Dhammapada:

227.

An ancient saying, Atula,

not only said today –

"They are blamed who silent sit,

who often speak they too are blamed,

and blamed are they of measured speech"—

there's none in the world unblamed.

228.

There never was, there'll never be

nor now is ever found

a person blamed perpetually

or one who's wholly praised.

Praise and criticism are unavoidable in life; however, we should reconsider that praise and criticism: If it is true, we thank the speaker; If it comes from the person's jealousy, envy, or slander, we should ignore it. Next, the monk shared about the meaning and benefits of holding a wedding ceremony at a temple. The Wedding Ceremony is an opportunity for the couple to listen to monks convey the ethic to be a wife, a husband, a bride, a son-in-law and to be parents in the future according to Buddha's teachings in the Sigalovada Sutta.

After reciting the Buddha name in the afternoon, Buddhists practiced sitting meditation quietly.

All Buddhists were given Dharma book gifts by the monks before leaving the temple.

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