One-Day Practice

After having breakfast, all Buddhists came to the lecture halls of Dharma Wheel Building to begin reciting the Buddha name, walking meditation and chanting precepts.

After the practice, Senior Thich Quang Thien - Head of the Buddhist Legal Department of District 12 - Lecturer of Buddhist Schools inside and outside HCM City and Dong Nai province, Abbot of Tinh Quang Pagoda in HCMC came to the lecture hall to preach a Dharma talk named "The cure for praise and criticism" to all attendees.

The Buddha once pointed out eight poisonous winds in the world that cause afflictions to living beings: gain and loss, honor and disgrace, praise and criticism, happiness and suffering. These winds blow into human life and cause afflictions, making the body and mind weak and exhausted. The wind of praise and criticism can be the most common cause of illness, because it arises from the habit, is persistent and difficult to stop for each human being. Praise words make people happy and joyful, while criticism or reprimand makes people depressed, angry, and sad. In fact, no one can avoid praise and criticism, if we cling to those words, it will make the serious illness worse.

The Senior has pointed out a simple but effective remedy, specifically for this illness which is:

- For the wind that causes illness from within, which is the restless mind, always looking outward, caring about the good or bad of others to discuss and evaluate good or bad, we should stop. Let's tie our mind quietly, and settle our mind with the Buddha's name.

- For the wind from the outside, which is the praise or criticism of others, we need to be clear-headed, keep our mind steadfast like a solid mountain, open our mind to a large extent to endure and transform the praise, criticism, and gossip in life.

Buddhists inherit the most effective ways to treat mental illness, which are the truths revealed by the Buddha, still preserved in the Tripitaka and practiced and propagated by monks. Sick sentient beings only need to rely on the Dharma, diligently practice, they will certainly be free from the afflictions in their minds.

The dharma talk ended with the joy of the mass.

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

Before leaving the temple, Buddhists received book gifts.