One-day Retreat and Take Refuge in the Triratna Ceremony

On April 15th, 2018, One-day Practice and Take Refuge in the Triratna Ceremony was taken place in Yonggungsa Temple (Incheon) for the Vietnamese Buddhist in Korea.

In the morning Ven. Thich Chan Tinh and Ven. Hoaeung, Duoc Su’s abbot in Korea, entered the lecture hall to open the One-day practice program. For starting, Ven. Hoaeung addressed the greeting to Ven. Thich Chan Tinh and the Hoang Phap’s monks and appreciated the valuable time had been spent for guiding the Vietnamese Buddhists in Korea. Hoang Phap and Duoc Su temples had some connection in guiding the lay people into Dharma. This showed the good relationship in Buddhism between the two countries. It’s far from geography but not in the devout Buddhists’ hearts.

 Having sent the abbot to rest, Ven. Thich Chan Tinh shared to the Buddhists the role of a Buddha’s son. He pointed out how important of spreading the Buddha’s teaching as a monk, and also raised the devout Buddhists’ role up. If the sangha members play the most important role, the layman and woman take the second role. As the Dharma carrier, they help to bring the Buddha’s teaching to life better and easier. The sangha members can guide them, teach them, show them how to apply the Buddha’s words for a better life, by this the lay people become the perfect samples for expressing the value of Buddhism. Instead of looking at a monk or nun, the lay people will find easier from the same lay people like them to decide taking or not the Buddha’s teaching. The Venerable emphasized the “traditional religion” of the Vietnamese for reminding the Vietnamese Buddhist oversea increasing their practice’s attitude for preserving and developing Vietnamese Buddhism before the strong attack of Christianity in Korea in particular and all the world in general.

In the afternoon, Ven. Thich Chan Tinh and his disciples were present at the lecture hall to transmit the Three Precious Ones (Trisarana) and the Five Precepts to the laymen and laywomen. Before the official ceremony was taken place, he gave a short speech about the meaning of the Trisarana and the Five Precepts, as well as their benefit for one who making vow to take refuge and keep it for whole life.

Taking refuge in the Trisarana is very important for the Buddhist practitioner. From outside it’s just a rite but we all need to be a Buddhist. Taking refuge we have more duty in learning and applying what the Buddha’s words into life for purifying oneself. Do such we shall be worth to be the Buddha’s sons and daughters.

In the evening, except the invitation from the Vietnamese in Lien Hoa temple in Ansan city, Ven. Thich Chan Tinh visited and shared with them some daily experiences related to “practice” in Buddhism. In simple taking, it’s just a reforming process to be better, indeed it’s more complicated than we know. To show a full practice, we first need to absorb the Buddhist tenet and therefore we need not just a life for fulfilling it but more. By his own experience, Venerable clarified them what is the need for an effective reform that we all have to know for further practice achievement.

Finish the visiting, Venerable wished them all the best and sent some Dharma gift. His greeting to Ven. Teahyu, the abbot of Lien Hoa temple,  was sent by this occasion.

Here are some recorded photos: