Opening the 100th Seven - Day Retreat

From Sep. 06th, 2023 to Sep. 13th, 2023 Hoang Phap pagoda officially opened the 100th seven-day Retreat with over 1300 good men and believing women everywhere returning to attend.

At the lecture halls in the morning, the Organizers guided practitioners in places to listen to dharma, eating, and sleep, as well as the necessary rules of Buddhists when attending the retreat, such as: clasping hands, greeting, bowing; rituals offering a meal in the lunch.

Head of the Organizer, Junior Thich Tam Truong had some sharing words to the mass in the afternoon.

All participants have enough blessings to go to the temple to study, cultivate wisdom, accumulate merit to develop good karma for ourselves, so we should try to practice diligently.

Being able to go to a temple to study is a good thing, worthy of praise; however, each practitioner should fulfill its responsibilities towards the family for his or her practice to be truly complete. The Venerable reminded practitioners to have clear judgment and select which good deeds to strive for and maintain, which unwholesome deeds to avoid; and then perfect ourselves every day with 16 dharmas according to the Buddha's teachings.

Then, he preached about eight methods for lay people: having right faith; taking refuge in Three Jewels, complying with five precepts; giving; often go to the temple to meet monks and nuns (standard ones); listen to dharma; preserve (receive and maintain the dharmas have heard); observe the profound meaning of teachings; preserving precepts - listen to empathize. Lay people should aim for the benefit of others, encouraging and helping people to practice these eight ones.

He popularized rules with the purpose to help the masses understand, and diligently practice to get benefits of peace and happiness right now, being steps forward for achievement on the path of finding enlightenment.

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