Opening the 104th Seven-Day Retreat

From Dec. 11th to Dec. 18th, 2024 Hoang Phap pagoda officially opened the 104th Seven-day Retreat with nearly 1000 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 Organizers, Junior Thich Tam Truong had some sharing words to the mass in the afternoon.

 

Buddhist practitioners need to contemplate four things of Body, Feeling, Mind, and Dharma to recognize their impermanence. However, most of us have a negative view of impermanence, seeing changes and losses that cause suffering without correctly recognizing their nature. Practitioners need to have more awareness of the positive side of impermanence. Based on the constant change of mind, body and environment in which we repent our mistakes, transform wrong and evil things into good and right ones. The sooner we have a positive view of impermanence, the sooner we will be aware of changing our actions, words and thoughts in a better way. Thanks to that, we will no longer be tempted by frivolous emotions or materials, and will no longer be attached or clinging to things that are not stable. Gradually, the body and mind will become pure, peaceful and happy, and each practitioner will progress more on his practice while helping family life to be more harmonious and developed.

 

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