Opening the Summer Retreat 2024

On the afternoon of July 10th, 2024, Hoang Phap Pagoda officially began the Summer Retreat 2024; nearly 2,000 students from all over the country were present at the Pagoda, practicing on the 1st day of the retreat.

The Organizers divided the young people into 05 families, living according to other areas. Monks in charge of other families guided and arranged places to eat, sleep, live, practice and study, accompanied with instruction in basic demeanor in the temple, such as clasping hands, prostrations, salutes, and rituals of offering lunch...

In the afternoon, Junior Thich Tam Truong, Abbot of Hoang Phap Pagoda, Head of the Organizers of the retreat, had a dharma talk Let joy come.

The Buddha taught that having a human body is difficult, for example, there is a piece of tree floating freely on the sea following the wind directions from East to West, then West to East; from North to South, then South to North. The tree kept being pushed by the wind, floating on the sea  and having a small hole. From the bottom of the sea, it is extremely rare for a blind turtle to surface once in a hundred years, but emerge right into that tree hole.

We have enough blessings and luck to be human beings, but when we encounter sadness, we destroy our body and do not know how to cherish our body and living.

Humans are often influenced and affected by adverse conditions in life, causing our mind to experience the sufferings of birth, old age, illness, and death; loving but having to separate, wishing but not achieving, the hater but having to live with, five aggregates not getting along, etc., these are things everyone has to experience and are difficult to avoid. Therefore, we need to know methods to create joy, psychological balance to feel happy. Only by suffering, we appreciate happiness. The monk encourages listeners to moderate their desires, want less and know enough to have happiness and inner peace.

It's not because we pray to any god or saint, or because someone bestows happiness or suffering on us, but because of the cause we've sown and then the retribution we have to receive. Therefore, we should deeply believe in cause and effect regardless of whether you are Buddhists or not.

The Buddha taught in the Majjhima Nikaya: "Human beings are the owners of karma, the heirs of karma. Karma is a foetus, karma is the kin, the place of refuge of beings." Therefore, each of us needs accumulate and sow blessings, such as being filial to grandparents and parents, helping with family chores, being responsible for oneself, family and society; helping people when they encounter difficulties, knowing how to love, practice in the minds of kindness, compassion, joy, and letting go to eliminate resentment; Cultivate merit and transform greed, anger, and ignorance. When having enough merit, we will have favorable conditions in our work and be successful in life. Those are the causes to create joy for ourselves now and in the future.

Then, he addressed some necessary rules for young practitioners to properly implement, and help them have a benefit and meaningful retreat.

In the evening, all attendees joined in activities, practiced together, and learned a main song in the retreat.

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