Preaching In Nhu Thanh- Tra Vinh Province.

On the morning of Jan. 24th, 2014 ( Lunar Dec. 12nd, Horse Year), as being invited by Abbot Ven. Thich Tam Hien, Senior Ven. Thich Chan Tinh came and had a Dharma talk in Nhu Thanh pagoda, Lo Ngo Hamlet, Song Loc village, Chau Thanh district, Tra Vinh province.

Taking refuge was the beginning stage of a Buddhist. Many\r\npeople taking refuge, however, they mistakenly understood Buddhism. For\r\ninstance, some Buddhists were of opinion that taking refuge of the Buddha is\r\nmeant as for Amitabha, Dharma for Sutra of Contemplation\r\nof Amitayurdhyana, and with the sangha for past holy monks such as\r\nSariputra, Maggaliputta

The Sen. Ven. explained and corrected these misunderstanding\r\nfor more than 1 hour, which helped Buddhists with right views. Taking refuge\r\nmeant taking to all Buddhas in general and in particular Sakyamuni Buddha who\r\nwas the head of the human life and a historic Buddha. Other Buddhas were the\r\npast ones which were said by Sakyamuni Buddha. Taking in Dharma meant following\r\nthe Buddha’s teachings, which were written in Three Buddhist Canon Baskets\r\n(Tripitakas). We should not limit any sutra. Approaching sutra helped our\r\nwisdom widen as the sea. Taking to Sangha means taking to harmonious and\r\ntranquil monk union, not individual. After the Buddha had entered nirvana, the\r\nSangha played a crucial role in propagating. If only taking past originally\r\npast monks but not current monks, who will propagate the dharma? A monk who did\r\nthings wrong will suffer retribution. We should not lose belief since some bad\r\nindividuals. 

In the end of the dharma talk, the Ven. gave Buddhists DVDs\r\nof “Sunrise of Fog Land” and VCDs of “Whose responsibilities”