Repentance ceremony on Feb. 14th, Year of the Snake.

March 13th, 2025 (Feb. 14th, LC) good men and believing women inside and outside HCMC returned to Hoang Phap pagoda to attend a periodical penitential ritual.

Before the rite, Junior Thich Tam Huong, Abbot of Suoi Phap pagoda in Tay Ninh had a dharma talk named “Cultivation” to share with Buddhists. Changing one's behavior from bad to good, abandoning evil and doing good is practice. The blessing of being born as a human being, coming to a temple to listen to the Dharma, the cultivator should diligently remember the teachings, relying on enlightened masters and good friends so that one's practice goes in the right way and has success.

 

Cultivation requires controlling three karmas of body, speech and mind. In the body, one must not commit evil deeds such as killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct. In the mouth, one must speak gentle and truthful words; one must not lie, speak with a forked tongue, or speak harshly; one must not use intoxicants. In the mind, one must not follow the evil thoughts of greed, anger, and delusion; one must not give rise to thoughts of slander and anger but must always be mindful, observe itself and repent of its mistakes.

 

Each cultivator needs to focus on practicing Buddhism as the most important thing because if we only study theory without practicing, it is like being sick and only reading the prescription without taking the medicine.

 

After the Dharma talk, the mass entered the penitential ritual as usual.

 

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