Repentance ceremony on July 30th, Year of the Cat

On Sep. 14th, 2023 (July 30th, Year of the Cat), good men and believing women inside and outside HCMC returned to Hoang Phap pagoda to attend the periodical penitential ceremony.

Before the rite, Junior Thich Tam Huynh, monks of Hoang Phap pagoda preached a dharma talk named Hero.

 “Anh” is good; “Hung” is strength. A hero is an outstanding person, talented, brave, compassionate, and has an indomitable spirit. According to monks, there are 7 levels of heroes:

1. Level "zero": neither winning itself nor others.

2. Level 1: win over others but not win itself.

3. Level 2: the person is free from five desires: money, beauty, fame, food, sleep.

4. Level 3: people have the ability to practice asceticism, endure physical pain, extreme hunger and thirst.

5. Level 4: the person can eliminate afflictions and defeat 4 types of ghosts: heavenly ghost, afflictions ghost, death ghost, and five-aggregate ghost.

 6. Level 5: Bodhisattvas practice in the spirit of benefiting others, perform things that are difficult to do, and endure things that are difficult to endure.

7. Level 6: The Buddha is a great hero: overcoming the circle of birth and death, saving sentient beings, immeasurable compassion, shining wisdom, perfect merit (Self-enlightenment, enlightenment to Others, Perfect enlightenment). He encouraged Buddhists to try to conquer themselves. The person who conquers himself and helps others who has a great will, great power, great compassion is called a great hero, and will come to Nirvana in the future.

As Buddhists, we will certainly go up each level of heroism: from 0 to victory over internal and external ghosts, gradually reaching level 6 of heroism. Buddha once taught all sentient beings have Buddha nature; all have the ability to become Buddha. Believe surely if practicing diligently, we will all become Buddhas in the future.

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

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