Repentance ceremony on June 14th, Year of the Cat

On July 31st, 2023 (June 14th, LC), 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 Chieu, monks of Hoang Phap pagoda gave a dharma talk named “Value of time.”

Samantabhadra Bodhisattva said in verse: today is over/ life span decreases/ Like a fish in a shallow pond/ What's that fun? Must be diligent/ Like a fire in oil/ Always remember impermanence/ Don't neglect it.

No one in lile can avoid death, but death comes at an unknown time, so where do we go when we die? The monk reminded listeners to cherish their time, practice diligently, give up evil deeds, and diligently do good deeds to accumulate merits for themselves. The Buddha taught in the Lotus Sutra, the three realms are like a house of fire, when time comes out of that house, we are safe.

Life span is unpredictable, so the ancients always practiced diligently without wasting time; the monk told about the life experiences of the ancient Indians. The ancients had a deep insight into human life, so they divided life into four stages: teenager, youth, middle-aged, and old age. At each stage, they have clearly demarcated the training in spiritual life, responsibility for family and society.

In today's modern society, people are busy chasing after material life but pay little attention to spiritual life, the study towards enlightenment and deliverance. People who love themselves, know how to protect themselves are those who know how to practice, create blessings in each stage of life, cherish time, and be free from greed.

Being a disciple of Buddhism, understanding cause and effect, we should live well, obey the precepts, then a good future will come. Each person should create conditions and encourage their descendants and relatives to come to the temple, listen to the Dharma, sow good conditions, and take refuge in the Three Jewels.

By the lecture, he helped the mass have an insight into the importance of time in each of our lives. Following the example of the ancients, we diligently study, look back at ourselves in life stages to have the ultimate practice direction, equipped with merit for the future to go safely to a peaceful realm.

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

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