Repentance ceremony on June 14th, year of the Snake

On July 08th, 2025 (June 14th, LC), good men and believing women inside and outside HCMC returned to Hoang Phap pagoda to attend a periodical penitential rite.

 Monks of Hoang Phap pagoda, Junior Thich Tam Chieu had a dharma talk named Four truth being hard to achieve before the rite.

 

The Lecturer explained the Dhammapada of verse 182 in the chapter of Enlightened one:

 

Rare is birth as a human being.

Hard is the life of mortals.

Hard is the hearing of the Sublime Truth.

Rare is the appearance of the Buddhas.

 

 The verse points out a profound truth about the preciousness of human life in the endless cycle of reincarnation. It is not easy to be a human in the six realms of birth and death, because the human body is a rare condition for cultivating merit, practicing and achieving liberation. The human body can be born and dies in every moment, so it is even more difficult for us to meet, listen to and practice according to the Dharma, especially, it is rare to meet the Buddha appearing in the world, enlightening sentient beings to escape from delusion with wisdom and compassion.

 

Every Buddhist should remind itself to cherish the present blessings of having a human body, listening to the Dharma, and taking refuge in the Triple Gem. Thanks to this, believers will have faith in the Triple Gem, diligently practice and study, always be mindful; and vow to rely on the power and blessings of the Buddhas to protect their bodies and minds so that they will be strong and unwavering on the path to deliverance. Unless one can attain enlightenment after passing away, make a vow to be born in a place with Buddha Dharma, good friends, and a pure environment to continue to practice, save ourselves and others. Last, vow to never leave the Dharma, and the Bodhi mind until we reach the fruit of enlightenment.

 

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

 

 Images recorded: