Repentance ceremony on Oct. 30th, Year of the Cat

On Dec. 12th, 2023 (Oct. 30th, 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 Thien, monks of the pagoda gave a dharma talk named Learning about Pure Land Sect for all the attendees.

In the Pure Land tradition, practitioners read in 3 sutras: Amitabha Sutra, Infinite Life Sutra, and Infinite Life Insight Sutra. Among these parts, the Amitabha Sutra is most popular in the book of Sutras that the mass recites every day.

By his preaching, he reminded the listeners of seven core things in their practice:

- The Western world of Ultimate Bliss is a realm that creates many favorable conditions for practice, not a realm for enjoyment.

- It is impossible to have a little bit of merit that is born in the realm of ultimate bliss.

- Achieving single-mindedness without disturbance from one to seven days to be able to be born in this realm. (Amitabha Sutra)

- In our mind, the practitioner must always think of Buddha, like a child remembers his mother. (Surangama Sutra)

- Reciting Buddha's name must achieve compatibility in body, speech, and mind towards Buddha: the body does Buddha's work; mouth chanting Buddha's name; mind thinking about Buddha.

- Fulfilling our duties to our family and social community: in spite of our aim to practice, we cannot forget our duties and responsibilities to our family and the surrounding community.

- Building the Pure Land in humanity: contributing this world to be better and better by returning to change our own self, changing our consciousness of living a good life.

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