Repentant ceremony on (intercalary) Feb. 29th, Year of the Cat at Suoi Phap Pagoda, Tay Ninh

On April 19th, 2023 good men and believing women returned to Suoi Phap pagoda in Tay Ninh province (belonging to Hoang Phap pagoda ‘s custom) to attend the periodic penance rite.

Before the rite, Junior Thich Tam Huong, Abbot of Suoi Phap Pagoda had a dharma talk titled "Karma".

Karma is intentional action created from body, speech and thoughts such as: done actions from the body are called bodily karma; done actions from speech are called verbal karma; done actions from thoughts are called mind karma.

There are 3 types of karma:

1. Good karma helps bring benefits to people, ourselves and living sentient beings, leading to a happy life.

2. Evil karma will cause harm, leading to suffering for themselves and for others.

3.  Unrecordable karma is an unintentional act.

All karmas have their corresponding retribution. For example, a good person is often happy and praised by their wholesome deeds. The one who creates good karma, when ends its lives, he will be rebirth in three good paths: heaven, human, and asura; On contrary, evil ones are restless and worried, like a thief or murderer, who is afraid of being discovered, killed, beaten and imprisoned, or sentenced to death. Therefore, those who create evil karma, at present suffering, when dying, they will fall into three evil paths of hell, hungry ghosts and animals.

Wisdom people will diligently do good things for others and themselves, from the light to lightness, and the joyful to joy; the ignorants who create evil karma, cause suffering themselves and suffering for others, from the dark to a dark place, and suffering to a suffering life.

After the dharma talk, the mass started the penitential ceremony as usual.

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