Tet Holiday away from the Teacher and Brothers...

People who started their career outside of Vietnam, every time hearing the song “Foreign countries” sung by Phan Manh Quynh, they remember to cry. There is always a reason for people who cannot go back to their hometown, reminiscence of their mind, multi songs were released to describe that like “This spring I cannot go home”, “Colorless spring”, “Faraway Tet”…

It's the same in the zone of zen. When a dharma person grows up, the moment he leaves his pagoda will be full of feelings.

Years ago, when the spring was nearby, some monastery colleagues left for other countries. This Tet, near the full moon of Lunar December, there are three to four brothers left to be settled down at new pagodas.

This Tet we don’t go anywhere but stay at the pagoda. But this morning when we swept the yard with other Buddhists, without familiar brothers, caused us to miss them. Every year, we usually gather here to enjoy Tet Holiday with The Teacher, but this year I am alone… I cannot hear them call you “Teacher”, cannot hear their invitations to tea or cake. This feeling only someone who travels far away would know.)

In “Sutra of the Great Decease” (Long Sautratika), The Buddha taught Ananda:

“So, Ananda, be the light for yourself, depend on yourself but on no one. Use Right Dharma as a light, as your being based, not anything else…”

Pravrajyà must be a strong person, because someone who only obtains enough of “sadness – knowledge – braveness” can overcome the feelings and normal things of normal life. With a faraway Tet holiday from the Teacher and brothers, in my opinion, our brothers who left to become the Abbot, will be bewildered at the beginning. However, with patience built at the pagoda, I believe our brothers will be strong and overcome things to get to Dhamma deśana.

Dharma people are the one who can feel the beauty and value of silence and loneliness.

Tâm Cung

Translated into English by Nguyen Thi Mai Thao