The Opening Ceremony and Wishing Ceremony for Peacefulness at Hoa Phuc Pogoda – Ha Noi City

Come to Pagoda in New Year/ To wish for peacefulness, study Dharma, gather practice/ For ending rounds of rebirth/ To achieve the success

In the morning of February 14^th, 2017, Hoa Phuc Pogoda (Hoa Thach – Quoc Oai – Ha Noi City) formally held Opening Ceremony and wishing New Year for 73 people at the age of 70 – 95 to have a lifespan.

 Receiving the invitation of Junior Ven Thich Tam Hoa – abbot of Hoa Phuc Pogoda, Senior Abbot Ven. Thich Tien Dat - Bodhi-mandala of Hoa Phuc Pogoda has come to the temple to witness and began the Openning Ceremony Rooster Year.

On the occasion of New Year, the Senior Abbot graciously reminded Buddhists in Bodhi-mandala to wake up, use wisdom to see through what is happening in our lives. By the fact that we are seeing a new spring with the festival for such peace, fortune, and financial that many social evils must be spoken out, which has slammed through the images of people’s robbery fortune, taking life to dedicate to gods, doing the bad practices superstition, earning a living from religion. Things that were corrupt ethnic cultural beliefs crept into even the temples, worsening images of the temple, the deviation of the Buddha.

 

  Buddha's teachings are to be practiced, and not to be prayed for benefits. When physician gives you a prescription as you get sick and you can not been recused if you just sit at home holding a prescription to pray, or to read. If you want to be cured, you have to take medicine on time and do just follow physician’s instructions. Therefore, Buddhists go to the temple to be conscious of their spiritual practice, to cultivate, to act rather than praying. If we go to the temple just because to bring the Buddha into a god, it means you have fell into superstition.

 

 In the spirit of gratitude, the grace at Buddha’s house, the first Opening day New Year, Hoa Phuc Temple celebrated the 73^th birthday for seniors from 70-95 years old, Buddhists in Bodhi-mandala and people in Hoa Truc Village.

 

Before the ceremony took place, more than 1,000 Buddhists in Bodhi-mandala were respectfully dignified Thich Nu Hue Tri Nun - Hai Van Pagoda (Vung Tau City). Here, she had a dharma talk to the Buddhists, especially those who have high birthday with the theme "Nurturing peacefulness".

 

Therefore, in order to nurish the peace every day, every hour we need to care about both body and mind. For the body, we need to stay healthy, eat, live in moderation, do not state up late, live in harmony with the nature, mountains and forests. For the mind, we need to interest and take more nutrition by giving the mind a belief in the Three Jewels, the soul, and living a life with thoughts of honest actions, know Catvari-apramanani, Greed, anger and ignorrance, do many good things.

 

 Healthy living is human, to live life as result, to have a fulfilling life as wishes for making things better by giving, donating Jewels, doing many charities. Especially do not rob lives of living beings, to know how to release living creatures, save living beings from the boiling oil accident, fire burns, tearing flesh, skin ...

 

 After the time of Thich Hue Tri Nun, Senior Venerable. Thich Tam Hoa reached the lecture stage and  blessed old people. The Senior Venerable also sent messages to Buddhists’ using wisdom of Buddhism to get life and health as desired. To do that they should care for the teachings of the Buddha from them who are not afraid of difficulties, come to give them the teachings.

 

Below are some recorded pictures: