Looking
the Spring through the Contemplative Eye
Thích
Trừng Sỹ
According to the
conventional time, twenty-four hours are a day-night, seven days are a
week, four weeks are a month, twelve months are a year. Counting from
January 1st to December 31st, we end an old year,
we begin a new year, we add my new age, new vitality, new peacefulness,
new welfare and new reunion with our relatives and lovers in our life.
We know in scientific society today, we can
live up to about one hundred spring ages; one hundred spring ages are an
even and round number, most of us that hear also like also want, are
also joyfully and also cheerful, as long as we live healthily, live
youngly, live beautifully, live peacefully and happily for ourselves and
the others only.
When young, every time the spring comes, we
each are also happy and also joyful. Happy is because we who are
received money as a New Year’s Day present are worn new clothes, are
eaten enough kinds of cakes, jams such as cylindrical glutinous rice
cake, snow-flaked cake (sprinkled with powered sugar), green bean cake,
candied ginger, sweet potato jam, dry preserved squash, etc. As
Buddhists on the occasion of the beginning of the spring, we who follow
our parents go to Pagoda to pay homage to the Buddha, to the Dharma
Patriarch, Virtuous and Compassionate Quan The Am Mother or
Avalokiteśvara Mother to protect and support us and our relatives
and lovers in the family a new year of plentiful health, peaceful body
and mind, eradicated disease, destroyed disasters, the wholesome lead to
us, the unwholesome are banished from us.
Next, we go to the house
of clan worship to congratulate ancestors, two parental and maternal
sides, who still live in the advancement of spirituality and virtue and
who died gently and salvagedly. We visit the grave to pray for the
deceased born in a realm of peacefulness. We visit our relatives like
aunt, uncle, maternal uncle, maternal uncle’s wife, father’s sister,
mother’s sister, etc. to wish everyone riches and honours. And finally,
we go out with friends hither and thither to confide in, to share, and
to converse with two or three of us, etc. If congenial to each other, we
can choose a good day and month to sow the seeds and to fruit this year.
If those conditions gather insufficiently yet, we can make another
appointment of better chance. It is the view of the spring when we
remain young, this view until growing up, we can comprehend our parents’
good and beautiful teachings.
The look of the second Spring is the look of
assembly and reunion. According to Vietnamese tradition, every year
ends, Tết – Lunar New Year’s Day comes, the remaining days of the last
month of the year, in spite of what to do, where to live, we always take
advantage of returning and taking refuge in our family to help parents,
spouses, siblings and children. We help our family in cleaning verdigris
of the copper lamps, sweeping out the cobweb, placing fruits on the
altar, making cakes and jamps, etc. Gathering and serving only some of
those things are also enough to make our family joyful and happy, never
mind, we who are members of our family together attend a meeting to
learn from experiences of doing business in last year; a good thing we
continue maintaining and developing, a non-good thing we bravely
eliminate, simultaneously we show us a direction of doing business more
clearly and steadily for new year.
The above is concerned
with people who work near home, in the morning go, in the evening come
back, next, we mention people to settle or to work in a far-away place
like in other cities, other provinces, other countries, etc. Those who
are far from home always have the same thought in common, look near
forward to the new days of the beginning of the year, wish to have a
free chance to go back to a family reunion, visit homeland, village,
visit a round and round path, banyan tree, water well, boat in the olden
days. If this year there is not yet a suitable chance of returning to
celebrating New year, then the year after and the year after next we
shall court and try to go back to celebrate New Year Festival once. As
the expatriate Vietnamese, most of everyone have the same thought of
wish like this. Carrying out so, members easily build their own family
of reunion, peacefulness and happiness.
Beside a family of reunion, we have one more
Pagoda of reunion, Vihara of reunion, monastery of reunion, etc.
As the Forthgoing Ones, living in the Community of the Sangha, we
have many various levels of cultivation, learning, religious age.[1]There
is someone learning Buddhist Studies at local school in the home
province, there is someone learning Buddhist Studies in the neighbouring
province, there is someone learning Buddhist Studies at home, there is
someone learning Buddhist Studies abroad, etc. There is someone having
five religious ages, there is someone having fifteen religious ages,
twenty-five religious ages, fifty religious ages, etc. Although
practitioners’ levels of Buddhist Studies and religious ages are
different, every person’s ideals and purposes of helping themselves and
saving life are not different. Because of the same ideals and purposes,
the Forthgoing Ones easily build their own nobly spiritual life for
themselves.
To desire to do so, we
should rely on national Tết holiday to have the opportunity to meet and
reunite the Temple and Dharma friends in many different places
from the four directions and together help our Master, brotherhood,
sisterhood to do single, friendly, daily and practical things like
gardening, watering, arranging flowers, placing fruits, etc. Because the
Buddhist Dharma that depends on the worldly Dharma forms,
exists and develops, therefore, the opportunity of Tết holiday is the
favourable opportunity for master and disciples, elder brothers and
younger brothers, the Forthgoing Ones and the Unforthgoing Ones to meet,
to confide in, to converse with one another about the Dharma, to
congratulate one another on advancing in years and to share the
experiences of cultivation and learning in last year; a good experience
we continue learning, maintaining and developing, a non-good experience
we determine to remove gradually, and together map out a new going
direction, a useful going direction, a practically peaceful and happy
going direction for the many.
In traditional Buddhism,
apart from the traditional Tết holidays of the people, we have more
virtuous Tết holidays, spiritual Tết holidays, joyful Tết holidays,
originating from the days of the Buddha’s children’s Retreat Reason of
during the three months, especially the Forthgoing Ones. Even the
Unforthgoing Ones can also charge their spiritual energy into virtuous
battery on these holy Tết holidays. It is therefore that the
Unforthgoing Ones are together happy with the Forthgoing Ones’
happiness, happy is because of seeing the former maintain the Dharma
path, happy is because of seeing the former and the others together
cultivate, together go on the path of upper direction and good
direction, and together go on the path of enlightenment and spiritual
emancipation.
Indeed, the Forthgoing One
has the responsibility to learn the path,[2]
understand it, practice it, spread it, protect it and enjoy the
fragrance of the peaceful flavour of the path, then the Unforthgoing One
also has the duty to learn the Dharma, understand it, practice
it, propagate it, maintain it, and enjoy the fragrance of the Dharma
flavour. In the respect of maintaining and developing the Dharma
path, the Unforthgoing One and the Forthgoing One have the common
purposes of cultivating and gathering flowers and fruits of authentic
peacefulness and blissfulness for themselves and for the others right in
this life.
It is for the above
meanings that the Forthgoing One is exampled as the left wing and the
left eye of a bird, the Unforthgoing One is exampled as the right wing
and the right eye of bird. The bird has enough eyes, it can fly high,
fly far, soar up the immense air to see far to look widely and to enjoy
vast space, it is very happy, very comfortable and very light-hearted
and carefree. If bird only has a wing and an eye, it walks or skims
along the ground, it sees something unclear, it looks at something
non-far and non-wide, certainly, it will be caught and slaughtered.
In this case, bird used as
metaphor for Buddhism has enough two Forthgoing and Unforthgoing wings
and eyes. Buddhism has enough these two wings and eyes, it can go to the
future very far and very steadily, especially it can bring authentic
peace, peacefulness and bliss to living things and living beings. If not
having enough one of those two wings, one of those two eyes, Buddhism
goes to the future not far and unsteadily.
Bird needs to have enough
both of its eyes and wings to see to fly, Buddhism needs to have enough
two kinds of the Forthgoing Ones and the Unforthgoing Ones to maintain
Buddhism existing long in this world. Therefore, two kinds of these
persons that take their vows integrate with one another, support one
another, vow to light up the torch of the Dharma, vow to light up
that of right confidence, vow to light up that of love, vow to light up
that of Right View, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right
Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and vow to light up the
torch of Right Concentration. When Buddhism is together supported by two
kinds of these persons very intimately, Buddhism, very firm with the
time and space, is spread widely all over the world.
Above, we read and know
that the Forthgoing One is exampled as the wing of the left side and the
eye of the left side of bird, the Unforthgoing One is exampled as the
wing of the right side and the eye of the right side of bird. The
left side and the right side temporarily divided thus is easily to
remember and easily to understand. The left side toward the
Forthgoing One is the upstream side of life. Unlike the Unforthgoing
One, the Forthgoing One who leads a non-family life leisurely and
freely, spares much time to cultivate to learn and help the Buddhist
things for very many persons, only knows to rely on nature, on the moon
the star, on the Community of cultivation – learning, and on a Dharma
realm of living beings, has a part in protecting the environment and
the ecology for the planet. In this case, upstream of life of the
Forthgoing Ones that does not mean against life means to integrate
with life to help life to bloom fragrantly.
Learning history of
Buddhism, we clearly know when Sakyāmuni Buddha, the historic
Buddha, is still Siddharta Boddhisattva, who cultivates
ascetically and mortifyingly is nothing but skin and bone, realizes the
way of this asceticism does not bring the result of benefit to himself.
Wanting to have the result of benefit to himself, he who does not lust
for desire and mortifying asceticism by practicing the Middle Path
happily receives a bowl of milk gruel from Ms Sujata’s offering
with the aim of having enough health to lead to the path and fruit of
liberation in a very near future. When achieving the path and fruit of
deliverance, the Buddha continues to start out to turn the Dharma
wheel and introduces the path of peacefulness, that of deliverance, that
of holiness and the authentically peaceful path to living things and
living beings. Carrying out thus is because He skillfully manipulates
and nurtures his body and mind miraculously. This meaning is very
appropriate to a statement of people “The way to one’s heart is
through one’s stomach.”
Indeed, when eating and
drinking in moderation and temperance, we have enough health and
lucidity to nurture our body and mind, to make any kind of noble person
in the world, including making a Buddha, a Patriarch, a Boddhisattva,
etc. Buddhism also says so and so do people.
We know when Bodhisattva
had finished using the bowl of milk, He threw the empty bowl down
Neranjara river and steadily said “If My meticulousness
and cultivation are going to become enlightenment, this empty bowl
drifts upstream of river.”Honestly, the empty bowl drifts
upstream of river and announces that the result of His meticulousness
and cultivation would certainly achieve the path and fruit of
enlightenment and liberation. Finally, He became the Buddha, the
fully-Awakened One, whose good, correct and decent signs, whose perfect
loving-kindness and compassion.[3]
Thus, drifting upstream of river in this case means purity and
immaculacy, is not completely swept away by the current of covetous
water, is not polluted by the world. This meaning describes His body and
mind of perfection, effort, steadfastness and purely purity. It is
thanks to His perfect body and mind that He has discovered the Four
Noble Truths: “That is Suffering, the Origin of Suffering, the
Cessation of Suffering and the Path leading to the Cessation of
Suffering.”[4]
Indeed, out of the living
continuation of the Buddhadharma and lineage of the sages, the
Forthgoing Ones must lead their life of immaculacy and awareness,
equanimity and selflessness, mindfulness and awakening to have the time
of cultivation and learning, dissemination of the Dharma, and the
serve of human life. Out of wanting the Buddha’s teachings to be spread
widely all over the world, the Forthgoing Ones must live their exemplary
life by their noble thoughts, words and doings. Out of wanting the world
of tranquility, the people of peacefulness, the Forthgoing Ones play the
important roles of the spiritual teachers in teaching the World-Honoured
One’s Dharma to everyone and advise everyone to try to do the
good, not to do the evil, to lead their peaceful and blissful life for
the many.
Next, the right side
toward the Unforthgoing One is not upstream of life. Unlike the
Forthgoing One, the Unforthgoing One that was born in the world grows up
in the world, has to get married, is busily much time with family, looks
after family and children, nurtures and educates children to become
virtuous and beneficial persons for himself or herself, for family, for
school, and for society, contributes to building peaceful person, happy
family, tranquil society and prosperous country.
In this case,
non-upstream of life of the Unforthgoing Ones means
downstreamness of life, people live their life with family, then the
Unforthgoing Ones also live their life with family and children. The
word of downstreamness of life of the Unforthgoing One and the
word of integration of life of the Forthgoing One have many
different meanings, but they both complement one another very
intimately.
Due to maintaining the continuity of the
family temple, the connection between spiritual and blood ancestors’
lineages, the Unforthgoing Ones must have wife, husband, children, and
grandchildren. Due to wanting to protect the Buddha’s Dharma
efficiently, the Unforthgoing One supports the four offerings such as
clothes, eatables-drinkables, medicines and furniture for the
Forthgoing One to have the time to study, to learn, to disseminate the
Dharma, and to serve human life.
Thus, when protecting the
Dharma path, when propagating the Buddhadharma, both the
Forthgoing One and the Unforthgoing One that have the same thoughts
together go on the way of the upper direction and that of the good
direction, and together go on the way of calm joyfulness and liberation.
Next, the third look is
the contemplative look of human life. We know people can now live up to
one hundred of the spring ages; one hundred of the spring ages is
exampled as a hundred of the round Spring corn. At the beginning of New
Year, we increase a spring age, that is, we decrease a spring age. Every
year we eat one spring maize, ten years we eat ten fruits, twenty years
we eat twenty fruits, up to now we eat seven fruits, so we only have
thirty fruits left. Thirty fruits of remaining spring corn inform us
that our food is about to end, the energy of our physical body is about
to end and our life shortens gradually.
As person living to be
aware that when our spring age decreases a year, we are more aware to
live deeply and leisurely, what we say, what we think and what we do
should bring flowers and fruits of peacefulness and happiness to the
many and should bring the substance of love and that of understanding to
many people.
Indeed, as person living
to be mindful and aware to learn and contemplate the World-Honoured
One’s teachings, we clearly know to a certain stage of energy in our
exhaustedly physical body, we cannot say a word, cannot move a step and
cannot think of a thing. Although our word, step and thought are changed
into a pile of gold, we cannot do. Clearly aware of thus, in the
remaining life of our life, we try to live beautifully, live usefully,
live purposefully, live ideally, live to bring the fragrance of peaceful
and free flavour to ourselves and to the others right in this world by
applying the Buddha’s teachings into our daily life, specifically the
five conscious things below.
“The first conscious
thing is that we respect all living beings’ lives, including humans,
animals, there are even plants, trees, flowers, leaves, soils, rocks,
etc., we do not kill, chop, burn and destroy forest, mountain, river,
stream, pond, lake, the open sea, etc. Practicing the first conscious
thing, that is, we are aware to nurture our love toward all living
beings, we contribute to protecting the environment and lives of living
things and living beings and contribute to building a green, clean and
beautiful planet.
The second conscious
things is that we respect private and public assets, heritage, minerals,
and forest products, including gold, silver, gems, needle, blades of
grass, bell, wooden bell, timbers, etc., we do not steal and do not
appropriate the others’ havings. Practicing the second conscious thing,
that is, we are aware to spread our heart of alms-giving toward the
poor, the lonely and the needy, we exploit the sources of the natural
resources moderately for generations of our descendants to lean on them,
we contribute to conserving, maintaining and developing virtue, wealth
and prosperity for our family and for the country.
The third conscious
thing is that we respect the happy pair, including spouses and children,
we do not abuse sexual desire of children, do not violate the other’s
chastity, we only relate formally to our lawful spouse. Practicing the
third conscious thing, that is, we are aware to protect happiness of our
parents, spouses and children; we contribute to bringing peacefulness,
joy and fame to our family, relatives, villages and society.
Owing to connecting
lineage of the family temple, the Unforthgoing One must have spouse,
children and grandchildren. Owing to the lineal continuation of the
sages, owing to inheriting, descending, lighting up the torch of the
Dharma, lighting up that of love, the Forthgoing One must spare much
time to take care of cultivation, learning, spreading the Dharma and
helping many people. The Forthgoing One that lives a very light-hearted
and leisurely life is not tied by family and children
The fourth conscious
thing is that we respect truthfulness and confidence for everyone,
including grandparents, parents, teachers, friends, etc. We who do not
tell a lie do not speak an embellishing word,[5]
do not speak a piercing word,[6]do
not speak a rough word, do not speak vague and unclear information, do
not speak aspiring and avaricious words, do not speak words of creating
dissension, discord and disharmony,[7]
etc. Practicing the fourth conscious thing, that is, we are aware to say
words of the truth, the right, those of confidence, harmony,
reconciliation and gentleness, those of affection, softness, sweetness,
easiness of hearing, and easiness of love, words of the useful value of
building and bringing faith, prestige, harmony, solidarity, and love of
authentic brotherhood and sisterhood to ourselves, to the others, to
family, to relatives and to the communication right in this world.
The fifth conscious
thing is that we respect peacefulness, tranquility, quietness,
steadiness and carefreeness for the many, including us, our relatives,
lovers and neighbours, we who do not drink alcohol, beer do not smoke,
do not watch and see depraved film, picture and photograph, especially
we do absolutely no use opium and drugs. Practicing the fifth conscious
thing, that is, we do not violate the above conscious things, we
cultivate the conscious things effortfully, we are aware to protect our
healthy and wholesome body, our perspicacious and lucid mind for
ourselves, we contribute to building and bringing prestige, the feeling
of calm joyfulness and happiness to our native land and homeland.
Training the above
conscious thing solidly, we not only help us, but also help not to know
how many living things and living beings on this planet. We contribute
to protecting the environment and habitat for this earth, and
practically bring flowers and fruits of authentic peacefulness,
happiness and peace to the world of humanity today.”[8]
Clearly understanding like
this, now we live very tranquilly, in future we live very peacefully, we
live very gently and leisurely. Dwelling stably in the World- Honoured
One’s Dharma, we live without any fear and worry though life is
impermanent, though birth, agedness, disease and death happen to our
life in any circumstance, in any moment, our body and mind are still
tranquil, leisurely and carefree.
“Though our life is
impermanent,
Despite birth, old age,
disease and death,
We who have already had
the peaceful way,
Do not have worry and
fear any longer.”[9]
We have already had the
peaceful way,
that is, we choose, practice and apply a training method of being
suitable for the Buddha’s teachings with Right View, Right Thought,
Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right
Mindfulness and Right Concentration into our day-to-day life. As person
living consciously, we cultivate, learn, train the Buddha’s teaching
steadily, we enjoy and taste the peaceful Dharma, from here, the
fragrance of joyful flavour, that of free flavour and that of
authentically happy flavour penetrate, pervade and cool our body and
mind.
Finally, looking the
fourth contemplative spring through the five periods of one’s various
time from when still lying in mother’s womb until when we close our eyes
and depart our life. As the mentioned above, one’s life can now live up
to a hundred of spring ages, we can temporarily divide one hundred of
spring ages into
the five periods of
different time as follows:
In the first stage,
our spring age can still lie in our mother’s womb or born. We know since
when mother conceives until when her foetus was born, the latter has
about the time of nine months and ten days, or earlier or later than
that time a little. In the time of still lying in its mother’s womb,
foetus is very peaceful and comfortable. When her foetus is hungry,
there is mother helping it to eat. When her foetus breathes, there is
mother helping it to breathe. When her fotues is ill, there is mother
helping it to take medicine, etc. That thing means foetus’ stomach is
full, that is, mother’s stomach is full; foetus breathes, that is,
mother breathes; foetus is healthy, that is, mother is healthy, and vice
versa. All of foetus’ doings have direct influences on mother’s doings.
Due to mother doing all things for her
foetus, when pregnant, she is very careful. We know all of mother’s good
and not good things have her direct influences on her foetus’
consciousness. Therefore, when mother says, thinks and does toward her
foetus, she must use her mindful and conscious body and mind. Mother who
cuts vegetables must do them straight. She who burns an incense stick on
the altar of ancestors must light it straight. She who places a thing on
the table must do straight, walks, stands, lies down, sits in
deliberation, looks at beautiful flowers, pictures, photographs and
images of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas. Mother practices like that, her
foetus is at ease, gentle and comfortable.
In the second stage,
our spring age is from one year of age to twenty-five years of age. In
this second stage, we can divide our spring age into the four various
stages as follows:
a. Spring age from one
year of age to three years of age – newborn baby or suckling: In this
age group, baby that is still so young is cherished as a thin egg,
eaten, drunk, sucked, carried by parents and siblings, especially
mother. As person looked after consideration, baby that practiced saying
papa, mama rightly looking at beautiful pictures like photographs
of flowers, images of the Buddha and Bodhisttvas. These pictures
and photographs are imbued with pure consciousness of very young child.
b. Spring age from four
years of age to twelve years of age – Infants to children: In this age
group, children that grow up gradually know to walk, stand, say, look,
etc. Parents that are persons have responsibility to choose children
suitable and wholesome toys, games, books, films, pictures and
photographs that have scientific and educational characters, know to
arouse and waken up potential understanding of children, keep track of
them and allow them to go to school.
c. Spring age from
thirteen years of age to nineteen years of age – teenage age: In this
age group, young person not only develops the physical side, but also
the mental side. Parents that have their responsibility to instruct
their children to live the lifestyle of family virtue, to honour the
elder allow children to learn a trade corresponding with children’s
taste, especially teach them useful way of life to themselves, to
school, to family and to society.
d. Spring age from twenty
years of age to twenty-five years of age – youth age: In this age group,
young people that have grown up are full of energy and vitality, can get
married and maintain the continuity of family temple, can contribute to
building a family of peacefulness and bliss, homeland of tranquility,
richness and beautifulness.
Through spring age from
one year of age to twenty-five years of age, we know family which is the
first school is the place of educating child since when having not yet
known to move to say to write until when growing up, is the place of
teaching child to know to love and respect grandparents, parents,
siblings and neighbours. Parents who are professors teach love,
brotherhood, sisterhood, family morality, tradition and lifestyle,
children who are pupils-students learn love, brotherhood, sisterhood,
family morality, tradition and lifestyle. In the process of receiving
the good and beautiful words from their relatives and lovers in family,
children still learn the good and beautiful things from teachers,
friends, colleagues, etc. outside school and society. Understanding and
doing like this, we contribute to building peaceful people, happy family
and tranquil and prosperous society right in this world.
In the third stage,
our spring age can be from twenty-six years of age to fifty years of
age. In this age group, we concentrate on building our happy family
growing up in strength, we who have children permit them to go to
school, teach them to become useful persons, take care of children being
married off, etc. In the present society, as the Unforthgoing Ones, we
should be aware that whether girls or boys, each of our families only
has two children, we nourish, teach, support, etc. them very well and
easily.
In the fourth stage,
our spring age can be from fifty-one years of age to seventy-five years
of age. This age group is spring age group of the sunset, we who have
stabilized our life stop everything gradual, give gradually up external
conditions, take care of cultivation, sit in meditation, chant Sutras,
recite the Buddha’s names, accumulate, cultivate merits and plant the
good blessing tree for descendants to depend on. Vietnamese proverb has
written: “To leave havings as mountain is not as important as to
leave merits for children to depend on.” To leave riches
as mountain, if debauched children in their family that do not know to
follow their parents’ virtuous example do the good blessings, maintain
family culture, tradition and virtue, then they gradually destroy riches
also ended. But if parents leave merits to descendants, then descendants
use and inherit parents’ merits long. We know havings which is as much
as mountain is left by parents is exampled as full water in the lake,
descendants use it to a certain time, water in the lake is certainly
exhausted, but merits parents cultivate and leave is exampled as
subterraneous water in a mountain spring, descendants use it constantly
use it constantly never dryly.
The foregoing meanings
which emphasize that to leave merits to descendants is more important
than to leave havings to them advise everyone to train, to cultivate, to
try to do the good, say the good and think of the good to bring flowers
and fruits of peacefulness and happiness to the many. Vietnamese folk
song has written: “People plant their virtuous trees, hey,
people!, we who plant the moral trees are happy with our daily life.”Indeed,
when doing a good and useful thing, we are not only happy with
ourselves, but also happy with the others again there.
The fifth stage is the
last stage of our spring age from seventy-six years of age to one
hundred years of age. This age group, which is the age group of
solidity, maturity, density, richness of experience, is also that of
tranquil cultivation, preparedness to carry one’s spiritual luggage to
go to the Pure Land or Paradise by oneself. We know when we are still
young, our psychophysiology is excited, officious, our living experience
is young, we who stand this mountain expect that mountain, our thinking
and doing are unthoroughly yet. But our spring age grows old, we have
very much free time to consider, to contemplate, to be in charge of
painstakingness, cultivation and contemplation, to take charge of
luggage and victualling of life gently and light-heartedly. Each of our
thoughts is every good thought, each of our words is every amiable and
lovable speech, and each of our doings is every peaceful and blissful
doing for the many. We advise and teach our descendants how to live to
deserve to become useful persons for ourselves and for the others right
in this world.
Through the
above-mentioned things, we are aware that though impermanent life
happens to us, though birth, agedness, disease and decease occur to us,
in this spring age we are young, in that spring age we do not remain
young, we always take hold of thought that we are really happy persons
who are training the World-Honoured One’s Dharma taste the
peaceful flavour of the World-Honoured One’s Dharma, are
spreading feelings of love and understanding to many people.
In brief, on the occasion
of Tet coming, we ask respectfully to wish the Honoured Monks and Nuns,
abroad-learning Monks and Nuns, the Dharma friends, good male and
female Buddhists everywhere, Guests of honour, governmental leaders at
all levels, Dignitaries in friend religion, overseas Students inside as
well as outside the country to entirely enjoy the Maitreya
Spring brimful of joyfulness, at the same time respectfully wish all of
Your relatives and lovers plentiful health, peaceful body and mind in
the Dharma, Buddhist matters of perfect accomplishment.
The Dharma of
learning, that of training, that of understanding, that of peacefulness,
that of guardianship and that of flavour which are penetrated have the
ability to make Your body and mind cool softly.
Thich Trung Sy, the Spring
of the Tiger - 2010
[1]
Religious age in Buddhism means after three months participating in
Raining or Summer Retreat (S. Vārsika) every year, monastic
practitioner has one more age of cultivated merits.
[2] The
Noble Eightfold Path: Right View, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right
Action, Right livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right
Concentration.
[3]
Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s Meditative poem.
[4] S.
V. 421-2; CDB. V. 1844-5.
[5]
Speaking embellishing word, that is, going to person A we say Person B
is good, going to person B we say person A is good, and vice versa. Not
speaking embellishing word, that is, we should say the peaceful and
helpful matters to everybody.
[6]
Speaking a piercing word, that is, going to this person we say that
person is not good, going to that person we say this person is not good.
Not speaking piercing word, that is to say, we should say the Dharma
things to bring happiness to ourselves and to the others right in
the world.
[7] See
Samyuktāgama Sūtra, N. 785.
[8] See
Thich Trung Sy. The Path of Buddhist Education. Ha Noi: Religious
Publishing House, 2009, p. 118-134.
[9]
Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s Meditative poem.
http://www.buddhismtoday.com/english/culture/lookingthespring.htm