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Dharma Talk
A corn seed sown into the earth does not disappear; it only changes form and becomes a young corn plant. Similarly, though our parents may have passed away, they are still present in us through our genes and our breath. When we suffer, our inner parents also suffer; when we are peaceful, they too are peaceful. We are the continuation of our ancestors, our blood parents, and also of our teachers, patriarchs, Buddhas, and Bodhisattvas in our spiritual family. The notion of fixed birth and death is a wrong perception; the truth is that nothing is ever born or dies, but only transforms—like a cloud becoming rain, becoming a stream, or like a sheet of paper containing the conditions of the forest, the rain, and the sunshine. This insight helps us to live peacefully, to cherish every moment, and to maintain the value of filial piety.
The Great Ceremony of Offering and Equalizing Grievances is held over three days at:
- Vinh Nghiem Temple (South)
- Dieu De National Pagoda (Central)
-
Non Temple, Soc Son (North)
to help transform suffering and injustice for both the living and the deceased through the three karmas: - Mind karma: generating love and forgiveness
- Speech karma: speaking gentle, encouraging words
-
Body karma: releasing animals, giving, and doing good deeds
Each family sets up an ancestral altar, offering plain porridge, clear water, rice, salt or corn, sweet potatoes, and chanting sutras to nourish compassion and pray for equality for all compatriots, without distinction of religion or political view.