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From the Whirlwind of Youth to the Strength of the Sangha
Thay recounts a memory from when he was 24 years old, practicing at Vien Giac Temple on the summit of Kim Son, when he first met a 20-year-old nun who came to visit her family. Amidst the setting of green tea, mist, and solemn rituals, the two shared their aspirations to renew Buddhism, studied Dharma and Western literature together, and witnessed the suffering of their country. A pure affection blossomed swiftly like a whirlwind, yet both maintained a respectful distance: not looking at each other for long, not touching, only inviting each other to share meals, drink tea, converse about their ideals, light candles, and recite poetry through the night, but resolutely not breaking their commitment to respect one another and to protect the ideal of monastic life.
Having gone through this “accident” of affection, Thay realized the strength of the Sangha and a great lesson: not to love only one individual, but to love all the young monks and nuns who share the same ideal. Therefore, each Sangha member needs to:
- Sincerely perform the New Year’s prostrations—monks and nuns bowing to each other three times according to the new ritual, seeing each other as siblings in a Buddhist family.
- Practice the second body (each person having a spiritual friend to accompany them) in order to promptly recognize and prevent any sexual entanglements.
- Apply the precepts and regulations: living together collectively (four to a room, separate dormitories for men and women), rules for movement, meetings, and communication; mindful consideration of diet, exercise, and refraining from reading or watching materials and films that arouse desire.
All of this is to maintain discipline, strengthen mindfulness, and channel youthful energy toward the ideal of serving the Dharma—studying more Chinese characters, English, sutras, and modern sciences so that “the path of our ideal may be swiftly fulfilled” in a flourishing great ordination family.
