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Monastic Retreat at Tu Vien Khanh Son
The term Dharma body in the time of the Buddha was understood as “the body of the Dharma” that everyone, first of all the Buddha, already possesses: “walking is Dharma teaching, standing is Dharma teaching, sitting is Dharma teaching, eating is Dharma teaching.” When Vakkali visited the Buddha while ill, the Buddha advised that the physical body will eventually decay, but the Dharma body never disappears, and whoever has absorbed the Buddha’s Dharma body lacks nothing. The greatest legacy of a teacher is not temples, institutions, or titles, but the transmission of the dynamic Dharma body to disciples, so that the teacher is never lost in the student and continues to be transmitted to future generations.
Building the Sangha is the core practice:
- The Sangha must be happy, harmonious, and rely on each other like the arms and legs of one great body.
- Every moment of chanting, reciting the Buddha’s name, sitting meditation, or working mindfully is aimed at making the Sangha a true place of refuge for ourselves and for society.
- The precepts and mindful manners are not chains, but the cord that protects our freedom, helping us avoid entanglement and loss of self-mastery.
To keep the Sangha peaceful and joyful, each member must:
- Receive the teacher’s Dharma body through deep listening, reflection, and practice while the teacher is still alive.
- Love each other as siblings, ready to embrace and nourish one another with the “mother’s milk” of one’s own experience, compassion, and insight.
- Participate in community activities, contributing insight and opinions so that decisions are wise and in harmony with the happiness of all.
Only when the Buddha body, Dharma body, and Sangha body all shine brightly can the true Sangha radiate peace, love, and become a solid refuge for everyone.
