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Xa Loi Temple - Rebuilding the Spiritual Life
When the construction of Xa Loi Pagoda began, Elder Chanh Tri Mai Tho Truyen, who contributed to the founding of the Southern Vietnam Buddhist Association and the building of Phuoc Hoa Pagoda, organized the ceremony to welcome the relics of the Buddha (Sarira) in Saigon, enshrining them for 24 hours at the Glass House of the People’s University. Thay proposed the name Co Phap Tu—the homeland of Zen Master Van Hanh—but in the end, the pagoda was named Xa Loi because of the compelling faith inspired by the relics. Thay still indicated that both names, Co Phap Tu and Xa Loi Pagoda, could be used in parallel if the Executive Committee agreed. After returning from Columbia, Thay established Van Hanh University, the Institute of Buddhist Studies, and published Hai Trieu Am, while also reconciling for Elder Chanh Tri to collaborate within the Unified Vietnamese Buddhist Church.
The story of Tu Uyen and Giang Kieu in “Truyen Ky Man Luc” illustrates the suffering of loneliness and the power of ‘the fragrance of precepts—concentration—wisdom’ when practicing mindfulness:
- One stick of incense with a sincere heart is enough to connect with the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas
- Observing the Five Mindfulness Trainings is to offer the true ‘fragrance of precepts’
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Body and mind in harmony in every small movement.
Tu Uyen, from being unfilial, hot-tempered, and nearly committing suicide, thanks to Giang Kieu’s counsel and the abbot’s teaching on offering incense in the right Dharma, was able to transform his suffering, take refuge in the Three Jewels and receive the Five Mindfulness Trainings, build a connection with his parents and friends, and rediscover family happiness. The Dharma talk concludes with the chant of taking refuge in the Three Jewels: Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha—vowing to open the Bodhi heart, firmly grasp the Dharma doors, and harmonize the fourfold Sangha.