Pho Tu Khanh Thanh

8/9/2019 Pho Tu Khanh Thanh

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1LE KHANH THANHCHUA PHO-T

(510) 481-1577 Website: www.chuaphotu.org

Knh gi : Quy Phat t va Quy ong hng xa gan.

Tha Quy v,

Sau hn mi nam chuan b, thiet ke va tien hanh vieckien tao va vi s ong gop ve nhieu mat cua thap

phng thien tn, viec xay cat chua Pho-T a hoan tat va ccap giay phep x dung ngay 17.8.2009. e anh dau bc phattrien cua Phat phap trong cong ong va tai a phng va, trenhet, nham bay to long biet n cua ao trang oi vi s gia ho cuaTam Bao, ao tnh cua ch Ton c Tang Ni va nhiet tam tan

tr cua moi gii Phat t, ong hng xa gan, chua Pho T trangtrong to chc le Khanh thanh dien tien trong mot tuan le trongtinh than tho an cau bao noi tren.Cuoc le c phoi hp vi Khoa Tu Mua He hang nam ma noidung bao gom nh sau:

Chu nhat, 11 thang 7 nam 2010 luc 10 gi sang: le Khaikinh va truyen Tam quy Ngu gii va Thap Thien gii.

T th Hai, 12-7-2010 en th Sau, 16-7-2010: chngtrnh Tu hoc cho Phat t va Huynh trng, oan sinh GPT vinhng thi kinh cau nguyen sang toi, le bai van kinh Thuy Sam,phap hoi Quan Am..., cac buoi Phap thoai vao moi sang va thothc theo nghi thc Qua ng (chi tiet noi dung c pho bientrong Trang nha chua Pho T).

Hayward , ngay 11 thang 6 nam 2010


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2 CHUA PHO-TLE KHANH THANH

Th Bay, 17 thang 7 nam 2010: buoi sang la Le Cau nguyenchung vi ch Tang ngoai quoc bang cac th tieng Pali, TayTang, Anh va Viet. Buoi chieu la sinh hoat ky niem e Ngu Chu

Nien GPT Chanh Hoa gom co chng trnh Nhac hoi mngle Khanh thanh chua va Chu nien bat au luc 1 gi chieu taikhuon vien chua Pho T.

Chu nhat, 18 thang 7 nam 2010 luc 10 gi sang: leChnh thc do HT Thch Tnh T, Vien trng Tu vien KimSn, chu le cung vi s chng minh, ho niem cua ch Tonc, Tang Ni.

Ba le Trai tang c to chc cung dng 108 v Tang Ni hiendien. Chung toi tran trong knh mi Quy v, gia quyen, thanhu tham d le Khanh thanh va cac sinh hoat tiep dien trongtuan le noi tren.

Tha Quy v,

Nh chung toi a tha cung Quy v, ngoi chua tan tao nayem lai c hoi mi cho chung ta trong viec tu tap, xien dngchanh phap nhng ong thi cung at chung ta trc van ebao dng, duy tr c s vat chat e cong viec hanh hoa va tuhoc c tien hanh hieu qua.

Trc het, viec tu hoc la moi quan tam trc nhat cua chung

ta, cong viec nay can c to chc va thc hien ngay themhoan b va can c s tham d nhiet thanh cua t chung. aotrang thanh tam keu goi Quy v Phat t, cac Huynh trng,oan sinh GPT phat tam quy y Tam Bao va tho tr Nam giie cung co thng xuyen y thc tu tap. oi vi nhng v aquy y tren hai nam va tu tap eu an, co the ghi ten tho ThapThien gii e tch cc hn trong viec nuoi dng tam bo e.

Xin goi ien thoai hay gi danh sach ve chua Pho T hoacgi ien th cho [email protected] e co the d le quyy, tho gii to chc luc 10 gi sang ngay Chu nhat 11-7-2010trong dp le Khanh thanh chua.


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oi vi van e sau c neu ra, ao trang a thanh lap banHo tr Tam Bao, theo nh cu truyen tai moi t vien, e lamphng tien duy tr c s va cung la ieu kien can thiet e

viec phung t, tu hoc va cac hoat ong Phat s khac c duytr va co hieu qua.

Ban Ho tr Tam Bao trong i s tham gia ong ao cua Quyv v s ong gop eu an se giup tranh c kho khan batng xay en. Thc te gan nhat la s phat trien ban Ho TrTam Bao se giup ao trang chung ta sm trang trai c traikhoan ngan hang $150,000. Chung ta se thuc ay d an Btn nha bang, tang phan phc c vi hy vong rut nganthi gian hoan trai khi co c 500 ngi phat tam ung hotrung bnh moi thang 20 My kim.

Tha Quy v,

Nhn lai thi gian mi nam kien tao ao trang va qua vibiet bao thuan nghch trai qua, chung toi vo cung cam kch vabiet n Quy v. ao tnh ma chung toi nhan c ni nhngtang than xa xoi nh ao trang Hng Thien (Virginia), aotrang Pho Quang (Las Vegas), nhng thien cam ma quy Phatt, cac anh ch Huynh trng GPT tai nhieu tieu bang xadanh cho cung nh nhng ong gop thuoc nhieu phngdien cua nhng ngi cong s, nhng ban ong hanh khien

chung toi ch biet cui au tam niem bon n xin nguyenap en va xin c the hien trong no lc tu tap trong isong hang ngay, trong cong viec hanh hoa, e hoi hngcong c len Tam Bao, cau nguyen cho toan the Quy v euc an triem li lac.

Cuoi th, chung toi xin ai dien ao trang Pho T, thanh knhcau chuc Quy v va than quyen van s cat tng nh y.

Tran trong

Thch T-Lc


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Sunday: July 11

10:00 am : Le Quy y, Truyen 5 Gii va Thap Thien Gii

(Transmission of Three Refuges, Five Precepts and TenPrecepts)

11:30 am : Le Trai Tang(Food Offering Ceremony to the Monastic Sangha)

2:00 pm : Cung Th Thc Co Hon(Food Offering Ceremony to the Hungry Spirits)

7:00 pm : Ngoi thien & Tung kinh Bat ai Nhan Giac(Meditation & Chant Sutra on the Eight Realizations ofGreat Beings)

10:30 pm : Ch Tnh(Light out, Noble silent)

Monday: July 12

5:30 am : Thc day (Wake-up) *6:00 am : Cong Phu Sang (Morning Meditation and Chanting)

7:20 am : The Duc Kh Cong(Morning exercise - Chi Kung): Tam Lu Ly

8:30 am : An sang & Chap tac (Breakfast & Mindful chores) *10:00 am : Phap Thoai (Dharma Talk): Ven. Thch T Lc

Youth Dharma Study11:45 am : Le Qua ng & Nhieu Phat

(Traditional Mindful Lunch & Circumabulation ) *1:30 pm : Thien Buong Th (Total Relaxation)*3:00 pm : Ngoi thien & Niem Phat (Amitabha Recitation):

SC Giac angYouth Activities (Quang Tr)

5:30 pm : An toi (Dinner & Personal time) *6:00 pm : Thnh chuong & Cung chao

CHNG TRNH

TU HOC& LE KHANH THANH

CHUA PHO-TT Chu Nhat, 11-7-2010 en Chu Nhat, 18-7-2010

Sunday, July 11 Sunday, July 18, 2010(Tentative Schedule: Activities are subject to change)


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(Inviting the Bell and Soup offeringto the Underworld Spirits) *

7:00 pm : Tung Thuy Sam I(Compassionate Water Repetance Sutra)

10:30 pm : Ch Tnh (Light out, noble silent) *Tuesday: July 13

6:00 am : Cong Phu Sang (Morning Meditation & Chanting)10:00 am : Phap Thoai (Dharma Talk): Thay Minh Nguyen

Youth Dharma Study3:00 pm : Ngoi thien & Phap am (Dharma Discussion)

Youth Dharma Discussion7:00 pm : Tung Thuy Sam II

(Compassionate Water Repetance Sutra)

Wednesday: July 14

6:00 am : Cong Phu Sang (Morning Meditation & Chanting)10:00 am : Phap Thoai (Dharma Talk):

SC Hue Nhuan & SC Giac ang3:00 pm : Niem Phat & Nhieu Phat(Recitation & Circumabulation)Youth Activities

7:00 pm : Tung Thuy Sam III(Compassionate Water Repetance Sutra)

Thursday: July 15

6:00 am : Cong Phu Sang (Morning Meditation & Chanting)10:00 pm : Phap Thoai (Dharma Talk): SC Pho Chau3:00 pm : Thuyet trnh ve t thien xa hoi

(Guest speaker on Charity Work): Jim Yoder7:00 pm : Ngoi Thien & Tung Kinh bang tieng Anh

(Sitting meditation & Chanting in English)

Friday: July 166:00 am : Cong Phu Sang (Morning Meditation & Chanting)10:00 am : Tr Chu ai Bi

(Great Compassion Dharani Recitation)3:00 pm : Tra am (Tea Gathering & Sharing Sessions)


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7:00 pm : Tung kinh Di a, cung That(Amitabha Sutra & Memorial Service)

Saturday: July 17

10:00 am : Le Cau Nguyen Quoc Thai Dan An(Well-Blessing Ceremony):ch Tang Thai Lan, Tay Tang & Ngoai quoc(Monastic Sangha from Thai, Tibetan, Korean & OtherBuddhist communities)

11:30 am : Le Trai Tang (Food Offering to the Monastic Sangha) &Joyful Lunch for Laity

1:30 pm : Ky Niem Chu Nien 5 GPT Chanh Hoa (Buddhist YouthAnniversary Ceremony)

3:30 pm : Van Nghe Mng Khanh Thanh & Chu Nien(Musical Programs)

Sunday: July 18

10:00 am : Le Khanh Thanh chua Pho T

(Dedication Ceremony of CMC)11:30 am : Le Trai Tang (Food Offering to the Monastic Sangha)2:00 pm : Sinh hoat Hoi Ngo Tnh Lam (Joyful Activities)5:00 pm : Cung Th thc Co hon

(Food Offering to the Hungry Spirits)6:00 pm : Hoi Hng - Hoan man

(Dedication of Merit & Conclusion)

* Moi ngay (everyday activites)


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o la ieu ta se thay chua Pho T khi ta lay tamT Bi e nhn ngam s vat. Chung ta co the lay

lam la, tai sao mot ngoi chua lai xay en hai chanh ien?Hnh thc ra sao? Va e lam g? Nhng s that la nh vayv mot chanh ien ni an v c The Ton con chanh ienkia, thieu tng Ngai nhng la ni ma tam Phat the hienva dan trai; o chnh la bai au xe ma Chua ky hp ong xdung chung vi trng hoc khi hoan tat trong mua he nay.

Theo tinh than Phat giao, au co Tnh Thng hien th o co Phat. Va khi chung ta le Phat, khong nhat thiet laphai co tng Phat trc mat. oi khi co the quay vao hnhanh Phat trong long ma le lay. ngoi chanh ien thhai nay, tng Phat chnh la s Bnh An ma phu huynh moikhi a con em ho en trng hoc ben canh chua eu cam

nhan c. T lau, bai au xe cua trng hoc thieu mot vongquanh (loop) e s i chuyen lui ti c de dang. V vay, maba Hieu trng a yeu cau anh Tam Nhuan khi tai phoi trcho au xe cho ca oi ben, xin lap mot vong quanh e viec ilai va chuyen ch cac em hoc sinh en trng c an toanva thuan tien.

Trc ay, chac chung ta a co nhieu dp ng v tr ben

chua nhn sang e chng kien noi kho khan cua bao phuhuynh khi a on con em ho. Li yeu cau cua trng hocla hp ly. Hn na, viec lap Chua la muon em lai li chcho moi ngi trong cong ong nen chung ta a chap thuanyeu cau o.


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Sau o, qua bao nhieu co gang lam viec, ngay 28 thang 8nam 2002 la ngay nha thau hoan tat bai au xe pha trnghoc. T ngay hom sau, ngay bat au khoa hoc mi, quang

canh khac thng cung bat au ngoi trng tieu hoc nay.Sang sm, tng chiec xe chay vao bai au tha cac em hocsinh xuong, roi cha me queo xe tr ra, i ve trong thoai mai,hoan hy, noi ban khoan hay bc doc thng nhat khi enchon nay khong con. Net ti vui tren mat bao ngi nhlam rc r them tia mat tri chan hoa trc ngoi chanhien th hai.

Hom nay, cong viec a hoan thanh, chung ta viet lennhng dong nay e cung nhau, t trong tham tam mnhhieu c ieu nay, c hoi quy bau nay. Chung ta hay emlong mnh trai rong ra vi tat ca moi ngi. Cung may chochung ta la Phat giao cho viec de trc v trong ph toncho bai au xe o, trng hoc a ong y tra mot phan. Vieckho con lai la ngoi chanh ien rong 40 feet, dai 100 feet,

khi cong trong nhng nam thang ti ay oi hoi nhieu cogang va cung la mot th thach cho tat ca chung ta.

Nguyen cau hong an ch Phat cung vi ch v Ho phap,Thien than gia ho cho cong viec chung cua chung ta smc hoan thanh vien man.

(Trch t ban tin Hng Phat so 13, thang 3 nam 2003)


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(... tiep theo ky trc)

Ban i, luc nay co c khoe khong? Nh gi gn sckhoe, i chua, an chay thng nhe.

Khoang thang ri na, toi se nhan them mot ngi e txuat gia. Du a trai qua may lan roi, vay ma lan nay, toivan con gap mot so kho khan, c thay lo lo trong long. To, toi mi tham tha va ngh en bao nhieu la kho nhoc cuathay toi trong cong tac nuoi chung, o tang, trong o co phan

cua toi.Ngan ng co cau: Co nuoi con mi biet long cha me. Cau

noi bnh dan ma lai co y ngha vo cung khi chung ta trai quatnh canh va hoan canh o. Khi co nuoi con, biet cc kho,met nhoc, luc o, chung ta mi tham tha nhng kho khan, hysinh ma cha me a trai qua e nuoi dng chung ta khon ln.

Trong ao cung vay, ban a. Ngi bon s nhan e t ehng dan, ch day, ao tao cho thanh bac xuat gia, cung nhnuoi con cai ln len trong gia nh. Toi i t nan, t co vothan, c gap thay. Va t khi co y nh xuat gia, theo thayhoc ao, toi xem nh mnh a bc qua mot cuoc i khac.

Ma trong o, toi nhan thay nh cha, nhng v thay, s cokhac nh cha me, moi ngi trong ao trang tu tap la anhch em trong gia nh mi cua mnh. Cung t o, co rat

nhieu ky niem vui buon, suot gan ba mi nam nay. Co ieu,phai mat gan mot phan t the ky, toi mi hieu ro y nghacau ngan ng tren khi mnh bat au co bon phan nuoi chungxuat gia, lo tng ba cm, giac ngu cho cai gia nh nhocua mnh. Bao nhieu bien co phat sinh, bao nhieu tam tnh

Thch T-Lc

LE KHANH THANHCHUA PHO-T


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phat khi, roi t o, mi co c hoi nhn lai quang ng mnhi qua khi con song vi thay. Mi thay mnh, luc o sao madai dot, nong noi qua!

Cau chuyen di day se cho ban vai y tng, khai niem vecuoc i lam ieu cua toi. O la la! (Ban nen nh, la nam otoi a hai mi tuoi, co an cm lnh roi o nhe!) Khong bietong Bell co tien oan c hnh anh that la la thng luc

phat minh may ien thoai hay khong, khi nhn xuong trangian thay toi ang luong cuong, tra li ien thoai? o la thigian chua, lam ieu cua toi. Toi khong nh ro la ly do nao

khien toi bat mot ng giay ien thoai rieng cho mnh. Cole, ang ham hoat ong lien lac vi ban be, trong luc o, ienthoai cua chua th trong phong thay, ra vao x dung cungthay bat tien. Nen toi xin thay cho bat rieng mot ng giaykhac, vi mot cai ien thoai rat xinh xan nam ngay tren banhoc cua toi. Toi khong nh ro, co le vao buoi chieu, chuongien thoai reng, va toi cam ong lien hp len nghe. Rat ngac

nhien v ben kia la tieng noi cua thay, goi t phong thayqua phong toi! Thay nho nhe cho toi biet tin d: thay TB Texas va mi qua i v tai nan xe co. Thay TB co giongtung kinh rat hay, t trc toi a rat quy men thay. Do o,thay a cho toi biet tin, khong biet nh la mot cach m guttam t cho toi hay khong? Luc o, thay tro khong co ccam thong, gan gui cho lam. Ch qua vai ba cau trao oi lathoi. Toi co suy ngh va lay lam la, no xoay trong long moikhi ngh en ieu o - s viec xay ra a nh mot cong antheo toi gan hai chuc nam, ban a! Luc o, toi thay knh trongthay v biet rang, thay a chu ha mnh, tm cach m ra conng cam thong cho tnh thay tro. Nhng toi cha co khanang hieu c ro rang nhng bien chuyen tam ly trong conngi cua mnh. Cung nh khong biet phai hanh x nh thenao e cai tien tnh trang. Toi gi thai o ton knh Thay nh

a c day do t trc vi mot khoang cach khong the emlai hi am khi cn gio ong lua qua khung ca! Roi thi giantroi qua, toi lam tron bon phan cua ngi hoc tro va Thaytien rat xa tren con ng phung s Phat Phap. Thay tro conhng ky niem rat vui, rat tng ac khi noi en tnh trang

CHUA PHO-TLE KHANH THANH


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sinh hoat cua Phat giao. Co nhng luc a ngoi ben nhau, anpotato chip va uong nc ngot gia mot ni chon xa la nhkhi i tm at e lap tu vien. Tam hnh chup Santa Rosa

co thay, toi vi hai v chong anh ch Nguyen Thuan va DieuChau toi van con gi ay. Roi nhng luc i chi cau GoldenGate vi thay Tr Chn, vi cu Giac Nhien, vi nhng aohu cac tieu bang ve tham chua T Quang. Bao nhieu laniem vui. Nhat la khi d ai hoi Hoang Phap Denver, hophanh chua Viet Nam, Los Angeles, khong kh vui nh hoi,trong long toi thay rat thoai mai, thch thu. Nhng rieng haithay tro, mat oi mat, th rat t khi noi chuyen lau, dai va chitiet vi nhau. Co luc, trong em toi , toi a at cau hoi: saola vay, something wrong?

Phai mat gan mi nam sau, luc hoc giao ly Duy Bieu vis ong Nhat Hanh, toi mi nhan ra ieu nay ro net hn.Trc het, toi hieu con ngi vi ca tanh cua mnh. Tanh toit noi. Co noi th phai co e tai ro rang. Vi lai, a c day

rang: bt noi chng nao tot chng nay. Noi nhieu hao sc,ch lam tam them loan ma thoi. ung theo sach v nha thien,nhng cung la mot cach vng mac, phai khong ban? ay lakhuyet iem cua toi.

Toi quan niem rang, a la thay tro th chet song co nhau.Cau noi: nhat t vi s, ban t vi s cua nha Nho do ba toiday cho khi con nho, a lam kim ch nam cho viec th thay

cua toi. Co the khong can noi nhieu ma can hieu sau mitot. Ly tng la nh vay, ban a, nhng trong thc te, toi ahieu thay c may phan. Ai ma biet c! Cai kho khan la cho nay. Va cung v vay ma co the bao nhieu hieu lam, buon

phien a xay ra.

Tam ly con ngi rat phc tap. Nen chi, ngi ta a tngnoi: Hoa ho hoa b nan hoa cot. Tri nhn tri dien bat tri

tam. Chung ta co the thay be ngoai nhng ben trong lamsao biet c khi chung ta cha co tr tue giac ngo cua bacai nhan. Do o, khi nhan them mot ngi xin xuat gianhap chung, toi thng can nhac, phan van. Van biet, ngita ma an vui, hanh phuc th au can mnh an ui, hng dan.



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Ho co kho khan mi tm en vi mnh th, tren nguyen tacva theo le thng, mnh nen m rong vong tay e on chaoho, san se vi ho niem tin yeu cua mnh. Tuy vay, ben canh

ho, mnh con co trach nhiem vi nhng ngi khac; nen chngai, phc c cua mnh con thieu, cha cam hoa c ho vaho co the em lai kho khan cho ca chung. Luc o th phienlam! o cung la le thng, cho nen, mnh em niem tin vaoPhat Phap e chap nhan ho vao chung. Mnh het sc thanhthat mong c ho se vt qua kho khan va tm c niem vuitrong i song n gian, an lac cua ngi xuat gia. Mnh tinla co s gia ho cua ch v Ho phap Thien than cho cong tacnuoi chung o Tang cua mnh. Mnh cung co phan phan khiva tin tng vao luat Nhan Qua, rang, trong cay ngot th sehai c trai ngot.

ay cung la niem tin va cach thc toi hoc c t thay toi.Thay toi thng day rang: ho ang kho; mnh khong cu hoth ho tiep tuc kho. Con nh, mnh giang tay giup cho ho

trong tnh thng cua Phat th t nhat, ho con co c motchut c hoi thoat kho. Mnh c lam i va Phat phap nhiemmau lam, lam luc bat kha t ngh, vi tr oc pham phu mnhcha hieu het au. Co the, ho bc chan vao ngoi nha ao,se thanh Phat trc mnh o. Toi cung nhan thay nh vaynen nham mat lam lieu. Qua kinh nghiem ca nhan, toi thayieu Thay day rat ung. Co mot so gia nh, bay gi th ratthuan thanh, vui ve, ma trc kia, ho au co biet g ve Phat



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phap au. Nh mot buoi le cau sieu cho than nhan vi aotrang, nghe c mot bai giang Phat phap, sau o, ho phattam hng Phat, lam lanh, an chay va bat au thay oi i

song cua ho. Th oi vi ngi xuat gia cung vay, co the,nhan duyen song vi huynh e trong li kinh tieng mo, ho setm c anh sang T Bi, Giai Thoat cua ao Phat.

Thanh that ma noi, toi cha trai qua kinh nghiem nay vban au, ch co mot thay mot tro. Luc sau, khi thay nhanthem nhng e t xuat gia khac, nh co TTnh, hay TMinh,TChn chang han, th toi chang co chut t hiem nao, v mot

phan ban tanh khong thch tranh chap, phan khac, toi a vaoai hoc, a co chu hng rieng, khong chung ung nhieu vianh em. Toi a chon phap mon nen c thang ng tien ti,khong muon can thiep vao chuyen cua ngi khac. Toi nh,co hoc chung mot lp Phat phap vao sang chu nhat do Thayday. Anh em cung hai hoa vi nhau, vui ve. Toi rut ta ckinh nghiem di ay. Trc het, a co tam tu hanh th mnh

nen cham chu vao viec sa oi cho chnh ban than mnh. Khia co quyet ch nh vay th chac chan, chung ta khong co dth gi e tm loi cua ngi khac au. Ch mot chuyen tmhieu bien chuyen tam thc cua mnh thoi th a mat rat nhieuth gian roi. Co mot dao, toi ngoi tnh niem hang em e thi sau vao noi tam, tm hieu nghiep lc nao a anh hngi song cua mnh. Hai chng sach noi ve Nghiep trongquyen c Phat Va Phat Phap a giup toi rat nhieu. Toithat s to mo va muon biet: mnh la ai? T o, toi mac thienha muon lam g th lam, toi danh th gi e tnh niem hangem. Ui chao, luc o, toi mi thay bao nhieu la tap kh nhieui nhieu kiep con ong lai trong tam thc cua mnh (danh t

goi la, trong A lai da thc o, ban a). Thay ma s. S roi thlo tu tap, khong dam phe bnh, ch trch ngi khac. C nhvay ma toi quen moi ngi chung quanh, ch lo hoan tat

bon phan cua mnh va chuyen tam vao viec hanh tr, tu tap.Thc tap mot thi gian, tnh thng phat khi trong long. Toithay, thng co TTnh qua, va quy men Co na v chnh coThanh Tnh la ngi a t tay may cai ay loc nc cho toikhi toi tho gii Sa Di. Mon o o toi van con gi ay nh la



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mot ky niem quy gia du Co a ve vi Phat. Toi biet n Co.Ban a co dp nhn thay ban tay, ngon tay cua S co cha?Cong queo het, khang khiu luon, vi so tuoi that thap co lai

hy tren oi vai cua Co. Vay ma, long da rat tot. Mot longmot da trung thanh vi viec tu tap, chuyen tam niem Phathang ngay, la mot trong nhng ngi song tu vien launhat. Ve phng dien sc khoe, tap the duc hang ngay S Coco the lam gng cho toi na o! Toi xin tam thi ket luan,khi a co s tu tap th mnh se biet mnh ro hn, va t o,biet n, knh trong moi ngi chung quanh, ke ca huynh eong mon cua mnh. S tranh cai trong Tam cua mnh chamdt ay. Nh co giao ly hng dan qua li day cua ch To:Noi can khac niem chi cong. Ngoai hoang bat tranh chi c.T o cong c phat sinh, mnh vng tam tien bc tren conng Giac ngo.

Trong thi gian nay, toi cung thay c mot ieu khac na.o la dieu dung cua Tam. No bao trum tat ca, rong rai bao

la khong ngan me. Toi co lam bai ke:em hom qua ngoi nghe hi thLang yen nhn tr lai ben trongBa ngan the gii thong dongong tay nam bac au khong la nha?

Mnh ng dai bam vu vao can nha nho hep cua the gian.Cung ng dai ong bt tam mnh, v lam nh the, mnh

khong the thay c nhng ieu Vui, ieu ep khac. Cha keen, vn hoa muon mau muon sac cua vu tru Hoa Nghiem,trong o, nhn that ky, ta ch la mot thanh phan nho ma thoi.

Hay m rong Tam Thc e on nhan tnh huynh e bao la,e thay van vat ong nhat the va mnh cam nhan t do,thanh thi trong tng hi th cua mnh.

Ban co thac mac: ay loc nc la cai g ma oi vi ngi

xuat gia lai quy nh vay? oan tren, toi co noi, khi xin thogii, ngi xuat gia can co mot ay loc nc. Hai ba homtrc toi co em ra, soat lai coi cai ay loc nc, cai toa cucua mnh con trong tnh trang tot khong. ay la mot trongnhng mon tuy than cua ngi tu hanh o, ban a. Theo



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15

nguyen tac, i xa th can no e khi uong nc doc ng,ngi xuat gia phai dung vat nay e loc nc, tranh ton haien nhng loai con trung trong nc. Thi ai bay gi th

co the chung ta khong can en day loc nc v nc ngot tha co ban trong quan, trong tiem, con nc phong ten cunga c loc roi. Tuy vay, cai quy ay la nam trong y nghabao ve moi loai phat xuat t Tam cua ngi tu hanh. Khitho nhan a loc nc, gii t oc bai ke va tam niem emlong thng, bao ve oi vi moi loai.

o la mot cach nhac nh cho ngi tu can thc hanh T Bi

trong i song hang ngay cua mnh.Tr lai hoan canh sinh hoat chung cua ngi xuat gia. Ai

cung vay, thi gian au, khoang hai nam, th rat sieng nang,cham lo cong viec. Nh o, ma tam hon cua ho lang lai, tmc an on. Qua thi gian de thng o, ho bat au dchng, d hi. Nao la, phan b, so o, tranh cai vi nhngngi khac khi thay mnh co cai g o e so sanh. Chang

qua, o cung la ban nga tam thng cua the gian ma thoi.Ch tiec, v tu hoc cha thanh cong nen vong tng cua hovan con sanh khi.

Bay gi, co gang nh lai, nhac lai va viet lai may ieu naye xet en noi kho nhoc ma nhng v thay a ganh chu chohoc tro, trong o co thay toi. Co le, ban se nhac toi: biet cnh vay la qu roi, c yen tam i, thay Vien trng khong

trach moc g au ma! Th anh roi, thay khong trach moc gau, bang chng la tnh ngha thay tro van con trong sang,am a va ngay Tet nao thay cung cho bao l x ca. Nhng

phan lam e t, ngh en kho nhoc cua Thay, lo lang chomnh, cho huynh e cua mnh, trai qua bao nhieu nam, thkhong khoi ban than trong da, nc mat chay dai xuong ma,ban a.

Thay toi hn toi ung mi tuoi. Toi va qua cai tuoi nhocnhan cua kiep ngi, th thay cung en ung luc thap hoa

giap au tien. Ke nh cung u tr khon e ngh en n thay,ngha ban, nhn sau vao cai le song chet, thc h cua isong. Sao ma truan chuyen, sao ma gia tam qua oi, cho kiep



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16

song nhan sinh. Bai th cua Tran T Ngang, cho ta hnh anhnay:

Tien bat kien co nhan

Hau bat tri lai giaNiem thien a chi du duoc thng nhien chi le ha(Ai ngi trc a qua

Ai ngi sau cha tiNgh tri at vo cungMot mnh tuon giong le)

Vay ma trong canh hon mang cuatri at, quay cuong cua nghiep lc bao i, mnh lai c

gap thay e nh n te o. Khong phai la ngau nhien au,ban a. Ban a chu thua va cho phep toi tuy nghi tien dungcam xuc va suy t cua mnh oi vi tieu e nay.

Qua bao nam chu ng gio ma, san go cua thien ng

tu vien a bat au h roi. Ai lo tu bo, ai lo sa sang. Thay.Mot S chu sot sang ra ho cho nc trong, nc mat, vo tnhsieu o may con ca. Ai cau nguyen cho ca c yen longve coi Phat? Thay. Cong trnh xay dng tu vien con dai, bietbao la tam huyet cua thay, cong lao cua huynh e c hienra di bong mat cua cay canh, qua nhng pho tng uy nghiay sc song gia nui rng Madonna. Thay mang tren vaitat ca nhng u t, trach nhiem o.

em nam, gac tay len tran ngh en an ngha, tnh thngcua Thay danh cho mnh. Toi cung thay am long va sungsng. Du mnh cha ong gop c g ln lao cho Phat Phapnhng cung cha lam g ho then, xau xa cho Thay phai bantam. o la cha muon noi, cung co luc, mnh a co the chiaxe vi Thay trong nhng giay phut kho khan, buon kho. Hom

nhan tin S Ong vien tch Viet Nam nam o, Thay ratbuon. Toi a nghe tieng thay sut sui khoc trong phong, cogan may ien thoai, va cam nhan rang, tieng khoc cua Thaycung la noi buon cua mnh.

(con tiep)



17/44

17Dedication Ceremony of Compassion Meditation Center


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18 Dedication Ceremony of Compassion Meditation Center

Dear Dharma Friends,

Ater more than ten years o construction, the CompassionMeditation Center (CMC) is now complete. The countygranted the fnal occupancy permit on 8/17/2009. This has onlybeen possible due to the support and prayers o many people nearand ar. To mark the phase o propagating the Buddha Dharma,

Compassion Meditation Center will organize a dedication ceremonyto show our deep gratitude to the Triple Jewel, the respectedmonastic Sangha, and the supportive lay community.

The dedication ceremony will be integrated with the CMCs annualsummer retreat in the ollowing programs:

1) Sunday July 11, 2010: Transmission Ceremony o ThreeReuges, Five Precepts, and Ten Precepts.

2) Monday 7/12 to Friday 7/16: Summer retreat schedulewith daily sutra chanting, meditation, repentance,recitation, Dharma talks and group discussion in promotingmindul living.

3) Saturday 7/17: Well-Blessing and Empowerment Ceremonychanted in English, Pali, Tibetan, and Vietnamese. Theaternoon programs consist o musical entertainment tocelebrate the completion o the CMCs construction and the5th Anniversary o the Chanh Hoa Buddhist Youth.

4) Sunday 7/18: The Dedication Ceremony will be presidedover by the Venerable Thich Tinh Tu o Kim Son Monastery


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and many monks and nuns rom Northern Caliornia. ThreeFood Oering ceremonies will be conducted to give oeringsto 108 monastic Sangha venerables throughout the week.

This new meditation center is constructed with the mission ocultivating and propagating the Dharma. It provides a spiritualcenter or inner peace, healing, kindness, and community supportand understanding. Practicing the Buddha Dharma is the mostessential actor as well as maintaining and progressing it. Oursangha humbly requests everyone who has not taken the ThreeReuges and Five Precepts to sign up or the transmission duringthis Dedication Ceremony week. I you have already taken and

upheld the Five Precepts over two years with diligent practice,we ask you to take the Ten Wholesome Precepts to advance ourcultivation and nourish our Bodhicitta mind. Please contact theofce via email, [email protected] or phone (510) 481-1577 to register or the transmission ceremony. The transmissionceremony o Three Reuges, Five Precepts, and Ten Preceptswhich will be taken place on Sunday, July 11, 2010 during theDedication Ceremony o Compassion Meditation Center.

Furthermore, we cordially ask or your consideration in joiningthe CMCs Temple Membership. Your generosity o $20 a month($120/year) will help pay or temples expenses and support theongoing spiritual programs oered to the both communities oVietnamese and American . Mostly importantly, your contributionwill help maintain a spiritual house or learning and practicingthe Buddhist teaching o compassion, peace, and wisdom, as well

as perpetuate the Vietnamese Buddhist culture and instillingwholesome values and morality in the young generation.

Over the past ten years o constructing the Compassion MeditationCenter, we have received much support in the orm o good wishes,prayers, and contributions rom countless people near and ar.For that, we are deeply grateul. Please take our humble bowo gratitude and we pray or all o you to have blessings and

happiness.

Best regards,

Thich Tu-Luc

Dedication Ceremony of Compassion Meditation Center


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20 Dedication Ceremony of Compassion Meditation Center

When we use our compassionate heart and look at

The Compassionate Pagoda, we see this situation:A Pagoda with two Main Halls. We may be

surprised at what we see and ask: Why do we have two main halls

in one pagoda? How is it going to be organized? What for? The

Reality is that we have two main halls; one which houses a Buddha

statue, and the other which lacks a physical Buddha statue but it

is instead a place containing the heart of the Buddha. Here is the

story; our pagoda signed a contract with the school next door forco-utilization of the parking lot, and the parking lot was completed

last summer.

It is the spirit of Buddhism that Buddha exists wherever we have

loving-kindness. When we prostrate to the Buddha we do not

necessarily have to have a Buddha statue. Sometimes we can bow

to the Buddha inside of us. The heart of the Buddha in the second

Main Hall is created from the peace that the parents now havewhen they drop off their children at the school. For a long time,

the school has needed a circle driveway to ease the traffic flow.

Seeing this, the principle asked Mr. Tam Nhuan, our architect, to

design the joint parking lot with a circle driveway which would

allow better traffic flow when parents drop off their children.

Before this parking lot was built, many times we could also seefrom our pagoda the difficulties of parents when dropping off their

children at the school next door. The principles request made a lot

of sense. Our goal of building a pagoda is to do so in a way which

brings benefit to everyone in our community, therefore we agreed

with this request.

translated by Chau Yoder


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After this agreement and many months of hard work, on August

28, 2002 the contractor completed the construction of the joint

parking lot. The next day was the first day of the next school year

and the appearance of this elementary school was now different

than before. Early in the morning, parents drove their cars into the

parking lot, dropped off their children, and drove away with ease

and joy; their previous frustration and confusion no longer existed.

The joy in so many faces brightened up the sunshine in the second

Main Hall.

Today, we wrote about this so we have a chance to look deeply, to

understand the situation and to recognize its precious opportunity.We want to open our hearts to everyone. We are lucky that the

Buddha gave us an easy task first. The task to build the parking

lot had the financial help of the school. The upcoming difficult

task to build the main hall (40 ft x 100 ft) will require lots of effort

from all of us; it will be a bigger challenge for all of us.

May the Buddha, Bodhisattvas and Dharma Protectors help us

complete our task promptly and perfectly.

June 5, 2003


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Dearest friends,

How are you? Please remember to take care of your health, go to the

temple and eat vegetarian food regularly.

In about a month and half from now, I will be accepting new monasticstudents. Even though I have gone through this process a few times

already, I still have some difficulties and worries in me. Going through

these experiences, I started to understand what my Master have gone

through when accepting new students, which included me.

There is a proverb that says: Only when you raise a child, then you

know the hardship of the parents. The proverb is very simple yet it is

meaningful if we have experience through this. When you raise a child,

you have to go throught a lot of hardship and sacrifice. In the religiouslife is the same. The master have to nourish and guide the student into

a leader with strong will.

I came to the United States all by myself with no families or friends. I

met my master and from there I started to have inspiration of becoming

a monastic. I followed Thay to learn Buddhism and I felt like I had

step up into another life. Accepting Thay as my father, and all monks

and nuns as my brothers and sisters as my spiritual family. From there,

I had many fond memories as well as not so fond memories during the

past 30 years. However I had to live through a quarter of a century to

fully understand the proverb stated above. It was not until I begun to

accept monastic students, care for their meals and their shelter in our

small family.

Many events past by that sparked up my thinking and so I had the

opportunity to look back the path that I had gone through when living

and studying with my master. Back then, I was a niave monk with short

comings. A story below will give you some ideas about my novice years

in the temple. By the way, I was 20 years old and had been in the army

for 2 years.

I dont know if Mr. Bell, the founder of telephone, ever predict the

surprise and confusion that anyone can face when using a telephone.



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During the early time living in the temple, I asked Thay for another

phone line for my own conveniences since the main phone was in

Thays room. After having my own phone line, I placed the nice petite

phone on my study desk. I dont remember clearly the exact time, but

perhaps during one afternoon, the phone rang. I picked the phone

to listen. To my surprise and didnt know how to react because I

heard Thays voice on the other line calling from his room next door!

Thay softly told me a tragic news that a venerable master named TB

just passed away from a car accident. Venerable TB had a beautiful

chanting voice and I also adored him very much. Thay let me know

the news by the means that I just had. I didnt know whether this skillful

mean as a way to open up our communication because we never

had an opportunity to understand each other and how to be close to

each other. We seldom shared our feelings with each other. In our dailyactivities, we only exchanged with short conversations. So from the day

I received a call from Thay in the same house, I always think of Thays

mission; Thay had been in my deep thinking just like a meditation koan

for the past 20 years. I realized that my master had skilfully chosen the

right occasion to open up our relationship but at the age of 20, I didnt

think of it as anything special. I didnt know how approach Thay so

that I can be closer to Thay. I still kept a space between us as a way of

respecting a master. And so our relationship didnt get any warmer andthus the wind of the coldness continued to go through the gap between

us. Time passed by, I fulfilled my duty as a student and Thay also sped

really far in his missionary of spreading Buddhism. Our teacher/student

relationship had many joyful times when coming to Buddhist activities.

There were times when we sat next to each other eating potato chips

and drinking soda pops in an unfamiliar places like the time we went

searching for lands to build Kim Son Monastery. I still kept the picture

taken with Thay, me, and two other lay people at Santa Rosa. And therewere times when we went to Chinatown, Japantown, or cuised through

the Golden Gate Bridge with Ven. Tri Chon, with Ven. Giac Nhien, and

with many other Buddhists who came to visit our Tu Quang Temple

in San Francisco. Many, many pleasant moments especially when we

attended the Buddhist Missionary Conference in Denver and meetings

at Viet Nam Temple in Los Angeles. The environment was filled with

happiness just like a festival that I felt very comfortable and enjoyable.

Nonetheless, when we were alone, face to face, we hardly had a long

and deep conversation. We never actually shared our feelings. There

were times in my room at night, I started to question: Why so strange?

Is there something wrong?

I had to go through fifteen years in order to understand this situation

better. At that time I studied Buddhist psychology with Ven. Master Nhat



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Hanh. I started to understand my personality I was not a talkative

type. I only talked when there was a specific topic. I was also taught

in the zen tradition that we should not talk a lot because we will lose

energy and create defilement. And the quiet personality could be my

weak point.To my thinking, when we become master and student then we must

have each other through good times as well as bad times. When I was

small, I was taught by my father with this Confucious verse: When

someone teach us one word or even half a word, he is your teacher.

This verse had become my compass in life, which was to have full

respect for my master. And perhaps we did not have to talk much but

still understood each other. That was only an ideal, but realistically, how

much do I understand my master? Nobody knew! This was the hardestpart and also main the reason why there were misunderstanding and

affliction.

The psychological minds of the human beings are very complicated.

That is why people usually say: When drawing a tiger, we can only

draw the appearance and not the skeleton; when understanding a

person, we only know the appearance outside and not his mind. We

cannot know what is in his mind if we dont have the wisdom of a

saint. That is why when accepting new monastic students to be in acommunity, I usually have second thought. At the same time, I know

that the students would not come to me if they dont need my help or

guidance. And so I have to open my arms to greet and accept them and

share with them my faith and practice. My most concern is that I dont

have enough merit to transform the new students; on the other hand,

I have to be responsible for the well-being of other students. And what

if the new student create more problems in the monastic community?

This concern is probably very common. That is why we have to havestrong faith in the Buddhadharma in order to accept students. I truly

try with full effort in wishing that all the hardships of my students will

past by and will soon find happiness in the simple and peaceful life of

monastics. I also believe that there is the blessings from the Protective

Guardians in my nourishing and teaching the monastics. I am also most

motivated in the law of cause and affect that growing a good seed

begets a sweet fruit.

This is the faith and method that I learned from my master. Thayusually taught me that: People are suffering and if we dont help them

then they continue to suffer. But if we open your arms to help them stud

ythe path of understanding and love of the Buddha, then at least they

will have a small opportunity to get out of suffering and despair. We

just help them because Buddhism is very profound and we cant see



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that with our human eyes. Maybe they will become Buddhas before us

once they stepped into the house of the Buddhas. Thereby, I have a

strong will to accept monastic students. Through my own experiences,

what Thay said is so right and so I followe that perspective. Forexample, there is one family that doesnt know much about Buddhism,

but later they become very sincere and faithful. After I preformed a

funeral service for this family, they had an opportunity to listen to

dharma talks. They started to transform their lives by eating vegetarian

food and cultivating good actions according to the Buddhadharma.

And the same is true for the new monastic members. They have a

chance to live in the community with the brothers and sisters through

the chanting and studying. They will soon find the light of compassionand enlightenment of Buddhism.

To be honest, I was never given the chance to live in a community

with the brothers and sisters because at the beginning, it was only

my teacher and I. Later on, Thay accepted more monastics like sister

Thanh Tinh and brothers Tu Minh and Tu Chon. I was happy to have

new brothers and sisters and never in my mind to have jealousy and

resentment toward them because my personality does not like debating

and also I was own my own path with practicing and taking coursesin college. That was probably why I did not have much contact with

them. I had chosen a path and I just head toward it without being

intruded into others businesses. I remembered we had one Sunday

dharma class together which was taught by Thay. We were in harmony

and content with each other. My experiences are, if we have the mind

of practice then we should focus on transforming ourselves. When we

are determined to do that, then for sure we do not have time to look

at the faults of others. Just follow our minds and mental formationsis already consumed much time and effort. At a certain period of my

monastic life, I decided to sit meditation each night to learn more about

my mind and how the karma affected our life. There are two chapters

that talk about karma in the book The Buddha and His Teaching had

helped me very much. I really wanted to know who am I? From there



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I started not to care too much what others are doing but each night I

make my priority to focus on sitting meditation. With my daily practice,

I saw my habit energies from many lives that are still in here in my store

consciousness. It was scary, therefore I had to start to practice and not

to comment and criticize others. I started to develop loving kindnessfrom my heart. I love and respect Sister Thanh Tinh because she was

the one who made a water-filtered net for me to take the Shramanera

Precept (novice ordaination). I still kept it as a gift even though she

already passed away and went with the Buddha. Have you ever had

a chance to see her hands? They were very wrinkle and curvy because

she was in her 70s. She was a person full of energy in practicing and

rectiting the Buddha name. She was one of the disciple who followed

Thay and lived at Kim Son Monastery the longest. She was also myrole model when coming to exercising and taking care of our health. I

would like to conclude that, once we practice, then we will understand

our minds better and from there we will have gratitude and respect

toward the people around us including our dharma brothers and sisters.

Dispute and competition inside our mind start to deminish by the help

of practicing the Buddha teachings. Our ancestor had taught us that:

Iinside, we must strictly be mindful in order to have deed, and outside,

we must not have dispute in order to have virtue. From there, merit

and virtue will develop and bring forth, and we will follow the path of

liberation with a strong faith.

During this time, I also see another perspective. That is the miracle

of the mind. The mind embraces everything and it is very vast and

immense without boundary. I have made a poem while my meditation

session:

Last night sitting here and listen to my breath

Calmly looking inside my mindThree thousand freely cosmos

North south east west, where is not my home?

We should not attach to our small house of this world. And dont

be silly to close our heart because we will not be able to see beautiful

and joyable things. There are the flower gardens adore with many

colors and shapes like how it described in the Avatamsaka Sutra. If you

look clearly, then you will see that we are only one part of this world.

Let open up our conscious mind to accept the brotherhood, to see all

dharmas as one and then we will be free in each breath.

Reading up to here, you probably wonder what is a water-filtered

net why is it so important and valuable to the monastics. In the above

section, I mentioned that when a person is ordained, he/she requires



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to have a water-filtered net. Just a couple days ago, I brought out my

water-filtered net and the meditation mat to check whether they are

still in good condition. These two items are one of the necessities

of a monastic. During the Buddhas time, wherever the monastics go,

they must bring these items with them. Before drinking water, one must

use the net to filter out the insects and other small creatures in order to

avoid killing. Nowadays, we dont use this water-filtered net anymore

because we use water bottles and soda cans that have been already

filtered. Nonetheless, the main point is protecting the life of all sentient

beings which is being expressed by the compassionate heart of a

person leading a religious life. When receiving the water-filtered net,

the ordainee recites this gatha:

Good indeed, this water-filtered net

An instrument of protecting lives

Using it when going out and coming in

That is applicable to the Bodhisattvas way.

When reading this gatha, it reminds the monastics to practice

compassion and loving kindness in their daily lives.

Now let me return back to the activities of the monastic community.

During the first two years, everyone tends to be very diligent and put

full effort into their given tasks. By that, their hearts settle and at peace.After a short time of that charming state, they start to change. Debute,

complain, and comparison begin to take place. You start to compare

with others because you think you have something better than others.

That is the egotistic minds of this world and because their practices are

not riped thereby their delusions come up.

At this moment, I try to remember and write these things down, I see

what a master has to go through many difficult times with their students

and my master is one of them. Our teacher and student relationship is

close, warm and wholesome. Every new year, Thay still gives me the

lucky red envelop (li xi). I am filled with gratitude and respect when

looking back at all the sacrifices and hardships that Thay went through

for me and my dharma brothers and sisters for so many years.

My master is ten years older than I am. I just passed the hard age

of a human, which is 53 and my master is also passed his 63 birthdays.

At this age, I have enough knowledge to understand the gratitude of

our master and friends and to look deeply on the stages of birth and

death of life.

There is a poem written by Tran Tu Ngang that describes the

impermanent of life:



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A elder person has passed

A later person has not come

Think of the vast heaven and earth

Lonely I tear.

In the turning world of heaven and earth and of the karmic action

of many lives, I have come to meet my master for guidance. This

encounter is not accidental.

Through many years of raining, the wooden floor of the meditation

Hall in Kim Son starts to crack and break. Who is the one to take care

of it?

- My master.

One novice wanted to change the pond water to make it clean and

clear. The fish accidentally died. Who is the one praying for these fishes?

- My master.

Then there is the building contruction of Kim Son, Thay put in a lot

of energy and effort along with all of my dharma brothers and sister, to

make it a place of cool breeze of trees and landscape, through many

beautiful and serene Buddha statues majestly standing in the middle of

the Madonna mountains. On his shoulders and in his soul, he carrieson this duty to serve human kind.

At night putting my hands on the forehead and thinking of all these

graditude, all of the loving that my master has for me, I am filled with

warm-hearted and happiness. Even though I have not contribute

anything much to Buddhism, but I have not done anything ashamed or

bad to make Thay concern for me. There are times when I shared the

difficulties and sadness with Thay. The day we received the news that

Grandmaster passed away in Vietnam during that year (1976), Thaywas deeply saden. I heard the crying sound in Thays room and I then

began to realize that Thays crying was also my grief.


(to be continued ...)


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Due to the lack of societal values and a sense

of spiritual belonging, Westerners are turning toBuddhism.

There has been a growing interest in the West towards thespiritual traditions of the East, especially Buddhism. Bud-dhism is often seen as a way of life and a state of mind.Nowadays, due to the materialistic society, Americans arefacing more problems and conflicts in their daily lives. Peo-

ple tend to search outward and constantly chase after ma-terial things instead of returning inwardly to themselves.They are more stressed out physically and mentally becauseof the driven force of the society. Some of Christians havelost faith in their religion because of their churchs congre-gation and/or the contradictory teachings in the Bible. Dueto the lack of societal values and a sense of spiritual belong-ing, Westerners are turning to Buddhism.

Zen Buddhism is especially attractive to Westerners. Itsemphasis on achieving meditative states has a self-improve-ment appeal separate from religious philosophy, much likeyoga, which Americans tend to selectively practice as anexercise without the Hindu philosophy. Thus, Buddhism of-fers Westerners methods of inner transformations through

meditation without any obligation to a cult or creed (tnieu). Americans also can attend a retreat or a public dhar-ma talk by the Dalai Lama or Thich Nhat Hanh, and thengo home without having any commitment to that particularpractice, tradition, or lineage.


?

Sister Pho-Chau


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America is all about choice and freedom, and Buddhism fitsthis mode really well. The Buddha never told us to followhim blindly or threatened us with hell if we did not believein him. Instead, the Buddha encouraged us to try it outfirst to see if his teachings actually are beneficial to ourlife. He gave the option to experiment. Buddhism is alsovery scientific. The Buddha had great confidence in histeachings because the Buddha himself didnt create theselaws, but discovered through wisdom. These laws includethe law of Cause and Effect (Nhan Qua), Karma (NghiepBao), and most widely known, the Four Noble Truths (TDieu e). They are universal laws; therefore, they are validto everyone regardless of ethnic background, language orreligion. His teachings are about the ultimate reality beyondtime and space, and He was not afraid of people testing outtheir validity.

Westerners are gradually practicing the Buddhas teachingand are taking a new form of Buddhism that is different

from the Buddhism in Asian countries. They mainly focuson the practice of meditation, to cultivate awareness andpeace of mind, but not so much on the label of actually beinga Buddhist. Im astounded to see Western philosopherspublish so many well-written books on Buddhism. Sincethere are many books on the market and the internet,most Westerners encounter Buddhism through readinginstead of seeing monastics on almsrounds (khat thc)

like in Thailand. They might take refuge in the Dharmaintentionally or unintentionally, but just one refuge is notsufficient. Taking refuges in the Buddha and the Sanghaare equally important. Just like a tripod, it needs threelegs to stand firmly and long-lastingly. If it took five toseven centuries for Buddhism to fully establish itself inAsia, then Westerners are doing a fine job of assimilatingBuddhism in only about a century due to the help of modern

communications. Intellectually and theory-wise, Westernersare doing well, but practically, such as in faith, devotion,the bond and support between lay-followers and monasticswithin a sangha, they may still need a couple more centuriesto become fully established.



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Americans are using the concepts of nirvana, karma, andenlightenment as commodities to sell their products or toget fame.

The Buddhist concepts on nirvana, karma, non-self, andrebirth are slowly taking root in the West. These wordsare becoming part of the common vocabulary of Westerners;however they interpret differently and not as seriously orspiritually as Asian Buddhists would view. Americans areusing these concepts as commodities (hang hoa giao dch)to sell their products or to get fame. For example, thereare Nirvana rock band, Enlightenment Visa Card, Dharmathe Cat comic, Karma software, Buddha Lounge, andMeditation computer mouse pad. For the aspect of nirvana(niet ban) and non-self (vo nga), not only Westerners areexperienced difficulty, but so do Easterners. These arevery deep and subtle teachings. Even the Buddha leftthis philosophical question, Where does a person go afternirvana? unanswered. To my understanding, in order to

fully grasp the concepts of nirvana and non-self, one mustbe fully engaged in cultivating the path to acquire wisdomand a compassionate heart, or else one only understands atthe surface level.

Its not the Buddhas teaching that is uncomfortable,

but Asian rituals that are in confict.

Im not sure what aspect of Buddhism Westerners arenot drawn to because its not the Buddhas teaching thatis uncomfortable, but Asian rituals that are in conflict.American Buddhism is unique because when Buddhism cameto America, its not directly from the Buddha, but its broughtfrom Japan, China, Tibet, Thailand, Vietnam, etc. So theBuddhist cultures from these countries are also introduced. Asian Buddhists practice a lot of prostrations, chantingand invoking the names of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Forinstance, its traditional for Buddhist monastics (tu s) andlay disciples (c s) in the Mahayana tradition to do 108prostrations on the first and fifteen of each lunar month asa way to purify bad karmas, or chant 21 times of the Great



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Compassion Dharani (Chu ai Bi) on AvalokiteshvaraBodhisattvas (Quan Am Bo Tat) observed day to pray forworld peace. Most Westerners find this practice troublesome.For Western practitioners, they prefer to chant the Dharanione time but mindfully instead of repeating it 21 times oraerobically prostrate 5 times slowly rather than 108 times.Its the quality versus quantity aspect. I dont believe that thedisciples during the Buddhas time practiced much bowing,repentances (sam hoi), chanting or evoking the name ofBuddhas and Bodhisattvas like how they are emphasizedin Asia. On the contrary, the practices during the Buddhastime were mainly focused on insight meditation, Dharmatalks, almsrounds, reciting the precepts on Uposatha day(ngay tung gii cua ch Tang vao ram & mong mot), andliving in harmony with the community. Maybe Westernerswould be more comfortable by adopting these authenticBuddhist practices without the Asian rituals.

The essence of Buddhism is to keep the mind pure

and at peace.

The Buddha introduced 84,000 ways or doors to get inthe Buddhas house; therefore, it depends on ones mentaldisposition to decide which door one prefers. No particulardoor is better because we just need one door to get us intothe house. Thus far, there are three vehicles of Buddhism:Theravada (Tieu tha), Mahayana (ai tha), and Vajrayana

(Kim Cang tha). Perhaps, Westerners will combine thethree vehicles and make into a new hybrid and uniquevehicle of Buddhism that is most suitable for practitionerswith Western culture. Whatever traditions one choosesto practice, the essence of the Buddhas teaching shouldbe the same for everyone. That is to cultivate the mindof enlightenment through avoiding unwholesome acts,cultivating virtuous deeds, and keeping the mind pure and

peaceful. Im very much interested to see how Buddhismwill take shape in America as in terms of faith, practice,and sangha building in the next few centuries.



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Th Sau, 9-6-2000

hg Sau mot thi gian tm kiem, ao Trang tm thay aiem nay va nh anh Le Sn Thach hng dan i xem at, a

ch: 17327 Meekland Avenue, Hayward, CA 94541.

Th Sau, 23-6-2000

hgThay Vien chu (Thch T Lc), nhan buoi sinh hoathang tuan cua ao trang, a bao cao va trnh bay viec tao maic s. Ke tiep, Thay yeu cau ao trang chap thuan cho viectien hanh mua mieng at tren e xay cat chua Pho T.

Th Sau, 10-11-2000

hgChnh thc ky giay mua mieng at vi gia $410,000 viieu kien xin c giay phep xay cat chua trong vong 90 ngay.

Chu Nhat, 26-11-2000

hgao trang cung thnh S ong Vien trng Tu vien Kim

Sn en chng minh va sau o, lam le cau nguyen Tam baogia ho va cung Tho than at ai cung Th thc Co hon vao luc11 gi sang e bat au cho viec xay dng chua Pho T.



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Th Ba, 26-12-2000

hgSau le Giang sinh mot ngay (tc la mong Mot thangChap nam Canh Thn), Thay T Lc va chung Xuat gia achnh thc don ve thng tru chua Pho T.

Th Hai, 19-3-2001

hgTrong buoi public hearing cuoi cung nay, AlamedaCounty Planning Commission a chap thuan cap giay phep(conditional use permit) so C-7671 cho chung ta tien hanh

viec xay cat chua.

Th Nam, 15-5-2001

hgHp ong ve viec au xe gia Trng hoc va Chua ac ky ket trong s cam thong va tng tr lan nhau.

Th Ba, 26-6-2001

hgNhan vien cong ty Pacific Precast a lap rap xong bctng xi mang dai 630 feet e gi an ninh cho cac nha hangxom ben canh Chua.

Th Hai, 26-8-2002

hgHoan thanh bai au xe pha trng hoc.

Chu Nhat, 28-3-2004hgLe at a (groundbreaking ceremony) vi s chngminh cua HT Thch Tnh T, Vien trng Tu vien Kim Sn

vi hn 50 v Tang Ni ho niem, va hang tram ong bao Phatt, Huynh trng va oan sinh GPT tham d.

Th T, 28-4-2004

hg Alameda County Building Department a chnh thcthong bao cap giay phep xay cat (buidling permit) cho chungta khi cong xay chanh ien.


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Th Sau, 13-4-2007

hgHoan tat cong tac xay cat t I. Anh Ta Trng Nguyen,cong ty Alpha Property Development (Sacramento), a giup

rat nhieu trong viec xay cat chanh ien, van phong va traing vi hn 7,000 square feet.

Chu Nhat, 8-7-2007

hgLe An v Phat. Vi 2 buoi le tieng Viet (buoi sang) vatieng Anh (buoi chieu), ao Trang a cung thnh ch Tang ni

Viet nam va Ngoai quoc ong gia tam cau nguyen.

Th Ba, 19-8- 2008

hgGiay phep xay cat t II. Vi giay phep so BL2007-02099,Nha thau Toro General Construction a khi cong xay tang xa,trong vong 1 nam th hoan tat, dien tch khoang 4,000 squarefeet, vi 6 phong ngu, Th vien, oan quan GPT...

Th Hai, 17-8-2009

hgHoan tat cong tac xay cat t II. Nhn lai qua trnh xaydng ngoi chua chung, s phoi hp nhp nhang va vui ve giaanh Tran c Thuan (Hayward), anh Tran van Nhuan (San

Jose), anh Nguyen S Chnh (Milpitas), anh Jerry Gonzales(Stocktion) va nhieu phan hanh khac a la yeu to c ban a

en thanh tu cho cong tac. Pha ngi My, chung ta c sgiup va ch dan nhiet tnh cua ong D. Gray, Arnie Glassberg,Robert Bobnan va nhng ngi hang xom, ma trong o hnhanh ba Doris Silva la ang nh va than thien hn ca.


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Chu Nhat, 11-7 en Chu Nhat, 18-7-2010

hg

Le Khanh Thanh chua Pho T & e ngu Chu nienGPT Chanh Hoa

Tong Ket: Tren ay ch la nhng ghi nhan can ban thoi,con co rat nhieu ong gop am tham cua nhng Phat t haotam, manh thng quan xa gan ma chung toi khong dam neura. Nhng ban tay lam cong qua, gay quy la nhng vien gachquy bau cho ngoi nha chung cua chung ta. Tren na la sthng men, khuyen khch cua ch Ton c, cung vi y kienxay dng, va s giup t nhieu pha cua ngi Viet va banhu ngoai quoc.

Nh vay, sau 10 nam xay dng, cong trnh tao dng ngoi TamBao thanh pho Hayward, tieu bang Califfornia a c hoantat trong niem hoan hy cua moi ngi.

Nam mo Cong c Lam Bo tat Ma ha tat./-


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HNH ANH XAY CAT& SINH HOATTAI CHUA PHO-T

Gallery of Activities& the Constructionat Compassion Meditation Center


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Documents

Pho Tu Khanh Thanh