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Documentation - Documents MESSAGE to members of
the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam by the
Most Venerable THICH HUYEN QUANG This year, as we celebrate the 2626th anniversary of Lord Buddha’s birth[1], I send my warmest greetings to all members of Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam at home and abroad, to all respected elders, venerable monks and nuns, and all lay-Buddhists. May we continue together to follow and practice the teachings handed down by Lord Buddha to seek salvation for humankind and all sentient beings in the three-thousand-great-thousandfold world [2]. Buddha’s
Birthday is a time for awakening, a time for the flowers of
Enlightenment to bloom. Buddha’s Birthday is a time of two-fold
remembrance. First, for remembrance of the advent of Lord Buddha on our
earth, his teachings of the Four Noble Truths and the Boddhisattva’s
ideal. Next, for remembrance
of the introduction of Buddhism to Vietnam, how it stimulated the
development of a peaceful, tolerant and civilised society, and played an
irreplaceable role throughout our history, in founding, consolidating
and protecting the sovreignty of our nation and our people. The
contribution of Buddhism is engraved deep in our
memory, and recorded in the annals of Vietnamese history from the
times of the Trung Sisters (40 AD) until today. The aim of Buddhism, in
Vietnam and across the globe, is to build a humane and fraternal world,
as the premise to liberation and universal enlightenment. For Buddhism,
protecting life and improving the human condition are the most important
concerns. From his birth to his quest for enlightenment, Lord Buddha’s
sole aim was to emancipate the world from the bonds of ignorance and
suffering. Today, as we gather before the altar, we joyfully celebrate the Vesak and embrace Lord Buddha with our hearts and minds. But joyful celebration is not enough. We must wholeheartedly engage in spreading Lord Buddha’s teachings of liberation in our homeland and throughout the world. We must wholeheartedly embark on the great path of the Boddhisattva[3], on order to achieve universal salvation and create harmony amongst all peoples. On Mount Gridhrakuta [4], speaking to an assembly of ninety-eight thousand representatives from ten worlds who had flocked to hear the Lotus Sutra, Lord Buddha taught that countless multitudes of Boddhisattvas would spring out from the depths of the earth to protect Buddhism. In modern terms, this does not mean we should lean back and wait for someone to emerge and rescue us. It means that we must urge and encourage everyone, from the most poor and destitute up through all levels of society, to emerge from the dark depths of poverty and violence to realise the boddhisattva’s mission of saving our country and emancipating humankind. Here and now, every monk and nun in the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam must become one who sees ahead : every lay-Buddhist, man and woman alike, must become one who acts ahead. Those who see ahead must foresee the bonds of ignorance and suffering that ensnare all beings, and deliver them therefrom. They must awaken the potential for enlightenment innate in all beings, and help them to attain Buddhahood. Those who act ahead shall refuse to be passive or turn their backs on society, but shall remain at the forefront of action, launching themselves into the most dangerous and corrupt areas of society to bring peace and serenity to the people and to build a humane and fraternal world under whatsoever form of political regime. The history of Vietnamese Buddhism over the past two thousand years is the combined achievement of the Four Communities (monks, nuns, lay Buddhist men and women) to see ahead and act ahead. Today, we are confronted by a society plagued with false views and threatened by all manner of social evils. People live in fear and alienation. Morality is in decline. A fire of destruction is threatening to consume the very culture of our people and the faith of Buddhist followers. In these times of danger, this capacity to see ahead and act ahead, based on the spirit of Great Compassion and Intrepidity, must be developed and accomplished more than ever before. More than one thousand years ago, rivalries within the Four Communities lead to the decline of Buddhism in its birthplace, India. Fortunately, at the same time, the Mahayana school developed and flourished, transforming Buddhism into a timeless torch of wisdom that has continued to shine upon humanity throughout the ages. We must draw lessons from this and apply them to our current situation. Today, Vietnamese Buddhists cannot allow the decline and extinction of Buddhism in their own land. They cannot reduce themselves to kow-towing and becoming tools in the service of temporal ideologies or political powers. For the vision of Buddhism is global and dynamic, its driving force is the Boddhisattva’s commitment to deliver all people from ignorance and suffering, emancipate all nations from oppression, liberate humankind and all sentient beings. Inevitably, all temporal doctrines will perish with the times, and no political power, dynasty or regime, however repressive or demagogical they made be, can escape the laws of impermanence and will be eliminated. In ancient times, mandarins could renounce their official titles and live a life of seclusion. In our modern world, people can resign from their jobs if they are unsatisfied or if they can find better conditions elsewhere. But never, in all the sutras and history books, nor in the daily lives of Buddhists for almost three thousand years, have I ever seen, nor heard the slightest mention of a Boddhisattva who asked to retire or who gave up his job of saving people from suffering. For ever and ever, inspired by his compassionate heart, the Boddhisattva will always be there to share all hardships and deliver the world from misery and oppression. No one can escape from the torment and pain that birth, old age, sickness and death inflict upon the human body. But for those who pursue the Boddhisattva’s path, the torments of birth, old age, sickness and death are not negative phenomena. They are the means of stimulating awareness and inciting one to serve the welfare and enlightenment of all beings. Therefore, in my exile home in the province of Quang Ngai, I burn incense and pray fervently that countless multitudes of Boddhisattvas will spring out of the depths of the earth to defend Buddhism and protect our homeland, Vietnam. I send this Message to all monks, nuns and lay-Buddhists in all sections of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam at home and all over the world in the hope that each one will join me in this prayer, and most of all, will transform this prayer into reality. Quang Ngai,
Vesak Anniversary, Year of the Horse, (Signature and Seal) Bikkhu
THICH HUYEN QUANG [1] The Vesak is counted from the beginning of the Buddhist era, i.e. the year of Lord Buddha’s death. This year the 2546th Vesak Anniversary and the 2626th Anniversary of Lord Buddha’s birth. [2] According to Buddhist philosophy, the universe consists of an infinite number of worlds and galaxies, generally referred to as the three-thousand-great-thousandfold world, or chiliocosm. [3] One who seeks enlightenment not only for himself but for all sentient beings. [4] Also called Vulture Peak, a mountain near present Rajgir, Bihar, in India.
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