New Year’s Medicine Buddha Ritual
Quang Ninh, Vietnam – Thay Thich Truc Thai Minh along with the Sangha of Ba Vang Pagoda precides the New Year's Opening Medicine's Buddha Ritual on 8 January, Year of the Pig (12 February, 2019) organised at Ba Vang Pagoda. Also at the same day, the Opening Spring Festival took place in the morning with the attendance of over 30 thounsands of people worldwide. Before the New Year's Opening Medicine Buddha Ritual in the afternoon, Thay Thich Truc Thai Minh offered a 57-minute Opening Dharma Discourse of the New Year at the respectful request of the Buddhists of Ba Vang Pagoda.
New Year's Medicine Buddha Ritual Started
After Thay's sermon, the New Year's Medicine Buddha Ritual started. This is the annual ritual at the begining of every lunar new year at Ba Vang Pagoda. The ritual starts on the 8th day of the lunar January and will not finish until the last day of that month. Everyday since then, Buddhists from certain clubs or associations under the guidance of Thay and the Pagoda will respectively take turns going to the Pagoda to practise Buddhism in one day. They observe the Eight Precepts, recite the Medicine Buddha Sutra and serve the Ritual.
Quang Ninh, Vietnam – Thay Thich Truc Thai Minh along with the Sangha of Ba Vang Pagoda precides the New Year's Opening Medicine's Buddha Ritual on 8 January, Year of the Pig (12 February, 2019) organised at Ba Vang Pagoda. Also at the same day, the Opening Spring Festival took place in the morning with the attendance of over 30 thounsands of people worldwide. Before the New Year's Opening Medicine Buddha Ritual in the afternoon, Thay Thich Truc Thai Minh offered a 57-minute Opening Dharma Discourse of the New Year at the respectful request of the Buddhists of Ba Vang Pagoda.
(…….)
(Buddhists respectfully requesting Thay Thich Truc Thai Minh to offer the Great Assembly the Opening Dharma Discourse of the New Year of the Pig 2019 in the New Year's Opening Medicine Buddha Ritual on 12 February, 2019 at Ba Vang Pagoda.)
“Dear Great Assembly, today I want to share the Mangala Sutra with you”, Thay started the Opening Discourse Program. “Everyone wants to know about their future and how their lives are going to be such as they mind if that day they leave the house with their left or right foot first and therefrom guess how the day will be, will it be lucky or not? Or you can guess from the bloody dream/dream of blood(?) the last night. This is easy to sympathise since everyone all wants to know and worry about their future. But is this true? If it's not, it can be a big problem to us.”
“When the Blessed One attained the Path, He also paid great care to this matter. Therefore, He preached a Dharma sermon about omen. What is the nature of ome? In Buddhism, we know that this realm is the causal realm of dharma, “interbeing endlessly interwoven”, this one arises then that one arises, this one ends then that one ends, this one appears then that one appears”, Thay said. “But not mediocre people cannot understand the causality of this realm, only Sages and enlightened ones can.”
(Thay Thich Truc Thai Minh discoursing the Mangala Sutra in the New Year's Opening Medicine Buddha Ritual on 12 February, 2019 at Ba Vang Pagoda.)
“In order to help sentient beings master their own selves and be independent of outside conditions, The World Honoured One preached the Mangala Sutra, a sutra about the good omen, so that we can be completely the mastery of ourselves, we create ourselves the good omen and do not have to depend on the outside conditions. Then we can be free of outside conditions. That's the importance of Buddhism practice.”
After Thay's sermon, the New Year's Medicine Buddha Ritual started. This is the annual ritual at the begining of every lunar new year at Ba Vang Pagoda. The ritual starts on the 8th day of the lunar January and will not finish until the last day of that month. Everyday since then, Buddhists from certain clubs or associations under the guidance of Thay and the Pagoda will respectively take turns going to the Pagoda to practise Buddhism in one day. They observe the Eight Precepts, recite the Medicine Buddha Sutra and serve the Ritual.
"The full title of Medicine Buddha is Medicine Master Crystal Light Buddha, which means that He is a perfectly enlightened Buddha, the King of Medicine Master rescuing all sentient beings from sufferings, especially illness and death”, Thay said.
“The main purpose of the Medicine Buddha Ritual is to give an occasion for everyone to express their desire and aspiration of a long and healthy life without illness, accidents or premature death. Buddhism is not a religion of begging for blessings but of practice. Therefore, when attending the Medicine Buddha Ritual, Buddhists must cultivate respect for The Three Jewels, praise merits and virtues of The Three Jewels, make prostrations to Buddhas, repent their sins, recite Buddhist sutras, have vegetarian meals, not eat after noon and observe moral precepts.”
(Thounsands of people worldwide attending the New Year's Opening Spring Festival and Medicine Buddha Ritual on 12 February, 2019 at Ba Vang Pagoda.)
“Moreover, they should also practice doing all good deeds such as: making offerings to The Three Jewels, helping the poor and the sick, releasing living creatures, cultivating the mind of compassion and loving-kindness. Also, Buddhist disciples should develop a great mind. All of these deeds will help them change their negative karma thanks to following Buddha's teachings”, Thay continued. “Thereby, they will have a healthier and longer life. When every of us is good, healthy and happy, society will also be joyful and peaceful, and the country will be prosperous."