The taste of the Vu Lan.

ANNOUNCED BY LAN FIELD.

 Vu Lan, the traditional holiday of deep deep in harmony with the life of the people of Vietnam from many generations. This ceremony has become familiar in our people through the sentence: "July lunar death row.

Let us find out how the spirit of appreciation grace and repay the meaning expressed on the day of the coming Vu Lan. And monks and nuns, we should organize the Vu Lan how to properly teach the Buddha.

Vu Lan is enough Vu Lan, meaning saving lives. Vu Lan is derived from the Ullumpana Sutra, which was translated in 265 by the Dunhuang Bodhisattva Bodhisattva (Dharmaraksa), the reincarnation of the Emperor, the Xi'an, China.

Content Vu Van Bau tells the story of Mr. Mui Kien Union green, using the wisdom of seeing the mother was falling into the wild. He offered her food to her mother, but she could not eat; As she opened her mouth, the fire came out of her mouth.Moggallana requested Buddha save. The Buddha taught Moggallana should wait for the Tu Quoc, the ceremony of raising boys to make offerings thanks to the desire of monks to save his mother.

Why did the Buddha teach to choose the date of Tu Tu ceremony, worship prayers?To understand the meaning of this practice, to apply for good results, we need to first find out the meaning of settlement and the difference in the time of settling, Theravada Buddhism and Theravada Buddhism.

Back in history, at the time of the Buddha, in the early days, the Sangha had a healthy body and intelligence beyond normal. With a y, a bowl, they travel in accordance with the Buddha, dewy winds, despite the rain, hot and cold. Thus, the Buddha does not need to question the problem of seducing the monks. That we see clearly in the Vu Lan Bowl will be mentioned in the following.

However, when the Sangha is over, there are many more monks who are not monks. At that time, the health of the monks can not continuously travel according to the Buddha; Especially after they rise in flood season, washed away bowls. The Buddha began his great compassion, paused and he made legal retreats.

From there, they increase concentration in one of the four months of the rainy season to refresh the body and mind. They reviewed the practices of the month in which the Buddha gave birth and gave experiences to each other to carry on the next day of practice.

In addition, during the rainy season, many small organisms appear. Monks and nuns will avoid trampling, killing them. That is the meaning of the model of living at the time of the Buddha.

After the Buddha Nibbana, Buddhism spread throughout the five continents, the date of settling and Tu Tu have changed depending on the country. But in the middle, there are two models of the Southern Buddhist and Buddhist Mahayana.

As we know, Theravada Buddhism inherits the original Buddhist form of Buddhism in India. Organization of retreats of the South Tzu from June to September and the full moon day of September as Tu Tu; Because the monks keep the Indian calendar, there are three seasons in a year, and the rainy season is from May to September.

In contrast, Buddhism focuses on the inheritance of Buddhism. When Buddhism entered the country, according to traditional cultural activities where the monks are flexible combination of teachings to help people sublimation, liberation. For the monks of the North, the form is also, as long as it benefits the practice only. The change of the retreat of the Buddhist monks and of the Buddhists of the North is not out of this target.

When Buddhism was transmitted to China, monks carrying the spirit of liberal Mahayana Buddhism realized the essence of the retreat in the rainy season and the goal of the feast of the Sufis. They observed the state of Chinese society at the time being influenced by Taoism, Confucianism, and traditional customs. For example, there are three major holidays celebrated by the people on the first day of the first lunar month, the midst of the lunar month in the seventh month, and the midday on the full moon day in October.

Changing these objective shortcomings is not a simple matter. North Korean Buddhism was cleverly integrated with local life, so that Buddhist practitioners were not opposed to their national traditions. With the spirit of tolerance, in combination, Chinese Buddhism held retreat from April to July; Instead of following the original Buddhism from May to September, because there are four seasons in China, not three seasons like India and the rainy season in China from April to July.

Thus, the change of Chinese Buddhist monastic retreat in accordance with the local weather, which maintains the main spirit of the ban on Buddhist restoration. In addition, Chinese Buddhists celebrate the feast day of Yuandu on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, instead of the full moon in September as the original Buddhism, also to incorporate the feast of the Chinese New Year.

With the wisdom to see the truth, to apply the teachings in harmony with the local custom, Mahayana Buddhism changed the local traditional holidays into Buddhist ceremonies with specific nuance. . In this spirit, Vu Lan, the full moon in July, according to the interpretation of Mahayana Buddhism is not the same as the September 9th of the original Buddhism. The main reason is not the matter of time.

The purpose of the Vulcan celebration that we need to do is to pray and how to make it possible for the deceased and the living to benefit. In general, Vietnam, Japan and Korea are influenced by Chinese culture. Therefore, when the Buddha passed on to these countries, the lamentation of the Lord Buddha was celebrated on the full moon day of July, just like in China.

In order to hold prayers and offerings during the feast of Vu Lan, we need to review the Vu Lan Bon. In this sutra, the Buddha told him Moggallana that he could not save his mother alone, even though he was first-class. Thanks to the ten increments of prayer; Because their virtue as the sea, timely timidity in the day of self-rescue, to save.

"... Want to save human life, must ask the power of the ten increments .... The 7th day of the 7 th month is on Tu Tu, the 10th day of the month. Must prepare to eat, food hundred, fruit color five ... "

Later, the Buddha explained the reason for offering on the day of Quoc Tu: "... Since the day of the monks are enough, wherever they are gathered. As the meditation paints, avoid the affliction, meditation na. Or four people to direct the results, the practice of volunteering innocent. Or the lower life of the business, not the right to love, anonymous forestry. Or the media, and the branches of the Pratumnak, the text. Or the ten Bodhisattvas present in the picture near the living beings ... "

Through this passage, the Buddha introduces us to the Sangha, the Buddhas, the Bodhisattvas, the Arahants. They are meditating in the jungle, or are meditating on the Buddha's teachings, or are teaching the sentient beings. They are not present in the Sangha who are retreating to the Buddha. Therefore, the new Buddha told Mogul to wait until the Fourth, to have all these virtues. When the public is full of virtue, pure behavior, new prayer is fruitful.

The above mentioned monks represent the disciples of the Buddha in the model of life. However, whether the bar, or Pratyekabuddha Bodhisattva, the three legacy of the four have the same characteristics of virtue is "the morality is very bar, moral concentration of mind. All holy beings consummate the bowl of satirical rice.

Thus, the Buddhist monk, the ability to work prayer must be the pedagogy, pure, liberation. Because sinful sinners, incomplete virtue, can not convince people in the world. They refer to the fact that they are qualified on behalf of the faithful, to offer, to contact the Buddhas in the spiritual world.

During the retreat, the monks pushed up the mind, cultivate virtue, effort to learn.By clarifying, eliminating greed, negativity and live in accordance with the precepts;They are liberated, calm, wise wisdom. During the three months of settling down in the teachings, reflect on the Buddha's teachings, morality and wisdom of the great sublimation, accumulation up to high levels on the Tu Tu. Now, the Sangha and the Sangha are joined together very calmly, with the same mind about the deceased person suffering; This creates the force that leads them back to a healthy state.

In addition, in order to make offerings to Vu Lan achievements, not only Buddhist monks who are pure morals, but also Buddhist worshipers must pray wholeheartedly praying: "The resurrection ceremony, installation worship The Buddha, the monks.

With all the heart, the Buddhist offering offerings, prayers. However, it should be noted, for monks also carry the normal five aggregates, the receipt of offerings is indispensable. But for the buddhas, the sages do not need nourishment. They are living in meditation, staying in the spiritual world. At that time, the pure heart of the Buddhist offering up the offerings became important.

Ancient people have said that the Buddha uses the heart, not real, or use the Buddha's salary, the money to finance the evil. That is, the Buddha did not need to eat, not use money. He only uses our genuine, kind heart. If the person doing the sinful things and using the same sin money for the Buddha, is no different to defame the Buddha.

Not only the mind of the pure offering, but the offerings also must be pure; no need for expensive, cumbersome. Money comes from unrighteous deeds, thefts, deceit, just unclean things. Never mind the sages and the Buddhas to care about, how to receive them.

Wanting to pray, offering, the soul of the worshipers need to have an honest life, ethics strictly according to the Buddha taught to Buddhist home. If you do not meet the above three conditions, the prayer, offerings on the day of not only tasteless tastes, but also create more sin.

In conclusion, the deep realization of the spirit of the Vu Lan Banh business, the need to combine the virtuous purity, the release of the monks with the sincerity of the donors, with the gift of pure offerings, the purity of the day Tu Tu. To be so, it will bring beneficial results as the Buddha taught: "Whoever has a real food, to give up the Tu Tu four times, the money belongs to people, relatives are all thanks to.Triads are sure that out, the scene of peaceful enjoyment. As with parents, money is also the school year. As parents of seven generations past will be born in the realm of heaven, the taciturn years, enlightenment illuminated throughout the body.

We hope that during the Vu Lan season of filial piety in 1991, Buddhist monks and nuns should decorate Vu Lan as the Buddha taught, so as not subordinate to the teacher of education from Germany. END=NAM MO SAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=THICH CHAN TANH.THE MIND OF ENLIGHTENMENT.VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=GOLDEN LOTUS MONASTERY=AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.26/8/2018.