A touching story about a filial child.VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THICH CHAN TANH.
The Vu Lan Ceremony originates from the touching story of the filial piety of Ma ha Muc Kien Lien - one of the ten best disciples of the Buddha. Muc Kien Lien's mother is Thanh De, born during a time of many evil deeds. When she passed away, Muc Kien Lien used his divine eyes to see through the underworld, seeing that his mother was suffering a lot of pain, suffering, hunger, and thirst. Having pity on his mother's situation, he went begging for alms a bowl of rice to offer to Mrs. Thanh De. Because she was afraid of losing her bowl of rice, Ms. Thanh De tried to cover the mouth of the bowl with one hand, and eat with one hand. However, the seeds of rice that, when brought to her mouth, suddenly turned into charcoal, unable to eat.
In extreme pain, Muc Lien Lien returned from hell to meet the Buddha, expressing his will to save his mother from suffering. The Buddha told him that: Her karma is too heavy, you alone cannot save. Please wait until the fourth day (Trung Nguyen period - the middle of the first month of autumn according to Buddhist rituals), when the monks are released (ending the three months of summer the monks and nuns gather in one place to practice. maintain morality, study catechism ...), prepare offerings, make offerings (food, clothing, crouching tools, medicine), offer them. After increasing their life, they will make a prayer meeting for his sinful mother to soon be born in the Buddha realm.
Muc Kien Lien followed the Buddha's instructions. Indeed, Ms. Thanh De was freed from the place of the hungry ghosts. Not only that, the sinners near Ms. Thanh De were also freed from their misery. Muc Lien Lien was overjoyed and told the Buddha: If the children are filial and want to report filial piety, can you prepare gifts and offerings to pray for them to be super reborn like that? Buddha said: This is a very meaningful job. If sentient beings want to show their parents' filial piety, on the day of the fourth order, they can make offerings to them and ask the monks to act as a conference for their deceased relatives so that they can be super reborn soon.
When Buddhism was introduced to Vietnam; stemming from the touching story of mister Muc Lien Lien's filial heart towards his mother, Vu Lan Ceremony has truly become an indispensable cultural - religious activity in the people's life. Every year, on Vu Lan Feast (full moon of July - lunar calendar), with all sincerity and gratitude; filial children all over the country thoughtfully prepare rice trays and offerings to their ancestors' altars; prepare offerings to the monks, sincerely step into the door of meditation, in front of the sacred Buddha pray together for peace and wellness for parents (if parents are still alive) or if parents are past, pray let them be super reborn in Buddha's world. Ms. Le Thi Huyen (Thanh Hoa City) shared: “No matter how busy and busy daily life is, on Vu Lan Day, I also try to arrange a time for my family to attend the Vu Lan Ceremony held at Truc Lam Ham Rong Zen Monastery (Ham Rong Ward, Thanh Hoa City). She confided: “Many people go to the pagoda to seek benefits and pray for fame. I do not wish for much but health and peace for my family and my parents ”.
Not often going to the pagoda to attend the ceremony, but his family Tran Quang Minh (Hoang Hoa) welcomes Vu Lan's Day in its own way. Mr. Minh said: “Vu Lan Holiday is a special holiday for children to show their filial piety, gratitude and respect for the merits of their parents. Since being the oldest child in the family, we live with our parents, so on this day, the brothers and sisters in the extended family gather at our house to prepare offerings, prepare a tray of rice to worship the family, and then receive fortune. In the past, our family was poor, our parents worked hard with us and our siblings, now we have better conditions, we just hope that they have lots of health to live happily and comfortably with their children and grandchildren ”.
Ritual "rose brooch"
"The Rose on the Shirt" is considered an important, touching, deeply imbued ritual of human value on Vu Lan Day. This ritual was introduced into Vietnam and spread widely among students and Buddhist families, because of the strong movement of the text "The Rose on the Clothes" written by Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh. In this text, he tells the story of when he and Master Thien An were on the way to the Ginza bookstore in Dong Kinh (Japan). Suddenly, a student asked Mr. Thien An a small question, then took out a white carnation flower from her pocket to be attached to Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh's robe. To the Zen Master's surprise, Master Thien An explained that today is Mother's Day. Accordingly, on this day, if anyone has a mother, they will have a pink flower on their shirt. And if anyone has lost their mother, they will be put on a white flower shirt. That is what aroused the pain of losing a mother in the heart of the Zen master. "I am as orphan as any miserable child," he said. we do not have the pride worn on a pink flower shirt. The person who receives the white flower will feel pity and compassion for her mother, even if the person is deceased. The person who gets the rose will feel happy to remember that he still has his mother, and will try his best to please his mother.
The difference between the variety of flowers outside the natural world is very normal. But the difference between the two colors of flowers on the chest of each person on Vu Lan Day is a variety of mixed emotions, the difference between joy - sadness, smile - tears for each child's life: And mother and mother lost. The person who still has a mother in life will look at the rose on the chest of her shirt and laugh in happiness and pride. The mother who lost her mother would look at the color of white roses with compassion. The notion of a mother is often inseparable from the idea of love. But love is a sweet, mellow and of course delicious: "Mother is as old as a banana / As a sticky rice, like sugar cane". Children without love cannot grow up. Adults who lack love, cannot "grow up", but become more and more barren and withered. For that reason, no one should think that: Hieu to parents is the duty and responsibility of the child. More than that, filial piety is "enjoyment" - enjoying joy and happiness while still having a mother and father at hand.
Buddhism always upholds the law of cause and effect. Everything that happens to me comes from myself. Wanting to change our situation and those around us, we must change ourselves from perception and action. Do not misunderstand that no matter how many bad things you and your relatives do, but just on the day of Vu Lan's festival, you will buy many gifts, give it to the temple, and ask the monks to do the ceremony will be dissolved. . The essence of Vu Lan Day is not like that.
Because of such misunderstanding, many people, instead of trying to cultivate, working hard to earn merit for their parents and relatives, they only care about fame and profit. When parents were still alive, they were heavy, ungrateful, and helpful, but when their parents died, they bought a lot of ceremonies and votive articles to "turn to hell" in the hope that their parents would "bless" them. The tradition of filial piety is one of the core of Buddhism. Filial piety is Buddhism, filial mind is Buddha's mind, filial piety is Buddha practice. Therefore, it does not matter who we are, more or less offerings, but the important thing is in the perception and action of each person. When parents are living with you, they must respect, love and be grateful because it is a great happiness that cannot be described, just as Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh said: "I know Ngoc Hoang is not happy. where happy.END=NAM MO SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).GOLDEN AMITABHA MONASTERY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THICH CHAN TANH.AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.1/9/2020.



