First Holy Land: Lumbini.VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THICH CHAN TANH. Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha, is a holy place in the Rummindei region, one mile north of Paderia and two miles north of Bhagwanpur, Nepal. Today, archaeologists identify Lumbini located in the northern Basti district of Uttar Pradesh. According to Buddhist historical documents, Lumbini was located 12 miles from Kapilavastu citadel. The history says, “According to custom, Queen Ma Gia had to return to her motherland to give birth. When she arrived at the Lumbini flower cave, she felt strangely refreshed. The beautiful and fresh scenery welcomes, the birds chirping in the trees, the gentle breeze blowing makes people's souls gentle and gentle, the Queen leisurely walks to admire the natural scenery. When she reached the tree of Sa La, the Queen raised her hand to hold the flower branch low in front of her and strangely, the Prince descended to the earth in the standing position of the mother. The gods threw flowers to welcome, seven dragons sprayed fragrant water to bathe the Crown Prince and the Crown Prince, walking 7 steps boldly declaring, "I am the Supreme Master of Heaven and Earth." (Heaven in the world, only the unique Self). From Lumbini garden, the Prince was served by the palace servants and returned to Kapilavad. The nativity scene of Prince Siddhartha is the subject of thousands of Indian works of art that are found today in sculptures and paintings. Recognizing the place of Lumbini, we think we must remember the merits of King Asoka. Twenty years after his coronation to the throne, King Asoka personally went to pay respects to the holy places and he himself sent a person to cast a pillar engraved with the words "This place is the place where Buddha was born. .” King Asoka also reduced the annual tax by 5% for the people of this area. It was a privilege of King Ashoka to the local population where the Buddha was born. Next to this pillar, one can also see an old temple carved with the image of the birth scene of the Buddha. Lumbini has become a leading holy place for Buddhists. Thousands of years ago, Chinese wandering monks all visited Lumbini one by one. Around the pillar cast by King Asoka, the traveling monks also built large and small stone steles to mark their visits and offerings. Later, the Nepalese government ordered that the area be excavated to find more evidence. Second Holy Land: Bodhgaya (Bodh-Gaya) The second most famous holy place in the history of Buddhism is Bodh Gaya, where Buddha attained enlightenment. Here the Buddha meditated for 49 days and nights under the pipala tree, next to the Ni Lien Thien river. Because of that immortal phenomenon, this place became Bodh Gaya, and the ancient tree pipala was named the Bodhi tree (meaning "enlightenment, bodhi tree"). It can be said that Bodh Gaya has become a cradle of Buddhist cultural history and Buddhist disciples all wish to visit this place at least once. The grass of the Buddha sitting in meditation and the Bodhi tree are well cared for. The steles and large and small stone pillars around Bodhgaya, made by the monks of India, China and other countries when they came to visit this holy place, and the records of Tam Tang Xuanzang, has given us a picture of the bustling and brilliant scene of this place in the past more than 2500 years ago. The Bodhi tree is now a great-grandchild of thousands of original Bodhi trees, but the branches are still luxuriant, the trunk is big and solid. It was Sir Alexander Cunningham and a number of other scientists who were the first to unearth the inscriptions and pillars at Bodh Gaya. The Great Bodhi Stupa has been restored many times with a huge budget. King Ashoka also built a temple at this holy place. The temple built by King Asoka has been depicted extensively in Indian art; however, the ruins of this temple have not been found any more. The great Bodhi stupa we see now is a newly restored stupa. According to the description of Tripitaka Xuanzang, the great Bodhi stupa was built in the 7th century AD on the model of a great stupa in Burma. Currently, the great stupa at Bodh Gaya is nearly 160 feet high and built in the shape of a quadrangle. At the top is a pointed tower. In the tower, people carve the image of Buddha attained enlightenment. North of the tower is a narrow path 4 feet above the ground. It is described as a small path that the Buddha, after attaining enlightenment, walked back and forth on this path. In addition, there are many images of lotus flowers carved on that road because it is believed that with every step the Buddha took, a lotus flower bloomed there. People also see a patch of red sandstone next to the Bodhi tree, symbolizing the grass cushion that more than 2540 years ago, the Buddha sat and witnessed. There are many other carved architectures recording images of Buddha and his great disciples, the Brahmas. Third Sanctuary: Sarnath Another place worth remembering in the history of Buddhism is the holy site Isipitana or Sarnath. Here, in the silence of the Deer Garden, the Buddha gave his first sermon to the five brothers Kieu Tran Nhu who had previously practiced asceticism with him. The content of the lecture talks about the sufferings of human life and the ways to solve those sufferings. This event has been dubbed “Zhuan the Wheel of Law,” meaning that the Buddha turned the first wheel of dharma marking a glorious era of a religion that has persisted for more than 2500 years to the present. Sarnath is the birthplace of the religion founded by Buddha Shakyamuni. As a result, Sarnath became the largest Buddhist center that existed for more than 1500 years. During the first centuries of the flourishing Buddhist period, during the reign of King Ashoka, Sarnath became a famous place of debate between sects and religions. Phap Hien and Tran Huyen Trang visited this relic in the 5th and 7th centuries AD. They have left us many valuable documents about the history of this holy place. Here, King Ashoka also ordered people to build a pillar marking the retreat area in many different large and small buildings of more than 1500 Buddhist monks who came to Sarnath. Among those remnants, one must mention a beautiful temple with a bronze Buddha image in the form of turning the wheel of Dharma, an ancient tower and a stone pillar. All were built by King Ashoka. This holy place has flourished in many dynasties and has also been restored many times. According to inscriptions and archaeological evidence, it is known that the temple containing the image of the Buddha Zhuan Falun was restored by order of Queen Kumaradevi in ​​the first half of the 12th century BC. Soon after, this place was completely destroyed by the army of Muhammad Ghori, the army of the Huns and Mahmud Ghazni, but Sarnath was restored by the efforts of Buddhist monks and nuns everywhere. However, later, because Buddhism had declined in India, Sarnath, a famous and once glorious historical place, was destroyed in the ruins of the dust of time. This holy place has flourished in many dynasties and has also been restored many times. According to inscriptions and archaeological evidence, it is known that the temple containing the image of the Buddha Zhuan Falun was restored by order of Queen Kumaradevi in ​​the first half of the 12th century BC. Soon after, this place was completely destroyed by the army of Muhammad Ghori, the army of the Huns and Mahmud Ghazni, but Sarnath was restored by the efforts of Buddhist monks and nuns everywhere. However, later, because Buddhism had declined in India, Sarnath, a famous and once glorious historical place, was destroyed in the ruins of the dust of time. This holy place has flourished in many dynasties and has also been restored many times. According to inscriptions and archaeological evidence, it is known that the temple containing the image of the Buddha Zhuan Falun was restored by order of Queen Kumaradevi in ​​the first half of the 12th century BC. Not long after, this place was completely destroyed by the army of Muhammad Ghori, of the Huns and Mahmud Ghazni, but Sarnath was restored by the efforts of Buddhist monks and nuns everywhere. However, later, because Buddhism had declined in India, Sarnath, a famous and once glorious historical place, was destroyed in the ruins of the dust of time. It is known that the temple with the statue of the Buddha Zhuan Falun was restored by order of queen Kumaradevi in ​​the first half of the 12th century BC. Not long after, this place was completely destroyed by the army of Muhammad Ghori, of the Huns and Mahmud Ghazni, but Sarnath was restored by the efforts of Buddhist monks and nuns everywhere. However, later, because Buddhism had declined in India, Sarnath, a famous and once glorious historical place, was destroyed in the ruins of the dust of time. It is known that the temple with the statue of the Buddha Zhuan Falun was restored by order of queen Kumaradevi in ​​the first half of the 12th century BC. Soon after, this place was completely destroyed by the army of Muhammad Ghori, the army of the Huns and Mahmud Ghazni, but Sarnath was restored by the efforts of Buddhist monks and nuns everywhere. However, later, because Buddhism had declined in India, Sarnath, a famous and once glorious historical place, was destroyed in the ruins of the dust of time. Today, the Archaeological Institute of India has spent a lot of energy and money in the excavation and restoration of Sarnath. When we come to Sarnath from the direction of Varanasi, we will see an octagonal plane of burnt bricks protruding from the ground. This plane is the remnant of a stupa that previously marked the place where the Buddha came to meet the five brothers Kieu Tran Nhu. This octagonal stupa was last restored by the emir Akbar in 1588, of the Gupta dynasty. Among the ruins left untouched by the armies is the Dhamekh stupa 150 feet above the ground. This tower is built with durable materials, huge blocks of bricks and takes the shape of pillars. The carvings on the face of the tower tell us that the Dhamekh stupa was built during the Gupta dynasty in the 6th century BC. The word "Dhamekh" comes from the Sanskrit word "Dharmekh". Not far from this tower to the west is a small tower built by King Asoka. The tower that King Asoka built, according to the description of Mr. Tran Huyen Trang, may be the place where the Buddha meditated and preached the Dharma to the 5 brothers Kieu Tran Nhu. A little further to the north, is an elaborately carved lion head pillar. This lion pillar is now on display at the nearby archaeological museum. At this tower, we still see the large stone fragments of the main hall floor and the large and small columns of a main gate leading to the main hall of the tower. In addition, we also see many fragments of Buddha and Bodhisattva statues bearing the sculptural imprints of many different dynasties. One of the most beautiful Buddha statues carved in sandstone carved with Buddha Zhuan Falun is a magnificent statue bearing the mark of Gupta dynasty sculpture. All sculptures of this era are engraved with eight historical events of the Buddha's life such as Buddha's birth, enlightenment, turning of the Dharma wheel, entering Nirvana, performing miracles, etc. It is a stone canopy carved with the complete teaching of the Four Truths in the ancient Pali language. Although much destroyed over time, Sarnath still attracts tourists to come back to India to remember the image of Father Tu and his teachings still echoing eternally in the hearts of Buddha's children. Fourth Holy Land: Kusinagara Kusinagara or Kusinara is the place where Buddha Shakyamuni died when he was 80 years old under two sala trees. This site was later identified by archaeologists as Kasia in the Deoria district of Utta Pradesh. Like other holy places related to historical events in the Buddha's life, Kusinagara has become an important holy place for Buddhists to come to pay their respects. At that time, thousands of monasteries and stupas were built around this holy place. However, for unknown reasons, it may have been destroyed by the Muslim army or because of the fading time, this holy place has been ruined. The two monks Phap Hien and Huyen Trang, when coming to visit this holy place, also had to utter sorrowful words when looking at the desolate and ruined landscape of Kusinagara. Through excavations to find traces, people excavated a number of broken pieces of Buddha statues, and holes in the pillars. However, based on the signs of the remaining relics and inscriptions, it is certain that this place is the holy place of the Buddha's nirvana. The Mahaparinirvana stupa that King Ashoka built can no longer be found and it is possible that this stupa was buried under the foundation of the Nirvana monastery built in the Gupta dynasty. Among those relics, one finds a statue of Buddha in the posture of entering Nirvana. This statue is also broken and has been skillfully repaired by sculptor Carlleyle. The great stupa Ramabhar was erected at the site of the cremation ceremony of the Buddha's body and his relics were divided into eight equal parts for the eight greatest kingdoms of that time. Currently, archaeologists are still continuing to excavate the Kusinagara holy site, hoping to find more documents and evidence to shed more light on a sacred site that has received the body of the Buddha Shakyamuni. Ni Buddha.END=NAM MO SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).GOLDEN AMITABHA MONASTERY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THICH CHAN TANH.AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.21.5.2021.