Special Vu Lan season in Nghe An homeland

Online activities, online

According to Buddhist legend, Mr. La Boc followed Buddha, practiced and attained enlightenment, and became Bodhisattva Maudgalyayana. When his mother passed away, he saved her from the "realm of hungry ghosts" by preaching the sutras.Vu Lanon the 15th day of the 7th lunar month. From this legend, Vu Lan festival in Buddhism was formed.

When introduced to Vietnam, Buddhist culture has "transformed" into the feelings and thoughts of Vietnamese people, Vu Lan festival coincides with the Full Moon of the Seventh Lunar Month - Mid-Autumn Festival. With great spiritual values, Vu Lan festival has contributed to maintaining and strengthening family ethics, promoting filial piety to advise, educate, and guide personality. Vu Lan day is also the day of pardoning the dead: "The Full Moon of the Seventh Lunar Month pardons the dead" is a tolerant concept, showing altruism towards fellow human beings.

Every year, on Vu Lan day -Full moon of July, people together express their love and gratitude to their parents, grandparents, and ancestors - the virtue that comes first in the "four graces" of Buddhism.

Solemn Vu Lan ceremony at Ha Pagoda (Nam Dan). Photo: Hoang Nam

In previous years, the Vu Lan festival in Nghe An took place in extremely favorable conditions. Pagodas in the province solemnly organized the festival, attracting thousands of participants, creating a special Buddhist cultural mark in the community.

This year's Vu Lan season of filial piety takes place when the Covid-19 epidemic is complicated. During this epidemic, the number of infected people in the province has exceeded 730 cases. Many districts and towns such as Vinh City, Thai Hoa Town, Cua Lo Town, Quynh Luu, Nghi Loc, Nam Dan, Thanh Chuong, Yen Thanh... are having to implement social distancing according to the Directive.16 of the Prime Minister.

In that situation,Buddhist ChurchThe province has issued instructions.Organize the Vu Lan ceremony of Buddhist calendar 2565, request monks, nuns, and Buddhists of pagodas to continue to practice confinement, chant Vu Lan sutras to show filial piety and dedicate to ancestors, heroic martyrs, pray for the epidemic to be eliminated soon; do not gather in large crowds, creatively apply forms of organizing online activities to ensure safety in disease prevention and control, while meeting the spiritual needs of Buddhists and people during the season of gratitude and filial piety.

Pagodas coordinate with localities to strictly implement epidemic prevention measures. The Church calls on monks, nuns, and Buddhists to show their gratitude and filial piety during this year's Vu Lan season by continuing to support the Covid-19 epidemic prevention and control fund, vaccine fund, etc.

Duc Hau Pagoda (Vinh City) strictly implements epidemic prevention measures. Photo: CDH

Following the instructions of the Provincial Buddhist Sangha Executive Committee, pagodas in the province simultaneously announced that they would not organize Vu Lan ceremonies with large crowds, but would only organize them online.

On the Duc Hau Pagoda group (Vinh City), it is written: "The temple will open the Vu Lan Sutra and the monks of the temple will recite the Vu Lan - Bao An Sutra every night from the 1st to the 15th of the 7th lunar month, to dedicate blessings, pray for the epidemic to disappear, pray for the souls of all families and people who died because of the Covid-19 epidemic. Buddhists and people who wish to turn to their ancestors and the souls of their paternal and maternal ancestors to offer memorials can send prayer information via email."

Co Am Pagoda also announced: “Dear friends! July - Vu Lan season, the season of filial piety has come. However, due to the epidemic situation, we cannot gather together to commemorate this beautiful event again during Vu Lan season. So that everyone can feel secure in promoting the spirit of fighting the epidemic and remembering the merits of their parents, the pagoda will organize the Vu Lan ceremony online so that everyone can participate through computer screens or phones.”

Online Vu Lan ceremony of filial piety and candle lighting at Co Am Pagoda (Dien Chau). Photo: Le Khuong

Practical meaning

Since the beginning of the 7th lunar month until now, pagodas in the province have simultaneously chanted Vu Lan and Duoc Su Sutras online every night. Many pagodas have organized online Vu Lan ceremonies, of which Co Am Pagoda (Dien Chau) is one of the earliest pagodas to organize a Vu Lan ceremony and special candle lighting program, leaving a deep impression in the hearts of people and Buddhists.

Along with the solemn and respectful altar, shimmering candles arranged into a large lotus flower and the words "Vu Lan 2021", are the monks' emotional sharing about the merit of giving birth and raising parents, filial piety, gratitude and repayment.

Besides paying tribute to Buddha, ancestors, parents, heroic martyrs... the group took the most thoughtful moments to pay tribute to doctors, police officers, soldiers, union members, youth... who have been and are dedicating themselves day and night for the health of the community.

Fresh roses carrying sacred prayers were also sent by monks on behalf of Buddhists to the shock forces on the front lines against the epidemic.

Representatives of Dai Tue Pagoda (Nam Dan) presented gifts to support the fight against the epidemic to Nam Anh commune. Photo: Van Quyet

At Gam Pagoda (Yen Thanh), an online Full Moon chanting ceremony was held to pray for national peace and people's safety and for the souls of those who died due to the Covid-19 pandemic in a sacred and emotional atmosphere. With the spirit of "Starting to practice and create good energy, praying for the country to soon eliminate the epidemic so that life can be stable, everyone and every family can be peaceful, grandparents and parents can live long, husband, wife and children can be healthy, and at the same time, ancestors and spirits in the family can be promoted"...

On this Vu Lan occasion, many pagodas have organized charity programs, visited and given gifts to encourage families in difficult circumstances, quarantine checkpoints, and people in quarantine areas in the area. Representatives of Dai Tue Pagoda (Nam Dan) went to the People's Committee of Nam Anh commune to support 2 quintals of rice, 15 boxes of masks and 5,000,000 VND to serve the work of disease prevention and control in the locality.

At the same time, the organization visited the family of Mr. Nguyen Kim Nam and Mrs. Ho Thi Minh, permanent residents of Hamlet 8, Nam Anh Commune, who had just had a traffic accident, causing him to have broken ribs, punctured lungs, pleural effusion, broken jaw, and she to have broken pelvis, ruptured bladder, and flattened spinal cord. The temple gave 3,000,000 VND to help them cover the cost of treatment.

Representatives of Co Am Pagoda (Dien Chau) presented gifts to support the quarantine area in Minh Chau commune. Photo: Le Khuong

Co Am Pagoda (Dien Chau) organized a gift giving ceremony for the centralized quarantine area at the local kindergarten. Young people of Da Pagoda (Vinh City) joined hands to participate in the "Voluntary Blood Donation" program launched by Military Hospital 4...

This is the second year that the Vu Lan ceremony has taken place in the complicated epidemic conditions, encouraged by the Provincial Buddhist Sangha to be organized online and internally. In addition to the chanting sessions to bless everyone, there are also prayers for the pandemic to quickly end and prayers for the souls of the deceased.

At the same time, we also encourage everyone to continue supporting social security activities and helping those in difficult circumstances. With the online format, although Buddhists and people do not gather at the temple, they can still follow the solemn and respectful ceremonies through the media.

Buddhists of Da Pagoda (Vinh City) participate in the voluntary blood donation program. Photo: Nguyen Huy

Venerable Thich Tue Minh - Head of the Provincial Buddhist Guidance Board shared: The online Vu Lan ceremony is small in scale, does not have many programs, does not have people coming to the temple, but still ensures solemn and cozy rituals, humane and educational, conveying the Vu Lan message fully and completely.

Feel Vu Lan so that everyone can engrave the gratitude for their parents' upbringing and be shown through practical actions in life. Those who still have parents should love and take care of them. Those whose parents have passed away should worship them carefully with a deep and sincere heart.

People can participate in charity activities to join hands in fighting the epidemic, helping the disadvantaged and disadvantaged... to dedicate merit to ancestors and contribute to making Vu Lan festival more meaningful.