Memorial service and commemoration for the late Supreme Patriarch Thich Pho Tue.
The memorial service and the procession of the coffin of the late Supreme Patriarch Thich Pho Tue to the stupa took place at Vien Minh Ancestral Temple (Rang Pagoda) on October 24th.
Memorial services and commemorative ceremonies were simultaneously held at the Office 2 of the Vietnam Buddhist Association in Ho Chi Minh City and at temples, monasteries, and Buddhist places of worship throughout the country.
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Venerable Thich Tri Quang read the eulogy. |
Reading the opening remarks at the memorial service, Venerable Thich Duc Thien, Vice Chairman and General Secretary of the Executive Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, said that the Supreme Patriarch had "left behind a legacy of virtue, a pure life, a shining example of the will to practice Buddhism, and the outstanding character of a highly virtuous and accomplished monk, who dedicated his entire life to the Dharma and the nation."
The Venerable Grand Master, along with other venerable monks, established a Buddhist school to train monks and nuns, dedicating his entire life to compiling and annotating the Great Buddhist Dictionary; editing the Buddhist Canon... Despite his supreme position, he lived a simple, peaceful, and carefree life, following the example of the great Patriarchs, at an ancient temple in the low-lying plains of the Northern Delta.
"Although he was a highly learned and devout monk, the Supreme Patriarch lived a secluded life in a tranquil village temple. Therefore, he was wholeheartedly revered by monks, nuns, and the people. He always referred to himself as an old farmer-monk, but he became a symbol of religious unity," Venerable Thich Duc Thien expressed.
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The memorial service for the late Supreme Patriarch Thich Pho Tue took place at Vien Minh Ancestral Temple (Rang Pagoda) on October 24th. Photo:Huy Anh |
Next, Venerable Thich Tri Quang, Vice Dharma Chief and Chairman of the Buddhist Council of Discipline, read a memorial speech recalling that, during his lifetime, the Great Venerable Thich Pho Tue often taught, "Large temples and grand Buddha statues are not as precious as the relationship between teacher and disciple; the continuity between teacher and disciple is the lifeblood of Buddhism."
The life of the Supreme Patriarch is an invaluable legacy left to the Vietnamese Buddhist Church today and in the future; his virtuous conduct "achieved three things that everyone in the world bows down to in reverence: the highest position; the longest lifespan; and the brightest virtue."
As Venerable Thich Tri Quang read the eulogy, hundreds of monks, nuns, and Buddhist followers in the temple courtyard clasped their hands in front of their chests, listening and chanting Buddhist prayers.
Following the memorial service, the coffin of the Venerable Grand Master Thích Phổ Tuệ was interred in the stupa within the grounds of Viên Minh Ancestral Temple.
The Supreme Patriarch of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, Thich Pho Tue, passed away on October 21st at the age of 105. He was born in 1917 in Phung Thien village, Khanh Tien commune, Yen Khanh district, Ninh Binh province.
From 1987 to the present, he has held many positions within the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha. At the 6th National Buddhist Congress in November 2007, the Venerable Thich Pho Tue was unanimously elected as the Supreme Patriarch of the Central Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha.