Vietnam Buddhist Sangha holds a conference to mark 30th anniversary of establishment

Buddhism was born in Bodh Gaya, India. Sakya Muni Buddha is the founder of Buddhism in this world. From the birthplace of Buddhism, India, it was early spread to many Asian countries in ancient time. Buddhism was propagated into Vietnam in early years of the first century AD by two path, seaway and road. From the dawn to nowadays, almost 20 centuries, Vietnamese Buddhism was undergone many ups and downs along with Vietnamese history. Most Venerable Monks and Governors attend the conference In recent time, especially in 1960s, many people around the world knew Vietnamese Buddhism through the movements to struggle against religious repression...

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Vietnamese Buddhists celebrate Amitabha Buddha’s Birthday

According to Mahayana Buddhism, Amitabha Buddha is a Buddha who lives in Pure Land in the west. His realm is also called Extreme Happy Land. Amitabha is the principal Buddha in the Pure Land sect, a branch of Buddhism practiced mainly in East Asia. “Amitabha” is translatable as “Infinite Light” hence Amitabha Buddha is often called "The Buddha of Infinite Light”. As described in Buddhist scriptures, Amitabha Buddha used to practice Boddhisattva’s conduct over countless past lives and there was a life in which he is a monk named Dharmakara, he took forty eight vows in order to save human beings in this worldly realm with full of sufferings. Recent...

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To build a compassionate house for a poor family in Long An

Mrs. Tu standing at the door of her house We went to Muong Chai hamlet, Phuoc Lai commune, Can Gio district, Long An province, Vietnam in a raining afternoon. There was a local person who had volunteered to guide us to a poor family at Muong Chai hamlet. We followed her to a small road leads to Truong Van Loa’s thatched house. To reach his house we had to wade through a muddy piece of ground because there is no track leading to the house. It is difficult to go on rainy days because the ground becomes swampy, slippery. At present, Mr. Truong Van Loa is 37 years old; his wife is Truong Thi Be Tu, 37 years old too. Their house is located nearby...

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Hello Vietnam: How emotional this song!

Singer Pham Quynh Anh I heard about singer Pham Quynh Anh in 2008 when she visited her homeland (Vietnam) after her long time living far away and she sang the song "Hello Vietnam" as a spirit gift that she gave to Vietnamese people at a theater in Ho Chi Minh city. At that time, with her all affection torwards her country and her sweet voice, she made many people could not keep their tears. Unfortunately, I didn't listen to this song at that time. Today, I listened to it by chance and I listened it again, again and over again. This song really evoked a special emotion in my heart that I can't not express it in words. The song expresses her...

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What Is Happiness?

How do you define happiness?I think happiness is a level of contentment that exists within a person so that, basically, on any given day, they walk around feeling like "Everything's OK in my world. The world's an OK place." It really is that old adage about "I'm OK and you're OK." So, "Other people, the world, and me. All is well in my life." Then, occasionally, when you're generally happy, you have little bursts of excitement or enthusiasm that just feel like moments of joy. I think it's that base line of contentment with those moments of joy that actually define happiness. What are the essential ingredients of happiness?Well interestingly,...

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Go Beyond with singing

This is a spiritual message given by Tina Turner with beautiful music by Dechen Shak-Dagsay and Regula Curti. The message is wonderful and deserves to be heard by everyone. "Nothing lasts forever, No one lives forever. A Flower fades and dies when the pass of the spring comes. Embrace the fact of life is the greatest love. Go beyond fear. Feel yourself, Start everyday singing like the birds. Singing teaches you beyond. Let go our old habits of mind. Go beyond the right and the wrong..."...

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Buddhism in the Soviet Union

Karl Marx declared religion ‘the opiate of the masses’. This single statement has served as the foundational thought regarding the Communist attitude to religion in general ever since. But exactly what this means for non-European religions has never been made clear.Both Marx and Engels thought deeply about the influence of religion upon the working classes in Western Europe, and as a result, analysed the effects of the established Judeo-Christian religions upon the masses. The other religions of the world were virtually unknown in 19th century Europe at that time, beyond vague, obscure, and often misunderstood, fragmentary references.As a result,...

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