LEARNING BUDDHISM – VEN. THAY THANH

Learning Buddhism:

Teaching at a retreat in Virginia Beach in 2017, Venerable Chuc Thanh told the sangha “Learning about Buddhism is not about escaping death.  It is about approaching death, living life, with peace and happiness.”  At a gathering in North Carolina in 2016 he said “Practice is not gaining.  It is seeing.”

These two teachings fit well together.  How do you define “peace and happiness” for yourself?  Is “gaining” or obtaining something part of your definition of happiness?   What does Chuc Thanh mean by the “practice is seeing?”

We learn from our Venerable teachers that much of our practice of Buddhism in our daily interactions is based on our experience of seeing how our application of the Buddha’s teachings affect us and others.  We then apply our observations to develop our knowledge and adjust our thoughts, words and actions accordingly.  Understanding that the death of our body is just a part of the cycle of samsara, if we turn our focus to living each moment with peace and happiness rather than the fear or uncertainty of death, we actually have a more positive affect on ourselves and others.      

(Venerable Thich Chuc Thanh is the Dharma Master at Dong Hung Temple. These quotations were collected from 2015 through 2018 as he taught in Virginia Beach, VA and Southern Shores, NC.  The quotation titles and commentary are by temple member Mark Palamara.)