Most Venerable Elder Thích Từ Thông
THE MOST VENERABLE ELDER THÍCH TỪ THÔNG HAS JUST PASSED AWAY AT THE AGE OF 98 (1928–2025)
Senior Venerable Thích Minh Thành, Deputy Principal and Chief Secretary of the Intermediate School of Buddhist Studies in Ho Chi Minh City, informed Giác Ngộ Newspaper that after a period of declining health due to old age, the Most Venerable Elder Master Thích Từ Thông peacefully passed away at 12:40 P.M. today, October 17, 2025 (the 26th day of the 8th lunar month, the Year of the Snake), at the Intermediate School of Buddhist Studies in Ho Chi Minh City (Street No. 8, Phước Long Ward).
Born in 1928 (the Year of the Dragon), the Most Venerable dedicated his whole life to the cause of Dharma propagation, Buddhist education, and the training of monks and nuns. He had served as the Principal of the Intermediate School of Buddhist Studies (formerly the Basic Buddhist Studies School of Ho Chi Minh City) since its founding in 1988 until the present day.
He had also held various positions such as Deputy Head of the Executive Council, Member of the Education Committee for Monks and Nuns, and Head of the Buddhist Education Committee for Monks and Nuns (now the Buddhist Education Committee) of the Ho Chi Minh City Buddhist Sangha.
The Most Venerable Elder Thích Từ Thông was especially devoted to Dharma propagation and Buddhist education, serving as a direct Dharma instructor and teacher to many generations of monks and nuns in Ho Chi Minh City.
He was a renowned Dharma lecturer, closely associated with Vĩnh Nghiêm Temple’s Dharma Hall for many years, delivering thousands of Dharma talks. He was also the author of numerous works and poems under the pen name “Như Huyễn Thiền Sư” (Zen Master of Illusory Nature).
He was also the author of numerous outline works on the Lotus Sutra, the Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment, the Vimalakīrti Sūtra, the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, and the Vijñāptimātratā-śāstra.
In recent years, he had chosen to live a secluded life in Lâm Hà, Lâm Đồng Province. In his final days, he was invited back to Ho Chi Minh City for medical care, but due to his advanced age, the Most Venerable Elder passed away peacefully in his meditation room at the Intermediate School of Buddhist Studies — the institution with which he had been deeply connected as the Principal for the past 37 years.
Giác Ngộ Newspaper will continue to provide updates on the funeral rites of the Most Venerable Elder for monks, nuns, lay Buddhists, and interested readers.
Reported by Nguyện Truyền / Giác Ngộ Newspaper
Translated by Ven. Thích Trừng Sỹ
