HT. Thích Pháp Quang By Ven. Thích Trừng Sỹ
MEMORIAL TRIBUTE FOR THE LATE MOST VENERABLE MASTER THÍCH PHÁP QUANG
Bài tưởng niệm Giác Linh Hòa thượng Ân Sư đạo hiệu Thích Pháp Quang
Nam Mô A Di Đà Phật.
Respectfully, to the Most Venerable Elders presiding, Monks and Nuns,
Dear fellow Buddhist Devotees,
and all distinguished Guests,
In Majjhima Nikāya 37, the Shorter Discourse on the Destruction of Craving, the Buddha taught as follows:
Birth is ended;
the holy life has been fulfilled;
what had to be done has been done;
there is no further return to any state of existence.
In the Dhammapada, verse 41, the Buddha teaches:
Before long, this body
Will lie stretched upon the ground—
Cast aside, devoid of consciousness,
Like a rotten log.
All beings in this world exist only for a limited time and must eventually depart. This is the law of impermanence, from which no one can escape. In daily life, when alive, while studying and practicing the Anattā-lakkhaṇa Sutta (Discourse on the Characteristic of Non-Self), our Venerable Master often reminded us: “The body is very fragile and impermanent; it can pass away at any moment. If the breath comes in but does not go out, one will be reborn in another life. When impermanence arrives, we cannot hold on to this body, let alone anything else, including our loved ones and material possessions.”
With this clear understanding, while we are still breathing in and out, we should speak wholesome words, think wholesome thoughts, and do wholesome deeds to benefit ourselves and others right here and right now in this very life. When this body is gone, we should contemplate and practice the Buddha’s teachings daily, as our Most Venerable Master further taught, and not cling to it.
The eye, the ear, the nose, the tongue, the mouth, the body, and the mind are not me, not mine, and not my own self.
Furthermore, in the Great Discourse on the Final Passing, Dīgha Nikāya 16, the Buddha teaches that:
All conditioned things are impermanent;
They arise and pass away.
When arising and passing away cease,
Peaceful cessation is bliss.
Indeed, in harmony with the law of impermanence, our Most Revered Master, Venerable Thích Pháp Quang, passed away peacefully at Bodhi Am Hermitage, on January 21, 2026, at 3:38 AM. He lived for 76 years and had 36 years of monastic life.
Today, in the presence and with the blessings of the Most Venerable Elders, Senior Venerables, and Venerable Monks and Nuns, through the memorial tribute presented above, we sincerely and respectfully invite all of you to wholeheartedly pray that the Enlightened Spirit of our Most Venerable Master may ascend to the Buddha’s Abodes, swiftly return to this world, continue the mission of propagating the True Dharma, and bring benefit to all beings.
On behalf of the Austin Buddhist Community and the surrounding regions, as well as the disciples, family, and Dharma supporters of Pháp Nhãn Temple, we sincerely pay our respects and express our deepest gratitude for your presence and blessings. We respectfully wish you abundant health, peace of body and mind, and success in all your Buddhist endeavors.
With the deepest reverence, we wholeheartedly pay homage to
The Late Most Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhisattva, Dharma name Thích Pháp Quang, the founder of Bodhi Am Hermitage, Elgin, Texas, who peacefully passed away on January 21, 2026, at the age of 76, having completed 36 years of monastic life. May the Enlightened Spirit of the Most Venerable Master compassionately abide upon the lotus seat and graciously bear witness.
Namo Buddhaya, Namo Dharmaya, Namo Saṅghaya.
