Ven. Thích Trừng Sỹ Linh Nghĩa Temple
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF LINH NGHĨA BUDDHIST TEMPLE
Linh Nghĩa Temple is located in Phú Khánh Trung hamlet, Diên Thạnh Commune, Diên Khánh District, Khánh Hòa Province. Previously, the Temple was named Nghĩa Trũng Đàn (義塚壇), founded by court officials in Dien Khanh district, Khanh Hoa province in the fourth Tự Đức Year – 1851.
In Vietnamese Chinese characters, Nghĩa means affection, gratitude, and also means cemetery; Trũng means grave and low place; Đàn means the Dharma center and the place of worshipping human remains. Thus, at first, Nghĩa Trũng Đàn means the place of worshipping remains of soldiers dying in battle in Nguyễn dynasty (1752-1792) and also means a place to worship the dead and wandering souls without people worshiping the anniversaries.
Indeed, Nghĩa Trũng Đàn used to be a very low land, every year when the rainy season comes, the rain water lingers a lot and for a long time, flooding above the knee. If the weather stops raining for about two weeks, the standing water will recede. If it rains a lot, the standing water will remain and recede more slowly. Nghĩa Trũng Đàn, which includes the meanings mentioned above, is the local name commonly known by people, has existed for a long time. Moreover, at Linh Nghĩa Buddhist Temple, there is a stone worshiping below the altar of Kṣitigarbha engraved with the Chinese characters Nghĩa Trũng Xứ (義 塚 處), which is the place name of this residence.
As the months and years passed, Nghĩa Trũng Đàn was gradually damaged, the court officials in Diên Khánh Palace met and assigned Nghĩa Trũng Đàn to the elders in Diên Thạnh village to take care of the incense; After taking care of the incense for a while, the elders in the village gradually passed away, the rest of them met and handed over Nghĩa Trũng Đàn to Master Thích Như Tịnh in 1947.
In 1947, in order to suit the meaning of Buddhism, with the responsibility of the Abbot, when taking care and taking on Nghĩa Trũng Đàn, Venerable Thích Như Tịnh, biological younger brother of the Late Venerable Most Elder Master Thích Trừng San, changed Nghĩa Trũng Đàn into the name of Linh Nghĩa Buddhist Temple, and restored this temple twice in 1952 and 1992.
From 1947 to 2007, the Most Venerable Master Thích Như Tịnh was in charge of this Temple. In October 2007, considering his old age and weak health, his mind was still clear, the Most Venerable Master gathered his disciples and made a will of Linh Nghĩa Buddhist Temple for his greatest disciple, whose Dharma name is Thích Trừng Tường, who is directly responsible for taking care of Buddhist affairs in this abode. All the Most Venerable Master’s disciples agreed and unanimously obeyed his teachings.
In August 2009, after a long time, considering that the Linh Nghĩa Temple was degraded, the Most Venerable Master directly taught his Dharma disciple, Venerable Thích Trừng Tường to meet with the Dharma brothers to proceed to apply for a construction permit and major restoration. The Temple got the construction permit and officially held the stone laying ceremony on March 14, 2010, namely, on January 29 of the year of the Tiger.
From the beginning of construction to the completion of about 8 years, the Temple was completely built. The three-door gate and three Buddha statues in front of the Temple, which are very beautiful and dignified, have also been built completely. In order to thank the Venerable Monks, Nuns, lay devotees near and far, and the local government, on August 5-6, 2018, the Temple officially organized inauguration Ceremony. People from many different places returned to the Temple to attend the Inauguration Ceremony very warmly in the love of Dharma fellow practitioners.
Currently, Linh Nghĩa Temple is spacious, airy, and no longer low-lying as before.
In the aspects of education, Dharma propagation, and contribution to training talented and virtuous people, Linh Nghĩa Temple is also a place to raise and teach talented Monastic people. The Dharma disciples of the Most Venerable Master, some of whom are studying Bachelors of Buddhist Studies, some have graduated with Bachelors of Buddhist Studies at home, and some have graduated with Master of Arts, Master of Philosophy, and Doctoral degree in Buddhist Studies abroad, especially in India. The Most Venerable Master’s disciples who graduated include Venerable Thích Tâm Lực, Venerable Thích Tâm Tín, Venerable Thích Trừng Sỹ, etc.
The Most Venerable Elder Master Thích Như Tịnh and Senior Venerable Thích Trừng Tường took a photo together on Thanksgiving Day at Linh Nghĩa Temple in 2009 after Venerable Thích Trừng Sỹ graduated from India.
On March 1, 2009, Venerable Thích Trừng Sỹ, one of the Dharma disciples of the Most Venerable Thích Như Tịnh, who graduated the first Doctor of Buddhist studies in India, was born in Nha Trang City, Khánh Hòa Province.
Thus, thanks to a strong Buddhist education environment, Linh Nghĩa Temple has been contributing to education and training of talented and virtuous people not only in Vietnam, but also in different countries around the world, such as in Japan, Australia, and especially in India and in the United States of America.
With fellow Dharma classmates, this picture was fortunately taken together with Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh at Delhi Airport, India in 2007.
This picture Venerable Thích Trừng Sỹ taken with an officer in San Antonio, Texas, United States of America in 2016.
Currently, although the Most Venerable Elder Master Thích Như Tịnh, the Head Monk of Linh Nghĩa Temple, has gone to the Buddha’s realm, in the aspects of continuing education and training the talented Sangha of the Most Venerable Elder Master, Linh Nghĩa Temple and his disciples have continued the path of Buddhist education by making efforts to study, apply, and practice the Buddha Dharma in the daily life in order to bring the benefit for sentient beings.
After the Venerable Master passed away on the first day of the Lunar New Year at 12 noon in the year of the Snake 2013, Senior Venerable Thích Trừng Tường, his great disciple, has been the current Abbot of Linh Nghĩa Temple who is responsible for taking care of Buddhist works at the Temple directly guides the spiritual life for lay Buddhist devotees near and far, especially in the aspects of ethics, meditation, concentration, wisdom, and training talented and virtuous people to contribute to bringing peace and happiness for the many right in this world.
Namo The Original Master Shakyamuni Buddhaya.
Senior Venerable Master, the Abbot of Linh Nghĩa Temple today.
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