Daily Sutras Chanting by Heart

Ven. Thích Trừng Sỹ Pháp Nhãn Temple

CHANTING ONE

Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma SamBuddhassa

(Bell, 3 times)

Respectfully pay homage to the Buddha: The World-Honored One, the Worthy One, the Exalted One, the Fully Awakened and Enlightened One. Namo Buddhaya.

Respectfully pay homage to the wonderful Dharma of the Buddha, the path of practicing peace, joy, happiness, understanding, and love for the many right here in the present life. Namo Dharmaya.

Respectfully pay homage to the harmonious and peaceful Sangha of the Buddha, the Community of cultivated people who vow to live their lives of virtue, meditation, wisdom, deliverance, and deliverance with right understanding to benefit oneself and other people right here and right now in the present life. Namo Sanghaya.

Namo The Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)

Praising the Buddha

As wonderful as the lotus flower,

As bright as the northern star,

Let us come back and take refuge in

the Teacher of gods and human beings.

The precious lotus blossoms on the enlightened pedestal

the halo shines in all directions.

Wisdom is beyond the dharma realms,

Loving-kindness and compassion permeate all the mountains and rivers.

I have just seen the Buddha’s perfect countenance,

I respectfully offer the Buddha my whole sincere heart,

I forward wholeheartedly to praise for the Noble Triple Gem

Diligence in the Dharma path is well cultivated.

Namo Buddhaya.

Respectfully pay homage to the Noble Triple Gem

The Buddha, who is the fully Awakened and Enlightened One,

Shows the way of peace to living things and living beings,

has the virtuous, good, and noble signs,

The Buddha’s wisdom and compassion are perfect.

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, wholeheartedly pay homage to the Buddha forever present in the three lifetimes and ten directions. (Bell, one prostration)

The Dharma that is the bright way,

Instructs people to escape the realm of delusion,

Leads us to return to true home

In order to lead a life of awakening.

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, wholeheartedly pay homage to the Dharma forever present in the three lifetimes and ten directions. (Bell, one prostration)

The Sangha that is the beautiful Community in harmony

Travels on the joyful path together,

Cultivates to be freed from afflictions

In order to make life beautified.

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, wholeheartedly pay homage to the Sangha forever present in the three lifetimes and ten directions. (Bell, one prostration)

We rely on the Triple Gem

on the path of Dharma learning,

know the Triple Gem of self-own mind,

vow to practice the Dharma diligently

in order to illuminate the heart of the Noble Triple Gem.

With deep gratitude to the teachings of the Teachers who have given us the bodies of wisdom, virtue, and meditative concentration, bowing the heads to pay homage to the Triple Gem permanently residing in the three lifetimes and ten directions. (Bell)
With deep gratitude to the birth, upbringing, and education of the parents who gave us these physical bodies, bowing the heads to pay homage to the Triple Gem permanently residing in the three lifetimes and ten directions. (Bell)
With deep gratitude to the offerings, giving, donation, and the Triple Gem protection of donors and benefactors who have supported us with the robes, the food, the shelter, and medication in the daily life, bowing the heads to pay homage to the Triple Gem permanently residing in the three lifetimes and ten directions. (Bell)
With deep gratitude to the national heroes who have had the merits of founding, building, defending, and developing the country richly and peacefully from ancient times until now, and deep gratitude to the countries where we were born, grew up, lived, and worked, bowing the heads to pay homage to the Triple Gem permanently residing in the three lifetimes and ten directions. (Bell)

I vow from now until my whole life to take refuge in the Buddha, the One who shows me the way of loving-kindness, compassion, and wisdom in my lifetime.

I vow from now until my whole life to take refuge in the Dharma, the way of practicing peace, joy, happiness, understanding, and love for the many right here in the present life.

I vow from now until my whole life to take refuge in the harmonious and peaceful Sangha of the Buddha, the Community of cultivated people who vow to live their lives of virtue, meditation, wisdom, deliverance, and deliverance with right understanding to benefit oneself and other people right here and right now in the present life. (Bell)

I vow from now until my whole life to take refuge in the Buddha, not to take refuge in bad gods, devils, and evil things.

I vow from now until my whole life to take refuge in the Dharma, not to take refuge in wrong religion, paganism and heresy.

I vow from now until my whole life to take refuge in the Sangha, not to take refuge in wrong teachers, wrong teachings, bad people, and bad environments. (Bell)

May the World-Honored One happily regard and accept me as the well-trained disciple of the Buddha. From now until my whole life, I am determined to take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.

I vow to learn, understand, practice, and apply the Buddha’s teachings into my daily life to benefit myself and other people right here and right now in the present life. (Bell)

Bodhi, the wonderful Dharma of the Buddha turns noble and stately. According to the place where I dwell strongly in Dharma learning, Dharma practice, Dharma understanding, and Dharma joy, I feel forever happy and peaceful. (Bell)

Sharing the Merit

May the merit of cultivation today

Be direct toward all living things, and living beings

We and all human beings

Can realize the Buddha’s way together.

Express diligent vows and pay thankful respects to the Triple Gem

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Buddha. Namo Buddhaya. (Bell, one prostration)

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Dharma. Namo Dharmaya. (Bell, one prostration)

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Sangha. Namo Sanghaya. (Bell, one prostration)

May we be well,
May we be happy
May we be healthy
May we be peaceful
May we be free from suffering, greed, anger, delusion, hatred, violence, ignorance, wrong view, etc.
May the Buddha and Bodhisattvas bless and protect all anytime and anywhere.

Sadhu, lành thay, well-done, and excellence.
Namo Buddhaya. Namo Dharmaya. Namo Sanghaya.
(Bell, Bell, Bell)

CHANTING TWO

Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma SamBuddhassa

(Bell, 3 times)

Respectfully pay homage to the Buddha: The World-Honored One, the Worthy One, the Exalted One, the Fully Awakened and Enlightened One. Namo Buddhaya.

Respectfully pay homage to the wonderful Dharma of the Buddha, the path of practicing peace, joy, happiness, understanding, and love for the many right here in the present life. Namo Dharmaya.

Namo The Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)

Praising the Buddha

As wonderful as the lotus flower,
As bright as the northern star,
Let us come back and take refuge in
the Teacher of gods and human beings.
The precious lotus blossoms on the enlightened pedestal,
The halo shines in all directions.
Wisdom is beyond the dharma realms,
Loving-kindness and compassion permeate all the mountains and rivers.
I have just seen the Buddha’s perfect countenance,
I respectfully offer the Buddha my whole sincere heart,
I forward wholeheartedly to praise for the Noble Triple Gem.
Diligence in the Dharma path is well cultivated.

Namo The Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya.

(3 times, bell)

Respectfully pay homage to the Noble Triple Gem

The Buddha, who is the fully Awakened and Enlightened One,
Shows the way of peace to living things and living beings,
has the virtuous, good, and noble signs,
The Buddha’s wisdom and compassion are perfect.
We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, wholeheartedly pay homage to the Buddha forever present in the three lifetimes and ten directions. (Bell, one prostration)
The Dharma that is the bright way,
Instructs people to escape the realm of delusion,
Leads us to return to true home
In order to lead a life of awakening.
We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, wholeheartedly pay homage to the Dharma forever present in the three lifetimes and ten directions. (Bell, one prostration)
The Sangha that is the beautiful Community in harmony
Travels on the joyful path together,
Cultivates to be freed from afflictions
In order to make life beautified.
We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, wholeheartedly pay homage to the Sangha forever present in the three lifetimes and ten directions. (Bell, one prostration)
We rely on the Triple Gem
on the path of Dharma learning,
know the Triple Gem of self-own mind,
vow to practice the Dharma diligently
in order to illuminate the heart of the Noble Triple Gem.

Open Verse

The Dharma is deep and lovely,

now we have a chance

to see, study, and to practice,

we vow to realize its true meaning.

Namo The Fully Enlightened Buddhaya

(Bell, 3 times)

Recollection of Gratitude to the Buddha Jewel

The World-Honored Buddha;

The Teacher is our peaceful, noble, and spiritual Leader,

The Teacher is the most worthy to be made offerings to,

The Teacher is fully endowed with loving-kindness, compassion, wisdom, and virtue perfectly,

The teacher has skillfully crossed to the shore of liberation, peace, joy, and happiness completely,

The Teacher knows the world thoroughly,

The Teacher has the ability to train and to teach living beings,

The Teacher of both gods and human beings,

The Teacher is the fully awakened and enlightened One,

The Teacher deserves to be best honored and respected in the world. (Bell)

Recollection of Gratitude to the Dharma Jewel

The Dharma of the World-Honored One that has been well proclaimed by the Buddha himself
is very practical in the present,
has value beyond time,
has the ability to transform one’s body and mind,
has the ability to extinguish defilements of greed, anger, delusion, arrogance, doubt, wrong view, etc.
Taking refuge in the Dharma, wise people who are capable of self-cultivation master the Dharma,
come and see,
come and hear,
come and learn
come and understand,
come and practice,
come and enjoy the flowers and fruits of peacefulness and happiness right here and right now in the present life. (Bell)

Recollection of Gratitude to the Sangha Jewel

The Sangha of the World-Honored One is the Community traveling on the really good, true, honest, beautiful, and appropriate path;
the Community following the Buddha Dharma practices the Buddha Dharma and lives correctly with the Buddha Dharma.
In the noble Community, there are those who have attained and are attaining the first holy fruition – the stream-enterers, the second holy fruition – the once-returners, the third holy fruition – the non-returners, and the fourth holy fruition – Arahants, comprise four pairs and eight fruitions of holy people, accomplish all aspects of virtue, meditation, wisdom, deliverance, and deliverance with right understanding.
This Community, deserving to be taken refuge in, served, respected, honored, admired, and made offerings to, is the good field of merit for everyone to sow and to plant. (Bell)

Recollection of Gratitude to the Dharma Precepts

The Dharma Precepts of the World-Honored One;
the Disciplines (Vinaya) – right mindfulness the Sangha has been receiving, practicing, spreading, and observing,
are the perfect precepts’ (sīla) bodies,
are the never broken precepts’ bodies,
are the never polluted precepts’ bodies,
are the never spotted precepts’ bodies,
are the never mingled precepts’ bodies,
are the precepts’ bodies praised and admired by wise people,
are the precepts’ bodies with the ability to protect freedom,
are the precepts’ bodies leading us to fearlessness,
are the precepts’ bodies leading us to virtue, meditation, wisdom, deliverance, and deliverance with right understanding,
are the precepts’ bodies leading us to peacefulness and happiness forever.

Namo Perfect Dharma Precepts’ Bodies.

Sharing the Merit

May the merit of cultivation today

Be direct toward all living things and living beings

We and all human beings

Can realize the Buddha’s way together.

Express diligent vows and pay thankful respects to the Triple Gem

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Buddha. Namo Buddhaya. (Bell, one prostration)

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Dharma. Namo Dharmaya. (Bell, one prostration)

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Sangha. Namo Sanghaya. (Bell, one prostration)

May we be well,
May we be happy
May we be healthy
May we be peaceful
May we be free from suffering, greed, anger, delusion, hatred, violence, ignorance, etc.
May the Buddha and Bodhisattvas bless and protect all anytime and anywhere.

Sadhu, lành thay, well-done, and excellence.
Namo Buddhaya. Namo Dharmaya. Namo Sanghaya.
(Bell, Bell, Bell)

.CHANTING THREE

Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma SamBuddhassa
(Bell, 3 times)

Respectfully pay homage to the Buddha: The World-Honored One, the Worthy One, the Exalted One, the Fully Awakened and Enlightened One. Namo Buddhaya.

Respectfully pay homage to the wonderful Dharma of the Buddha, the path of practicing peace, joy, happiness, understanding, and love for the many right here in the present life. Namo Dharmaya.

Namo The Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya.
(Bell, 3 times)

Praising the Buddha

As wonderful as the lotus flower,
As bright as the northern star,
Let us come back and take refuge in
the Teacher of gods and human beings.

The precious lotus blossoms on the enlightened pedestal,
The halo shines in all directions.
Wisdom is beyond the dharma realms,
Loving-kindness and compassion permeate all the mountains and rivers.
I have just seen the Buddha’s perfect countenance,
I respectfully offer the Buddha my whole sincere heart,
I forward wholeheartedly to praise for the Noble Triple Gem.
Diligence in the Dharma path is well cultivated.

Namo The Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)
Respectfully pay homage to the Noble Triple Gem

Open Verse

The Dharma is deep and lovely,
now we have a chance
to see, study, and to practice,
we vow to realize its true meaning.

Namo The Fully Enlightened Buddhaya
(Bell, 3 times)
Discourse on A Person Knowing the Best Way to Live Alone

The Buddha has taught:
Do not pursue the past,
Do not lose yourself in the future
The past is not any longer,
The future has not yet come.
Looking deeply at life as it is
in the very here and now
A practitioner dwells
in the stability and freedom.
We must be diligent today
To wait until tomorrow is too late
Health will get weaker and weaker
We cannot practice.
Death comes to us suddenly
It is very difficult for us to know it in advance.
A person knows how to dwell in
Both day and night in mindfulness
The Buddha calls him or her as
the person who knows the best way to live alone.

Namo the Original Master Sakayamuni Buddhaya
(Bell, 3 times)

Contemplation of Body, Mind, and Karma

I am of the nature to grow old,

I cannot escape growing old.

I am of the nature to have ill health,

I cannot escape having ill health.

I am of the nature to die,

I cannot escape death.

All things are created and caused by my bodily action, verbal action, and mental action, I cannot let go of them, whether it is good karma or non-good karma. Aware of this, good karma I continue upholding and developing; non good karma I try to recognize and transform.

All relatives, loved ones, and things I cherish today are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them. My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground on which I stand. (Bell)

Freedom of Body and Mind

This body is not mine,

I do not cling to it

I am not limited by this body.

I am an infinite life,

I have never been born,

and also have never died.

Look! Sea is wide and the sky is high,

Densely innumerable stars.

All are together manifested in me

from the spiritual source of consciousness mind,

from all lives I am free.

Birth and death are the gateways in and out,

they are the hide-and-seek games.

Smile together with me.

Breathe together with me.

Practice meditation together with me,

Recite the Buddha’s names together with me.

Namo the Fully Awakened Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)

Be Diligent in Cultivation

The Buddha has taught:

Today has been over

Life is shorter and shorter

Look deeply at what we have done

Great Assembly, let us be assiduous and diligent

As a fire is rescued out of the head

Be diligent in Dharma practice wholeheartedly

Live deeply and peacefully

Remember impermanence

Do not let months and days pass in vain.

Namo Bodhisattvas frequently in Effort.

(Bell, 3 times)

Four Great Vows of Bodhisattva

Sentient beings are immeasurable,

I vow to save them all.

Defilements are endless,

I vow to end them all.

Dharma cultivation is limitless,

I vow to practice it.

The Buddha’s way is supreme,

I vow to attain it.

Namo Compassion Mother Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)

Express diligent vows and pay thankful respects to the Triple Gem

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Buddha. Namo Buddhaya. (Bell, one prostration)

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Dharma. Namo Dharmaya. (Bell, one prostration)

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Sangha. Namo Sanghaya. (Bell, one prostration)

Bodhi, the wonderful Dharma of the Buddha turns noble and stately.
According to the place where I dwell strongly in Dharma learning, Dharma practice, Dharma understanding, and Dharma joy, I feel forever happy and peaceful. (Bell)

Sharing the Merit

May the merit of cultivation today
Be direct toward all living things and living beings
We and all human beings
Can realize the Buddha’s way together.

Sadhu, lành thay, well-done, and excellence.
Namo Buddhaya. Namo Dharmaya. Namo Sanghaya.
(Bell, Bell, Bell)

CHANTING FOUR

Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma SamBuddhassa

(Bell, 3 times)

Respectfully pay homage to the Buddha: The World-Honored One, the Worthy One, the Exalted One, the Fully Awakened and Enlightened One. Namo Buddhaya.

Respectfully pay homage to the wonderful Dharma of the Buddha, the path of practicing peace, joy, happiness, understanding, and love for the many right here in the present life. Namo Dharmaya.

Namo The Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)

Praising the Buddha

Namo The Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)
Respectfully pay homage to the Noble Triple Gem

Open Verse

The Dharma is deep and lovely,

now we have a chance

to see, study, and to practice,

we vow to realize its true meaning.

Namo The Fully Enlightened Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)

May the Day Be Well

May the day be well and the night be well.

The day and night whose six times are auspicious.

All the periods are peaceful.

May the Buddha and Bodhisattva bless and protect us.

The countenance of the World-Honored One,

like the full moon or like the orb of the sun,

shines with the light of clarity.

A halo of wisdom spreads in every direction,

enveloping all with love and compassion, joy and equanimity.

Namo The Fully Awakened Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)

Practice Something Wholesome Daily

(Anguttara Nikaya – Numerical discourses of the Buddha. III. The Chapter of the Threes (Tikanipata). XV. The Auspicious Chapter. 150. Good Mornings. 41. Happy Days).

In the morning,

say something wholesome,

in the afternoon,

say something wholesome,

in the evening, say something wholesome

we have a joyful day and night. (Bell)

In the morning,

think about something wholesome,

in the afternoon,

think about something wholesome,

in the evening,

think about something wholesome

we have a joyful day and night. (Bell)

In the morning,

do something wholesome,

in the afternoon,

do something wholesome,

in the evening,

do something wholesome

we have a joyful day and night,

we have a joyful year and life.

Namo Compassion Mother Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)

The Heart Sutra of Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore

Avalokiteshvara, while practicing deeply with the insight that brings us to the other shore, suddenly discovered that all of the five Skandhas are equally empty. After this penetration, he overcame all ill-being. “Listen, Sariputra, this body itself is emptiness, and emptiness itself is this body. This body is not other than emptiness, and emptiness is not other than this body. The same is true of feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness.

Listen, Sariputra, all phenomena bear the mark of emptiness; their true nature is the nature of no Birth no Death, no Being no Non-being, no Defilement no Immaculacy, no Increasing no Decreasing.

That is why in emptiness, body, feelings, perceptions, mental formations and consciousness are not separate self-entities. The Eighteen Realms of Phenomena which are the six Sense Organs, the six Sense Objects, and the six kinds of Consciousness are also not separate self-entities.

The Twelve Links of Interdependent Arising and their extinction are also not separate self-entities. Ill-being, the Causes of Ill-being, the End of Ill-being, the Path, insight and attainment, are also not separate self-entities. Whoever can see this no longer needs anything to attain. (Bell)

Bodhisattvas who practice the Insight that brings us to the other shore see no more obstacles in their mind, and because there are no more obstacles in their mind, they can overcome all fear, destroy all wrong perceptions and realize Perfect Nirvana.

All Buddhas in the past, present, and future by practicing the insight that brings us to the other shore are all capable of attaining authentic and perfect enlightenment. Therefore, Sariputra, it should be known that the insight that brings us to the other shore is a Great Mantra, the most illuminating mantra, the highest mantra, a mantra beyond compare, the true wisdom that has the power to put an end to all kinds of suffering. Therefore, let us proclaim a mantra to praise the Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore.

“Gate, gate, pāragate, pārasamgate, bodhi, svaha.” (3 times)

“Gone, gone, well gone, gone beyond the other shore, got enlightenment so happily.” (Bell, 3 times)

Taking Refuge in the Buddha

I take refuge in the Buddha, the One who shows me the way of loving-kindness, compassion, and wisdom in lifetime.

Having taken refuge in the Buddha, I clearly see the path of light and beauty in life.

Turning back and taking refuge in the Buddha in myself, I aspire to help all people soon recognize and develop their own enlightened nature.

Namo Buddhaya

Buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi

Dutiyampi buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi

Tatiyampi buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.

For refuge, I go to the Buddha for the first time, the second time, and for the third time. (Bell)

Taking Refuge in the Dharma

I take refuge in the Dharma, the way of practicing peace, joy, happiness, understanding, and love for the many right here in the present life.

Having taken refuge in the Dharma, I am learning and practicing the Noble Eightfold Path including virtue, meditation, and wisdom interconnected very closely with right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.

Turning back and taking refuge in the Dharma in myself, I aspire to help all people fully master the ways of practice and walk together on the path of liberation.

Namo Dharmaya

Dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi

Dutiyampi dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi

Tatiyampi dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.

For refuge, I go to the Dharma for the first time, the second time, and for the third time. (Bell)

Taking Refuge in the Sangha

I take refuge in the harmonious and peaceful Sangha of the Buddha, the Community of those who vow to live their lives of virtue, meditation, wisdom, deliverance, and deliverance with right understanding to benefit oneself and other people right here and right now in the present life.

Having taken refuge in the Sangha, I am enlightened, instructed, and supported by the Sanghabody on the way of practice.

Turning back and taking refuge in the Sangha in myself, I aspire to help all people build fourfold Communities, to embrace all beings and support their transformation.

Namo Sanghaya

Saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.

Dutiyampi saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi

Tatiyampi saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ Gacchāmi.

For refuge, I go to the Sangha for the first time, the second time, and for the third time. (Bell)

Express diligent vows and pay thankful respects to the Triple Gem

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Buddha. Namo Buddhaya. (Bell, one prostration)

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Dharma. Namo Dharmaya. (Bell, one prostration)

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Sangha. Namo Sanghaya. (Bell, one prostration)

May we be well,

May we be happy

May we be healthy

May we be peaceful

May we be free from suffering, greed, anger, delusion, hatred, violence, ignorance, etc.

May the Buddha and Bodhisattvas bless and protect all anytime and anywhere.

Sharing the merit

Reciting the Sutras, practicing the way of awareness gives rise to benefits without limit. We vow to share the fruits with all beings. We vow to offer tribute to parents, teachers, friends, and numerous beings who give guidance and support along the path.

May the merit of this practice benefit all living things and living beings on earth.

May the Buddha and Bodhisattva bless and protect all anytime and anywhere.

Sadhu, lành thay, well-done, and excellence.

Namo Buddhaya. Namo Dharmaya. Namo Sanghaya.

(Bell, Bell, Bell)

CHANTING FIVE

Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma SamBuddhassa

(Bell, 3 times)

Respectfully pay homage to the Buddha: The World-Honored One, the Worthy One, the Exalted One, the Fully Awakened and Enlightened One. Namo Buddhaya.

Respectfully pay homage to the wonderful Dharma of the Buddha, the path of practicing peace, joy, happiness, understanding, and love for the many right here in the present life. Namo Dharmaya.

Praising the Buddha

Namo The Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)
Respectfully pay homage to the Noble Triple Gem

Open Verse

The Dharma is deep and lovely,

now we have a chance

to see, study, and to practice,

we vow to realize its true meaning.

Namo The Fully Enlightened Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)

Taking refuge stably in ONESELF

The Buddha has taught:

O disciples, in the great ocean of birth, death, and Samsara,

Be yourself swimming to the shore of liberation,

Be yourself lighting the torch to go,

Be yourself taking refuge in yourself,

Be yourself taking refuge in your own island,

Be yourself making the island for your own refuge,

Be yourself taking refuge in your own stable cultivation.

Do not take refuge in anyone or anything else.

Use the right Dharma as the lamp to illuminate yourself,

Use the right Dharma as the island for yourself,

Use the right Dharma as the best refuge for yourself,

Use the right Dharma to practice and benefit yourself and other people right in the present life.

Therefore, you are determined to take refuge in the right Dharma, not to take refuge in the wrong dharma, or anything else.

To take refuge in the right Dharma means to take refuge in cultivation of your own virtue, meditation, wisdom, deliverance, and deliverance with right understanding.

Not to take refuge in the wrong dharma means not to take refuge in bad gods, devils, evil things, paganism, heresies, wrong teachers, wrong teachings, bad people, and bad environment.”

In Dīgha Nikāya, Maha-parinibbana Sutta Number 16, before entering Nibbana, the Buddha has advised his disciples: “O disciples, everything is changing and impermanent.

Make great effort to cultivate and practice the Buddha Dharma more and more, to bring joy and happiness for yourselves and other people right here and right now in the present life. These are my ultimate, essential, and practical teachings for you all.”

As well-cultivated people who are skillful in learning, understanding, applying, and practicing the Buddha Dharma in the daily lives in a diligent, flexible, regular, and proper manner,

like strong lions, we are not afraid of any sound and any noise in life,

like the wind blowing, we are not afraid to get stuck in the net,

like fresh lotuses growing out of the mud and muddy water, but they are not polluted by the mud and muddy water. Likewise, thanks to studying, practicing, and applying the Buddha Dharma in our daily lives diligently, we live in the world, but we are not polluted by the world,

like the firmest islands of ourselves, we are not afraid of all the obstacles and storms of life,

like the mighty rhinos, we take the most stable and strongest steps forward in life,

like the birds with full two wings soaring high in the sky to enjoy the vast space, we can lead a life of freedom, lightness, serenity, and nobility.

When clearly understanding and practicing so, we are the most peaceful and happiest people in the world. From applying and practicing the Buddha Dharma into the daily life maturely and fluently, we have the ability to contribute to bringing flowers and fruits of authentic peace, joy, and happiness to the many right in the present life.

Namo The Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)

Express diligent vows and pay thankful respects to the Triple Gem

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Buddha. Namo Buddhaya. (Bell, one prostration)

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Dharma. Namo Dharmaya. (Bell, one prostration)

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Sangha. Namo Sanghaya. (Bell, one prostration)

May we be well,

May we be happy

May we be healthy

May we be peaceful

May we be free from suffering, greed, anger, delusion, hatred, violence, ignorance, etc.

May the Buddha and Bodhisattvas bless and protect all anytime and anywhere.

Sharing the Merit

May the merit of this practice benefit all living things and living beings on earth.

May the Buddha and Bodhisattva bless and protect all anytime and anywhere.

.Sadhu, lành thay, well-done, and excellence.

Namo Buddhaya. Namo Dharmaya. Namo Sanghaya.

(Bell, Bell, Bell)

CHANTING SIX

Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma SamBuddhassa

(Bell, 3 times)

Respectfully pay homage to the Buddha: The World-Honored One, the Worthy One, the Exalted One, the Fully Awakened and Enlightened One. Namo Buddhaya.

Respectfully pay homage to the wonderful Dharma of the Buddha, the path of practicing peace, joy, happiness, understanding, and love for the many right here in the present life. Namo Dharmaya.

Namo The Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)

Praising the Buddha

Namo The Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)
Respectfully pay homage to the Noble Triple Gem

Open Verse

The Dharma is deep and lovely,

now we have a chance
to see, study, and to practice,
we vow to realize its true meaning.

Namo The Fully Enlightened Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)

Discourse on the Teaching of Practicing Spreading Loving-Kindness and Compassion Daily to all Directions

(Metta & Pubbaṇha Sutta)

May I be safe, well, happy, and peaceful.
May I be free from enmity, disease, grief, and suffering.
May I take care of myself happily, freely, and calmly.
May all beings in the eastern direction, the western direction, the southern direction, and the northern direction be safe, well, happy, and peaceful.
May they be free from enmity, disease, grief, and suffering.
May they take care of themselves happily, freely, and calmly.
May all beings in the southeast direction, the southwest direction, the northeast direction, and the northwest direction be safe, well, happy, and peaceful.
May they be free from enmity, disease, grief, and suffering.
May they take care of themselves happily, freely, and calmly.

May all beings in the direction above and the direction below, in the left side and in the right side, in front of me, behind me, and around me be safe, well, happy, and peaceful.
May they be free from enmity, disease, grief, and suffering.
May they take care of themselves happily, freely, and calmly.

May all beings who love me, who hate me, who are friendly to me, who are unfriendly to me be safe, well, happy, and peaceful.
May they be free from enmity, disease, grief, and suffering.
May they take care of themselves happily, freely, and calmly. (Bell)

May I be free from enmity to anyone, neither physical suffering nor mental suffering, keep the body and mind always peaceful.
May my Parents, siblings, children, relatives, and lineages be free from enmity to one another, neither physical suffering nor mental suffering, keep the body and mind always peaceful.
May my Patriarchs, Teachers, sisters, and brothers in the Dharma be free from enmity to one another, neither physical suffering nor mental suffering, keep the body and mind always peaceful.
May my disciples, students, fellow practitioners, colleagues, friends, and intellectuals be free from enmity to one another, neither physical suffering nor mental suffering, keep the body and mind always peaceful.
May all donors, givers, living things, and living beings on earth be free from enmity to one another, neither physical suffering nor mental suffering, keep the body and mind always peaceful.

Namo The Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya.
(Bell, 3 times)
Express diligent vows and pay thankful respects to the Triple Gem

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Buddha. Namo Buddhaya. (Bell, one prostration)
We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Dharma. Namo Dharmaya. (Bell, one prostration)
We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Sangha. Namo Sanghaya. (Bell, one prostration)
May we be well,
May we be happy
May we be healthy
May we be peaceful
May we be free from suffering, greed, anger, delusion, hatred, violence, ignorance, etc.
May the Buddha and Bodhisattvas bless and protect all anytime and anywhere.

Sharing the Merit

May the merit of cultivation today

Be direct toward all living things and living beings

We and all human beings

Can realize the Buddha’s way together.

Sadhu, lành thay, well-done, and excellence.

Namo Buddhaya. Namo Dharmaya. Namo Sanghaya.
(Bell, Bell, Bell)

CHANTING SEVEN

Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma SamBuddhassa

(Bell, 3 times)

Respectfully pay homage to the Buddha: The World-Honored One, the Worthy One, the Exalted One, the Fully Awakened and Enlightened One. Namo Buddhaya.

Respectfully pay homage to the wonderful Dharma of the Buddha, the path of practicing peace, joy, happiness, understanding, and love for the many right here in the present life. Namo Dharmaya.

Namo The Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)

Praising the Buddha

Namo The Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)
Respectfully pay homage to the Noble Triple Gem

Open Verse

The Dharma is deep and lovely,

now we have a chance

to see, study, and to practice,

we vow to realize its true meaning.

Namo The Fully Enlightened Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)

Respectfully pay homage to the Noble Triple Gem

The Buddha who is the fully awakened and enlightened One

Shows the way of peace to living things and living beings

has virtuous, good, and noble signs

The Buddha’s wisdom and compassion are perfect.

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, wholeheartedly pay homage to the Buddha, forever present in the three lifetimes and ten directions. (Bell)

The Dharma that is the bright way

Instructs people to escape the realms of delusion

Leads us to return to true home

In order to lead a life of awakening.

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, wholeheartedly pay homage to the Dharma, forever present in the three lifetimes and ten directions. (Bell)

The Sangha that is the beautiful Community in harmony

Travels on the joyful path together

Cultivates to be freed from afflictions

In order to make life beautified.

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, wholeheartedly pay homage to the Sangha, forever present in the three lifetimes and ten directions. (Bell)

We rely on the Triple Gem

on the path of Dharma learning,

know the Triple Gem of self-own mind,

vow to practice the Dharma diligently,

in order to illuminate the heart of the Noble Triple Gem.

Great Compassion Chanting Daily

In the Morning I wake up, I smile and recognize that my eyes are still bright and I can see everything clearly around me, my ears can hear everything clearly around me, my nose breathes in and breathes out mindfully and consciously, my tongue enjoys the Dharma happiness, my body feels peaceful, healthy, and well. I forward my mind to the eastern direction, the western direction, the southern direction, the northern direction, both the direction above, and the direction below, I pray for all sentient beings and insentient beings living there in peace, joy, love, and understanding together.

When I practice so regularly anywhere and anytime, my mind permeates the substances of loving-kindness, compassion, wisdom, peace, and happiness to myself and to other people right here and right now in the present life.

May all living things and living beings on earth be well and happy and freed from suffering.

Namo Compassion Mother Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)

May the Day be Well

May the day be well and the night be well.

The day and night whose six times are auspicious.

All the periods are peaceful.

May the Buddha and Bodhisattva bless and protect us.

The countenance of the World-Honored One,

like the full moon or like the orb of the sun,

shines with the light of clarity.

A halo of wisdom spreads in every direction,

enveloping all with love and compassion,

joy and equanimity.

Namo Compassion Father Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)

Four Great Vows of Bodhisattva

Sentient beings are immeasurable,
I vow to save them all.
Defilements are endless,
I vow to end them all.
Dharma cultivation is limitless,
I vow to practice it.
The Buddha’s way is supreme,
I vow to attain it.

Namo Compassion Mother Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)

Express diligent vows and pay thankful respects to the Triple Gem

Sharing the Merit

May the merit of cultivation today

Be direct toward all living things and living beings.

We and all human beings

Can realize the Buddha’s way together.

Sadhu, lành thay, well-done, and excellence.

Namo Buddhaya. Namo Dharmaya. Namo Sanghaya.
(Bell, Bell, Bell)

CHANTING EIGHT

Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma SamBuddhassa

(Bell, 3 times)

Respectfully pay homage to the Buddha: The World-Honored One, the Worthy One, the Exalted One, the Fully Awakened and Enlightened One. Namo Buddhaya.

Respectfully pay homage to the wonderful Dharma of the Buddha, the path of practicing peace, joy, happiness, understanding, and love for the many right here in the present life. Namo Dharmaya.

Namo The Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya

(Bell, 3 times)

Praising the Buddha

Namo The Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)
Respectfully pay homage to the Noble Triple Gem

Open Verse

The Dharma is deep and lovely,

now we have a chance

to see, study, and to practice,

we vow to realize its true meaning.

Namo The Fully Enlightened Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)

Respectfully pay homage to the Noble Triple Gem

The Buddha who is the fully awakened and enlightened One

Shows the way of peace to living things and living beings

has virtuous, good, and noble signs

The Buddha’s wisdom and compassion are perfect.

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, wholeheartedly pay homage to the Buddha, forever present in the three lifetimes and ten directions. (Bell)

The Dharma that is the bright way

Instructs people to escape the realms of delusion

Leads us to return to true home

In order to lead a life of awakening.

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, wholeheartedly pay homage to the Dharma, forever present in the three lifetimes and ten directions. (Bell)

The Sangha that is the beautiful Community in harmony

Travels on the joyful path together

Cultivates to be freed from afflictions

In order to make life beautified.

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, wholeheartedly pay homage to the Sangha, forever present in the three lifetimes and ten directions. (Bell)

We rely on the Triple Gem

on the path of learning the Dharma,

know the Triple Gem of self-own mind,

vow to practice the Dharma diligently,

in order to illuminate the heart of the Noble Triple Gem.

Maha Mangala Sutta Chanting

Discourse on the Greatest Happiness

Thus have I heard. On one occasion, the World-Honored One was living in the vicinity of Savatthi at the Anathapindika Monastery in the Jeta Grove. Late at night, a deva appeared and visited the Buddha. The deva’s light and beauty made the whole Jeta Grove shine radiantly.

After paying respects to the Buddha, the deva asked him a question in the form of a versa: Many gods and human beings are eager to know what are the greatest happiness which bring about a peaceful and happy life?

Please, Tathagata, will you teach us?

These are the Buddha’s teachings. (Bell)

1. Keeping far away from bad and evil people

Always close to good and virtuous people

Honoring those who are worth honoring

This is the greatest happiness.

2. Knowing to choose a good environment

To do good things

Walking on the path of true goodness

This is the greatest happiness.

3. Diligently learning good jobs

Knowing to lead a life of virtue

Knowing to say loving speech

This is the greatest happiness.

4. Knowing to support and serve parents

Loving to take care of the family

Knowing to do a proper occupation

This is the greatest happiness.

5. Living happily in almsgiving

Helping relatives and friends

Treating them flawlessly

This is the greatest happiness.

6. To avoid doing evil

Not drunk and addicted

Diligently doing good

This is the greatest happiness.

7. Knowing to be humble and polite in a manner

To learn about good things

To know and be grateful and contentment

This is the greatest happiness.

8. Knowing good improvement and perseverance

Contact with talented and virtuous people

Diligently studying together

This is the greatest happiness.

9. Living in diligence and awakening

Perceiving the Noble Truths,

Enjoying the Dharma joy

This is the greatest happiness.

10. Living in the world

The mind never wavered

Ending defilements with ease

This is the greatest happiness.

Those who accomplish so

Wherever they go is safe,

Wherever they arrive is strong

Happiness for themselves and

Happiness for other people.

Namo The Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya

(Bell, 3 times)

May the Day be Well

May the day be well and the night be well.

The day and night whose six times are auspicious.

All the periods are peaceful.

May the Buddha and Bodhisattva bless and protect us.

The countenance of the World-Honored One,

like the full moon or like the orb of the sun,

shines with the light of clarity.

A halo of wisdom spreads in every direction,

enveloping all with love and compassion, joy and equanimity.

Namo the Fully Awakened Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)

Express diligent vows and pay thankful respects to the Triple Gem

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Buddha. Namo Buddhaya. (Bell, One prostration)

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Dharma. Namo Dharmaya. (Bell, One prostration)

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Sangha. Namo Sanghaya. (Bell, One prostration)

May we be well,

May we be happy

May we be healthy

May we be peaceful

May we be free from greed, anger, delusion, arrogance, doubt, ignorance, wrong view, violence, hatred, and suffering.

May the Buddha and Bodhisattvas bless and protect all anytime and anywhere.

Sharing the merit

Reciting the Sutras, practicing the way of awareness gives rise to benefits without limit. We vow to share the fruits with all beings. We vow to offer tribute to parents, teachers, friends, and numerous beings who give guidance and support along the path.

May the merit of this practice benefit all living things and living beings on earth.

May the Buddha and Bodhisattva bless and protect all anytime and anywhere. (Bell)

Sadhu, lành thay, well-done, and excellence.

Namo Buddhaya. Namo Dharmaya. Namo Sanghaya.

(Bell, Bell, Bell)

CHANTING NINE

Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma SamBuddhassa

(Bell, 3 times)

Respectfully pay homage to the Buddha: The World-Honored One, the Worthy One, the Exalted One, the Fully Awakened and Enlightened One. Namo Buddhaya.

Respectfully pay homage to the wonderful Dharma of the Buddha, the path of practicing peace, joy, happiness, understanding, and love for the many right here in the present life. Namo Dharmaya.

Namo The Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)

Praising the Buddha

Namo The Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)
Respectfully pay homage to the Noble Triple Gem

Open Verse

The Dharma is deep and lovely,

now we have a chance

to see, study, and to practice,

we vow to realize its true meaning.

Namo The Fully Enlightened Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)

Dhammapada Gathas by Heart, Part 1
The Golden Teachings of the Buddha

Mind precedes all thoughts or mental states,

Mind is their chief, mind-made are they.

If we speak or act

with the polluted mind,

suffering will follow us

as the wheel follows the foot of an animal that draws the carriage. (Dhammapada 01)

Mind precedes all thoughts or mental states,

Mind is their chief, mind-made are they

If we speak or act

with the purified mind,

happiness will follow us

as the shadow never leaves us. (Dhammapada 02)

Hatred conquers hatred.

In the world, this never happens

Only loving-kindness can conquer hatred

This is the eternal law. (Dhammapada 5)

As the rain easily penetrates

a badly-roofed house,

Likewise, passion easily penetrates

an ill-cultivated mind. (Dhammapada 13)

As the rain never penetrates

the well-roofed house,

Likewise, passion never penetrates

the well-cultivated mind.(Dhammapada 14)

All too soon this body
Will lie on the ground,
Cast aside, devoid of consciousness,
Like a useless log of wood. (Dhammapada 41)

As bees come to flowers,

collect the nectar and fly away,

but they do not damage the color and scent of the flowers;

Likewise, monastic people who go on alms-round from house to house,

but do not affect the trust, faith, and generosity of almsgivers. (Dhammapada 49)

Like a beautiful flower

with full of its color and scent;

Likewise, those who diligently study and practice the Buddha Dharma

will surely obtain benefits right in the present life. (Dhammapada 52)

The scent of flowers cannot go against the wind,

but the scent of virtuous people can go against the wind

only the well-cultivated people spread brightly in all directions. (Dhammapada 54)

Sandalwood or lavender,

lotus or the jasmine great,

of these many fragrances

the scent of virtue is supreme. (Dhammapada 55)

Long is the night to the person who is wakeful;

long is the way to the traveler who is tired

long is worldly existence to the fools

who do not know the right Dharma of the Buddha.

(Dhammapada 60)

A fool who knows his foolishness is wise at least to that extent,

but a fool who thinks himself is wise is a fool indeed. (Dhammapada 63)

Do not associate with evil friends;

do not seek the fellowship of the vile.

Associate with the good friends;

seek the fellowship of virtuous people. (Dhammapada 78)

A person who permeates the Dhamma lives happily with a tranquil mind.

Wise people always take delight in the Dhamma expounded by the Noble One. (Dhammapada 79)

Like a solid rock,

No wind can shake it,

Likewise, wise people are never moved

either by praise or by blame. (Dhammapada 81)

Either in a village or in a deep forest

either in a valley or on a high hill

Wherever Arahants dwells,

that place is delightful. (Dhammapada 98)

In Mahāvagga Number 19 and 20, when the disciples of the Buddha became more and more numerous, the Buddha taught his disciples as follows:

“Oh dear disciples, do not go to the same direction, go out in many different directions to propagate the Dharma and teach sentient beings in the local language where you live. Bring your own cultivation, peace, joy, and happiness to teach other people. Out of peacefulness for the many, out of happiness for the many, out of peace, joy, and well-being for gods and human beings, go forth and spread the Buddha Dharma to all living things and living beings.

The Dharma of the Tathāgata is perfect at the beginning, perfect in the middle, and perfect in the end, both in the meaning and in the letters. Proclaim your holy and peaceful lives to the many all over the planet.

Taking Refuge in the Buddha

I take refuge in the Buddha, the One who shows me the way of loving-kindness, compassion, and wisdom in lifetime.

Having taken refuge in the Buddha, I clearly see the path of light and beauty in life.

Turning back and taking refuge in the Buddha in myself, I aspire to help all people soon recognize and develop their own enlightened nature.

Namo Buddhaya

Buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi

Dutiyampi buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi

Tatiyampi buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.

For refuge, I go to the Buddha for the first time, the second time, and for the third time. (Bell)

Taking Refuge in the Dharma

I take refuge in the Dharma, the way of practicing peace, joy, happiness, understanding, and love for the many right here in the present life.

Turning back and taking refuge in the Dharma in myself, I aspire to help all people fully master the ways of practice and walk together on the path of liberation.

Namo Dharmaya

Dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi

Dutiyampi dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi

Tatiyampi dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.

For refuge, I go to the Dharma for the first time, the second time, and for the third time. (Bell)

Taking Refuge in the Sangha

I take refuge in the harmonious and peaceful Sangha of the Buddha, the Community of those who vow to live their lives of virtue, meditation, wisdom, deliverance, and deliverance with right understanding to benefit oneself and other people right here and right now in the present life.

Having taken refuge in the Sangha, I am enlightened, instructed, and supported by the Sanghabody on the way of practice.

Turning back and taking refuge in the Sangha in myself, I aspire to help all people build fourfold Communities, to embrace all beings and support their transformation.

Namo Sanghaya

Saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.

Dutiyampi saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi

Tatiyampi saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ Gacchāmi.

For refuge, I go to the Sangha for the first time, the second time, and for the third time. (Bell)

Express diligent vows and pay thankful respects to the Triple Gem

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Buddha. Namo Buddhaya. (Bell, one prostration)

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Dharma. Namo Dharmaya. (Bell, one prostration)

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Sangha. Namo Sanghaya. (Bell, one prostration)

May we be well,

May we be happy

May we be healthy

May we be peaceful

May we be free from suffering, greed, anger, delusion, hatred, violence, ignorance, etc.

May the Buddha and Bodhisattvas bless and protect all anytime and anywhere.

Bodhi, the wonderful Dharma of the Buddha turns noble and stately.

According to the place where I dwell strongly in Dharma learning, Dharma practice, Dharma understanding, and Dharma joy, I feel forever happy and peaceful. (Bell)

Sharing the merit

Reciting the Sutras, practicing the way of awareness gives rise to benefits without limit. We vow to share the fruits with all beings. We vow to offer tribute to parents,

teachers, friends, and numerous beings who give guidance and support along the path.

May the merit of this practice benefit all living things and living beings on earth.

May the Buddha and Bodhisattva bless and protect all anytime and anywhere.

Sadhu, lành thay, well-done, and excellence.

Namo Buddhaya. Namo Dharmaya. Namo Sanghaya.

(Bell, Bell, Bell)

CHANTING TEN

Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma SamBuddhassa

(Bell. 3 times)

Respectfully pay homage to the Buddha: The World-Honored One, the Worthy One, the Exalted One, the Fully Awakened and Enlightened One. Namo Buddhaya.

Respectfully pay homage to the wonderful Dharma of the Buddha, the path of practicing peace, joy, happiness, understanding, and love for the many right here in the present life. Namo Dharmaya.

Namo The Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)

Praising the Buddha

Namo The Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)
Respectfully pay homage to the Noble Triple Gem

Open Verse

The Dharma is deep and lovely,

now we have a chance

to see, study, and to practice,

we vow to realize its true meaning.

Namo The Fully Enlightened Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)

Dhammapada Gathas by Heart, Part 2
The Golden Teachings of the Buddha

Even though we say thousands of useless words,

there is no benefit at all,

Better to say the useful word,

After hearing it, we feel calm and peaceful.

(Dhammapada 100)

Even though we say hundreds of meaningless verses,

there is no benefit at all,

Better to say one verse of the right Dharma

After hearing it, we feel calm and peaceful.

(Dhammapada 102)

In battle, we can conquer thousands of enemies

but it is not easy for us to conquer ourselves.

Those who know how to conquer themselves

are the greatest victors. (Dhammapada 103)

Those who live a hundred years

do not see the arising and dissolving of all things.

Better to live a single day,

we can comprehend the arising and dissolving of all things. (Dhammapada 113)

If you do evil,
do not do it again.
Those who do evil
accumulate evil, will be subject to suffering.

(Dhammapada 117)

If you do good,

you should do it more and more.

Those who do good

accumulate good, will definitely obtain peace and joy. (Dhammapada 118)

When we do good things,

though good retribution has not come to us yet,

the evil we did before,

it will be transformed little by little.

Do not think lightly about doing good

saying: “A little will not affect me.”

as water falls drop by drop for a long time,

the water jar will be overflowed.

Similarly, wise people accumulate full of merit

Due to their accumulating it gradually. (Dhammapada 122)

When creating evil karmas,

we will definitely suffer their evil consequences.

The Buddha has taught his disciples

“Though flying up to the sky,

though diving under the bottom of the sea,

though hidden in the deep forest,

though hiding in the crowded places,

Finally, we cannot escape the evil karmas created by ourselves.” (Dhammapada 127)

Take refuge in oneself

Do not take refuge in anyone else

Those who skillfully subdue themselves

are the greatest victors. (Dhammapada 160)

By oneself is evil done;

by oneself is one defiled.

by oneself is evil not done

by oneself is one purified;

Purity and impurity depend on oneself

No one can purify another. (Dhammapada 165)

Hard to gain is to be born as a human

Hard is to be alive

Hard is to hear the right Dharma

hard to encounter is the arising of the Buddhas.

(Dhammapada 182)

Not to do evil

To do good

To purify one’s mind

This is the teaching of the Buddhas. (Dhammapada 183)

Those who take refuge in the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha, use the Right View to see the Four Noble Truths;

Suffering, the cause of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the Noble Eightfold Path leading to the transformation of suffering in life. (Dhammapada 190 & 191)

Hard is it to gain a human birth

Hard is it to find the Tathagata

Hard is it to hear the true Dharma

Hard is it to associate with the Sangha

Wherever we learn and practice the Buddha Dharma diligently,

there we definitely obtain peace and joy. (Dhammapada 193)

Happy is the birth of the Buddha;

Happy is the right Dhamma illuminating both gods and human beings;

Happy is the harmonious and peaceful Sangha that is the best field of merit for everyone to sow and to plant;

Happy is the fourfold community of lay devotees and monastic people everywhere learning and practicing the Buddha Dharma together. (Dhammapada 194)

Indeed, we live very happily,

not hating anyone among those who hate;

among people who hate we live

without hating anyone. (Dhammapada 197)

It is easy to see the faults of others,

but it is not easy to see our own faults.

The Buddha has taught:

Those who see the faults of others

like winnowing chaff in the wind,

like spitting saliva in the sky,

like sucking blood to spray others

dirty their mouths first.

Whoever conceals his own faults as a crafty fowler hides behind sham tree branches. Sooner or later, everyone will find out his faults quickly. (Dhammapada 252)

In Mahāvagga 19 and 20, when the disciples of the Buddha became more and more numerous, the Buddha taught his disciples as follows:

Bodhi, the wonderful Dharma of the Buddha turns noble and stately. According to the place where we dwell strongly in Dharma learning, Dharma practice, Dharma understanding, and Dharma joy, we feel forever happy and peaceful. (Bell)

Taking Refuge in the Buddha

I take refuge in the Buddha, the One who shows me the way of loving-kindness, compassion, and wisdom in lifetime.

Having taken refuge in the Buddha, I clearly see the path of light and beauty in life.

Turning back and taking refuge in the Buddha in myself, I aspire to help all people soon recognize and develop their own enlightened nature.

Namo Buddhaya

Buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi

Dutiyampi buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi

Tatiyampi buddhaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.

For refuge, I go to the Buddha for the first time, the second time, and for the third time. (Bell)

Taking Refuge in the Dharma

I take refuge in the Dharma, the way of practicing peace, joy, happiness, understanding, and love for the many right here in the present life.

Turning back and taking refuge in the Dharma in myself, I aspire to help all people fully master the ways of practice and walk together on the path of liberation.

Namo Dharmaya

Dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi

Dutiyampi dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi

Tatiyampi dhammaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.

For refuge, I go to the Dharma for the first time, the second time, and for the third time. (Bell)

Taking Refuge in the Sangha

Having taken refuge in the Sangha, I am enlightened, instructed, and supported by the Sanghabody on the way of practice.

Turning back and taking refuge in the Sangha in myself, I aspire to help all people build fourfold Communities, to embrace all beings and support their transformation.

Namo Sanghaya

Saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi.

Dutiyampi saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ gacchāmi

Tatiyampi saṅghaṃ saraṇaṃ Gacchāmi.

For refuge, I go to the Sangha for the first time, the second time, and for the third time. (Bell)

Express diligent vows and pay thankful respects to the Triple Gem

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Buddha. Namo Buddhaya. (Bell, one prostration)

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Dharma. Namo Dharmaya. (Bell, one prostration)

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Sangha. Namo Sanghaya. (Bell, one prostration)

May we be well,

May we be happy

May we be healthy

May we be peaceful

May we be free from suffering, greed, anger, delusion, hatred, violence, ignorance, etc.

May the Buddha and Bodhisattvas bless and protect all anytime and anywhere.

Bodhi, the wonderful Dharma of the Buddha turns noble and stately.

According to the place where I dwell strongly in Dharma learning, Dharma practice, Dharma understanding, and Dharma joy, I feel forever happy and peaceful. (Bell)

Sharing the merit

May the merit of this practice benefit all living things and living beings on earth.

May the Buddha and Bodhisattva bless and protect all anytime and anywhere. (Bell)

Sadhu, lành thay, well-done, and excellence.

Namo Buddhaya. Namo Dharmaya. Namo Sanghaya.

(Bell, Bell, Bell)

CHANTING ELEVEN

Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma SamBuddhassa

(Bell, 3 times)

Respectfully pay homage to the Buddha: The World-Honored One, the Worthy One, the Exalted One, the Fully Awakened and Enlightened One. Namo Buddhaya.

Respectfully pay homage to the wonderful Dharma of the Buddha, the path of practicing peace, joy, happiness, understanding, and love for the many right here in the present life. Namo Dharmaya.

Namo The Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)

Praising the Buddha

Namo The Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)
Respectfully pay homage to the Noble Triple Gem

Open Verse

The Dharma is deep and lovely,

now we have a chance

to see, study, and to practice,

we vow to realize its true meaning.

Namo The Fully Enlightened Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)

WATERING THE SEEDS OF JOY

My mother, my father, they are in me.
When I look, I see myself in them.
The Buddha, the patriarchs, they are in me.
When I look, I see myself in them.
I am a continuation of my mother, my father, and my ancestors.
It is my aspiration to preserve and continue to nourish the seeds of goodness, skill, and happiness which I have inherited.
It is also my desire to recognize the seeds of fear and suffering
I have inherited, and step by step to transform them.
I am a continuation of the Buddha and my spiritual teachers.
It is my deep aspiration to preserve, nourish, and develop the seeds of understanding, love, and freedom which they have transmitted to me.
I desire to continue the career of the Buddha and my ancestral Teachers, and do my best to realize all that the Buddha and my ancestral Teachers expect of me.
In my daily life, I also want to sow the seeds of love and compassion in my own consciousness and in the heart of other people.
I am determined not to water the seeds of craving, aversion, and violence in myself and in others.
I know that if I practice all this in the right way, after only seven days, I will be able to change the situation, establish communication, smile and transform some suffering and increase my happiness.
I would like to beg the World-Honored One to witness what is in my heart.
With the mind and body in perfect unity, I bow my head and prostrate. (Bell)

THE REFUGE CHANT

Incense perfumes the atmosphere.
A lotus blooms and the Buddha appears.
The world of suffering and discrimination is filled with the light of the Rising Sun.
As the dust of fear and anxiety settles, with an open heart and one-pointed mind, I turn to the Three Jewels.
The Fully Enlightened One, beautifully seated, peacefully smiles, a living source of understanding and compassion
to the Buddha I go for refuge.
The path of mindful living, leading to healing, joy, and enlightenment, the way of peace,
to the Dharma I go for refuge.
The loving and supportive community of practice, realizing harmony, awareness, and liberation,
to the Sangha I go for refuge.
I am aware that the Three Jewels are within my heart.
I vow to realize them, practicing mindful breathing and smiling, looking deeply into things.
I vow to understand living beings and their suffering.
To cultivate compassion and loving kindness, to practice joy and equanimity.
I vow to offer joy to one person in the morning to help relieve the grief of one person in the afternoon.
Living simply and sanely with few possessions, keeping my body healthy.
I vow to let go of all worries and anxiety in order to be light and free.
I am aware that I owe so much to my parents, teachers, friends, and all beings.
I vow to be worthy of their trust, to practice wholeheartedly so that understanding and compassion will flower, helping living beings to be free from their suffering.
May the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha support my efforts. (Bell)

NOURISHING HAPPINESS

Sitting here in this moment, protected by the Sangha,
my happiness is clear and alive.
What a great fortune to have been born a human, to encounter the Dharma, to be in harmony with others, and to water the Mind of Love in this beautiful garden of practice.
The energies of the Sangha and mindfulness trainings are protecting and helping me not make mistakes or be swept along in darkness by unwholesome seeds.
With kind spiritual friends, I am on the path of goodness, illuminated by the light of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
Although the seeds of suffering are still in me in the form of afflictions and habit energies, mindfulness is also there, helping me touch what is most wonderful within and around me.
I can still enjoy mindfulness of the six senses:
my eyes look peacefully upon the clear blue sky,
my ears listen with wonder to the songs of birds,
my nose smells the rich scent of sandalwood,
my tongue tastes the nectar of the Dharma,
my posture is upright, stable, and relaxed,
and my mind is one with my body.
If there were not a World-Honored One,
if there were not the wonderful Dharma,
if there were not a harmonious Sangha,
I would not be so fortunate to enjoy this Dharma happiness today.
My resources for practice are my own peace and joy.
I vow to cultivate and nourish them with daily mindfulness.
For my ancestors, family, future generations, and the whole of humanity, I vow to practice well.
In my society I know that there are countless people suffering,
drowned in sensual pleasure, jealousy, and hatred.
I am determined to take care of my own mental formations,
to learn the art of deep listening and using loving speech in order to encourage communication and understanding and to be able to accept and love.
Practicing the actions of a bodhisattva,
I vow to look with eyes of love and a heart of understanding.
I vow to listen with a clear mind and ears of compassion,
bringing peace and joy into the lives of others,
to lighten and alleviate the suffering of living beings.
I am aware that ignorance and wrong perceptions
can turn this world into a fiery hell.
I vow to walk always upon the path of transformation,
producing understanding and loving kindness.
I will be able to cultivate a garden of awakening.
Despite impermanent life,
Despite birth, sickness, aging, and death,
I have had a path of practice,
There is nothing to fear any longer.
It is a great happiness to be alive in the Sangha
with the practice of mindfulness trainings, concentration, and wisdom
to live every moment in stability and freedom,
to take part in the work of relieving others’ suffering,
the career of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
In each precious moment, I am filled with deep gratitude.
I bow before the World-Honored One.
Please bear witness to my wholehearted gratitude,
embracing all beings with hearts of great compassion. (Bell)

Namo The Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya.
(3 times) O

Express diligent vows and pay thankful respects to the Triple Gem

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Buddha. Namo Buddhaya. (Bell, one prostration)

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Dharma. Namo Dharmaya. (Bell, one prostration)

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Sangha. Namo Sanghaya. (Bell, one prostration)

May we be well,

May we be happy

May we be healthy

May we be peaceful

May we be free from suffering, greed, anger, delusion, hatred, violence, ignorance, etc.

May the Buddha and Bodhisattvas bless and protect all anytime and anywhere.

Bodhi, the wonderful Dharma of the Buddha turns noble and stately.

According to the place where I dwell strongly in Dharma learning, Dharma practice, Dharma understanding, and Dharma joy, I feel forever happy and peaceful. (Bell)

Sharing the merit

May the merit of this practice benefit all living things and living beings on earth.

May the Buddha and Bodhisattva bless and protect all anytime and anywhere. (Bell)

Sadhu, lành thay, well-done, and excellence.

Namo Buddhaya. Namo Dharmaya. Namo Sanghaya.

(Bell, Bell, Bell)

CHANTING TWELVE

Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma SamBuddhassa

(Bell, 3 times)

Respectfully pay homage to the Buddha: The World-Honored One, the Worthy One, the Exalted One, the Fully Awakened and Enlightened One. Namo Buddhaya.

Respectfully pay homage to the wonderful Dharma of the Buddha, the path of practicing peace, joy, happiness, understanding, and love for the many right here in the present life. Namo Dharmaya.

Namo The Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)

Praising the Buddha

Namo The Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)
Respectfully pay homage to the Noble Triple Gem

Open Verse

The Dharma is deep and lovely,

now we have a chance

to see, study, and to practice,

we vow to realize its true meaning.

Namo The Fully Enlightened Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)

ANATTALAKKHANA SUTTA

Discourse on the Characteristic of Non-Self

Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Buddha was staying near Bārānasī in the Deer Park at Isīpatana. There the Buddha taught the group of the five bhikkhu disciples how to contemplate and practice non-self as follows.

The body is not me.

Oh dear disciples, the human body is inherently non-self. For if the body were self, it would not lead to illness and suffering, so you cannot compel form of this body: “May my body be like this; may my body not be like that.” But in reality, because the body is non-self, it leads to aging, change, weakness, illness, suffering, and death. Therefore, your desire for this body to be “self” cannot be fulfilled.

Feeling is not me.

Oh dear disciple, human feeling is inherent non-self. For if feeling were self, it would not lead to illness and suffering, so you cannot compel feeling: “May my feeling be like this; may my feeling not be like that.” But in reality, because feeling is non-self, it is subject to impermanence and suffering. Therefore, your desire for feeling to be “self” cannot be fulfilled.

Perception is not me.

Oh dear disciple, human perception is inherently non-self. For if perception were self, it would not lead to illness and suffering, so you cannot compel perception: “May my perception be like this; may my perception not be like that.” But in reality, because perception is non-self, it is subject to impermanence and suffering. Therefore, your desire for perception to be “self” cannot be fulfilled.

Mental formations are not me.

Oh dear disciple, mental formations are inherently non-self. For if mental formations were self, they would not lead to affliction, so you cannot compel mental formations: “May my mental formations be like this; may my mental formations not be like that.” But in reality, because mental formations are non-self, they are subject to impermanence and suffering. Therefore, your desire for mental formations to be “self” cannot be fulfilled.

Consciousness is not me.

Oh dear disciple, human consciousness is inherently non-self. For if consciousness were self, it would not lead to affliction, so you cannot compel consciousness: “May my consciousness be like this; may my consciousness not be like that.” But in reality, because consciousness is non-self, it is subject to impermanence and suffering. Therefore, your desire for consciousness to be “self” cannot be fulfilled.

Non-self in impermanence and affliction

Oh dear disciples, are the five aggregates in a human being, including body, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness, permanent or impermanent?

– Venerable Sir, they are impermanent.

– Oh dear disciples, is what is impermanent suffering or happiness?

– Venerable Buddha, they are suffering.

– Oh dear disciples, according to the natural law, the five aggregates of this body are inherently impermanent and subject to change. Because of attachment to the body and mind, you think they are permanent, so you will suffer. To overcome attachment to these five aggregates, you should practice and contemplate them as follows:

“This body is not me, not mine, and not myself.

This feeling is not me, not mine, and not myself.

This perception is not me, not mine, and not myself.

These mental formations are not me, not mine, and not myself.

This consciousness is not me, not mine, and not myself.” O

Non-self and freedom

Oh dear disciples, these five aggregates, whether they exist in the past, present, or future, internal or external, large or small, beautiful or ugly, far or near, with correct wisdom, you should observe like this: “All these are not me, not mine, and not myself.”

Abandon attachment to be liberated from suffering and affliction

Oh dear disciples, when you clearly realize that the five aggregates are impermanent, suffering, and non-self, you no longer cling to the body, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness. The afflictions of greed, anger, delusion, etc., within you will be recognized and transformed. You will forward your mind to liberation and clearly know that: “Rebirth is ended, the spiritual journey has been completed, the holy life has been accomplished. What had to be done has been done, there is no more coming back to this life.” After having heard the Buddha teach this Sutta, the group of the five Bhikkhu disciples of the Buddha no longer clung to and ended their afflictions and defilements. They are extremely happy and have absolute confidence in the Buddha’s teachings to benefit themselves and other people right here and right now in the present life.

Namo the Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya.

(3 times) O

Express diligent vows and pay thankful respects to the Triple Gem

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Buddha. Namo Buddhaya. (Bell, one prostration)

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Dharma. Namo Dharmaya. (Bell, one prostration)

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Sangha. Namo Sanghaya. (Bell, one prostration)

May we be well,

May we be happy

May we be healthy

May we be peaceful

May we be free from suffering, greed, anger, delusion, hatred, violence, ignorance, etc.

May the Buddha and Bodhisattvas bless and protect all anytime and anywhere.

Bodhi, the wonderful Dharma of the Buddha turns noble and stately.

According to the place where I dwell strongly in Dharma learning, Dharma practice, Dharma understanding, and Dharma joy, I feel forever happy and peaceful. (Bell)

Sharing the merit

May the merit of this practice benefit all living things and living beings on earth.

May the Buddha and Bodhisattva bless and protect all anytime and anywhere. (Bell)

Sadhu, lành thay, well-done, and excellence.

Namo Buddhaya. Namo Dharmaya. Namo Sanghaya.

(Bell, Bell, Bell)

CHANTING THIRTEEN

Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma SamBuddhassa

(Bell, 3 times)

Respectfully pay homage to the Buddha: The World-Honored One, the Worthy One, the Exalted One, the Fully Awakened and Enlightened One. Namo Buddhaya.

Respectfully pay homage to the wonderful Dharma of the Buddha, the path of practicing peace, joy, happiness, understanding, and love for the many right here in the present life. Namo Dharmaya.

Namo The Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)

Praising the Buddha

Namo The Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)
Respectfully pay homage to the Noble Triple Gem

Open Verse

The Dharma is deep and lovely,

now we have a chance

to see, study, and to practice,

we vow to realize its true meaning.

Namo The Fully Enlightened Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)

KALAMA SUTTA CHANTING

Discourse on stably upholding the right confidences

(Aṅguttara Nikāya – Numerical discourses 3.65)

Thus have I heard. Once the World-Honored One and his Sangha walked calm steps to the Kalamas’ Kesaputta District of Kosala country.

When hearing the Buddha’s and his Sangha’s virtue, solemnity, loving-kindness, and compassion energies go to that place, the Kalamas were delighted to gather around, pay homage to the Buddha, the Sangha, and beg to ask the Buddha a few questions of the right confidence as follows:

Respectfully, dear the World-Honored One, sometimes there were hermits and wanderers of Brahmanism, coming here to spread their religion, entice us into their religion, promote and glorify their doctrines uppermost.

They regularly despised, scorned, ostracized, and distorted the doctrines of other religions. This issue made us feel hesitant. Among them, who told the truth and who told the untruth? The doctrines of which religion were right and the doctrines of which religion were not right?

Who should we follow and who should we not follow? The doctrines of which religion should we follow and the doctrines of which religion should we not follow?”

The Buddha thoughtfully taught: “Kalamas, what you arouse doubt and hesitation have been already of course. In this case, you should not hurry to believe in anyone and reject the doctrines of which religions when you yourselves do not understand them clearly yet.”

There are the ten right confidences you need to understand clearly as follows:

The ten right confidences

1. Do not hurry to believe in anything whether it is orally transmitted, or it has been acquired by repeated hearing.

2. Do not hurry to believe in anything whether it is a tradition, legend, habit, or a custom.

3. Do not hurry to believe in anything whether it is a report, surmise, or rumor.

4. Do not hurry to believe in anything whether it is noted in a scripture, or in a book.

5. Do not hurry to believe in anything whether it is a conjecture, or a metaphysical theory.

6. Do not hurry to believe in anything whether it is an axiom, or a stance to be deduced.

7. Do not hurry to believe in anything whether it only relies on the viewpoint of bias, or on ambiguous data.

8. Do not hurry to believe in anything whether it is a fixed karma, a prejudice, view of permanence, or a view of annihilation.

9. Do not hurry to believe in anything whether it is an intimidation and brainwashing, or a threat of a supreme god fabricated, imagined, thought, and spoken out.

10. Do not hurry to believe in anything whether it is proclaimed by your missionaries, preachers, or teachers.

Right Confidence Gotten Brightened and Exposed

Kalamas, when you yourselves know clearly: “These things are not good, they are blameworthy, they are despised and criticized by wise people, these things if being performed and accepted, would lead to unhappiness and suffering, then you should strongly abandon them.”

Greed, anger, and delusion are the unwholesome things. Killing living beings, taking what is not given, living in sexual misconduct and adultery, violating kid’s sexuality, telling lies, taking alcohols, drugs, and toxins are the unwholesome things.

When you are dominated and controlled by the unwholesome things, you will certainly get unhappy, suffered, scorned, and reproached.

Conversely, Kalamas, when you yourselves know clearly: These things are good, they are praiseworthy, they are praised and lauded by wise people, these things if being performed and accepted, would lead to peacefulness and happiness, then you should uphold and develop them; non-greed, non-anger, and non-delusion are the wholesome things; not killing living beings, not taking what is not given, not sexual misconduct and adultery, not violating kids’ sexuality, not telling lies, and not taking alcohols, drugs, and toxins are the wholesome things. When you are dominated and controlled by the wholesome things, you will certainly reap the flowers and fruits of peacefulness and happiness, deserve being praised and lauded by wise people.
Kalamas, when the wholesome things are well practiced, greed, anger, and delusion are purified and transformed, Dharma learning, Dharma practice, Dharma understanding, Dharma joy, and Dharma happiness have the ability to permeate and make your bodies and minds cool and gentle.
When a holy one dwells stably in right mindfulness and awareness, his loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity have the ability to shine anytime and anywhere, embrace all sentient beings and insentient beings.
When animosity, bad karma, unhappiness, affliction, and suffering in his mind are ended, right in the present life, he lives very peacefully, and up to when passing away, he will be born in a peaceful realm.
Kalamas, when those who say, think, and do an issue, you should not hurry to believe in it, but you should observe, think, and contemplate whether what they say, think, and do go together, fit together, are consistent with cause and effect, and are beneficial for yourselves and for other people? If yes, you are determined to follow, practice, nourish, and develop them. If not, you should strongly give them up.
Kalamas, the ten right confidences and the wholesome things were taught above by the Tathagata. You should remember and practice them well. Out of peacefulness for the many, out of happiness for the many, you should diligently study, practice, and apply the Buddha Dharma in your daily lives to bring the right and stable confidences for yourselves and for other people right here and right now in the present life.
After having heard the Buddha teaching, analyzing, and explaining the right confidences clearly, the Kalamas were extremely happy to respectfully pay homage to the Buddha, and spoke out the meaningful, praiseful, reverential, and metaphorical words as follows:
“How wonderful it is, respectfully dear the World-Honored One! How marvelous it is, respectfully dear the Exalted One! The Dharma skillfully proclaimed by the Buddha himself is very practical, present, specific, and clear, has been penetrated deeply into our hearts, made our minds softer, gentler, and better. The Buddha Dharma has opened our minds suddenly brighten up, as a person who erects upright what is fallen down turns face upward what is overturned, opens out what is closed, reveals what is hidden, shows the way to those who are lost, carries light into the darkness so that those who have eyes can see visible objects in detail. As a person who goes in the dark night meets light.
Like a blind person, whose eyes get brightened. By many skillful methods of teaching, the World-Honored One has helped us to see everything thoroughly and clearly like daylight.
May the World-Honored One regard and accept us as lay devotees. From now until our whole lives, we are determined to take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, and we are committed to practicing the five Ethical Trainings fully:
1. Respecting lives, developing loving kindness and compassion, protecting natural environment, and nourishing inner peace by being aware not to kill living beings.
2. Letting go of stingy and greedy mind, expressing the mind of almsgivings, making offerings to, and protecting the Triple Gem by being aware not to take what is not given.
3. Building happiness for family, living faithfully with a legal spouse by being aware not to do sexual misconduct, adultery, and not to violate kids’ sexuality.
4. Saying the true, harmonious, and loving speech, bringing the mutual trust and prestige for the many by being aware not to tell lies.
5. Protecting vigorous health, lucid mind, bringing peacefulness and happiness for families, schools, and society by being aware not to take alcohols, drugs, toxins, including smoking, gambling, and playing violent video games online.”
When being aware to keep far away from these toxins, Dharma learning, Dharma practice, Dharma understanding, Dharma joy, and Dharma happiness have the ability to permeate and make our bodies and minds cool and gentle.”
When officially becoming the well-trained lay disciples of the Buddha, the Kalamas were extremely happy to hold the stable and right confidences in deeply taking refuge in the Triple Gem, applying, and cultivating the Buddha Dharma in their daily lives to bring peace, joy, and happiness to living beings and living beings all over the planet.

Namo the Original Master Shakyamuni Buddhaya
(Bell, 3 times).

Express diligent vows and pay thankful respects to the Triple Gem

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Buddha. Namo Buddhaya. (Bell, one prostration)
We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Dharma. Namo Dharmaya. (Bell, one prostration)
We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Sangha. Namo Sanghaya. (Bell, one prostration)
May we be well,
May we be happy
May we be healthy
May we be peaceful
May we be free from suffering, greed, anger, delusion, hatred, violence, ignorance, etc.
May the Buddha and Bodhisattvas bless and protect all anytime and anywhere.

Sharing the Merit

May the merit of cultivation today

Be direct toward all living things and living beings

We and all human beings

Can realize the Buddha’s way together..

Sadhu, lành thay, well-done, and excellence.
Namo Buddhaya. Namo Dharmaya. Namo Sanghaya.
(Bell, Bell, Bell)

CHANTING FOURTEEN

Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma SamBuddhassa
(Bell, 3 times)

Respectfully pay homage to the Buddha: The World-Honored One, the Worthy One, the Exalted One, the Fully Awakened and Enlightened One. Namo Buddhaya.
Respectfully pay homage to the wonderful Dharma of the Buddha, the path of practicing peace, joy, happiness, understanding, and love for the many right here in the present life. Namo Dharmaya.
Respectfully pay homage to the harmonious and peaceful Sangha of the Buddha, the Community of cultivated people who vow to live their lives of virtue, meditation, wisdom, deliverance, and deliverance with right understanding to benefit oneself and other people right here and right now in the present life. Namo Sanghaya.(Bell)

Praising the Buddha

Namo The Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya.

(Bell, 3 times)
Respectfully pay homage to the Noble Triple Gem

Open Verse

The Dharma is deep and lovely,
Now we have a chance
to see, study, and to practice,
we vow to realize its true meaning.

Namo The Fully Enlightened Buddhaya.
(Bell, 3 times)

Thiện Sinh Sutra

Thus have I heard. One on occasion the Buddha was living at the Bamboo Forest Monastery, along with one thousand two hundred and fifty Monastics, put on yellow robes, carried alms bowls, and entered the Rājagaha City to go on alms rounds. At that time, young man Thiện Sinh, a householder’s son, every morning, obeying his father’s teachings, taking a shower, dressing neatly, putting his hands together, prostrates to the East, the West, the South, the North, the Zenith, and the Nadir. When seeing the young man Thiện Sinh, the Buddha taught him thoroughly about the meaning of the prostration to the six directions as follows:

1. The Eastern direction represents Parents and Children
I. Children’s duties

Listen, Thiện Sinh, to parents, children have the five duties: 1. Providing necessarily material and spiritual needs for their parents, 2. Helping parents to do the hard jobs, 3. Protecting kinship dignity and family tradition, 4. Maintaining inheritable properties, 5. Having the responsibility to look after funerals in accordance with the right Dharma when the parents pass away.

II. Parents’ duties

To children, parents also have the five duties: 1. Teaching children to do good, not to do evil, 2. Advising them to be close with wholesome teachers, good friends, and good environments, 3. Suggesting and choosing proper jobs for children, 4. Building good husband and wife for them, 5. Entrusting the inherited possessions and benefits to them on right time.
The prostration to the eastern direction in accordance with the Buddha’s teachings means children have the filial duties to support their parents and the parents have the responsibilities to bring up and educate their children to become talented and virtuous people. (Bell)

2. The Western direction represents wife and husband
III. Wife’s duties

Listen, Thiện Sinh, to the husband, whose wife has the five duties: 1. Taking care of neat and tidy housework, 2. Cordially welcoming friends and relatives of her husband’s family side, 3. Being faithful to her husband, 4. Keeping the wealth and properties that wife and husband have earned, 5. Doing the housework skillfully and quickly.

IV. Husband’s duties

To the wife, whose husband also has the five duties: 1. Loving his wife, 2. Learning the way to listen to and say loving speech with her, 3. Having trust in her, 4. Knowing to buy birthday gifts for her, 5. Entrusting power and providing the necessary things for her.
The prostration to the western direction in accordance with the Buddha’s teachings means the husband and wife who live faithfully know to make concessions, and have each other’s confidence to build happiness and warmness for their family. (Bell)

3. The Southern direction represents students and teachers
V. The Students’ duties

Listen, Thiện Sinh, to the teachers, students have the five duties: 1. Being respectful, polite, and willing to help the teachers to do the necessary things, 2. Knowing to obey the teachers’ teachings, 3. Knowing how to listen to and learn about the good things from the teachers, 4. Having to have the spirit of being willing to learn what students do not know from their teachers, 5. Knowing to practice, apply and create what students have been learned.

VI. The Teachers’ duties

To the students, the teachers also have the five duties: 1. Teaching their students right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration, 2. Instructing students to pedagogical methods, 3. Do not hide knowledge, and wholeheartedly transmitting knowledge and life experience to students, 4. Transmitting bodily teachings, verbal teachings, and mental teachings to students. 5. Expecting students to become talented and virtuous people and be better than teachers.
The prostration to the southern direction in accordance with the Buddha’s teachings means both teachers and students are virtuous and exemplary people knowing to transmit, connect, and apply Dharma knowledge as well as secular knowledge into the daily life to benefit the many right in the present life. (Bell)

4. The Northern direction represents your duties to relatives and friends
VII. Your duties to relatives

Listen, Thiện Sinh, to relatives, you have the five duties: 1. Advising relatives to do good, 2. Encouraging them to keep far away from evil, 3. Knowing how to use the method of watering flowers to praise them, 4. Visiting them when they get sick, 5. Wholeheartedly helping them when relatives meet difficult and needy circumstances.

VIII. Your duties to friends

To friends, you also have the five duties: 1. Helping friends when they meet difficulties, 2. Do not leave friends when they are in misfortune, 3. Playing with good friends who can help you succeed in life easily, 4. Advising them to stop and let go of the unwholesome things, 5. Knowing how to communicate with friends in the spirit of dialogue, idea contribution, suggestion, joy, sympathy, and equality.
The prostration to the northern direction in accordance with the Buddha’s teachings means expressing the tolerant, close, lovely, and understanding heart with your relatives and friends. (Bell)

5. The Zenith represents lay devotees and monastics
IX Lay devotees’ duties

Listen, Thiện Sinh, to monastics, lay devotees have the five duties: 1. Choosing the Triple Gem as the most stably spiritual refuge for their lives, 2. Learning, understanding, practicing, and applying the five ethical trainings into the daily life, 3. Skillfully expressing their good hearts to create merit, make offerings to, and support the Three Jewels, 4. Do not idolize any personal monk or nun, but consider all talented and virtuous monastics as your own Masters, 5. Knowing how to observe and select which teachings after bringing out to apply and practice those teachings appropriate to cause and effect and to the many right in the present life, you should practice them, and vice versa, you should keep far away from them.

X. Monastics’ duties

To lay devotees, monastics also have the five duties: 1. Instructing the five ethical trainings and the noble eightfold path for lay devotees, 2. Instructing lay devotees Dharma learning and Dharma practice; Dharma learning includes virtue, concentration, and wisdom; Dharma practice includes Samatha Meditation and Vipassana Meditation, 3. Instructing lay devotees to know how to express the hearts joyfully before making offerings to, joyfully while making offerings to, and joyfully after making offerings to, 4. Instructing lay devotees to hold the right and stable confidences in the Three Jewels. 5. Instructing lay devotees how to practice recollection of gratitude to the Buddha, the Dharma, the Sangha, and gratitude for the Dharma Precepts.
The prostration to the Zenith in accordance with the Buddha’s teachings means both lay devotees and monastics are determined to learn, understand, practice, and apply the Buddha Dharma into the daily life to bring the flowers and fruits of peacefulness and happiness for the many right here in the present life. The Dharma protection and the Dharma propagation between lay devotees and monastics connect together very closely. (Bell)

6. The Nadir represents employees and managers
XI. Employees’ duties

Listen, Thiện Sinh, to managers, employees have the five duties: 1. Going to work early and punctually, 2. Having the responsibility to complete employment when assigned, 3. Doing the orderly, methodical, and mindful employment, 4. Be aware to protect general property and not to steal, 5. Respecting, esteeming, and protecting prestige and dignity for managers.

XII. Managers’ duties

To employees, managers also have the five duties: 1. Entrusting appropriative employment with the ability and degree for employees, 2. Providing employees with salary or food, 3. Taking care and greeting thoughtfully when employees get sick, 4. Rewarding, disciplining, and appreciating the excellent and non-excellent achievements for employees, 5. Giving employees a suitable vacation.
The Prostration to the Nadir in accordance with the Buddha’s teachings means managers and employees always have mutual duties and responsibilities for both material and spirituality to develop their company well. (Bell)
The Six Directions were taught above, the Buddha thoughtfully advised the young man Thiện Sinh the essential things through the summarized versa as follows:
Parents are the East
Teachers are the South
Wife and husband are the West
Relatives are the North
Employees are the Nadir
Monastics are the Zenith
Exemplary practitioners
Pay prostration to those directions.
When living in happiness
When passing away in peacefulness
Wise people cultivating so
Live for themselves and for other people
Always bring benefits
For all people in the world.
On the way of Dharma cultivation,
Relying on wholesome friends
Learning and following virtuous people
Bringing benefits for living beings.
Living in the world,
We know to do good,
Advise people to do good,
Peace always increases.
True Buddhist people
do something wholesome,
think about something wholesome,
say something wholesome,
their bodies and minds are regularly at peace. (Bell)
Practitioners go into life
As flowers blossom everywhere
Solemnly and freely
To make life be joyful and peaceful.
As bees going to seek flowers
Cling to the flowers to suck the nectar
Finish sucking it and flying away,
but the flower remains undamaged.
Diligently protecting the Dharma
Diligently supporting the Sangha
Making offerings to the Worthy One
being the field of the supreme virtue.
The above-mentioned things
Practitioners always accomplish so,
their merit and virtue get bigger and bigger
as river water flows down into the ocean. (Bell)
The six directions above taught by the Buddha are the six ethical and educational relationships interconnecting together very closely between families, schools, and societies, containing the values of humanities, engaged life, cause, effect, duties, and responsibilities so deeply, and helping everyone be aware to live in peace and happiness for oneself and for other people right in the present life. The Buddha’s teachings have a lot of practical and surpassing meaning beyond space and time.

Whether living anywhere, or any country in the world, if all people skillfully apply the Thiện Sinh Sutra in the daily life in the right place, at the right time, and on the right object, certainly they will bring a lot of the substances of cultivation, peacefulness, and happiness for many people.
After having listened to the Buddha’s teachings, the young man Thiện Sinh was extremely happy to respectfully pay homage to the Buddha, and spoke out the meaningful, praiseful, reverential, and metaphorical words as follows:
“How wonderful it is, respectfully dear the World-Honored One! How marvelous it is, respectfully dear the Exalted One! The Dharma skillfully proclaimed by the Buddha himself is very practical, present, specific, and clear, has penetrated deeply into my heart, makes my mind softer, gentler, and better. The Buddha Dharma has opened my mind suddenly brighten up, as a person who erects upright what is fallen down turns face upward what is overturned, opens out what is closed, reveals what is hidden, shows the way to those who are lost, carries light into the darkness so that those who have eyes can see visible objects in detail, as a person who goes in the dark night meets light, as a blind person, whose eyes get brightened. By many skillful methods of teaching, the World-Honored One helps me to see everything clearly like daylight.” (Bell)
May the World-Honored One regard and accept me as a lay devotee. From now until my whole life, I am determined to take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, and committed to cultivating the five Ethical Trainings fully:
1. Respecting lives, developing loving-kindness and compassion, protecting the natural environment, and nourishing inner peace by being aware not to kill living beings, 2. Letting go of the stingy and greedy mind, expressing the mind of almsgivings, making offerings to, and protecting the Triple Gem by being aware not to take what is not given, 3. Building happiness for family, living faithfully with a legal spouse by being aware not to do sexual misconduct, adultery, and not to violate kids’ sexuality, 4. Saying the true, harmonious, and loving speech, bringing mutual trust and prestige by being aware not to tell lies. 5. Protecting vigorous health, lucid mind, bringing peacefulness and happiness for families, schools, and societies by being aware not to take alcohols, drugs, including smoking, gambling, and playing violent video games online. (Bell)
When aware to keep far away from these toxins, Dharma learning, Dharma practice, Dharma joy, and Dharma happiness have the ability to permeate and cool my body and mind. When officially becoming the well-trained devotee of the Buddha, the young man Thiện Sinh was extremely happy to hold stable and deep confidence in taking refuge in the Triple Gem, applying, and cultivating the Buddha Dharma in the daily life to bring benefits and happiness to living things and living beings all over the planet.

Namo the Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya.
(Bell, 3 times)
Express diligent vows and pay thankful respects to the Triple Gem

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Buddha. Namo Buddhaya. (Bell, one prostration)
We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Dharma. Namo Dharmaya. (Bell, one prostration)
We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Sangha. Namo Sanghaya.(Bell, one prostration)
May we be well,
May we be happy
May we be peaceful
May we be healthy
May we be free from suffering, greed, anger, delusion, hatred, violence, ignorance, wrong view, etc.
May the Buddha and Bodhisattvas bless and protect all anytime and anywhere.
Bodhi, the wonderful Dharma of the Buddha turns noble and stately.
According to the place where I dwell strongly in Dharma learning, Dharma practice, Dharma understanding, and Dharma joy, I feel forever happy and peaceful. (Bell)

Sharing the Merit

May the merit of cultivation today
Be direct toward all living things and living beings
We and all human beings
Can realize the Buddha’s way together.

Sadhu, lành thay, well-done, and excellence.
Namo Buddhaya. Namo Dharmaya. Namo Sanghaya.
(Bell, bell, bell)

CHANTING FIFTEEN
Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma SamBuddhassa
(Bell, 3 times)

Respectfully pay homage to the Buddha: The World-Honored One, the Worthy One, the Exalted One, the Fully Awakened and Enlightened One. Namo Buddhaya.
Respectfully pay homage to the wonderful Dharma of the Buddha, the path of practicing peace, joy, happiness, understanding, and love for the many right here in the present life. Namo Dharmaya.
Respectfully pay homage to the harmonious and peaceful Sangha of the Buddha, the Community of cultivated people who vow to live their lives of virtue, meditation, wisdom, deliverance, and deliverance with right understanding to benefit oneself and other people right here and right now in the present life. Namo Sanghaya. (Bell)

Praising the Buddha

Namo The Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya.
(Bell, 3 times)
Respectfully pay homage to the Noble Triple Gem

Open Verse

The Dharma is deep and lovely,
Now we have a chance
to see, study, and to practice,
we vow to realize its true meaning.

Namo The Fully Enlightened Buddhaya.
(Bell, 3 times)
METTA SUTTA

Sutta Nipata, 143 – 152.

This is what should be done
By one who is skilled in goodness,
And who knows the path of peace:
Let them be able and upright,
Straightforward and gentle in speech.
Humble and not conceited,
Contented and easily satisfied.
Unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways.
Peaceful and calm, wise and skillful,
Not proud and demanding in nature.
Let them not do the slightest thing
That the wise would later reprove.
Wishing: In gladness and in safety,
May all beings be at ease.
Whatever living beings there may be;
Whether they are weak or strong, omitting none,
The great or the mighty, medium, short or small,
The seen and the unseen,
Those living near and far away,
Those born and to-be-born,
May all beings be at ease!
Let none deceive another,
Or despise any being in any state.
Let none through anger or ill-will
Wish harm upon another.
Even as a mother protects with her life
Her child, her only child,
So with a boundless heart
Should one cherish all living beings:
Radiating kindness over the entire world:
Spreading upwards to the skies,
And downwards to the depths;
Outwards and unbounded,
Freed from hatred and ill-will.
Whether standing or walking, seated or lying down
Free from drowsiness,
One should sustain this recollection.
This is said to be the sublime abiding.
By not holding to fixed views, practitioners do not fall into wrong
view, wrong thought, wrong speech, wrong action, wrong livelihood, wrong effort, wrong mindfulness, wrong concentration,
The pure-hearted one, having clarity of vision,
Being freed from all sense desires,
Is not born again into this world. (Bell)

Express diligent vows and pay thankful respects to the Triple Gem

May we be well,
May we be happy
May we be peaceful
May we be healthy
May we be free from suffering, greed, anger, delusion, hatred, violence, ignorance, wrong view, etc.
May the Buddha and Bodhisattvas bless and protect all anytime and anywhere.
Bodhi, the wonderful Dharma of the Buddha turns noble and stately.
According to the place where I dwell strongly in Dharma learning, Dharma practice, Dharma understanding, and Dharma joy, I feel forever happy and peaceful. (Bell)

Sharing the Merit

May the merit of cultivation today
Be direct toward all living things, and living beings
We and all human beings
Can realize the Buddha’s way together.

Sadhu, lành thay, well-done, and excellence.
Namo Buddhaya. Namo Dharmaya. Namo Sanghaya.
(Bell, bell, bell).

CHANTING SIXTEEN

Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma SamBuddhassa
(Bell, 3 times)

Respectfully pay homage to the Buddha: The World-Honored One, the Worthy One, the Exalted One, the Fully Awakened and Enlightened One. Namo Buddhaya.
Respectfully pay homage to the wonderful Dharma of the Buddha, the path of practicing peace, joy, happiness, understanding, and love for the many right here in the present life. Namo Dharmaya.
Respectfully pay homage to the harmonious and peaceful Sangha of the Buddha, the Community of cultivated people who vow to live their lives of virtue, meditation, wisdom, deliverance, and deliverance with right understanding to benefit oneself and other people right here and right now in the present life. Namo Sanghaya. (Bell)

Praising the Buddha

Namo The Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya.
(Bell, 3 times)
Respectfully pay homage to the Noble Triple Gem

Open Verse

The Dharma is deep and lovely,
Now we have a chance
to see, study, and to practice,
we vow to realize its true meaning.

Namo The Fully Enlightened Buddhaya.
(Bell, 3 times)

DISCOURSE ON THE WHITE-CLAD DISCIPLES

Thus have I heard. On the occasion the World-Honored One was staying at the Jetavana Monastery wholeheartedly offered by Suddata Anathapindika and prince Jeta. One beautiful day, this businessman along with five hundred devotees paid a visit and homage to Venerable Sariputta and other monastics. At that time, Venerable Sariputta used many skillful teachings to preach the Dharma to them, bring many joyful feelings of the Dharma practice, and help them arouse their confident hearts of thirsting for the Triple Gem.

Then, Venerable Sariputta led them all to a hut of the Buddha, prostrated at his feet, and sat down respectfully to one side in mindfulness and awakening postures. The World-Honored One considerately taught them the key things that devotees[1] should be diligent to practice the Buddha Dharma daily to bring peacefulness and happiness to themselves and to others right in the present life.

The key things, namely, are the five ethical trainings and four noble contemplative minds. If devotees lead their devotional and exalted lives, and regularly practice them, right in the present life, they can obtain perfect peacefulness and happiness, contribute to bringing authentic peace to the many all over the planet. Coming at the time of death, they certainly know that they will not fall into the evil realms of hells, hungry ghosts, and animals. Upon understanding and practicing so, devotees have the ability to cultivate, transform their bodies and minds, attain the stream of holy fruition right in life, and have no fear of descending into dark ways.

The first ethical trainings: Devotees who are determined to keep far away from all forms of killing living beings, including creatures. Be aware to nurture and arouse our loving-kindness and compassion hearts by protecting our and others’ lives. Not killing ourselves, not killing living beings by ourselves, not telling others to kill living beings, not inciting others to kill living beings, and not seeing others killing sentient beings, we rejoice to follow them. Aware to protect the natural environment, give up weapons and violence, practice loving-kindness and compassion, transform anger and hatred, know to repent, correct, and be ashamed of wrongdoings. Thanks to practicing so, devotees have the ability to eradicate the roots of the intention of killing, lead their lives of peacefulness and happiness right in the world. O

The second ethical trainings: Devotees who are determined to keep far away from all forms of stealing, not to take what is not given, respect the possessions of others, cherish almsgiving, help people go beyond needy circumstances, find joy before almsgiving, during almsgiving, and after almsgiving; almsgiving without regretting and almsgiving without expecting anything in return. Thanks to practicing so, devotees have the ability to transform and let go of their greedy and stingy hearts, lead their lives of integrity and altruism. O

The third ethical trainings: Devotees who are determined to keep far away from sexual misconduct and adultery, live faithfully with a legal spouse, stay away from kids’ sexuality, spend an appropriate time looking after descendants, do not allow them to play violent games, limit them to play online electronic games, allow them to school, spend time helping them do homework, and teach understanding and love to them. Thanks to practicing so, devotees have the ability to build happiness for their families and contribute to bringing peacefulness to schools and to societies. O

The fourth ethical trainings: Devotees who are determined to keep far away from telling lies – only tell the truth, do not say anything deceitful and false – only say reliable and confident words, do not say anything separate and disharmonious – only say words of construction and suggestions, do not say anything rude and evil – only say polite and elegant words, do not say anything useless and meaningless– only say useful and meaningful words, do not say anything despicable, contemptuous, and reproachful – only say commendable, appreciative, and solidarity words, do not say anything critical, hasty, stressful, and angry – only say loving, affable, pleasant, harmonious, reconciling words. Thanks to practicing so, devotees are worthy to get confident, have the ability to bring prestige and peace to many people. O

The fifth ethical trainings: Devotees are determined to keep far away from alcohol, intoxicants, smoking, and gambling, especially narcotics, to give up the depraved and violent enjoyment habits, such as movies, newspapers, radio, television, not to buy, sell, product, and stockpile weapons and poisons, not to plant cannabis and opium, not to broker and trade in people and rare wildlife.

Be aware that the consumption and use of four kinds of daily nutriments comprise edible foods, feeling foods, volitional foods, and conscious foods in mindfulness and awareness, devotees can abandon and let go of those toxins. Thanks to understanding and practicing so, they can live their healthy and lucid lives and contribute to bringing true peacefulness and happiness to themselves and to others right in the present life. O

The five ethical trainings have been taught by the Tathagata, next are the four noble contemplative minds.

The first noble contemplative mind: Devotees should contemplate that “The World-Honored Buddha; the Teacher is our peaceful, noble, and spiritual Leader; the Teacher is the most worthy to be made offerings to; the Teacher is fully endowed with loving-kindness, compassion, wisdom, and virtue perfectly; the Teacher has skillfully crossed over to the shore of liberation, peace, joy, and happiness completely; the Teacher knows the world thoroughly; the Teacher has the ability to train and teach living things and living beings; the Teacher of both gods and human beings; the Teacher is the fully awakened and enlightened One, the Teacher deserves to be best honored and respected in the world.” O

The second noble contemplative mind: Devotees should contemplate that: “The Dharma of the World-Honored One that has been well proclaimed by the Buddha himself is very practical in the present, has value beyond time, has the ability to transform one’s body and mind, has the ability to extinguish defilements of greed, anger, delusion, arrogance, doubt, wrong view, etc. Taking refuge in the Dharma, wise people who are capable of self-cultivation master the right Dharma, come and see, come and hear, come and learn, come and understand, come and practice, come and enjoy the flowers and fruits of peacefulness and happiness right here and right now in the present life.” O

The third noble contemplative mind: Devotees should contemplate that: “The Sangha of the World-Honored One is the Community traveling on the really good, true, honest, beautiful, and appropriate path; the Community following the Buddha Dharma practices the Buddha Dharma and lives correctly with the Buddha Dharma. In the noble Community, there are those who have attained and are attaining the first holy fruition – the stream-enterers, the second holy fruition – the once-returners, the third holy fruition – the non-returners, and the fourth holy fruition – Arahants, comprise four pairs and eight fruitions of holy people,[2] accomplish all aspects of ethics, meditation, wisdom, deliverance, and deliverance with right understanding. This Community, deserving to be taken refuge in, served, respected, honored, admired, and made offerings to, is the good field of merit for the world to sow and to plant.”[3] O

The fourth noble contemplative mind: Devotees should contemplate that: “The Dharma Precepts of the World-Honored One – the Disciplines (Vinaya) and right mindfulness the Sangha receiving, practicing, spreading, and observing are the perfect precepts’ (Sīla) bodies, are the never broken precepts’ bodies, are the never polluted precepts’ bodies, are the never spotted precepts bodies, are the never mingled precepts’ bodies, are the precepts’ bodies praised and admired by wise people, are the precepts’ bodies with the ability to protect freedom, are the precepts’ bodies leading us to fearlessness, are the precepts’ bodies leading us to virtue, meditation, wisdom, deliverance, and deliverance with right understanding, are the precepts’ bodies leading us to peacefulness and happiness forever.”[4] O

Dear devotees, thanks to contemplating and practicing the four noble contemplative minds entirely, you have the ability to put an end to cravings, ignorance, unhappiness, sorrow, and suffering, transform afflictions of greed, anger, delusion, etc., go beyond the three evil realms of hells, hungry ghosts, and animals, obtain happiness and great joy, build a Paradise or a Pure Land right on earth, and open up many stable and bright directions for life

After having proclaimed the five ethical trainings and four noble contemplative minds to devotees, the World-Honored One considerately summarizes a verse of easy-understanding example as follows:

You who should be bright

Know fear of the evil realms

Diligently practice the Dharma

To transform all sufferings.

Observing the Five Ethical Trainings:

Not killing living beings

Nourishing the compassion heart

Leading lives of little sickness and sorrow

Your longevity always increases.

Not taking what is not given

Letting go of your stingy hearts

Knowing to make offerings and almsgiving

Bringing benefits to yourselves and to others.

Not doing sexual misconduct and adultery

Not abusing children’s sexuality

Faithful to a spouse

Living peacefully and happily.

Not saying deceptive words

Only telling the truth

Right conviction and prestige

Are always trusted.

Determined not to use

Alcohol and drugs

Gambling and smoking

Your minds become lucid and calm.

You frequently contemplate

Virtues of the Buddha,

The Dharma and Sangha,

Ethics and meditation,

Wisdom and deliverance.

Joy in almsgiving

Joy in making offerings

Skillfully sowing and planting the field of merit

Skillfully cultivating good faculties

Diligently practicing right mindfulness

Enlightenment and happiness

Appear right in the present.

Devotees hear clearly

The Tathagata set the examples:

Observe a flock of cows

With the yellow, white ones

With the red, black ones

The brown ones with yellow spots

Or the pigeon gray color.

whether they bring any color

Or where they come from

But their true values

Depend on their transportable strength.

Those that are healthy

are well trained

Pull the carts strongly and quickly

Transport many trips

Are the useful oxen.

All over the world

Many kinds of different people

Kings or civilians

Monastics or lay followers

Females or males

The young or the old

Those who observe the precepts

Live peacefully and calmly

Become people of ethics

Become people of paragons

For oneself and for others.

Making offerings to people like this

Will obtain great virtuous blessings.

The Tathagata never discriminates

Between castes and origins

Those who lack talent, virtue

Wisdom, and cultivation

Do not enlighten anyone,

Do not make benefit for anyone.

Making offerings to those people

Without great virtuous blessings.

The Tathagata’s disciples

Always cultivate wisdom and virtue

Their hearts direct to the World-Honored One

Diligently practice the Buddha Dharma

Diligently support the Sangha

Cultivate the good faculties

Sow the field of merit

Attain Nibbana – true happiness

Right in the world.

After letting go of the physical bodies

You are born up to a peaceful realm

Continue vowing to save living beings

In the worlds of gods and human beings

practice the Dharma together

To bring benefits to themselves and to others.

After having listened to the Buddha’s teachings, Venerable Sariputta, Monastics, the businessman Anathapindika, and the five hundred devotees feel delighted and excited, understand the Buddha’s teachings thoroughly, vow to practice, and propagate the Buddha Dharma to bring benefits and happiness to living beings together. (Bell)

Namo the Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya. (3 times) O

Express diligent vows and pay thankful respects to the Triple Gem

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Buddha. Namo Buddhaya. (One prostration) O

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Dharma. Namo Dharmaya. (One prostration) O

We, disciples of Gautama Buddha, are always aware of ourselves by day and by night, constantly practice and recollect the light of the Sangha. Namo Sanghaya. (One prostration) O

Bodhi, the wonderful Dharma of the Buddha turns noble and stately. According to the place where I dwell strongly in Dharma learning, Dharma practice, Dharma understanding, and Dharma joy, I feel forever happy and peaceful. O

SHARING THE MERIT

May the merit of cultivation today

Be direct toward all living things and living beings

We and all human beings

Can realize the Buddha’s way together.

May we be well,

May we be happy

May we be healthy

May we be peaceful

May we be free from suffering, greed, anger, delusion, hatred, violence, ignorance, etc.

May the Buddha and Bodhisattvas bless and protect all anytime and anywhere.

Sadhu, lành thay, well-done, and excellence.
Namo Buddhaya. Namo Dharmaya. Namo Sanghaya.

OOO

[1] www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an05/an05.179.than.html

[2] Sotāpanna means the noble person who enters the first holy stream is called the stream-entry (Sotāpatti phala), the stream-winner, or the stream-enterer (Sotāpanna). This person has attained the Path (Magga) (i) and the fruition (Phala) (ii) of Sotāpanna. Sakadāgāmī means the noble person who enters the second holy stream is called the once-returner (Sakadāgāmī). This person has attained the Path (Magga) (iii) and the fruition (Phala) (iv) of Sakadāgāmī. Anāgāmī means the noble person who enters the third holy stream is called the non-returner (Anāgāmī). This person has attained the Path (Magga) (v) and the fruition (Phala) (vi) of Anāgāmī. S. Arahanta = or P. Arahant means the noble person who enters the fourth holy stream is called the one who has deserved to be offered (1), who has killed the enemies of afflictions (2), who has broken the evil things completely (3), who has made maras of defilements terrified (4), who has ended the samsara of birth and death (5). This person has attained the Path (Magga) (vii) and the fruition (Phala) (viii) of Arahanta.

(i) and (ii) as one pair, (iii) and (iv) as one pair, (v) and (vi) as one pair, (vii) and (viii) as one pair, all consist of four pairs. Calculating from the Path (Magga) and the fruition (Phala) of (i) to the Path (Magga) and the fruition (Phala) of (viii), we totally have the four pairs and the eight fruitions of holy persons (Cattāri purisayugāni aṭṭha purisapuggalā).

[3] http://www.aimwell.org/assets/PathofPurification2011.pdf Part II, Chapter VII, pp. 215 – 218.

[4] http://www.aimwell.org/assets/PathofPurification2011.pdf Part II, Chapter VII, pp. 218-9.

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The meaning of the Ceremony of Rose being Pinned on your Pocket

Vu Lan Festival and the word Filiality in Buddhism

Good Poems in this year’s Summer Retreat Season

Tranquilly Dwelling Tradition in Buddhism

A few words of deep gratitude to everyone during the Vesak season and Ordination Ceremony for American Brother

Letter of vowing and aspiring to become a monastic One

The Ritual of Vesak Day Chanting compiled by Pháp Nhãn Temple