FEELINGS OF DEEP GRATITUDE TO THE LATE MOST VENERABLE ELDER MASTER THÍCH TỊNH ĐỨC
His Excellency the most venerable Elder Master, Supreme Patriarch Thích Pháp Nhẫn,
Respectfully, Dear the Most Venerable Masters, Depute Patriarchs Thích Chơn Trí, Thích Huyền Việt, and Thích Bửu Đức, the Oversea Vietnamese Theravada Buddhist Sangha.
Respectfully, Dear the Most Venerable Elder Masters, Senior Venerable Monks and Nuns.
Dear distinguished guests, intellectuals, and lay Buddhist Devotees
Today, April 16, 2022 is the 100 days of the late Most Venerable Thích Tịnh Đức, our Master and Benefactor in the Dharma.
First of all, we would like to ask for your health, joy, and peace.
Dear You all,
Our most Venerable Dharma Benefactor and Master Thích Tịnh Đức, the Founder of Đạo Quang Temple in Garland City, Texas, was born on August 1, 1944, at the age of the Monkey Year, and passed away on the evening of January 7, 2022, that is, on the 5th day of the lunar December of the Buffalo Year, at this Đạo Quang Temple, at the worldly age of 78 years old and at the Dharma age of 52 years old. When still alive, relying stably on the Buddha’s teachings and in order to apply the Buddhadharma in life, our Dharma teacher often taught his monastic and lay disciples as follows:
“Impermanence which is permanent
Is the law of birth and death
Birth and death are gone
Passing away is happy.”
With the meanings of the above verse, we find out that: According to the law of impermanence, when born out, people have to go through the stages of aging, sickness, and death. In the process of life and death, our Dharma teacher always puts all his heart, effort, wisdom, virtue, and spiritual energy to establish the Dharma center and build the Three Jewels everywhere in the spirit of great service to humanity very kindly and attentively.
Being well aware of that, while still breathing and alive, our teacher makes the Dharma path peaceful and happy, and when his senses were no longer active, our teacher let go out of this light physical body and entered Nirvana at peace and freedom.
Dear the Venerable Monastics and the Sangha today,
It has been 100 days since our Master passed away until today. With the presence and witnesses of the Most Venerable, Senior Venerable Elder Masters, Monks, and Nuns, we, Dharma disciples and family relatives, feel very warm and sincerely make offering ceremony of the 100 days for our Master and benefactor in the Dharma. We wholeheartedly and respectfully pay homage to you.
We are always aware that despite the long distance, despite the advanced age and weak health, although you are busy with many Buddhist activities at the Temple, you have taken the right time to come to Đạo Quang Temple to jointly support the spiritual energy by chanting Sutras, teaching the Dharma, and contributing wholeheartedly sincere prayers to the Enlightened Soul of our Master.
At this Đạo Quang Temple, we respectfully and gratefully pay homage to you all. May the Three Jewels always bless and protect you; your wisdom nature and wisdom lamp always shine. You are forever the shades of the Bodhi tree coolly covering our posterity to be imbued with the light of loving-kindness, compassion, and wisdom of the Buddha.
Namo The Original Master Sakyamuni Buddhaya
(Kneel down and wait for the Venerable Elder Master to have a few words of the Dharma)
Above, his Excellency the most venerable Elder Master, Supreme Patriarch, who compassionately proves and bestows upon us the words of the Dharma milk, we the four groups of Buddhists at Dao Quang Temple would like to make the vow to try to practice, to try to practice, and strive to practice in order to walk together on the happy path, practice towards enlightenment and liberation, make life beautified.
Namo Buddhaya
Namo Dharmaya
Namo Sanghaya.
We sincerely bow down to the Three Jewels three times.
