Memorial Temple

 

Memorial Temple

These days, I keep missing a temple, a temple that holds many family memories.

When I was little, my father used to put all the children in an old Jeep Wagon from Dalat, drive through Trai Mat, through the spectacular Ngoan Muc pass, through Don Duong, down to Phan Rang to Ninh Chu beach to go swimming.

My father took us to Trung Khanh temple. The abbot was my grandmother's younger brother, we went to worship Buddha, stayed for a vegetarian meal. In the afternoon, we returned to Dalat. We left in the morning and returned home in the afternoon. And many times, my father took us like that.

The monk has gone to Buddha's land, he lies in the tower next to the temple.

My grandmother has also gone to heaven, my parents have too.

My mother told me that when she was little girl, her uncle, a monk, went to pray here and there, often brought back cakes for his sister's children to eat, and also gave them money. My mother concluded that "eating food from the common people was very heavy because being a vegetarian and chanting sutras and reciting Buddha's name will never be enough to pay off the common people debt." Is that true???

I remember my parents had a very close acquaintance for many years, Ms. Nuoi. One day, when she passed by my parents' house, it was raining so she stopped by to take shelter from the rain. She was on her way home after doing volunteer work at Linh Son Pagoda near my house. She happily told me about doing volunteer work and chanting sutras and after cleaning up the kitchen, she asked for some leftover rice from the kitchen to bring home. She opened the bag that she was holding, took out a lump of white rice and gave it to me, saying "Eat this little bit of Buddha's blessing rice to enjoy some of Buddha's blessing". She wanted to share some of the blessing, calling it "Buddha's blessing", and tried to feed me a little bit to gain merit. At first, I was embarrassed and shook my head, but she smiled and encouraged me to eat with her while eating so that I would have merit with her. I was also shy and reluctant to eat a bite, she also took out the rice from the package and ate it deliciously, then she continued to peel the "Buddha's blessing" orange and gave me half of it. The orange was so sweet, it was like drinking the nectar of Buddha. Eating some leftover rice from the temple kitchen, "drinking" some sweet orange juice, joy spread throughout the space that afternoon. I will never forget her happy smile that day.

We were loved by the monk's grand uncle for many years. The monk's blessing was also many good books in the temple library for me to read at that time. The good memory I remember is that I was blessed to have parents, grandparents, and relatives of my parents who are also great and enlightened beings who are respected.

I pray that the Buddhas of the ten directions bless all the seniors to be at peace in nirvana.

Thank you.