Phương Hoàng Hamilton

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Old Photos

Old photos

Looking back at the photos my cousin sent, I remembered my mother's younger brother. Both of my mother's younger brothers and my mother have gone to heaven to reunite with our grandparents.

I remember my father, when we were in 3rd and 4th grade, every summer, my parents let me and my younger brother stay at my uncle and aunt's house for a month so that he could tutor us in math, practice writing short essays, and write correct Vietnamese spelling. My uncle and aunt took care of the children like their own children. That's why our family love has developed until now.

When school was off in the summer, my father took the opportunity to drive us all to my maternal and paternal hometowns.

We only went out for a few days, but those trips created for my sisters, brothers and me beautiful memories of our grandparents' hometowns and our paternal and maternal relatives.

These memories nurtured our love for our homeland and family.

Thank you, parents.

Những tấm ảnh cũ xưa

Xem lại những tấm ảnh của em họ gởi, tôi nhớ lại em của má mình. cả hai cậu em của má tôi và má tôi đã về thiên đường sum họp với ông bà.

Tôi nhớ ba mình, ngày xưa lúc học lớp 3 và lớp 4, mỗi muà hè, ba má tôi cho tôi và em trai qua nhà cậu mợ Bốn ở chơi cả tháng để cậu dạy kèm toán, tập viết bài văn ngắn, viết chính tả tiếng Việt cho đúng. Cậu mợ đã chăm sóc các cháu như con mình. Vì vậy mà tình thương gia đình phát triển mãi cho tới bây giờ.

Muà hè được nghỉ học ba tôi lại nhân dịp nghỉ lái xe chở hết chúng tôi về quê ngoại và quê nội.

Chúng tôi đi chơi vài ngày thôi, nhưng những chuyến đi đó tạo cho chị em chúng tôi ký ức tột đẹp về quê hương ông bà và bà con họ hàng bên nội và bên ngoại.

Những kỷ niệm này nuôi lớn tình thương quê hương và gia tộc.

Tạ ơn cha mẹ.

Saturday, February 22, 2025

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.

Friday, February 21, 2025

Ngôi Chuà Kỷ Niệm

Chuà Kỷ Niệm

Mấy ngày nay cứ nhớ một ngôi chuà, ngôi chuà mang nhiều kỷ niệm gia đình.

Lúc nhỏ ba tôi hay bỏ hết đám con lóc nhóc lên chiếc xe Jeep Wagon cũ kỷ từ Đàlạt chạy qua Trại Mát, qua đèo ngoạn Mục, qua Đơn dương, xuống Phan Rang tới bờ biển Ninh Chữ đi tắm biển.

Ba chở chúng tôi tới ngôi chuà Trùng Khánh. Vị sư trú trì là em của bà ngoại, chúng tôi vào lễ Phật, ở lại ăn cơm chay. Buổi chiều lại quay về ĐàLạt. Đi buổi sáng rồi về nhà buổi chiều. Và nhiều lần chúng tôi được ba mình chở đi như vậy.

Vị sư ngày xưa đã về cõi Phật, ngài nằm trong cái tháp bên hông chuà.

Bà ngoại cũng đã về thiên đường, ba má tôi cũng vậy.

Má tôi kể với tôi rằng ngày xưa còn bé ông cậu thầy tu đi cúng nơi này nơi kia thường đem oản về cho cháu ăn, còn phát tiền cho các cháu. Má tôi kết luận "ăn của bá tánh là nặng nề lắm vì ăn chay tụng kinh niệm Phật cả đời không hết nợ đó con." Thật vậy sao???

Tôi nhớ ba má tôi có người quen thân rất thân thuộc nhiều năm là chị Nuôi. Có hôm đó chị đi ngang nhà cha mẹ tôi thì trời đổ mưa nên chị ghé vào trú mưa, chị đang trên đường về sau khi làm công quả trong chuà Linh Sơn gần nhà tôi ở. Chị vui vẻ kể chuyện làm công quả tụng kinh và sau khi dọn dẹp trong bếp chị xin chút cơm thưà trong bếp đem về. Chị mở cái túi đang cầm bốc ra một cục cơm trắng đưa cho tôi và nói " ăn c̣hút cơm lộc Phật này cho hưởng chút lộc Phật" . Chị muốn chia xẻ chút lộc gọi là "lộc Phật" còn cố đút cho tôi ăn chút cho có phước. Lúc đầu tôi mắc cở lắc đầu thì chị cười vừa ăn vừa khuyến khích tôi ăn theo chị cho có phước với chị. Tôi cũng ngại ngùng miễn cưỡng ăn một miếng, chị cũng bốc tiếp cơm trong gói ra ăn ngon lành hết gói cơm, rồi chị tiếp tục lột quả cam "lộc Phật" cho tôi một nữa quả. Cam thật ngọt, đúng là được uống nước cam lồ của Phật. Ăn chút cơm thừa từ nhà bếp chuà, "uống" chút nước cam ngọt mà hoan hỷ lan toả trong không gian chiều hôm đó. Tôi không bao giờ quên nụ cười tươi hạnh phúc của chị hôm đó.

Chúng tôi đã được ông cậu thầy tu yêu thương nhiều năm. Lộc Phật của sư ông còn là nhiều cuốn sách hay trong thư viện chuà cho riêng tôi đọc lúc đó nữa. Kỷ niệm tốt đẹp nhớ lại là tôi đã có phước nên có cha mẹ ông bà và những người thân thuộc bà con của cha mẹ cũng là những bậc đại trí đại giác được kính trọng.

Cầu xin mười phương chư Phật độ trì cho tất cả các tiền bối được bình an trong cõi niết bàn.

Tạ ơn.

Sunday, February 16, 2025

Snow Day

Tuyết ơi là tuyết

Tuyết trắng xoá

Ngập sân trước

Đầy sân sau

Từ hôm qua

Tới hôm nay

Một màu trắng

Trắng tinh tuyền

Thật đẹp quá

Ngồi trong nhà

Qua cửa sổ

Tuyết vẫn rơi

Tiếp tục rơi

Cho tới bao giờ???

Snow white

Full of front yard

Full of back yard

From yesterday

To today

All white

Pure white

So beautiful

Sitting in the house

Through the window

Snow still falls

Continues to fall

Until when???

Saturday, January 11, 2025

White day

Trời trắng

Đất cũng trắng

Mặt trời mờ xa xa

Có gì đặc biệt cho hôm nay???

Im lặng trong không gian

Bình an và tĩnh lặng giây phút này

Thế là đủ rồi đó!!!

The sky is white

The earth is white

The sun is dim in the distance

What's special about today???

Silence in the air

Peace and tranquility in this moment

That's enough!!!

Wednesday, January 8, 2025

"Walking around" by My Computer

“Đi dạo”

Một vòng trong computer

Đọc 1 bài Pháp thoại

“Xem”

Hoa đẹp

Câu chuyện hay

Áo quần giày dép đẹp

Chỉ là xem thôi

“Gởỉ” vài “like”

Đi dạo xong rồi

Tiếp tục ngắm tuyết trắng

Ngoài cửa sổ

Trước hiên nhà

Trời trắng nối với đất trắng

Bình an

“Walking”

A circle in the computer

Read a Dharma talk

“Watching”

Beautiful flowers

Good stories

Nice clothes and shoes

Just watching

“Sending” a few “likes”

Finished "walking"

Continue watching the white snow

Outside the window

In front of the porch

White sky connecting to white earth

Peace

Chili jars of love

Thương Yêu

Nhìn 2 hủ ớt nhỏ được tặng hôm tiệc ngày cuối năm, tôi tự gọi đây là “hủ ớt của tình thương yêu”. Tôi được chia xẻ 2 hủ ớt cay này để nếm trải tình thương yêu nồng nàn của cặp vợ chồng đã kết hôn từ khoảng năm 1965. Tôi không biết năm 2 người kết hôn năm nào nhưng con trai đầu của 2 người sinh năm 1966 là năm sau đó, nên tôi đoán thôi. Cũng có khi đã kết hôn vài năm mới có con.

Chị vợ thích ăn ớt, trong mỗi bữa ăn có thêm vị cay ăn cơm mới ngon. Cho nên anh chồng trồng ớt rất giỏi, ớt của anh trồng được chăm sóc cẩn thận trong chậu. Mỗi năm anh trồng đủ thứ ớt. Dĩ nhiên loại ớt chỉ thiên màu đỏ đẹp nhiều nhất. Bên này mùa đông hết 6 tháng nên có trồng gì cũng chỉ trong 6 tháng còn lại của 3 muà xuân hạ thu, muà hè là chủ yếu và canh thời gian mà thu hoạch trong đầu muà đông. Rồi sấy khô ớt làm bột. Ngâm dấm ớt để dành ăn dần. Cất ớt tươi vào freezer ăn tươi dần...đủ cách bảo quản ớt tốt tươi ngon lành. Tới nhà anh chị mà ăn cơm và thêm chút ớt này thấy thấm thiá tình thương chồng vợ.

Ớt cũng rẻ thôi mà, mua vài dollars là một gói to ăn cả năm. Nhưng vì vợ thích ăn ớt mà chồng đi trồng vài lọai ớt cho nàng ăn cơm ngon miệng là câu chuyện tình để tôi ngưỡng mộ.

Anh chị là thầy cô giáo ngày xưa. Bây giờ cả 2 đã trên 80 gần 90. Anh chị thương con cháu của mình rồi mà cũng thương học trò của mình. Anh chị cũng thương anh em họ hàng xa gần, cho nên quà của anh chị tặng từng người cuối năm nhân ngày họp mặt giáng sinh là mỗi nhà là một cặp ớt bột trong 2 cái hủ nhỏ xinh.

Tôi thường thiếu chánh niệm trong lúc ăn uống, nên có 2 “hủ ớt của tình thương yêu”này ăn một chút trong mỗi bữa để rồi một chút cay này làm mình tập trung chánh niệm hơn. Cũng suy ngẫm thấm thía tình thương phu thê đậm đà trọn đời.

Cám ơn anh chị. Bài học yêu thương để tự nghĩ mình có tỏ tình thương của mình cho người yêu mỗi ngày qua chưa nhỉ ???

Love

Looking at the two small jars of chili that were given at the New Year's Eve party, I called them "chili jars of love". I was given these two jars of spicy chili to taste the passionate love of a couple who had been married since around 1965. I don't know what year they got married, but their first son was born in 1966, the year after, so I guessed. Maybe they had been married for a few years before having children.

The wife loves to eat chili, adding a spicy flavor to each meal makes the rice taste better. Therefore, the husband is very good at growing chili, the chili he grows is carefully cared for in pots. Every year he grows all kinds of chili. Of course, the most beautiful red chili is the one. Here, winter lasts 6 months, so whatever you plant, you only grow it in the remaining 6 months of the 3 seasons: spring, summer, and fall, and mainly harvest it in early winter. Then dry the chili into powder. Soak it in vinegar to save for later use. Store fresh chili in the freezer to eat fresh gradually...there are many ways to preserve chili well and deliciously. When you come to my house to eat rice and add a little bit of this chili, you will feel the love between husband and wife.

Chili is also cheap, buy a few dollars for a big package to eat all year round. But because his wife loves to eat chili, the husband grows several types of chili for her to eat delicious rice, a love story that I admire.

The couple were teachers in the past. Now both of them are over 80, almost 90. They love their children and grandchildren and also love their students. They also love their relatives, near and far, so the gift they gave each person at the end of the year on the Christmas gathering was a pair of chili powder in 2 small, pretty jars for each family.

I often lack mindfulness when eating, so having these 2 "chili jars of love" makes me eat a little bit at each meal so that this little bit of spiciness helps me focus more on mindfulness. I also reflect on the deep love between husband and wife for life.

Thank you. Love lesson to think about whether I express my love to my lover every day???