Our Teacher offered the following words as part of our memorial ceremony honoring our lineage founder, Minh Hai Phap Bao.
WORDS OF PRAISE IN REMEMBRANCE OF OUR SPIRITUAL ANCESTOR
We respectfully bow in gratitude to our Enlightened Patriarch.
Many years ago, in the autumn of the year of the pig, the Patriarch traveled to the capital of Dai Viet and held an ordination ceremony. He then returned to Hoi An for the sake of his descendants, to establish the birthplace of our lineage. This winter, in the year of the dragon 2024, we respectfully invite the Venerable Monks and Nuns from across the United States to Dinh Quang Temple. We gather each year to offer gratitude to and honor the Patriarch, in fulfillment of our teachers’ wish.
We respectfully bow in gratitude to our Enlightened Patriarch.
Born into a simple family in Fujian province, the Bodhi seed was planted deep within him. He began to study the teachings when he was nine years old, diligently cultivating his vows and actions both day and night. At the age of 20, he attained the precepts, perfected his virtues, ascended the ordination platform, and joined the Buddha’s true inheritance. From then on, his virtues shone brightly and he was able to transmit the Dharma far and wide. He was given names befitting his practice. His Dharma name, Minh Hai, is the bright pearl in the sea of miraculous Dharma. His monastic name is Dac Tri and his special name, given by his Master as an inheritance, is Phap Bao. With the compassionate wish to share the Dharma, he founded the Lam Te lineage to keep the lamp of transmission burning in the next generation. By opening the doors of the Lam Te lineage, he opened to the world the doors of wisdom and compassion. This was the fruit of faithfully walking the path and teaching throughout the capital, with a dedication to save all sentient beings. With these rare conditions won and the great vow fulfilled, the ordination platform was realized. Sitting in the Dharma seat, wisdom shone across Hoi An, filling it with spiritual energy and illuminating the Holy Path.
Founded and guided by such a true Teacher from its start, the Chuc Thanh lineage provides a path and shelter, offering a sacred dignity to all who practice:
With wisdom and skillful means, through the months and days,
the Heart Seal is passed on.
The wonderful Dharma, like a lamp,
illuminates all its descendants.
Transcending ignorance,
the true Buddha nature is revealed.
Transcending birth and death,
the Bodhi mind flourishes.
Its cool and refreshing spring
quenches the thirst of all who suffer.
The darkness of ignorance disappears in the light of perfect understanding,
guiding the ignorant to the right path.
We respectfully bow in gratitude to our Enlightened Patriarch.
In the Samyutta Nikaya, the Buddha taught that a spiritual master has cultivated virtue and wisdom, understanding the wonderful opportunity to practice for the highest benefit in both the present and the future. Understanding the benefit in the present, they keep the precepts, restrain from doing evil deeds, and live free from harm to oneself and others. Understanding the benefit for the future, they know that the human body is impermanent and subject to change. Knowing that wealth and property cannot be taken to the grave, they live free from stinginess and selfishness, practicing generosity with a heart full of love. Practicing the precepts, deepening concentration, and cultivating insight leading to wisdom, they quickly escape the cycle of birth and death. The Prajnaparamita Sutra says that Bodhisattvas who aspire to enlightenment begin by connecting with and serving true spiritual masters. In the Lotus Sutra, being close to a Good and Wise One is a superior cause and condition that helps practitioners quickly escape birth, death, and the cycle of rebirth. The Avatamsaka Sutra teaches that Good and Wise Friends are like parents, giving birth to the Buddha-nature. They are like wet nurses, nurturing us and protecting us from doing evil. They are like spiritual teachers, guiding us out of delusion. And they are like physicians, curing the disease of greed, hatred, and delusion. Among the four graces, it is the Three Jewels that transform the ordinary mind into the most noble and boundless grace. It illuminates our true nature, guiding us from delusion to enlightenment, from suffering to joy, and from ordinary to holy.
We respectfully bow in gratitude to our Enlightened Patriarch.
If it were not for the Patriarch’s dedication to serving and transmitting the Dharma 327 years ago, we could not enjoy the continuity of our spiritual life and peace like we do today. We do not comprehend all the wonderful causes and conditions that have given us the good fortune to become monastics, studying and following the teachings and enjoying our inheritance of the Lam Te Chuc Thanh lineage. Originating from our wise and virtuous Zen master, and succeeded by virtuous patriarchs, we see a history shining with bright wisdom. This unbroken lineage, passed from one great master to another across twelve generations, remains to the present day. The Chuc Thanh Dharma has spread this light of wisdom in all directions: south, north, east, and west; inside and outside the country.
A tree has roots and a river has a source. The Buddha and the Patriarchs are our roots and source, and we are the continuation of them.
We vow to remember your infinite generosity and grace, practicing and passing on this source of wisdom and compassion, the energy of peace and joy. We vow to always practice the Dharma that the Buddha and the Patriarchs transmitted to us, liberating all beings.
We vow to treasure, preserve, and diligently cultivate this precious spiritual inheritance, transforming our suffering and helping all beings do the same. We vow to embody this Dharma in each moment, building a Pure Land on earth. We vow to practice living peacefully in the present, nurturing stability and ease within ourselves and others.
We vow to respect and care for each other as siblings, nurturing kinship. We vow to practice diligently: cultivating morality, living in harmony and love, and walking together on the Noble Eightfold path. In this way, we become true descendants of the World-Honored One and all the Patriarchs. We ask the Patriarch and all our ancestors to witness our sincere and devoted hearts.
With the four assemblies near and far, we bow deeply: touching the earth, offering incense to remember and honor this profound inheritance of virtue, generosity, and diligent practice. May the spirit of our Patriarchs manifest in all times and places; may their teachings always bring peace; may their skillful means shine wisdom everywhere.
“May the path of the Buddha grow brighter. May the Dharma become clearer. May all follow the way of right practice. May everyone be free and equal. May compassion enter into this world, allowing the sun of wisdom to shine clearly, so that the path of liberation is appreciated everywhere and the Dharma rain falls, benefiting all species. May the Sangha that is present here practice diligently, showing concern and love for each other as they would for their own family, transforming their consciousness.” May all our ancestors in every generation bear witness to our aspirations and protect our practice.