Xem trong Thư phòng    Xem định dạng khác Xem định dạng khác    Xem Mục lục Xem Mục lục 

SÁCH AMAZON


Mua bản sách in

During the years 2005-2006, we were reporters and collaborators of Giac Ngo newspaper (the mouthpiece of the Ho Chi Minh City Buddhist Sangha), and by good fortune had the opportunity to visit Quan Am Monastery (Bien Hoa - Dong Nai) to make reports on the study and practice activities of Lien Tong Tinh Do Non Bong, a branch of the Vietnamese Pure Land Sect. The founder of the Lien Tong sect was Venerable Thien Phuoc - Nhut Y, a disciple of Master Ong Buu Duc. He was originally a true disciple of Master Nui Tuong, belonging to the Buu Son Ky Huong sect.

Although I had received the precepts from the founder, Venerable Thich Tu Duc (Mr. Tu Bo De), a disciple of Venerable Thien Phuoc - Nhut Y since 1968, but this time returning to the ancestral temple as a journalist, also a disciple of the lineage, I still felt many new things from the teachings of Venerable Thien Phuoc - Nhut Y, who in the lineage still called him with the respectful and intimate name of Mother Trau.

When I was a child, when I went with my teacher, Venerable Thich Tu Duc, to visit Mother Trau, he often patted our heads and gave us advice: "If you try to be vegetarian and recite Buddha's name, each defect will be healed"! Listening to his teachings, we began to practice vegetarianism and recite Buddha's name. Although we had not yet practiced deeply, we felt the peace originating in our souls like the water of a cool stream gradually seeping into the ground. His teachings were simple, his practice was also simple, but to practice them to perfection, it took decades, and until now, some of us still have not been able to practice them.

And then, around the summer of 2007, during a night stay at Quan Am Tu Vien during a business trip in Bien Hoa, we were reminded by God to follow in the footsteps of the Master, contribute to the work and merit with the monks, nuns, and Buddhists in the sect, practice the good deeds of vegetarianism and recite Buddha's name and encourage fellow practitioners inside and outside the sect to follow the Master's teachings to study and practice, transform body and mind, and be diligent on the path of liberation...

And the idea of using poetry to convey the Master's teachings, the main idea of Buddhism was born from there. Then the future birth of the Huong Thien publication was a budding idea at that time, chosen by the brothers and sisters in the circle as a feasible solution so that everyone could join hands in doing Buddhist work.

To prepare for the birth of the Huong Thien publication, the brothers and sisters in the writing group came to pay their respects, pay their respects and listen to the teachings of: Venerable Thich Nu Hue Giac - current Patriarch of the Pure Land Non Bong Sect, Venerable Thich Giac Quang - Deputy Abbot of Quan Am Monastery, Venerable Thich Hien Phap - Deputy Dharma Master of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha Council of Evidence, Venerable Thich Nhut Quang - Thuong Chieu Zen Monastery, Venerable Thich Nu Nhu Duc - Vien Chieu Zen Monastery, Venerable Thich Thien Tai - Abbot of Linh Buu Pagoda and many other venerable monks and nuns that we cannot mention here.

From the teachings and orientations of the venerable Zen masters, Huong Thien publication No. 01 with the theme "Zen in daily life", in which the content “vegetarianism” and “mindful eating” are emphasized. The first issue of Huong Thien, to celebrate the full moon day of Ha Nguyen (full moon day of the 10th lunar month), was released on October 10, 2007 under the license of Saigon Culture Publishing House. The publication is 14x20cm in size, 72 pages thick, with a 4-color offset cover and 1 black and white inside. According to the plan of the Editorial Board (including Venerable Thich Thien Tai, poet Pham Thien Thu, writer Nhat Chieu, journalist Nguyen Duc To, journalist Phan Cat Tuong), the publication will be published 4 times a year, falling on 4 major holidays in Buddhism: Maitreya Bodhisattva's birthday (also known as Lunar New Year), Buddha's birthday (from the 8th to the 15th day of the 4th lunar month), Vu Lan festival (the 15th day of the 7th lunar month) and Amitabha Buddha's birthday (17th day of the 11th lunar month

The first issues in 2007-2008, each issue only published 500 copies of 72 pages, the cover price was 12,500 VND. Later, due to the needs of readers and the development direction of the magazine, the number of pages increased from 72 pages to 100 pages, then 164 pages and now 196 pages. Due to the increase in pages, the price of paper and printing costs both increased, so the price The cover price gradually increased to 25,000 VND. However, with this cover price, if the Editorial Board published all 2,000 copies, it would only be close to breaking even, and could not make a profit in the current book and newspaper market.

Because the Editorial Board did not have the funds to rent an office, it initially worked at the Stone Statue Cafe (Hang Xanh area, Binh Thanh district) owned by sculptor Tru Cong Vu. The cafe was later transferred, and the Editorial Board had to temporarily work at sidewalk cafes in the Turtle Lake area, Nguyen Cong Tru area, Tu Xuong area or under the eaves of familiar pagodas... The publication was distributed at pagodas, monasteries, hermitages, hermitages, Buddhist chanting halls, Buddhist scripture distribution rooms, dojos, assembly halls, meditation halls, rebirth halls, etc. The budget collected from the previous issue will be used to make the next issue of Huong Thien.

The difficulty began to appear when the Editorial Board did not have the funds to organize the network The distribution network and the proceeds from the previous issue were not enough to cover the following issue. To overcome the difficulties in distribution, the collaborators, writers, poets, journalists, etc., personally volunteered to buy and sell newspapers to help the Editorial Board and of course they became members of the distribution network of Huong Thien. Although they collaborated without salary, without compensation, without being rewarded by anyone, the joy was still evident on the faces of each person: Poet Lu Chau, poet Nguyen Hai Thao, poet Thai Thanh Nguyen, poet Bich Nhan Ho, poet Tam Nhien, poet Nhuan Tam, poet Nhuan Thanh, writer Chu Bich Hoa, journalist Nguyen Duc To, journalist Van Thanh, calligrapher Bui Hien, calligrapher Hieu Tin, sculptor Tru Cong Vu, painter Dac Thuc, painter Mai Tuan, musician Tran Hue Hien, etc. All joined hands, without any private calculation, so that Huong Thien No. 1, No. 2, then No. 3, No. 4... were successively released on time, in sufficient quantity and became a new spiritual food for Buddhists in Saigon and neighboring provinces such as Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Tay Ninh, Long An, ... Although it was extremely difficult financially, Huong Thien gradually developed in the Central Highlands such as Ban Me Thuot, Pleiku, Kon Tum, ... and reached Quang Ngai, Phu Yen, Binh Dinh, Hue, ... The number of publications also gradually increased from 500 copies/issue to 700, 900, 1,000, 1,500, 2,000, ...

Up to now (2017), Huong Thien has gone through 10 years of publishing with more than 40 issues, producing more than 60,000 printed copies to serve nearly 10,000 regular readers nationwide.

Huong Thien has stood firm for the past 10 years, first of all thanks to the blessings of the Three Jewels, the blessings of the Founder since the publication was in the egg; next must mention the Venerable Masters who witnessed: Venerable Thich Hien Phap, Venerable Thich Giac Quang, Venerable Thich Nhat Quang, Venerable Thich Nu Hue Giac; members of the Editorial Board: Venerable Thich Thien Tai, poet Pham Thien Thu, writer Nhat Chieu, journalist Nguyen Duc To; chief writers: poet Nguyen Hai Thao, poet Nam Chu, writer Tran Bao Dinh, writer Nguyen Hoang Dong, journalist Minh Man, musician Tran Duc Tam, musician Giac An, painter Nguyen Thinh, doctor Le Hanh,...

Also do not forget the pagodas that have nurtured the life of Huong Thien such as: Quan Am Tu Vien (Bien Hoa), Thuong Chieu Zen Monastery, Linh Chieu, Vien Chieu, Phat Tich Tong Lam (Long Thanh - Dong Nai), Chon Khong Zen Monastery, Quan The Am Pagoda (Vung Tau), (Hung Phuoc Pagoda (District 3), Linh Son Pagoda (District 1), Hue Lam Pagoda (District 6), Duoc Su Pagoda, Ngoc Phuong Monastery, Pho Minh Pagoda (Go Vap), Long Hoa Pagoda, Lien Hoa Pagoda and especially Linh Buu Pagoda (District 8), which has sheltered Huong Thien for a long time, is the place where the Huong Thien group of writers returns after each issue of the year for collaborators to meet, sow the seeds of the Three Jewels, pay homage to Buddha, visit the monks and receive some Buddhist blessings from Venerable Thich Thien Tai.

Not forgetting the friendly coffee shops of Huong Thien such as: Soi Da, Ky Uc, Chieu Tim, Ho Con Rua, Nha Viet, Hoai, Bong Sao, 3K... and vegetarian restaurants: Giac Ngo, Hoa Sen, Phap Hoa, Thien Duyen,... which used to be the "planting of si trees" addresses of the Editorial Board and the Heads of Boards during the difficult days... Until now, perhaps Huong Thien is the only magazine that does not have a fixed location for the Editorial Office, does not have a bank account and is not able to pay royalties to the team of collaborators. This "3 no" magazine, although So, in the past 10 years (2007-2017), it has been the "ideal meeting place" for more than 100 collaborators who are writers, poets, journalists, teachers, professional and amateur writers, etc. All of them love the "poverty" and simplicity of Huong Thien, all of them consider Huong Thien as a home to live together, a place to write and express their deepest thoughts, a place to share their worries and thoughts with friends, colleagues and readers near and far.

Not forgetting the motorbike taxi and three-wheeled motorbike drivers: Nam Hong, Tu Map, Bay Trang, Ut Tam, etc. who were present on every kilometer, not shy about "the long road wet with rain" to deliver newspapers to the right place, at the right time for customers near and far without asking for any compensation other than a little money just enough for gas.

Not forgetting all the elderly, children, the disabled, women lottery ticket sellers, cyclo drivers, ... have respectfully placed the last few coins in their pockets in the Tam Bao Phuc Dien box on the main hall of the pagodas participating in the distribution of Huong Thien when they happily held in their hands the publication of Huong Thien given by the Abbot to Buddhists on the great holidays. How can we express all the hardships and the countless golden hearts that have come to Huong Thien throughout the difficult journey that has passed...

The final words of the Editorial Board are great gratitude to the benefactors who have accompanied Huong Thien in difficult times, even though we know that this publication is only a modest contribution to the contemporary Buddhist culture.

PHAN CAT TUONG

» Tải file Word về máy » - In chương sách này

Tiếp tục nghe? 🎧

Bạn có muốn nghe tiếp từ phân đoạn đã dừng không?