The second lesson from the Earth
On 17 September 2020, Thay Thich Truc Thai Minh — the Abbot of Ba Vang Pagoda, preached the second part of the lecture “Lessons learned from the Earth” belonging to Milindapanha Sutra. Due to the effect of COVID-19, the lecture was online streamed.
Lay Buddhists watching the Dharma talk “Lessons learned from the Earth” from home.
Before starting, Thay briefly reviewed the first quality of the Earth that a monk needs practise, that is, patience.
>>> Read more: The importance of patient endurance in Buddhism practice
Moving on to the main part, Thay preached about the second feature of the Earth. According to the Sutra, “as the earth has no adornment, no garlands, but is suffused with the odour of itself; just so, should the strenuous Bhikshu, earnest in effort, wear no finery, but rather be set round with the sweet savour of his own righteousness of life.” The earth never adorns itself or requires anything, but “it is the source from which many jewels such as diamond, gold and silver, etc. are born,” Thay analysed. “Likewise, a Buddhist monk doesnt think that he has to adorn himself because of his ego. He indeed always beautifies himself with precious jewels made from his noble virtues and qualities,” added Thay
At the end of the talk, Thay expressed His wish, “all Buddhists will become more beautiful day by day by their wholesome qualities, like doing kind deeds, saying kind words, thinking kind thoughts, contemplating and practising the Dharma, etc. This will beautify us from inside, creating a sustainable beauty. I wish that you will be stunning flowers colouring life and making the world more beautiful.”
Lay Buddhists online attending the Dharma talk “Lessons learned from the Earth”.
