I met Venerable Giới Hương for the first time when I welcomed her to lecture for a retreat at Giác Ngộ Pagoda with more than a thousand Buddhists attending. Her first impression on me was a slender nun, her face radiating peacefulness, with a smile always on her lips. That day, her excellent lecture made the whole hall silent and word by word poured into their ears with the great awakening. After the lecture, she also offered her books to them. People lined up to ask her to sign the books and offered some small presents to her in turn. Her eyes sparkled delightedly at Buddhist hearts. I understand that it is the ultimate happiness for a Tathagata’s messenger when the miraculous truth of the Blessed One has been successfully spread by the Sangha and brings great joy to the audience.
A few times later, we were busy following our responsibilities, but we invited her to lecture at our temple whenever we knew she had returned to Vietnam. The Noble Eightfold Path class at Giác Ngộ Temple, which is chaired by me, was also fortunate to be taught by her once with the unforgettable discourse, "Bodhisattva Ideal in the Practice Path for Laypeople."
The spirituality of her lectures clearly shows in each of her gestures and words, which show the true meaning of teaching through body and speech. She maintains a well-known temple in the United States, has published more than forty books, and has a devoted dedication to Vietnamese Buddhism in America. Every year, she spends the last four months returning to Vietnam, teaching and imparting profound knowledge and motivation to the young student monastics at the Vietnam Buddhist University in Ho Chi Minh City.
When she learned I was going to preach in the United States, she happily invited me to visit Hương Sen Pagoda with enthusiasm: "Dear Venerable Quảng Tịnh, our Hương Sen Pagoda, which is far from the center of the Vietnamese community, located almost in the middle of the desert, has not many Vietnamese people. However, there are seven nuns at the temple, practicing every day and studying Buddhism. I would like to invite you to visit and have a meal with us; we would be extremely happy to welcome you!”
I was very touched and wanted to visit, but then my time did not allow me to visit Hương Sen Temple because I had gone to five states in only three weeks. In the near future, I promise to visit Hương Sen Temple and have a friendly luncheon with them.
Ho Chi Minh City, December 8, 2019
Sincerely,
Venerable Thích Quảng Tịnh
Lecturer at Giác Ngộ Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh City
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