During the days when the water covered everything, Long Quang Pagoda in Hoa Thinh Commune, Dak Lak Province opened the main hall, cleaned the incense table and Buddha table so that the elderly and children could have a place to stay, becoming a support for nearly 100 people in times of danger.
In the eyes of the people, monk Quang Nguyen, abbot of Long Quang pagoda, is like a “Buddha” in the midst of the raging flood. As soon as the flood came, he opened his monk house to welcome people to stay.
The water continued to rise, the monk's house gradually sank, the monk opened the main hall again. When the water flooded the main hall, reaching a height of 40-50cm, the monk quietly cleared away the flower vases and incense bowls, leaving every empty space for the elderly and children to temporarily sleep.
“The water rose very quickly. I thought it would stop when it reached the monks’ house because the floor was almost 2 meters higher than the ground. But it went up even further. In the main hall, the water was knee-deep. People ran up here, but if the water had moved a little further, they wouldn’t have known where to go,” said a local resident.
“At that time, the teacher asked everyone to take chairs to stand on temporarily to avoid getting wet, then told some young men to help him clean the altar. The flower vases, incense bowls, trays, plates, and everything on the altar were all taken down by the villagers. Then the teacher asked the children and old women to go up there to lie down and rest to regain their strength. The teacher also told the villagers to keep an eye on the children, not letting them fall into the water, which could be dangerous.”
In the midst of the flood , even though their phones had little battery left, many people still managed to capture rare moments happening right before their eyes. Mrs. Nguyen Thi Vi said: “During the days of high water, people sat with their legs curled up on chairs to avoid getting wet. The altar space was narrow, there were many old people and children, the children cuddled up to the Buddha statue, lying on its lap, sleeping soundly on its arms. It was so pitiful to see.”
Mrs. Nguyen Thi Be, who was present at the pagoda from the beginning of the flood, recalled: “Outside, the government evacuated people, occasionally bringing a few more people into the pagoda. From a few dozen people at first, later there were nearly a hundred, most of them elderly and weak.” At this point, her voice dropped.
Among the flood victims who came to the temple, there was an old and weak woman who unfortunately passed away. The abbot and the villagers joined hands to arrange a bed, incense and candles. The monk whispered: “The water was too high, and we had not yet bought a coffin. The villagers and I arranged chairs and put planks to make a temporary bed for her in the temple, then lit incense and candles to keep her warm. In a natural disaster , we try to warm the hearts of the living as well as the deceased.”
In the cramped main hall, nearly a hundred people sat next to a deceased person for several days, sharing cups of water and food. The village temple was small, and the food supply was only enough for the monk and a few Buddhists to pray for peace, but now the food supply had increased dramatically. The monk had to ask the villagers and the local government to support the food supply, and then organize cooking so that everyone had enough to eat and stay warm.
For witnesses, those images are hard to put into words. Secretary of the Hoa Thinh Commune Party Committee, Mr. Phuong Van Lanh, shared: “During the natural disaster, Master Quang Nguyen did not hesitate to clear the alms bowl on the altar to create a shelter for the elderly and children right in the sacred space. That is a precious act, clearly showing humanity. The master's care not only helps the people but also shares and supports the local government in taking care of the people in the most difficult times."
Source: https://baolamdong.vn/dak-lak-su-tru-tri-don-ban-phat-lay-cho-cho-nguoi-dan-tranh-lu-405031.html
Comment (0)