Stop the meditation retreats for children at Cự Đà Pagoda.

Hanoi – The Thanh Oai district authorities have ordered the Cu Da pagoda to halt its summer retreats after a parent complained that their child was beaten by classmates and that the living conditions were unsanitary.

On the afternoon of June 17th, Mr. Bui Van Sang, Chairman of the People's Committee of Thanh Oai district, confirmed the above information.

"I have instructed the district and commune task forces to inspect the facilities and living conditions of the temple, and for the time being, to request that all meditation retreats be suspended," Mr. Sang said. In addition, the authorities have requested the Buddhist Association of the district to conduct an inspection and submit a report.

For now, Mr. Sang advises parents not to send their children to summer retreats simply because they are following a trend, and to carefully research the information before making a decision to avoid unfortunate consequences.

Yesterday, Ms. Nguyen Giang Nhu, from Yen Xa village, Tan Trieu commune, Thanh Tri district, attracted attention on social media when she posted about her 11-year-old son being beaten by a classmate at a meditation retreat at Cu Da pagoda, resulting in a hand injury. By this afternoon, this information had received over 11,000 comments and nearly 7,000 shares.

Ms. Nhu's child wore the same shirt from the time they went to the temple until they returned home. Photo: Provided by the family.

According to her, her son participated in a 5-day retreat (June 12-16) at the temple, arranged through a Buddhist follower there. She paid one million dong for food, uniform, and school supplies for her son. After 5 days, when she went to pick him up, she found him wearing the same shirt he had on the day he arrived, his face dirty, and his arms and legs covered in mosquito bites. Her son said he had been beaten with a wooden chair by other children, wasn't allowed to shower, the toilets were dirty, and he had to sleep on the floor. When he got home, he complained of pain, had difficulty moving his hands, and was terrified.

The family took their child for an X-ray on June 16th at Thien Duc International General Hospital, where it was concluded that there were no broken bones but only soft tissue injuries.

"I didn't think my child was beaten that badly, because if something like that had happened, the organizers would have informed me," Ms. Nhu shared. She added that the temple and the organizers had previously taken her child to Ha Dong Hospital for examination and X-rays.

The boy's elbow was swollen and painful after an altercation with a friend at the temple. Photo: Provided by the family .

Representatives from Cự Đà Pagoda confirmed the incident, stating that on June 15th, during a break, Ms. Như's child and another child had a fight. The monks took the child to the hospital for examination, and the doctor concluded that the injury did not affect the bone. When asked about his wishes, the boy said he wanted to stay.

"We were negligent in not informing the family because we thought the child was fine," he said.

Regarding the complaints about dirty restrooms and lack of shower water, this person explained that the area had recently experienced rolling power outages, and the water plant was not pumping water, so the children were showering late.

This is the second year that Cu Da Pagoda has organized a summer retreat for children, teaching them morality, keeping them away from technology, how to practice spiritual discipline, loving their families, and living more meaningful lives. At the pagoda, the children wake up at 5 am, exercise, listen to the monks' sermons, and play games.

"Because so many children aged 9-16 registered, we divided them into 9-10 batches, with 350-400 children in each batch," the temple representative said. The organization was reported to the local authorities, and previous years received positive feedback.

Cự Đà Pagoda was built before the 18th century. In 2000, the pagoda was classified as a National Historical and Cultural Monument by the Ministry of Culture and Information.

Summer retreats for students have emerged in the last 10 years or so and are increasingly attracting parental interest. Many temples, such as Ba Vang ( Quang Ninh ) and Hoang Phap (Ho Chi Minh City), organize these retreats, accepting thousands of students for free, typically lasting 5-7 days.

Binh Minh - Duong Tam

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