Celebrating Buddha's Birthday - Venerable Thich Thanh Quyet's commentary on Hong Gai's poetry.

On the occasion of the Buddha's Birthday celebration in the Buddhist calendar year 2570, author Hong Gai sent to Giac Ngo Newspaper a poem titled "Celebrating Buddha's Birthday," with commentary by Venerable Thich Thanh Quyet, Vice Chairman of the Executive Council, Director of the Vietnam Buddhist Academy in Hanoi, and Head of the Executive Board of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in Quang Ninh province.

Happy Buddha's Birthday

***

Yen Tu, a sacred Buddhist site.

Truc Lam Buddhist teachings connect the mountains and rivers.

Tran Nhan Tong was a man of noble character.

Practicing spiritual cultivation leads to enlightenment and establishes a lineage of meditative mindfulness.

Pháp Loa connects to the profound teachings of the Dharma.

Huyen Quang inherits the miraculous legacy of the Ancestor.

The Three Patriarchs built the bridge before

Seven hundred years of spreading the wondrous Dharma among mankind.

Hoa Yen is shrouded in endless clouds.

The bells ring out, awakening countless people near and far.

Ngoa Van Am at sunset

The sound of meditative songs still echoes from the pine trees.

Hue Quang Golden Pagoda on Bong Mountain

A thousand years of Prajna, the lotus of compassion.

Quang Ninh's magical waves

Celebrating Buddha's Birthday in the spring brings peace and joy.

Ha Long shines brightly with the sea and sky.

The sound of the bells of Yen Tu brings peace and tranquility everywhere.

A new era across the land.

Vietnam takes steps to reach further into the sea and sky.

All people united in a radiant light.

Spiritual and worldly life are intertwined, bringing peace everywhere.

People who are loyal and devoted to each other.

The Buddhist capital shines brightly.

The Buddha's teachings and the Sangha shine brightly and harmoniously.

The beautiful land of our nation is glorious.

Dong Pagoda radiates a glorious aura.

The land of Southern Vietnam is blessed with boundless and immeasurable fortune.

May all beings in the world be blessed.

May happiness and joy abound in this song.

***

Red Thorn

Buddha's Birthday, April 15th, Year of the Horse (1946)

Commentary by Venerable Thich Thanh Quyet, PhD:

Dear fellow poets, the verses of this devout Buddhist are like a wake-up call during the Buddha's birthday season, both majestic and sacred, yet deeply imbued with the essence of our nation's heritage. From the perspective of a practitioner of Buddhism, I would like to share a few words of praise and admiration for the merits of the poem "Celebrating Buddha's Birthday" by the author Hong Gai.

The true source of Dharma and the sacred spirit of the mountains and rivers.

The poem's value lies in its skillful combination of Buddhist teachings and national identity – the age-old tradition of Vietnamese Buddhism in protecting the nation and ensuring the well-being of its people. The verses transport the practitioner back to the sacred peak of Yen Tu, to Dong Pagoda, to Hoa Yen Pagoda, and other places that are the origins of pure Vietnamese Zen Buddhism.

"Tran Nhan Tong had a brilliant heart."

Practicing spiritual cultivation leads to enlightenment and establishes a lineage of meditative mindfulness.

From a spiritual perspective, the image of the Three Patriarchs of Truc Lam (Emperor Tran Nhan Tong, Dong Kien Cuong Phap Loa, and Ly Dao Tai Huyen Quang) is mentioned not only as historical figures but also as enlightened spiritual masters. They served as a bridge, integrating the Buddha's teachings of non-self, altruism, compassion, and generosity into the Vietnamese land, transforming mountain peaks into a Pure Land on earth.

Form and mind are not separate.

The scenery reflects the state of mind of the practitioner; seeing the Buddha-nature in all things, and perceiving the Dharma in all landscapes. The author has used the scenery of Quang Ninh to reveal the depth of consciousness, the depth of Buddhist philosophy - non-discrimination.

“Cloud-covered Hoa Yen,” “Sleeping Cloud Hermitage in the twilight”: These words don't evoke sadness but rather express serenity, harmony, and detachment. Clouds come and go, the twilight descends, and the morning light reappears, but the “meditative song of the heart” of the practitioner is eternal, still echoing amidst the pine forests of Yen Tu, among the ancient trees, and amidst the precarious cliffs of millions of years.

The Hue Quang Tower, the bell of Yen Tu Pagoda: the sound of the bell in poetry is not merely a physical sound; it is the sound of awakening, the sound of enlightenment. That bell resonates from the summit of Dong Pagoda, transcending the waves of Ha Long Bay, stirring and awakening the inherent awareness in the hearts of all living beings, intertwined with the Three Harmonies: Reconciliation, Harmony, and Peace of Truc Lam Buddhism, of Emperor Tran Nhan Tong, spreading globally.

Religion and worldly life are inseparable.

The sea and sky of Ha Long and Hong Gai, resplendent during the Buddha's birthday season, also reflect the joyful hearts of Buddhist followers as they celebrate the day the Compassionate Father manifested himself.

"A new era across the land."

Vietnam takes steps to reach further into the sea and sky.

All people united in a radiant light.

Spiritual and worldly life are intertwined, bringing peace everywhere.

Perspective on spiritual practice: Buddhist teachings are inseparable from worldly affairs. Truc Lam Buddhism is engaged Buddhism. The poems speak of the nation's development , "reaching far and wide," a "new era," but the root remains "the connection between religion and life," the "complete devotion and unwavering love" of humanity. Only when the nation is glorious, society is peaceful, and people are content can Buddhists feel at ease in their practice and cultivation; conversely, when every citizen is imbued with the light of the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha), that nation becomes a Buddhist land, a "dazzling and brilliant Buddhist capital."

A vow: Self-salvation - saving others

The poem concludes with a vow imbued with the spirit of the Bodhisattva path.

"May all beings in the world,

May happiness and joy abound in this song.

Each year during the Buddha's birthday season, practitioners not only pay homage to the Buddha on the lotus platform, but also vow to spread compassion and wisdom throughout the entire universe for all sentient beings. The concluding lines of the poem express this noble aspiration.

***

This poem was written by the author Hong Gai in April of the year of the Fire Horse (May 2026), precisely when the compassionate energy of the Buddha's birthday was enveloping all sentient beings. It is not merely a literary work, but a heartfelt offering to the Buddhas of the ten directions and the Patriarchs.

Thank you for the author's clear and insightful thoughts and writing imbued with meditative wisdom. Wishing the author and their family a peaceful and serene Vesak season!

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/mung-phat-dan-hoa-thuong-thich-thanh-quyet-binh-tho-hong-gai-post779976.html