Buddhists are moved to enjoy vegetarian meals and free boat rides while visiting Buddha's relics

Today (May 18), the second day in a series of events to honor the relics of Buddha Shakyamuni at Tam Chuc Pagoda, Ha Nam . This event is part of the 2025 Vesak Festival and will last until noon on May 20, creating conditions for monks, nuns, Buddhists and people from all over to come and worship.

From early morning of the same day, tens of thousands of people, monks, nuns, and Buddhists from all over the country crossed the stone bridge and followed the winding road leading to the central area of ​​Tam Chuc Pagoda.

To support the people, the organizers provide free electric cars and boats to move around the hundreds of hectares of Tam Chuc Pagoda.

Amidst the vast landscape, groups of people from all over the country lined up in an orderly manner to take a boat across Tam Chuc Lake – known as “Ha Long Bay on land” – towards Tam The Temple. “I took the night bus to be here this morning. Seeing the Buddha’s relics with my own eyes is something I have been looking forward to all my life. I was even more moved when everything was carefully arranged by the temple: from the electric car, the boat to each vegetarian meal delivered to my hand. I truly felt the spirit of compassion, hospitality and care of the organization,” said Ms. Nguyen My Ngoc (in Hai Duong ).

According to the Organizing Committee, from May 17 to 20, Tam Chuc Pagoda will provide free electric car and boat tickets within the pagoda grounds to facilitate Buddhists to visit the relics. In addition, about 50,000 free vegetarian lunches will be distributed every day in the Quan Am Palace tunnel area.

Meals including rice, beans, stir-fried vegetables, noodles, bread, drinks, etc. are prepared cleanly, ensuring hygiene, and delivered directly to the people and Buddhists.

According to a volunteer, yesterday (May 17), the Organizing Committee distributed more than 10,000 meals. The meals included vegetarian rice, bread, boiled potatoes, eggs and drinks, divided equally among groups and individual guests. "Everyone was happy and lined up in order to receive the meals. We just hope to do a small thing to contribute to the solemn atmosphere of the event," the volunteer shared.

Many people expressed their emotions when receiving vegetarian food and free boat rides to visit Buddha's relics at Tam Chuc Pagoda.

The occasion of enshrining Buddha relics at Tam Chuc Pagoda also attracted more than 1,000 volunteers to participate in support stages. They came from many volunteer clubs, universities, youth unions in Hanoi and neighboring provinces.

The team in charge of distributing rice alone has more than 150 people working continuously from 8am to late at night. Along with distributing food, other teams are in charge of coordinating electric cars, guiding people into the worship area, maintaining security and order, etc.

Le Linh, a third-year student at Foreign Trade University, said this was the first time she had distributed rice to Buddhists in a large-scale spiritual event. "Sometimes, there were so many people coming that my legs were tired, I was thirsty, and I was sweating profusely, but every time I finished distributing a portion of rice and received words of thanks and smiles, I felt happy. I clearly felt like I was doing something useful," Linh shared.

Although the number of people flocking to the temple is increasing, especially at noon and in the evening, the atmosphere in the campus is still orderly and solemn.

The space at Tam The Temple - where the relics are enshrined - is always kept quiet and solemn.

The organizers do not accept wreaths, offerings, or hold worship ceremonies at the relics enshrining area. People only need to clasp their hands and bow their heads for a few minutes to fully express their sincerity. This is also a beautiful feature that has been maintained throughout the locations that have previously welcomed relics such as Quan Su Pagoda (Hanoi), Thanh Tam Pagoda (HCMC), Ba Den Mountain (Tay Ninh)...

The Buddha's relics will be enshrined at Tam Chuc Pagoda until noon on May 20. After that, this sacred treasure will be taken to Noi Bai International Airport to return to India.

Vinh Thanh - Vien Minh

Vtcnews.vn

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/phat-tu-xuc-dong-dung-com-chay-di-thuyen-mien-phi-khi-chiem-bai-xa-loi-phat-ar943823.html