Venerable Danh Ut (43 years old) - abbot of Thon Don Pagoda (Rach Gia ward, An Giang province), and also the Chief Secretary of the Patriotic Monks' Solidarity Association of the province. He is the first Khmer doctor of philosophy from the former Kien Giang province, now An Giang province.
Venerable Danh Ut. Photo: Tran Tuyen
Danh Ut was born and raised in a family with a rich revolutionary tradition. His father was a guerrilla fighter in Thanh Loc commune (Chau Thanh district, former Kien Giang province), and his mother was a liaison officer in the commune. Both were later awarded, or posthumously awarded, the Second Class Resistance Medal by the President of Vietnam for their achievements in the resistance war against the US to save the country.
“My family had eight siblings. My father was arrested, imprisoned, and then died when I was not even a month old. My mother had to take care of everything alone, so at the age of 12, I asked to enter Thon Don Pagoda to study and repay her kindness,” recalled Venerable Danh Ut.
Upon entering the temple, he realized that only through learning could he benefit both religious and secular life, so he always strived to improve himself. Recognizing his rapid growth and progress, in 2008, the Patriotic Buddhist Monks' Solidarity Association of Kien Giang Province (formerly) appointed Venerable Danh Ut as the abbot of the temple.
Thon Don Pagoda, where monk Danh Ut began his monastic life at the age of 12. Photo: Tran Tuyen
After completing his master's degree in Southern Khmer Culture, he decided to pursue a doctorate in Cultural Studies at the Southern Khmer Language, Culture, Arts and Humanities School (part of Tra Vinh University).
The time he spent completing his doctoral program and dissertation, "Changes in the Cultural Life of Khmer Theravada Buddhist Monks in the Southwestern Region of Vietnam Today," was fraught with difficulties as the entire country faced the Covid-19 pandemic.
To gather reference materials, he conducted field surveys at 37 temples in 7 (former) provinces and cities such as: Tra Vinh, Soc Trang, Vinh Long, Bac Lieu, An Giang, Kien Giang and Can Tho City.
“The Khmer people in the Southwest region of Vietnam are one of the 54 ethnic groups in the country (approximately 1.3 million people), ranking third in the national population and second in the Southern region. I undertook this project with the hope that the children of the Khmer people will have materials to better understand their culture, thereby continuing to preserve and promote it,” the abbot of Thon Don Pagoda expressed.
When asked what motivated him to pursue this thesis to the end, he simply smiled and said, "The path of spiritual learning is a path without end."
Venerable Danh Ut received his doctorate at the age of 41. Photo: Provided by the author.
According to Associate Professor Pham Tiet Khanh, Chairman of the Council of Tra Vinh University, the doctoral thesis of Venerable Danh Ut has offered concrete solutions that contribute to the overall development of cultural life for Khmer Theravada Buddhist monks and social life within the Khmer Buddhist community in the Southwest region of Vietnam.
Besides being a role model for monks and Buddhists, Mr. Danh Ut actively participates in local social welfare activities. Over the years, he has campaigned for the construction of more than 100 bridges, roads, and charitable houses, contributing to changing the face of the rural area.
What's special is that the bridges are designed to reflect and convey the culture of the Khmer people through symbols such as the Naga serpent, celestial beings (deities), etc.
|
|
These bridges are steeped in Khmer culture. Photo: Tran Tuyen
Besides his time serving as an advisor on language and culture at Tra Vinh University, Dr. Danh Ut also dedicates his time to running free Vietnamese-Khmer bilingual classes for children in the area.
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/su-thay-nhan-bang-tien-si-o-tuoi-41-xay-hang-tram-cay-cau-cho-dong-bao-khmer-2440976.html
Comment (0)