Chua Duoc Su

In the days near the Lunar New Year, many Buddhists often come to the temple early to work with the monks and nuns to clean and tidy up to welcome visitors to the temple. There are many Buddhists offering rice and sticky rice to the Temple to pack tet cakes and Chung cakes to sell to earn a little more money for the Temple or to make offerings to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. As for the Duoc Su Temple and Ten Thousand Medicine Buddha Temple, it is customary to harvest fortune, so many Buddhists donate money to the Temple to buy tangerines for the Buddhists to pick their fortune at the beginning of the year.

If there was a time in Vietnam, the temple in the countryside became the common altar of Buddhist monks and nuns, and also the common home of the community during the New Year holidays, then in Overseas, the temple is the common roof for all refugees.

On the thirtieth night of the Lunar New Year, if it is a full month, on the twenty-ninth night if it is a short month, before the New Year's Eve ceremony, Buddhists go to the Temple to burn incense and make offerings to the Three Jewels, with all respect, then go home to worship ancestors, then return to the Temple to celebrate the New Year's Eve.

On New Year's Eve, not only Buddhists but all citizens, everyone comes to give thanks at the temples. They come to Thanksgiving as gratitude, thanks for the old year, and pray for good luck in the new year.

On New Year's Eve, everyone calls each other to go to the temple, whether it's a weekend or a weekday. People go to pagodas to pray for happiness, peace, and good fortune on the spring day of the new year, in order to wish for 365 days to bring wealth and fortune. So everyone brought their own offerings to show their loyalty to the Three Jewels and received a little fortune at the temple for good luck. Burning incense to pay homage to Buddha:

- If there is a prayer, there is an answer

Therefore, people do not need to make long vows but just need to light three incense sticks, with the meaning of offering the Three Jewels three fragrant incense sticks, and a sincere heart. Many pagodas already have lanterns available, so Buddhists do not need to bring incense.

You should remember that at the beginning of spring when worshiping the Buddha, the mind must give up evil, not self-seeking, pray for the Buddha Dharma to spread widely, and for the world to be peaceful. Ask the Buddhas to show you the way to go, to strive for yourself, not to beg for it. Example:

- Pray to see the doctor to see the medicine to cure the disease. Not praying for you to get well. Pray for you to be wise to decide what to do for success, not for you to get rich.

So, on the first day of spring, it's okay to dress simply and cleanly and walk lightly. The essential Buddhist ceremony is in the heart. When going to the temple, the attitude towards goodwill is the most important, and when the ceremony has flowers or fruits, they are all simple gifts that anyone can buy. After lighting incense to the Buddha, then picking the fortune. You enjoy that fortune not because it is luxurious, but because those gifts are considered sacred items. Then the mind is still the most important factor!

In the past, people used to choose the first auspicious day of the year to go to the temple to worship the Buddha, or to go to the communal house to worship the saints, with the desire to start the new year peacefully and smoothly. Today, Vietnamese people come to pagodas right on New Year's Eve and every day of the Lunar New Year. It doesn't have to be the best day ever.

The custom of going to the temple on the first day of the year Going to the temple at the beginning of the year is an indispensable activity of every citizen on the occasion of the coming Lunar New Year and the coming of spring. This custom has become a cultural and spiritual beauty in the life of every Vietnamese. The arrival of the Lunar New Year in the spring is the starting point for a new year with many new good wishes and aspirations. The gate of the temple, the land of Buddha is a place of peace and purity. With the desire to find peace, get rid of the troubles and worries of the old year, and wish for luck and happiness in the new year, on the 30th night if it is a full month, the twenty-ninth night if it is a short month after the New Year's Eve has just arrived or the new year, people invite each other to go to pagodas, gather fortunes and pray for good luck.

As for Duoc Su Temple & Ten Thousand Medicine Buddha Temple, after the ceremony is over, all Buddhists will receive blessings from the temple from the abbot. The lucky gift is a gold coin made of chocolate. People believe that going to the temple must bring fortune home, bringing good luck when entering the house.

Going to the temple to worship the Buddha, and picking good luck on the first day of the year has become a habit ingrained in the subconscious of Vietnamese people, whether in Vietnam in rural or urban areas, or in overseas, although the rhythm of life is different, people still try to keep this custom as a thing to do when the year ends and the Lunar New Year comes.

Elderly Buddhists with an honest heart, the idea that Buddha is in the heart, and when going to pay respects to the Buddha at the beginning of the year, want merit or have a sincere heart to build a temple, the donation money can be given directly to Master Abbot or put it in the merit box.

People believe that praying for fortune, blessing, and luck should be simple, not formal, so people who go to the temple want to do say whatever they want.

People come to the temple for many different purposes, some people pray for wealth, some people pray for good fortune, and some people pray for love. People pray for peace and health for themselves and their families. There are also people who come to the temple just to find peaceful moments to dispel the worries in life. But in general, when going to the temple, everyone brings with them a sincere heart, from which they find faith, serenity, and peace in their souls. Everyone believes in a good new year because their sincere vows have been proven and protected by the sacred Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

Going to the pagoda in early spring has become a habit and a spiritual culture of all Vietnamese people. Here, all boundaries of age and status are erased, all meeting in the sacred domain of consciousness. In addition to the temple ceremony and the Spring festival, the Vietnamese also have the custom of picking them on New Year's Eve.

According to the concept of the ancients, there is no species that is as prolific and vigorous as a tree. Especially in the spring, the young shoots sprout showing vitality and full of vitality. Therefore, you go to ask for a fortune on New Year's Eve to pray for a resilient, healthy, and useful life like a tree. So on the occasion of Spring, at the beginning of the year, people often visit communal houses and pagodas to ask for a young branch to bring back to hang in front of their house. Or put it on the ancestral altar in the hope of bringing blessings to the family. The selected bud is usually a tree with the style and appearance of a gentleman, showing tolerance and compassion. Also according to the traditional custom and concept of the ancients, Spring buds picked from trees like banyan and fig trees will bring the best results. And picking buds from pine, chrysanthemum, bamboo, and apricot trees will bring joy, happiness, and health to everyone in the family. That's why many bonsai temples are torn down every spring.

If in the past, picking spring buds had to be done from trees in pagodas, now, the custom of picking buds has changed and there are positive ways. In recent years, people who go to pick buds at the beginning of spring often pick buds in many ways, not necessarily breaking branches or plucking buds. Picking early spring buds can be buying a few star fruit, sugarcane, or a small pot of vines... to bring home on the first day of the year. Particularly at Duoc Su Temple and Ten Thousand Medicine Buddha Temple, Buddhists pick tangerines. All of these things enhance the beauty of the traditional culture of the Vietnamese people.

Vietnamese people believe that going to the temple to worship the Buddha at the beginning of the year is not simple to make a wish, but it is also a time for people to find a spiritual place after hard days. Therefore, the custom of going to the temple in early spring is both the beginning of a year and the beginning of life, and it becomes a spiritual element associated with Vietnamese culture and beliefs.

For business people, with the mentality of borrowing the luck of the temple, every year on the occasion of the Lunar New Year, each convoy goes to the temple to pay for the ceremony. Because during the year, especially those who do business or trade, every time their business encounters difficulties or they start a new plan, they go to the temple to pray for good luck and good fortune to be more successful. Therefore, every time the Lunar New Year comes, they want to pay for the ceremony at the temple and also to borrow money for the new year. Just like that, year after year, going to the temple on spring day has become the custom of many people.

For people in the agricultural land, going to the temple at the time of transition between the old year and the new year is called:

- Say goodbye to the old year, welcome the new year.

This is the culture and tradition of the Vietnamese people. After visiting and wishing the Lunar New Year family members, then neighbors, and families often organize spring trips. Going to the temple to let the soul be at peace with moments of silence before the ups and downs of life.

On New Year's Eve, in the midst of incense, in the middle of the vast night, the light of the lamps creates a magical and illusory scene. Out there, everything seems to be gradually moving towards the moment of transition between the old and new years. People wait for that moment, then join hands in reverence and whisper prayers sacred new year pagoda incense smoke spreads everywhere on New Year's Eve.

First day of spring, the lunar new year. When you come to the temple door, you come to the holiness and ethereal as if you can shake off the troubles and worries. At the same time, coming to the temple is like getting rid of all the old things and looking forward to new and better things. At the same time, it is associated with ancestors when being grateful to the saints.

For Vietnamese people, going to the temple at the beginning of the year is not simply to make a wish, but it is also a moment for people to immerse themselves in the spiritual place when each person returns to their national roots. Therefore, not only going to the temple on New Year's Eve and the morning of the first day of the New Year, but Vietnamese people also have the custom of going to the temple to travel in spring on all days of the Lunar New Year. They choose temples far away and famously sacred to combine going to the temple with a beautiful spring day excursion.

Mixing with the flow of people going to the ceremony in early spring, especially when the weather is cold, there is a slight drizzle-like feeling that heaven and earth are in harmony. People also seem to have become more open in the sacred places, people who even meet for the first time are willing to exchange affectionate smiles. The sound of temple bells ringing amidst the morning dew, incense smoke, flowers, and the spring festival scene creates a peaceful atmosphere, making each person who comes to this dignified place see a strangely pure soul!

Going to the temple at the beginning of the year is a fine custom, of course. So no matter where to go to work, on the Lunar New Year, everyone returns to their home village and hamlet. The first is to visit the homeland, then to light incense in front of the ancestors' graves. Visit the small village temple, but close and sacred. The village temple is not only a place for religious activities but also a place for each person to settle his heart with good thoughts.

In the new year, people go to the temple to direct people to think of a good mind, towards goodness, towards the compassion and wisdom of the Buddha. Buddha Emperor Tran Nhan Tong and many other patriarchs once said:

- Buddha in the heart.

It implies that every living being and every human being has a Buddha nature. Buddha is not looking outward, but seeking within yourself. Therefore, going to the temple on the first day of the new year is an opportunity for you to initiate the goodwill of each of you.

As mentioned above, paying homage to the Buddha is important in sincerity. When going to the temple, a good attitude is the most important, and it doesn't matter whether the gift is present or not. That's why the ancients used to say

- Eat incense, eat flowers

The implication is that going to the temple, offering flowers, and burning incense is important.

Going to the pagoda at the beginning of the year is the beauty of the spiritual culture of Vietnamese people. Vietnamese people believe that going to the temple at the beginning of the year is not simply a wish, but is also a moment for people to immerse themselves in the spiritual place, leaving behind many hardships in life. Going to the Buddha's door, amidst the pure space, the smell of incense smoke, and the color of the flower lights, each of you will feel your heart becoming lighter and more serene. Therefore, going to the temple on the first day of the New Year has become an indispensable job for many Vietnamese people every time the Lunar New Year comes, and spring returns.

In short, in Vietnam human world there is a sentence:

So the tradition of welcoming New Year's Eve at the temple, and on the first day of Spring, going to worship Buddha at the temples has become a custom, so on the night of the 30th if December is enough, or the 29th if December is short, everyone, everyone the house is ready to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Many old people and young people go to that temple to celebrate New Year's Eve. For those who do not celebrate New Year's Eve at the temple, after the moment of New Year's Eve, many families begin to prepare to go to the temple. In Vietnam, going to pagodas at the time of transition between the old year and the new year is called:

- Say goodbye to the old year, welcome the new year

The quiet, frugal setting of the temples on this occasion suddenly becomes bustling and crowded. The pagoda is brightly lit with lights, and candles, inside the Buddha shrine, incense smoke is emitting from the altars. In the hazy incense smoke, the sound of praying at high and low times...; Out there, everything seems to be wearing a new shirt, exposing the joy like everyone's heart.

It seems that as life becomes more and more modern and civilized, people want to find more and more about ancient values, and mysterious spiritual elements. Going to pagodas not only helps the Vietnamese people preserve the traditional cultural identity of the nation. Remembering the gratitude of grandparents and ancestors, but also directing people to the good, building trust between people in a society that is becoming more and more crowded.

In the spring color filled with people's souls, they worshiped the Buddha at the beginning of the year, and after saying goodbye to the temples, people returned to the wide open roads. The gate of the temple is still not closed. The sound of temple bells is far away, serene, and peaceful, making people's minds forever peaceful and serene.