The Novice: A Story of True Love by Hanh Thich Nhat

Author:Hanh, Thich Nhat [Hanh, Thich Nhat]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Spirituality, Philosophy, Religion, Inspirational, Historical, Self Help, feminism
ISBN: 9780062092571
Amazon: 006209257X
Goodreads: 12091036
Publisher: HarperOne
Published: 2011-08-18T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

LOVING HEART

News that novice Kinh Tam was a woman flashed like lightning throughout all the villages in the district. People from the village just below and various other nearby villages continually thronged around Dharma Cloud Temple. Lay Buddhists, youths, elders, steadfast supporters, erstwhile accusers—everyone was greatly moved. By noon, the temple grounds were packed full.

The abbot had read novice Kinh Tam’s letter to him and immediately gave permission for Venerable Chi Tam to go to Kinh Tam’s home village, to take little Thien Tai to be presented, and to hand-deliver the letter that Kinh Tam had written to her parents. The abbot also told novice Man Tam to deliver Kinh Tam’s letter to Thi Mau in the village below. Thi Mau was not home when the little novice came to her house. In fact, she had already heard the news and had gone up to the temple two hours earlier. Novice Man Tam had to return to the temple and, after a long search, finally found Thi Mau and gave her the letter.

The corpse of Kinh Tam was moved to the West Hall, which was brightly lit with numerous candles and richly perfumed with incense day and night. The abbot himself presided over all the chanting and praying sessions, only to be replaced by Thay Thanh Tam when the abbot got tired. The chanting echoed clearly out to the outer courtyards of the temple. So many people shed so many tears. They commented to each other, “Practicing like that is really true practice. Being able to peacefully endure things so difficult to endure is truly the practice of magnanimity—kshanti paramita. How horrible, the way Kinh Tam was treated for over six years!” Many of the men present were red-eyed, while women shamelessly sobbed and cried out loud. The chanting ceaselessly rolled out over and above all the commotion.

The casket of novice Kinh Tam was to be displayed for seven days in the West Hall before being moved to the funeral pyre in front of the temple gate, exactly on the spot of the thatched hut of the novice. Thay Chi Tam was given permission to travel on horseback in order to bring Kinh Tam’s family back in time for the cremation ser vices. The family of Thi Mau presented itself to the village council, requesting to bear all funeral costs. All members of this upper-class family heeded the advice of the abbot and came to stay in the humble accommodations at the temple for those seven days. They ate simple vegetarian meals, slept on the ground with modest bedding, read sutras, chanted texts of repentance and beginning anew, and prayed.

Mau cried herself dry. During the ceremony to receive mourning cloths, she had knelt down and asked to receive the mourning cloth of a blood sister of the novice. A marked change had come over Thi Mau. Ever since hearing the truth and then receiving the mourning cloth, her face and indeed her entire physical appearance had become completely different. All signs of melancholy and despair vanished.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.