A Tribute of Gratitude to Most Venerable Master Thích Chánh Lạc

Most Venerable Master,

Today I respectfully bow my head and turn my heart toward Most Venerable Master, and I would like to convey to you my deepest reverence, faith, and gratitude. Although I did not have sufficient affinity to become your disciple and do not bear the Không family name, I can never fully express my heartfelt gratitude for the Dharma teachings you gave me when I was a school student

Thanks to your virtue in giving me the book “Buddhadharma 1”, I came to know who the Buddha is and what the Dharma is. And after listening to your Dharma talks and receiving those seeds, today I have come to understand the profound teachings in the Buddhist sutras. From that affinity, today I have read through Buddhist sutras in the Tripitaka and have also translated those sutras into English. In the past, everyone said that since I had only studied through fifth grade, how could I know words and meanings, let alone the profound meanings of the Buddhadharma. But you still had faith in me and even gave me many Buddhist scriptures and books so that I could study on my own.

I respectfully bow in homage and express my gratitude for your merits, as a Buddhist who took refuge with you. I respectfully pray that your Dharma body is always at ease and that the lamp of wisdom always shines.

Namo Fundamental Teacher Shakyamuni Buddha.

I respectfully bow my head in gratitude to my Teacher.

— oOo —

History of Most Venerable Master Thích Chánh Lạc

Most Venerable Master Thích Chánh Lạc was born on January 8, 1931 in Quảng Trị, Vietnam. He was a disciple of the Most Elder Venerable Master Hải Đức Thích Phước Huệ.

Secular name: Lê Kim Cương.

Year of ordination: 1944 with Dharma name: Chơn An, Dharma title Chánh Lạc

1947-1956. Received the Bhikkhu Precepts and Bodhisattva Precepts at the end of 1953, at the Buddhist Institute
1960-1961: Passed the second-level baccalaureate.
1963-1964: Graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Sino-Vietnamese pedagogy at the University of Letters in Saigon.

1963-1964: Former General Secretary of the Organizing Committee of the Congress for the Unification of Vietnamese Buddhism.
1966-1969: Former General Secretary of the Education Department of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam.
1967: Former General Secretary of the Committee for the Protection of the 05/66 Charter.
1968: Former General Secretary of the National Bồ Đề Education Congress and Buddhist Institutes.
1967-1968: Lecturer in the Buddhist Studies faculty at Vạn Hạnh University; Principal of Bồ Đề Bình Dương upper secondary school.
1969: Studied abroad in Taiwan.
1971-1972: Earned a Master’s degree at National Taiwan Normal University.
1979-1980: Earned a Doctorate in Chinese Literature and Philosophy at the aforementioned university
1985 Went to the United States, state of Colorado
1988 Inauguration ceremony of Như Lai Temple in Denver Colorado
From 1988 until today Most Venerable Master has held many positions in the Overseas Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam.
2005 Phú Lâu Na Publishing House, specializing in printing Buddhist scriptures and books

Below are the sutras that Most Venerable Master translated into Vietnamese and English. If any Buddhist practitioner practices Pure Land Buddhism, they should also know the method of practice for attaining the great concentration of Buddha Recitation Samadhi

Sutra of Mahayana Bodhisattva Recitation Samadhi (Vietnamese)

Sutra of Mahayana Bodhisattva Recitation Samadhi (English)

The Most Venerable Master is a true practitioner, and therefore his reputation is often attacked by demons and spirits. The demon kings often call upon lesser demons to possess his disciples and come to the temple to cause disturbances. Indeed, this is the Dharma-ending age. If Buddhists wish to practice this Buddha Recitation Samadhi, they should remember the words in the sutra:

“If a bodhisattva wishes to enter this samadhi, he must deeply give rise to thoughts of fear, must contemplate distancing himself from slander and jealousy so as not to be blamed by others, and must contemplate eliminating shamelessness and lack of remorse and cultivating the virtue of shame and remorse.”