There is a mother named master

In addition to Tuong, the abbot has also adopted 6 more children and many lonely elderly people for nearly 2 decades... Gradually, I gradually visited the temple and got to know the abbot. The more I understood the story of the master's raising of children, the more I understood the saying "The merit of giving birth is not as great as the merit of raising". Although not related by blood, the deep affection built day after day over the past 17 years has created a sacred mother-child bond between two strangers.

One morning 17 years ago, a 6-day-old baby cried loudly in front of the temple gate. The abbot reported it to the police and brought the baby to the temple to raise until today. The abbot, a nearly 70-year-old nun with a leg disability, calmly told me...

The first night, the baby slept in the same bed, the nun did not dare to close her eyes for fear that if she fell asleep she would press on the baby. Every now and then she would check to see if the baby had a blanket covering his face, if he was warm enough, if he was uncomfortable anywhere. Every two hours she would ask someone to make milk for the baby to drink. Not used to staying up all night like that, the next morning the nun felt dizzy... A Buddhist who had lived at the temple for many years suggested taking the baby to their bedroom. They took turns, during the day the nun would take care of the baby, at night the other Buddhist slept with the baby. The nun said the baby was very good, just fed and slept until morning, without any illness.

Cat Tuong and fellow practitioners with their master. PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR

The master continued with love, after a month of posting the information according to state regulations, the nun was officially allowed to adopt the child. She named the child Cat Tuong. When the child grew up a little, every time it was time to chant, the child would happily go and spread out the mat to sit on, go and get the bell and gong for the master. Because she was afraid that Cat Tuong would not have enough nutrients, the master asked the Buddhists to buy meat, fish, shrimp and crab to cook for the child. Sometimes when the Buddhists were busy, the master himself would go into the kitchen to prepare meat and fish dishes for the child.

When I asked about the birth certificate, the nun said that, according to government guidelines, she was a temporary foster parent. She was afraid that when the child grew up and read that line, it would make her feel even more miserable, so she asked to register her name as a foster mother. According to state regulations, if she listed herself as a "temporary foster parent", the state would help her with the child's monthly care costs, but she was not allowed to change to a foster mother. She said, "It's okay, as long as the child is healthy."

Seemingly knowing her place and blessed by God, Cat Tuong is very easy to please, eating whatever is given to her.

One day, while studying in kindergarten, when he returned to the temple, Tuong did not go in and greet his master with folded hands, but stood in a corner with a sad face, looking up with wide eyes and asking his master: "Where is my mother?". Although his master had prepared for this day, he was still surprised. After a moment of confusion, his master approached Tuong and pointed at him: "Mom, when we are in the temple, mom is also our master, also our teacher."

Hearing that, the child blinked as if thinking, then smiled. A moment later, the child continued to ask the monk: "Where is my father?". While she was not knowing how to answer the child, a familiar male monk from the temple came over, the nun immediately pointed at him and said "there's your father". The nun said that she knew that what she did was wrong, but she was so confused that she couldn't think of anything. Until now, Cat Tuong still calls that person father.

The master and the orphans raised by the temple. PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR

Raising two children was hard and sometimes financially draining. Yet there were times when the nun had to raise 6 or 7 orphans and many other lonely elderly people. In an environment with a large population of women, there would certainly be many problems. However, the nun said that the family had rules and regulations, the temple also had its own rules, and everyone had a clear division of work. Even Cat Tuong had to be in charge of cooking one day a week.

Recently, Tuong told me with tears in his eyes: "Seeing me studying at night a lot, feeling lethargic, my master was afraid that I would get tired, so he asked Buddhists to buy shrimp and crab for me to eat..." Without waiting for Tuong to tell me, just looking at Tuong's attitude and sulky words when talking to his master was enough for me to realize that his master loved Tuong like a son, and Tuong also loved his master like his own blood relative, so he acted naturally like a daughter towards her biological mother.

In front of the temple gate. PHOTO: PROVIDED BY AUTHOR

When writing this article, I asked Tuong if he had anything to say to his master, and he sent me a rather long message:

"I thank you, master, for sacrificing for me and worrying about the smallest things throughout my growing up. I know that not everyone is lucky enough to have a teacher, a father, a mother, someone who does everything for them like that. From childhood until now, you have always given me the best and most delicious things. Even though I am not good enough, not mature enough, I have not made you happy, and I do not know how long I will be with you, I promise to live a good life and especially if I am no longer destined to be at the temple, I will still come to see you every day because I really like to see you smile. Every time I make you sad, see you unhappy, I feel very guilty. There are times when I want to hug and kiss you, master, but I do not dare. Finally, I want to say that I love and am grateful to you very much."

When you look at it clearly, the effort of raising a child is as vast as the sky and the ocean. Children's intuition is very sensitive, if you don't truly love them, they will feel it right away. How precious and touching is the sincere affection of the abbot and Cat Tuong. I am glad that my child has a mother who is more special than many others!

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/co-mot-nguoi-me-mang-ten-su-phu-18525073114451786.htm