Join hands to promote the emulation movement

Along with paying attention to doing well Buddhist work, continuing the tradition of "Serving religion and loving the country", the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in the province has had many propaganda and educational activities to effectively participate in patriotic emulation movements in the locality.

One of the outstanding, unique and distinctive activities of Ninh Binh is that the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha of the province has actively promoted and mobilized monks, nuns, and Buddhist followers to respond to the model of skillful mass mobilization launched by the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committees at all levels, which is the model: "Mobilizing religious compatriots and people to practice a civilized lifestyle in weddings, funerals, and festivals". The model was launched in 2022 to promote the good values ​​of religions, enhance the role, responsibility, and positive contributions of religious dignitaries, officials, monks, and followers to promote and mobilize religious compatriots and people to practice a civilized lifestyle in weddings, funerals, and festivals.

Venerable Thich Minh Tru, Deputy of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in Kim Son district, said: At the end of May 2022, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Kim Son district launched the construction of a pilot model "Mobilizing religious compatriots and people to practice civilized lifestyles in weddings, funerals and festivals" at Binh Minh pagoda with the participation of 2 residential areas of Binh Minh town, block 7 and block 8. Realizing that this is an honor but also a responsibility that the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in the district needs to focus on implementing. Therefore, in the process of organizing religious activities, monks and nuns all combine advising people to keep religious laws with implementing the criteria of the model such as: Organizing weddings according to a civilized lifestyle, doing a good job of environmental sanitation and food safety. Decorating the wedding venue, the bride and groom's costumes are solemn and polite; not taking advantage of the wedding to gamble, causing insecurity.

For funerals: Must be organized thoughtfully, solemnly, respectfully, civilly, economically, in accordance with national cultural traditions, religions, local customs and practices and the circumstances of the deceased's family. Pay attention to implementing cremation, electric cremation or one-time burial in a planned cemetery area. When a loved one passes away, they must be buried or cremated within 48 hours of death. Do not organize a feast to invite guests to eat and drink when organizing a funeral. Do not use the form of hired mourners in the funeral; use rotating wreaths in the funeral. Do not scatter votive paper, hell money, Vietnamese currency and foreign currencies on the funeral procession.

During both weddings and funerals: Do not use music before 6am and after 10pm, do not turn up the volume too loud; do not use the street to set up a tent; do not use tobacco; limit the use of alcohol, beer...

Up to now, after nearly 2 years of implementing the model, believers, Buddhists and people of Binh Minh town have actively responded, contributing to pushing back backward customs and building a civilized lifestyle in the town.

Along with Binh Minh town, with the participation of religious dignitaries, the model has created a widespread spread and received the response and agreement of all classes of people, especially religious people. Weddings and funerals are organized according to the new lifestyle, not organized lavishly, lasting for many days, limiting the organization of salty parties, no smoking, limiting alcohol consumption. Organizing many weddings in pagodas, saving, civilized... In funerals, many families have limited the scattering of votive paper along the road, using 2-3 rotating wreaths and encouraging cremation. The model has had a widespread effect, up to now the whole province has deployed construction and implementation in pagodas, parishes and religious groups. Thereby promoting the fine cultural traditions of the locality, ethnicity, religion and family circumstances, avoiding ostentation, contributing to improving the quality of the Campaign "All people unite to build new rural areas, civilized urban areas" and the movement "All people unite to build a cultural life".

In particular, in recent times, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha of the province has actively mobilized monks, nuns, and Buddhist followers to participate in the model: "Mobilizing religious dignitaries and officials to join hands to build houses of solidarity between Catholics and non-religious people" for poor households and households with difficult housing conditions in the province. From 2018 to 2024, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of the province, together with the Provincial Party Committee's Mass Mobilization Committee, mobilized religious dignitaries and officials to support the construction of nearly 200 new houses for poor households with difficult housing conditions with a total amount of nearly 10 billion VND...

In particular, to welcome the 13th National Congress of the Party, the election of deputies to the 15th National Assembly and People's Councils at all levels for the 2021-2026 term, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the re-establishment of the province and the Buddhist Congresses at all levels, priests and monks and nuns of the two religions have joined hands, participated in supporting and organizing the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of houses of solidarity between Catholics and Catholics; mobilized the construction of 48 houses for Catholic and ethnic households who are poor and have difficult housing circumstances with a construction cost of over 9 billion VND (built jointly by the two religious organizations). This is a unique highlight of Ninh Binh Buddhism, a practical work that vividly demonstrates the solidarity relationship between Catholics and Catholics.

Spread humanitarian and charitable activities

In addition, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in the province actively mobilized monks, nuns, and Buddhist followers to participate in supporting the "Repaying gratitude and social security" Fund; visiting and giving gifts to wounded and sick soldiers, families of martyrs, Vietnamese heroic mothers, families of cadres and soldiers in the province who are on duty in Truong Sa archipelago...

Many pagodas in the province have established charity associations and volunteer clubs and regularly distribute free porridge and rice every morning and every week at some medical facilities in the area, contributing practically to poverty reduction, working with authorities at all levels to effectively implement social security policies and bring prosperity and happiness to the community.

In order to promote the work of encouraging learning, encouraging talents, and building a learning society in the period of 2021-2030, Ninh Binh Buddhism has paid attention to supporting scholarships for students from primary to high school with difficult circumstances. From 2021-2024, monks and nuns in the province have registered to support nearly 200 students, each student 4.5 million VND/year, the total amount of registered support per cycle is over 2 billion VND, the total amount of money donated over the whole cycle of over 5 years is 10 billion VND.

The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha of the province is also one of the leading organizations in the prevention and control of the COVID-19 epidemic. Religious organizations and religious dignitaries in the province have joined hands in many practical activities to contribute and support the epidemic prevention and control vaccine fund and support essential items for quarantine areas and blockaded and isolated areas; visit, give gifts, encourage the frontline forces against the epidemic and give gifts to the people of Ho Chi Minh City and the southern provinces with a total value of more than 3.5 billion VND. Mobilize followers and Buddhists together with the Women Entrepreneurs Club to cook 400 free meals every day to support the COVID-19 epidemic prevention and control checkpoints in the province for nearly 2 months. In the movement "Take off the brown shirt, put on the blue shirt", 11 monks and nuns volunteered to register, of which 5 monks and nuns participated as volunteers on the front lines, in field hospitals in the epidemic center of Ho Chi Minh City and the southern provinces to contribute with the medical team to take care of patients.

Through specific and practical activities, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha of the province has contributed to arousing the spirit of mutual love and building a great national unity bloc, joining hands and contributing efforts with Party committees, authorities, and the Fatherland Front at all levels to do a good job of charity and humanitarian work, contributing to building Ninh Binh homeland to become increasingly prosperous.

Article and photos: Mai Lan