Each KTMH at Thanh Ha Pagoda attracts a large number of young people to participate.
Venerable Thich Ban Tri, abbot of Thanh Ha Pagoda, Hac Thanh Ward, said: “This is the second year the pagoda has organized KTMH for youth and children. With the theme “Buddha, I'm back”, this year's KTMH was held from June 27 to 29, attracting the participation of 400 children from 9 to 14 years old. To prepare carefully for the retreat, the pagoda has developed a plan and prepared good facilities such as bedrooms, blankets, mosquito nets and arranged separate areas for men and women. At the same time, it has established a coordination committee, an order committee, a medical committee... to take care of the children throughout the retreat".
Not only carefully preparing in terms of organization, Thanh Ha Pagoda also pays attention to building close-knit retreat content, suitable for each age group with many practical contents, such as practicing mindfulness, listening to Dharma talks, walking meditation, life skills, teamwork, extracurricular activities. To create an attractive playground for children, the pagoda also organizes art programs and writes wall newspapers; on the evening of June 28, they light candles in gratitude and write letters, sending love to their parents. The above activities have helped the children not only experience a disciplined living environment but also express sharing and love among members.
For the third time participating in KTMH, Nguyen Bao Chau in Hac Thanh ward shared: "When I was in 5th grade and my parents suggested that I join KTMH, I was also scared and hesitant because I thought that just sitting and listening to lectures and not being able to participate in fun activities with friends would be very sad. However, when I registered for the retreat, I was able to participate in extracurricular activities and was taught lessons about gratitude, sharing, loving family and friends, and living responsibly towards the community by the community." teachers. I really like living in this environment and next year I will proactively ask my parents to join KTMH.”
With many activities organized in KTMH, the night of gratitude to parents is always the moment that everyone looks forward to with many emotions. When standing before their parents, children can live with their own emotions, learn to listen, understand and express love to those around them.
Ms. Le Quang Vinh in Hac Thanh ward could not hide her emotions when her son wrote a letter to his mother for the first time with full of love: "I thank you for giving birth to me, giving me a full life and from my heart I apologize to my parents because there were times when I was not good, did not study hard, was too busy playing and sometimes did not listen, making my parents sad"...
Those simple words of love have shortened the gap between generations like Vinh and her mother and many other families since their children joined KTMH. The children have learned to express their emotions, share and love each other more. Many families have missed out on this meaningful activity in the hustle and bustle of life.
Along with Thanh Ha Pagoda, many pagodas in the province have organized KTMH for children with many useful activities. Participating in these activities for 2 to 5 days, depending on the conditions of each page, children learn many practical contents related to adjusting behavior through practicing lifestyle, playing; practicing self-adjustment through meditation courses. Children also learn to be good by participating in filial piety lantern night activities, writing letters to parents, listening to lectures on social topics, school, family, friends. In addition, in KTMH, children are also equipped with life skills through useful activities such as learning about the law, traffic safety, fire prevention and fighting, environmental protection and participating in many folk games, culture - arts...
Venerable Thich Tam Dinh, Head of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in Thanh Hoa province, said: "The retreat is an opportunity for children to live in a pure moral environment, to return to themselves and learn how to be good people."
Participating in KTMH has silently sown seeds of kindness into life. This place has helped to awaken the inherent goodness not only of children but also of parents, developing compassion, wisdom, and morality through the lens of Buddhism. From there, it helps children stay away from bad habits, social evils and constantly strive, practice, build good personalities, towards a healthy and useful lifestyle for society.
Article and photos: Trung Hieu
Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/giup-con-tre-co-ky-nghi-he-thu-vi-254151.htm
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