Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Wu Yantong (Chinese: 無言通, known in Vietnam as Vô Ngôn Thông, 759?-826 C.E.) was a Chinese Buddhist monk influential in the propagation of Buddhism in Vietnam.

Born into a wealthy family, upon coming of age he renounced that lifestyle for a monastic life and eventually realized satori or enlightenment.

Around 820 CE, he crossed the border of southern China and arrived at Phù Đổng village (which is where Phù Đổng Thiên Vương of the legend had been born) to reside in Kiến Sơ Temple in Bắc Ninh, Northern Vietnam. There he only sat facing the wall to meditate (wall-contemplation or bích quán or diện bích – nhìn tường) like Boddhidharma, the Indian monk who had introduced Zen Buddhism to China around 520 CE and had faced the wall for 9 years to meditate at Shaolin Temple.

No one knew anything about Wu Yantong. The temple abbot, Cẩm Thành, quietly knew he was a high monk who had attained enlightenment and so treated him with much respect. Near the time of death, Wu Yantong called Cẩm Thành in and read for Cẩm Thành the parting poem:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Communication is the most basic and fundamental activity among people. What we always do with each other, even when we do nothing else, is communication – at least talking to each other in one or two sentences.

Communication is the string that ties us humans together into networks – family, school, neighborhood, church, temple, company, market, tourist hotspot…

Without communication we all are simply dust particles blown in the wind. Continue reading How good are you in communication? →

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Most injustice in the world has been created by big world powers. The easiest to see is the colonial period that has just been over in the middle of 20th century, in which Vietnam was one of the victims of the colonizing France, which passed off South Vietnam to US who tried be the boss but was defeated by the Vietnamese.

The consequences of the colonial time are still with the colonized nations today and pose so many obstacles and difficulties for the former colonies’ socio-politico-economic development. Continue reading Wise up! →

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The story about God’s grace that impresses me the most is Abraham’s bargaining with God to save Sodom. God told Abraham Sodom was sinful, so God would destroy Sodom. Abraham wanted to save Sodom, so he asked if God would save Sodom if there were 50 righteous persons in that city. God agreed: “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.” (Gen. 18:26). Abraham then bargained it down to 45 righteous. God agreed. Abraham continued to bargain down to 40, God agreed. Abraham continued to bargain down to 30, then 20, then 10 righteous. God agreed every time. Abraham stopped at 10, without finding 10. Why didn’t he bargain further? Looked like he was on a roll with God. We never know why Abraham stopped at 10. Thus, Sodom and Gomorrah were burned.

Lot, Abraham’s nephew, also was informed by God’s two messengers that Sodom would be destroyed and was told to take his wife and two daughters with him to go up the mountains to stay safe. (His sons in law, husbands of his two daughters, didn’t believe Lot and thought he was joking about the city being destroyed). But Lot told God’s messengers that he could not go up the mountains, fearing some evil would overtake him and he would die, so he asked them to allow him to stay in a small city on the way called Zoar. A messenger told him: “See, I have favored you concerning this thing also, in that I will not overthrow this city for which you have spoken. Hurry, escape there.”

So God saved Zoar because of one righteous person, who was Lot. (Gen. 19:21-22).

Abraham couldn’t saved Sodom, because he couldn’t find 10 righteous and he stopped bargaining. But God did save another city (Zoar) with just one righteous person. Obviously God doesn’t require much.

Does this story have anything to do with us today?

Well, it has a lot to do with us. If we live righteously, one of us will be able to save a city from destruction. We are not talking about counting heads – how many bad guys versus how many good guys in a city. We are taking about God’s grace – God only needs one righteous to save a city. God love people and God just needs a small excuse to save a city. God doesn’t require much.

So, don’t count head and don’t lose faith. One person is enough, and that one person can be YOU. One righteous you will be able to save a city.

So, brothers and sisters, try to be righteous and know that your righteousness will be used by God to save a city.

Trust in you and trust in God.

Wish you all be righteous.

With compassion,

Hoành

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Trần Đình Hoành
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