“When I grew up, I found that everything in life is temporary. When I saw a flower, I thought it was very beautiful at that moment, but some days later it faded away. I realized we could not keep anything in our hands, like the water flowing through our fingers.…
“When I was younger, maybe 12 or 13 years old, I always went to the temple with my family. I followed my father and my mother, it was my culture. I enjoyed the big family at the temple. After High School I became a nun, and I realized I am…
“In our culture, when a young boy is ordained, it means the family is losing the child. My mother would not be able to call me son anymore, she would have to call me Banthe. I still remember that during the ordination ceremony, one of my sisters was holding my…
“I was 12 years old, and I didn’t know anything. I just followed my dad. He said I should become a monk. At that time I didn’t know what a monk does, but when I became a monk, I studied and I practiced – now I understand. I am happy…
“When I turned 2 years old, my father left Vietnam. He was a boat person. So I grew up without a father, and the traditional thinking is that children growing up without their father will get into trouble. When I was 13, my mother worried about me and sent me…
“When I was a child we didn’t have enough food, so my parents argued every day. Whenever I left our house, I felt light and happy, but as soon as I returned I felt very heavy because of all the arguing. Twice a month, we went to the temple. At the…
“One day, when I was a child in Vietnam, I was walking with my grandmother to the temple. A monk was coming downhill as we were walking uphill. He held his reed hat sideways to cover his face from the sun, and he looked very relaxed, very beautiful. It is…
