Chanh Hoang, Kim Quang Temple, Sacramento, California
“I don’t want to remember Vietnam at all. I am a victim of the communists. A lot of bad things happened. I try to forget it, but I can’t. In my life in the United States, going to the temple, reading and chanting the sutras, talking and listening to the monks and nuns, and to my friends, helps me a lot. I feel good now.”
“Before the war, I had a good childhood. When I remember my childhood, I smile to myself. At about 8 years old, I started going to a youth group at a temple. I grew up in the youth group, and feel that it helped me to become a good person.”
“I enjoy chanting. A lot of people died during the war in Vietnam, and they put the bodies of the dead soldiers in a house. Some were burned, some were shot, it was terrible. Every Sunday afternoon, I went over there. I was about 16 or 17, but I wasn’t scared. I chanted and prayed for them. I still have these images in my mind. I just cannot forget them.”
“You teach people according to their level of knowledge and understanding. I never talk about the Buddha’s teachings to people who do not know. I just try to show. If someone asks, I will of course talk to them, but I try to speak according to the level of their understanding.”
“When you want to help someone, you have to understand their life to recognize what they need. What caused this person to do a certain thing or to be in this situation? Once you understand, you can help. Do not preach to them.”
“When I get angry, I try to throw it out right away. When you have wrong thinking, you need to ask yourself, why am I attaching to this? You need to throw it out, clear your mind, and realize that it’s nothing. For example, when I was still working, some co-workers made me feel frustrated sometimes. I would close my eyes or leave the room and recite the name of the Buddha, I smiled to myself and after that I forgot it all. It’s like the Buddha taught, if someone gives me a gift, I don’t have to accept it, if I don’t take it, it goes back to the giver.”
“I am not scared to die. If I die tomorrow, it’s okay. I try to live my life in a good way. When I do bad I get a bad result. When I do good, I get a good result.”