exercises on breathing. Once her body and mind became calm and peaceful, Kinh Tam immediately entered the Concentration of Immeasurable Loving-kindness. Having reached potent levels of loving-kindness concentration, the novice went on into the Concentration of Immeasurable Compassion. When she had attained full realization of this concentration, she entered the Concentration of Immeasurable Joy. A blissful smile bloomed continuously on the serene face of the novice. With full strength from the Concentration of Immeasurable Joy in her, Kinh Tam entered into the Concentration of Immeasurable Equanimity. In this concentration, loving-kindness, compassion, and joy embraced the novice and every being in the world; there was no discrimination between loved ones and enemies. The novice opened her heart fully to all beings. She concentrated her complete mindfulness on her parents, her brother, her teacher, her elder Dharma brothers, and every single person who had supported her in the entire twenty-eight years of this life. Then with a smile, she let go of that body and life. Stably seated in the lotus position, Kinh Tam passed away.
The next morning, it was little aspirant Thien Tai who went out to the thatched hut quite early and found that his father-teacher had just died. In a panic, he ran to find novice Man Tam. As Man Tam went looking for Thay Thanh Tam, Thay Chi Tam was already approaching the hermitage of Kinh Tam and also saw that his younger Dharma brother had passed away, in the lotus position, on the bamboo bed inside the hut. He had just lowered the corpse down to a lying position when Thay Thanh Tam arrived. Within minutes, the two venerables discovered that their younger Dharma brother Kinh Tam was a woman.
Thay Chi Tam told everyone present to step out of the hut and instructed all to join their palms while invoking the Buddhaâs name. He was crying as he went back through the temple gates to find the abbot, who was also moved to tears upon hearing the news. The abbot instructed Thay Chi Tam to go down to the village to relay the news to the village council chairman and other members of the council. He also told him to invite several laywomen practitioners living near the temple to come up and help with the preparation of the body of novice Kinh Tam for the funeral and cremation.
N ews that novice Kinh Tam was a woman flashed like lightning throughout all the villages in the district. People from the village just below and various other nearby villages continually thronged around Dharma Cloud Temple. Lay Buddhists, youths, elders, steadfast supporters, erstwhile accusersâeveryone was greatly moved. By noon, the temple grounds were packed full.
The abbot had read novice Kinh Tamâs letter to him and immediately gave permission for Venerable Chi Tam to go to Kinh Tamâs home village, to take little Thien Tai to be presented, and to hand-deliver the letter that Kinh Tam had written to her parents. The abbot also told novice Man Tam to deliver Kinh Tamâs letter to Thi Mau in the village below. Thi Mau was not home when the little novice came to her house. In fact, she had already heard the news and had gone up to the temple two hours earlier. Novice Man Tam had to return to the temple and, after a long search, finally found Thi Mau and gave her the letter.
The corpse of Kinh Tam was moved to the West Hall, which was brightly lit with numerous candles and richly perfumed with incense day and night. The abbot himself presided over all the chanting and praying sessions, only to be replaced by Thay Thanh Tam when the abbot got tired. The chanting echoed clearly out to the outer courtyards of the temple. So many people shed so many tears. They commented to each other, âPracticing like that is really true practice. Being able to peacefully endure things so difficult to endure is truly the practice of magnanimityâ kshanti paramita. How horrible, the way Kinh Tam was treated for over six
The next morning, it was little aspirant Thien Tai who went out to the thatched hut quite early and found that his father-teacher had just died. In a panic, he ran to find novice Man Tam. As Man Tam went looking for Thay Thanh Tam, Thay Chi Tam was already approaching the hermitage of Kinh Tam and also saw that his younger Dharma brother had passed away, in the lotus position, on the bamboo bed inside the hut. He had just lowered the corpse down to a lying position when Thay Thanh Tam arrived. Within minutes, the two venerables discovered that their younger Dharma brother Kinh Tam was a woman.
Thay Chi Tam told everyone present to step out of the hut and instructed all to join their palms while invoking the Buddhaâs name. He was crying as he went back through the temple gates to find the abbot, who was also moved to tears upon hearing the news. The abbot instructed Thay Chi Tam to go down to the village to relay the news to the village council chairman and other members of the council. He also told him to invite several laywomen practitioners living near the temple to come up and help with the preparation of the body of novice Kinh Tam for the funeral and cremation.
N ews that novice Kinh Tam was a woman flashed like lightning throughout all the villages in the district. People from the village just below and various other nearby villages continually thronged around Dharma Cloud Temple. Lay Buddhists, youths, elders, steadfast supporters, erstwhile accusersâeveryone was greatly moved. By noon, the temple grounds were packed full.
The abbot had read novice Kinh Tamâs letter to him and immediately gave permission for Venerable Chi Tam to go to Kinh Tamâs home village, to take little Thien Tai to be presented, and to hand-deliver the letter that Kinh Tam had written to her parents. The abbot also told novice Man Tam to deliver Kinh Tamâs letter to Thi Mau in the village below. Thi Mau was not home when the little novice came to her house. In fact, she had already heard the news and had gone up to the temple two hours earlier. Novice Man Tam had to return to the temple and, after a long search, finally found Thi Mau and gave her the letter.
The corpse of Kinh Tam was moved to the West Hall, which was brightly lit with numerous candles and richly perfumed with incense day and night. The abbot himself presided over all the chanting and praying sessions, only to be replaced by Thay Thanh Tam when the abbot got tired. The chanting echoed clearly out to the outer courtyards of the temple. So many people shed so many tears. They commented to each other, âPracticing like that is really true practice. Being able to peacefully endure things so difficult to endure is truly the practice of magnanimityâ kshanti paramita. How horrible, the way Kinh Tam was treated for over six
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