Supreme Patriarch of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS), Most Venerable Thích Phổ Tuệ, the third Dharma Master of the VBS, passed away on the morning of October 21 in Phu Xuyen district of Hanoi.
Most Venerable Thích Phổ Tuệ, alias Bùi Văn Quý, was born on April 12, 1917, in Phung Thien hamlet of Khanh Tien commune in Yen Khanh district of Ninh Binh province.
He first became involved in Buddhist affairs between the years 1953 and 1958 at Kim Doi pagoda in Kien Thuy district of Hai Phong city.
Since 1987, he has held several positions in Vietnamese Buddhism and the VBS, including serving as vice chairman of the Executive Council, head of the VBS Executive in Ha Tay province, now Hanoi, and being member of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front.
In 2017, the eighth VBS National Congress agreed to re-ordain Most Venerable Thích Phổ Tuệ in order to give him the position of Supreme Patriarch of the Central Committee of the VBS.
Most Venerable Thích Phổ Tuệ has previously been recognised for his contribution to his faith by being awarded the Ho Chi Minh Order, the Second Class Independence Medal, the Great National Unity Medal, the Prime Minister's Certificate of Merit, and the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha's merits.
A tribute-paying ceremony for Most Venerable Thích Phổ Tuệ is set to be held at 7:00 a.m. on October 22, with the event ending on October 23, while a memorial ceremony will take place at 9 a.m. on October 24 in Phu Xuyen district of Hanoi.
Source: english.vov.vn
