The dispatch signed on September 4 by Ven. Thích Đức Thiện, Vice President cum Secretary General of the VBS executive council, asking the provincial-level VBS executive committee to check the keeping and worship of ashes and photos of the death at Buddhist establishments throughout the country.

According to the dispatch, the survey and assessment of the keeping and worship of ashes by provincial VBS executive committees will be reported to the VBS central executive council before October 31, 2020.

In the dispatch, the Ven. Thích Đức Thiện affirms the spiritual value in sending ashes to Buddhist temples, and states that the VBS generally encourages cremation and keep remains in ashes towers.

In previous days, public media reported frustrations of families keeping ashes of their loved ones at Ky Quang 2 Pagoda, District 17, Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City that have been messed up and stacked during a pagoda upgrade.

Regarding the above incident, Ven. Thích Thiện Chiếu, Abbot of Ky Quang 2 pagoda has had meetings with concerning local authorities and relatives of people with remains sent to the temple where admitted responsibility and apologized for the incident. Thích Thiện Chiếu also stated that the incident happened by errors while upgrading the place keeping remains of the death, and pledged to overcome and rearrange the solemn worship of the ashes before October 1, 2020. 

PTT