Da Nang city currently has three Buddhist traditions under the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, including Mahayana and Theravada and Mendicant Sects, with over 110 worshipping places and 500 monastics.
Together with other religions, Buddhism in the city has signed the coordination program between the Central Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF)’s Stading Committee, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and religions on environmental protection and climate change adaptation in the 2015-2020 period.
Implementing this coordination program, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) in the city has sent Buddhist dignitaries to participate in meetings co-organized by the municipal VFF and natural resources and environment department for disseminating the Law on Environmental Protection and rasing awareness of benefits of the cremation and other practical activities for environmental protection.
At the district level, the Buddhist’s executive committees in districts have joint with the local authorities in launching practical programs, including the model developed for creating green, clean streets in Hai Chau district, and the model entitled “Buddhism in Son Tra joins hand in environmental protection” and communication works on benefits of cremation held in eight residential areas in the district, with over 1,300 people attended.
The VBS in the city has also encouraged monastics to carry out practical activities for protecting environment, such as saving fresh water source, planting green trees, cleaning streets around the city, and not burning and littering votive papers during ceremonies and funerals. Environmental protection issues were also regularly incorporated in Buddhist courses held by Buddhist places in the city.
Besides, nearly 20 Buddhist worshiping places in the locality have placed panos for guiding the implementation of civilized lifestyles including environmental-friendly ways of life.
In addition, responding to a call from the municipal authorities for not burying the dead people in the areas of worshipping places in order to construct an eco-friendly city and save land for other projects, the Buddhist facilities in localities have suspended all burying forms and step by step changed to cremation way. Late Buddhist dignitaries including Most Venerables Thích viên Minh, Thích Minh Tuấn, Thích Giác Viên, Thích Thiện Nguyện, Thích Chí Mãn, etc have been cremated and their remains were then brought to Buddhist worshipping places.
Dignitaries of the municipal VBS’s executive committee have chosen topics concerning the cremation for disseminating its meaning to lay people.
Nguyên Hải
