Ba Vang Pagoda postpones summer retreats 2024

"Due to some important Buddhist activities during the rainy season retreat, the temple would like to announce the temporary postponement of the summer retreats that parents and students have registered for, until further notice."

The above announcement was posted on the website of Ba Vang Pagoda as well as the pagoda's Fanpage on the morning of June 21.

The announcement also stated that the first summer retreat at Ba Vang Pagoda in 2024 has ended, contributing to training life skills for more than 6,000 students.

While there is no official announcement, parents and students can participate in regular retreats at Ba Vang Pagoda and summer retreats at other pagodas and monasteries of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha.

Previously, on June 19, the People's Committee of Uong Bi City (Quang Ninh) informed that in recent days, social networks have been sharing a clip that is said to be from a summer retreat at Ba Vang Pagoda. In the clip, there is an image of a girl showing strange signs such as convulsions, dizziness, and loss of control of her body due to "possession" while Mr. Thich Truc Thai Minh was lecturing on Buddhism. Afterwards, Mr. Thich Truc Thai Minh explained the incident, saying that it was due to karma from a previous life.

Through working with the functional departments of Uong Bi City, Abbot of Ba Vang Pagoda Thich Truc Thai Minh said that the above clip is not a clip of the summer retreat (course 1) in 2024 and Ba Vang Pagoda did not post the above clip as posted on social networks.

The functional departments of Uong Bi City requested the Abbot of Ba Vang Pagoda to respond in writing to information from websites recently.

After the first retreat, the pagoda reported on the related contents to the People's Committee of Uong Bi City and the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha of Uong Bi City, along with clips recording the contents preached at the summer retreat (course 1) in 2024.