Page 58 - HuongTuKySu-PhiChau2021-Final_Neat

Loving Kindness Chronicles - Africa

Night had fallen as everyone was sleeping soundly, one could only hear the sound of insects in an otherwise
quiet atmosphere by the tranquil river. It was also a time of restlessness for the team members. The final hours of

this meaningful journey were surely hard to pass. The night somehow seemed endless but as soon as dawn
broke, the darkness also disappeared. Together we walked on the winding village road with puddles here and
there creating a beautiful picture of the countryside.
We inaugurated the 15th well in this location and visited the site where a contractor was using ground clay to
make bricks for the construction of a Buddhist school. We learned that the main benefactor of this great meritori-
ous project was a Vietnamese Buddhist devotee named Tiffany Tho Nguyen living in Florida, USA. With her
own retirement savings, she has made this great contribution on behalf of her late husband, Mr. Chan Phuc Ngu-
yen, to fulfill his wish of expanding Buddhism in Africa by establishing the very first Buddhist school in Uganda
and the entire continent. Our Huong Tu team also had the opportunity to attend the groundbreaking ceremony
and donate tables and chairs for all the classrooms as a contribution to this meaningful project. For as long as
there are students attending this school, the merits from this great deed will continue to accumulate. It still does
not stop there. All the knowledge and wisdom gained by the students attending this school will be shared with
other students as well as the general public throughout Africa. Just like that, generation after generation, people
will learn and practice the teachings of the Buddha. How great is that merit, dear friends?
Do you recall the building that we had donated to establish the Compassion Orphanage? This building will be
exclusively for boys and even more incredible, we were able to donate a second building close by, which also
has 12 rooms, exclusively for girls. In total, Huong Tu has donated 24 rooms with enough space to accommo-
date 48 boys and girls. From now on, those unfortunate lives will have a refuge and a loving home under the
roof of Dharma. Dear friends, what will happen when day by day, these 48 children keep chanting sutras, listen-
ing to Dharma discourses, meditating and attending school to learn Dharma? Perhaps these little seeds we are
sowing will flourish and blossom and continue to nourish other seeds to flourish just as green…and eventually
all become useful members of society?
There is still more, Huong Tu officially inaugurated a sewing class with 12 new sewing machines at the tem-
ple, dedicated to disadvantaged women. A laywoman in the group knelt and shared with us: “A woman’s life
here is very hard and we get very little respect. We cannot get a job and when we want to learn how to sew, we
do not have the means to take classes. In the past, there were only 2 sewing machines at the temple and there
were 20 of us using them, not many can understand our difficulties. Now with the support of Huong Tu Founda-
tion, we are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to learn a career and it will completely change our lives.
We will have a stable job to support our families. There are no words to express our gratitude for the help you
have given us.”
After the food offering to the Sangha, there was a brief Dharma talk session by the Venerables for the lay
people. The mayor was also in attendance to make his remarks and present us a certificate of appreciation to ex-
press his gratitude: “You have made a lasting impression on us and we hope to welcome you back to Uganda
under better circumstances in the near future.”
Next, our 12 Huong Tu members had an official ceremony to offer the 12 alms bowls to the 12 novice
monks. The image of the 12 members kneeling and offering the alms bowls in front of the 12 novice monks was
very beautiful. The alms bowl is an indispensable item for a monk. From now on, robes and alms bowls are
complete, both the monks and novice monks can go to the village for alms rounds. Coincidentally, with the 12
rooms for boys and 12 rooms for girls at the orphanage making a total of 24 rooms, it suddenly reminded me of
the 24 Paccaya…The number 12, as in the 12 Nidanas, has occurred repeatedly throughout this journey. Perhaps
this is the beginning for a country to make history for Buddhism in the future. It could be the cause and condi-
tion for this entire nation to eventually have more images of Buddhist monastics seeking alms throughout the
land. What an incredible joy, isn’t it?
Time flies too quickly, it was the moment to wave goodbye to dear Uganda. Our team did not forget to utilize
the little time we had left to give away some final food items and supplies to the poor people working here. It
was extraordinary for some women to balance on their heads 4 bags of rice, sugar, beans and flour weighing
over 40kg. A Muslim woman shared with us: “With this gift, it can feed our family for 4 months. We are very
grateful and wish all of you well. Truly, it is very rare for us to get this sort of care and support." Such poignant
words have certainly left a lasting impression and filled our hearts with love and sympathy for humanity. Even
though we are all human beings with blood that is red and tears that are salty, some are born into riches while
others are born into poverty. Oh what a drastic difference in the karma of individuals! Infinite cause and effect
continue to lead and submerge all beings in the sea of suffering. Leaving Country Lake heading to the airport,
we were overwhelmed with emotions, wondering when we would return to this place and will the people's lives
here improve. We had many questions but no definite answers. What was certain were the joyful experiences
that will follow us for the rest of our days. 58