Don't Walk Alone – The Spiritual Strength of the Vietnamese People

Have you ever wondered why, through so many generations, the Vietnamese people have remained devoted to the Buddha? What has made the Buddha's teachings (Dharma) an irreplaceable source of spiritual strength for this nation?

**Cause and effect (karmic law) – the foundation of morality**

The Buddha's teachings (Dharma) do not present a supreme deity who rewards or punishes. Instead, the Buddha pointed out that cause and effect (karmic law) operates fairly throughout the universe. Those who sow bad seeds reap bad fruits; those who live virtuously receive blessings.

Plant melons and you harvest melons; plant beans and you harvest beans. That is the teaching of the Buddha.

It is this faith in cause and effect (karmic law) that teaches people self-restraint, an awareness of wrongdoing and merit, and the desire to live rightly. This is the profound difference between Buddhism and other religions.

**The wondrous power of the Buddha's teachings (Dharma) in history**

Vietnamese history has proven this power. When King Trần Thái Tông set aside his golden throne and went to Yên Tử mountain to practice, the people's attitude shifted from resentment toward the Trần dynasty to love and admiration. The unity of the whole people defeated the Yuan–Mongol armies three times.

To be a king is to live according to the heart of the people, taking the people's mind/heart as one's own mind/heart.

The Buddha's teachings (Dharma) became a cultural and spiritual root, helping the nation stand firm through every historical upheaval.

**The spiritual life – something real**

Human beings have three needs: material, mental, and spiritual. The spiritual is something we cannot see with our eyes, yet it exists deep within each of us. The belief that death is not the end, that a person continues to exist in another form, is an intuition everyone can feel.

Uncle Hồ wrote in his testament: "I write these words in case I should go to meet Uncle Mác and Uncle Lênin."

Even the greatest figures were aware of the continuation of consciousness after this body decays. The Buddha's teachings (Dharma) call this the "moment of transition" or the "receptive nature" – the stream of karma that continues to flow on.

**Don't walk alone**

We cannot walk the road of life without provisions. Those provisions are the Three Jewels: the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. Thanks to those who guide the way, we can understand and practice the teachings correctly, avoiding the traps of greed, hatred and delusion.

Don't walk alone. Let the Buddha's teachings (Dharma) accompany you and light your path. Each of us can find the shore of peace, joy, and liberation right within our present life.

**Protecting the Buddha's teachings (Dharma) is protecting the nation**

The Buddha's teachings (Dharma) have permeated the Vietnamese soul like a part of our very flesh and blood. If one day these teachings were lost, our nation would lose its cultural and spiritual roots and become enslaved. Therefore, practicing and preserving the Buddha's teachings (Dharma) is precisely protecting the country.

Live with awareness, practice every day, so that your path is always illuminated by compassion and wisdom.