The Sacred Spirit of Our Nation: Lessons on Virtue and Resilience from the Time of the Hùng Kings

Opening: The Story of the Bundle of One Hundred Eggs

Have you ever wondered why Vietnamese people, wherever they may be, call one another "đồng bào" — children of the same womb? Since ancient times, the story of Mother Âu Cơ giving birth to a bundle of one hundred eggs has become a sacred symbol of the love and unity of our people. Yet hidden behind this legend is an entire heroic journey of building and defending the nation, where the virtue and sacred spirit of the Hùng Kings have seeped deep into the blood and flesh of every child of Vietnam. Today, let us listen together to the profound teachings of Venerable Thích Chân Quang at the Hùng Temple, to better understand what is called "the sacred spirit of our nation."

The Extraordinary Virtue of the Hùng Kings

According to the Venerable, what gives our nation its sacred spirit is the extraordinary virtue of the Hùng Kings. From the very first ancestor, King Kinh Dương Vương, the story was already remarkable. When his father granted him a vast kingdom, he frankly refused it in order to yield the throne to his elder brother. The Venerable shared:

"In the world, there seems to be no one who, upon being given the throne, would refuse it to yield to his own brother — when people usually kill one another to seize it. And this was the very first ancestor of our country."

That virtue was also shown by the eighteenth Hùng King, who yielded the throne to Thục Phán — King An Dương Vương — when he knew the nation's destiny had run its course, without struggle and without bloodshed. It was precisely this spirit of "no craving, no grasping for power" that left an invaluable legacy to his descendants: resilience and ingenuity.

Resilience: The Diamond at the Nation's Core

Thanks to the virtue of our ancestors, the Vietnamese nation, though small, has always stood firm against every fierce enemy. The Venerable emphasized:

"Though our nation is small, though our fierce enemies were many times stronger, time and again, in the end we still rose up with unyielding strength and kept our country."

This is a hidden strength, like a diamond lying at the core that no hammer can shatter. History has proven it: from the resistance against northern invaders to the heroic chapters of modern times, the Vietnamese people have always known how to rise after every fall.

The Ingenuity of the Vietnamese: A Mystery from Ancient Times

Not only resilient, the Vietnamese also possess a special ingenuity. Though the country has not yet developed like many great powers, when studying abroad, Vietnamese people often achieve outstanding results, astonishing their international peers. The Venerable explained that this stems from the "virtue" passed down by our ancestors. He promised to explain in greater detail in his next dharma talk, but affirmed: "the ingenuity of the Vietnamese people will never, through the generations, come to an end."

Buddhism and the Nation: An Inseparable Spiritual Lifeline

Within the grounds of the Hùng Temple stands the ancient Thiên Quang Pagoda, eight hundred years old — living proof of the bond between Buddhism and the nation. The Venerable emphasized:

"Buddhism has added to the spiritual lifeline of our nation. And so today, anyone who follows Buddhism must understand that we are on the right path, because the Dharma and the nation cannot be separated."

This reminds every child of the Buddha that spiritual practice is not merely a personal matter, but also contributes to preserving and nurturing the beautiful values of our nation.

Conclusion: Live Worthy of Our Ancestors' Sacred Spirit

The sacred spirit of our nation is not something distant; it is the virtue, the resilience, and the ingenuity that our ancestors have planted within each of us. Let us always remember our roots, live with integrity, persevere, and never cease to learn. For as the Venerable said: "The way our kings lived has influenced our nation and our country for many generations." Each of us today is a link in that flowing stream of history. Let us live in a way that is worthy of the sacred spirit of our nation!