One Million Followers Attend Hoa Hao Buddhist Sect's Celebrations
06/13/2006 -- 21:12(GMT+7)
An Giang - Nearly one million followers of the Hoa Hao Buddhist Sect in Mekong Delta provinces and Ho Chi Minh City gathered in Phu My town of Phu Tan district, An Giang province, to celebrate the Sect's 67th founding anniversary on the 18th of the fifth lunar month (June 13).
Representatives from the Government Committee for Religious Affairs and An Giang provincial officials took part in the ceremony, which was solemnly held at An Hoa Tu Pagoda.
The ceremony received messages of congratulations from administrations of provinces where the Sect's believers live. It also reported recent activities of the Sect's followers, who have recently adopted their charter.
With more than two million followers, 259 worship places with 1,591 clerics, the Hoa Hao Buddhist Sect has developed in Mekong Delta provinces, Ho Chi Minh City, and the central provinces of Khanh Hoa and Phu Yen.
The Central Executive Board of the Hoa Hao Buddhist Sect holds regular basic religious courses in many localities. In the first six months of 2006 alone, it gave 356 sermons to instruct believers on the Sect's guidelines.
Hoa Hao followers have raised a total of almost 23 billion VND for charity activities.
Similar ceremonies were held in 242 localities in 13 provinces and cities in Viet Nam, an increase of 52 localities over the last year. The number of believers who came to the Sect's holy land in Phu Tan district nearly doubled in comparison with the previous year.
Earlier, representatives of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs and An Giang provincial authorities on June 12 called on and presented gifts to the Central Executive Board of the Hoa Hao Buddhist Sect, the An Hoa Tu Pagoda, places of worship and outstanding believers and dignitary Prophet Huynh's family.
Source: An Giang
