Thousands of people gathered at the Van Hanh Monastery in Phu Nhuandistrict, Ho Chi Minh City, for a memorial service for Most VenerableThich Minh Chau, Deputy Patriarch of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS),who passed away on Sept.1 at the age of 94.
Representatives from the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, the Vietnam FatherlandFront Central Committee, sectors, localities, and Buddhist dignitaries,monks, nuns and followers came to pay their last respect and bidfarewell to the Buddhist Sangha Deputy Patriarch.
After a commemorative ceremony, he will rest at the stupa at the Van Hanh Monastery.
Born in 1918 in the central province of Quang Nam , MostVenerable Thich Minh Chau, whose real name is Dinh Van Nam, played asignificant role in unifying Buddhist sects in the country.
The Most Venerable was elected Deputy Chairman and General Secretaryof the VBS for three consecutive terms since it was founded in 1981.
He greatly contributed to making many of Buddha’steaching in Tripitaka (means Three Baskets) closer to ordinary peoplethrough translation of the sacred texts from the Pali and Englishlanguages.
With his prestige and reverend virtue,Most Venerable Thich Minh Chau was elected deputy of the NationalAssembly for the 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th terms.
He wasconferred with a number of noble distinctions of the Party and theState, including the Ho Chi Minh Order, Independence Order (secondclass) and Great National Unity Order.-VNA