The journey of change of Buddhist Dieu Phap when encountering the right Dharma

Self-Introduction and the Opportunity to Encounter the Right Dharma: 

Ms. Tran Thi Tuyen, Dharma name Thich Nu Dieu Phap, 82 years old, from Quang Ninh, Viet Nam, shares how she came to know the Right Dharma in 2019. She was introduced and encouraged to learn about the Right Dharma by Ms. Thanh My, a fellow Buddhist practitioner at Ba Vang Pagoda.

• Previous Practice of Wrong Dharma: Before encountering the Right Dharma, Ms. Dieu Phap practiced wrong dharma for 17 years, including chanting sutras, hitting wooden fish, and reciting the Lotus Sutra, Amitabha Sutra, Avalokiteshvara Sutra, Mahasthamaprapta Sutra, and Ksitigarbha Sutra. She often performed 500 prostrations, chanted sutras at 4 AM and 5 PM, each session lasting 1 to 2 hours. She also participated in ceremonies for the deceased and for peace, spending a lot of money, effort, and time. Her family at that time faced significant financial difficulties, yet they saved money annually for these futile activities.

• Impressions of Venerable Master Thich Thong Lac and Thich Mat Hanh:
• Regarding Venerable Master Thich Thong Lac: Ms. Dieu Phap had never met the Venerable Master but through his lecture tapes, she felt that he was an extraordinary person, small in stature but with monumental accomplishments, always dedicated to sentient beings and humanity.
• Regarding Thich Mat Hanh: She felt that Thich Mat Hanh was also like the Venerable Master, always devoted to sentient beings, tirelessly working day and night, overcoming difficulties, and leaving no one behind except those without affinity. He loved and wished to liberate everyone, possessing virtues of diligence and humility, treating all people equally regardless of wealth, age, intelligence, or foolishness.

• Life Changes After Encountering the Right Dharma: Previously, Ms. Dieu Phap's family was often in discord, and she frequently harbored anger when things went against her wishes. After listening to the Venerable Master's lectures, she found the teachings very practical and realistic, not vague or reliant on begging anyone. She realized that merely practicing them brought comfort, peace, and freedom from restraint or suppression. As a result, family disagreements gradually resolved, and she learned to adapt and be content, bringing stability and joy to her family.
• Vegetarianism and Recovery from Illness: Ms. Dieu Phap began practicing strict vegetarianism in 2019, when she encountered the Right Dharma. She shared about recovering from chronic colitis that had plagued her since childhood. When the illness recurred, she mentally willed the illness away, stating that she had become vegetarian and no longer consumed meat from living beings. Gradually, her chronic colitis completely disappeared without her even noticing.
• Experience Overcoming COVID-19: When she contracted COVID-19, Ms. Dieu Phap experienced high fever, cough, and body aches. She continuously reflected that this was karma, gladly accepting and repaying it, willing to live if her lifespan remained and to die if it ended. After 3 days, her fever broke. She maintained her practice twice daily (morning and evening), for half an hour each time. During the 15 days of illness, she cooked porridge for herself without relying on her children. After 15 days, she started eating rice and gradually recovered completely, with no more cough or fever.
• Other Ailments and How She Dealt with Them: Ms. Dieu Phap also suffered from chronic pharyngitis and joint pain (from her neck and shoulders down to her knees). When these ailments recurred, she also willed them away, and they always receded.

• Message to Everyone: Ms. Dieu Phap wishes that everyone in Vietnam and around the world could encounter the Buddha's Right Dharma, learn the humanistic and karmic ethics that the Venerable Master meticulously built, and live in virtue forever.