His Role in Uniting the Vietnam
Buddhist Sangha
In 1979 together with Most Venerables Thích Trí Thủ,
Thiện Hào, Thiện Châu, Từ Hạnh, Hiển Pháp, and Buddhist laypeople such as Đỗ
Trung Hiếu, Võ Đình Cường, Tống Hồ Cầm in the South, and other dignitaries in
the North, he helped to found the National Buddhist Committee for Mobilizing
and Uniting the Sangha. This Committee
played a key role in uniting all Buddhist sects throughout the country. In 1981 the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha was
officially formed. He was invited to
become its Vice-President and General Secretary successively for three terms
(1981-1997).
Member of the Congress:
The National
Front selected him to represent Ho Chi Minh City people at the Congress.
Since May, 1981 through 2002 he had served as a member of the Congress from the
Seventh to the Tenth Terms. He was also
elected as Vice-President of the Social Sciences Council of Ho Chi Minh City.
In 1989 he requested the Sangha that it ask for permission from
the government to establish the Vietnam Buddhist Studies Institute. Two years later in 1991 he formed a Council
to direct the translation and publish the Vietnam Tripitaka, of which he was
the President. Hence, the Vietnam
Tripitaka came into existence. In Novemebr 1997 at the National Conference of Buddhist Delegates of the IV th Term (1997-2002), he was elected Member of the Senate Council, and Vice-President of the Internal Affairs Council of the Sangha for two successive terms (1997-2007). In December, 2007 at the VI th-Term National Conference of Buddhist Delegates (2007-2012) all delegates elected him to be Vice- President of the Sangha Senate.
(To be continued)
Source:
http://www.nguoiaolam.net/2012/09/hoa-thuong-thich-minh-chau-tieu-su-cong.html#.UEomRpHZKCk
