The pagoda has encouraged people not to burn ghost paper for 20 years for saving money to help poor students and people instead. The sum will be given to needy students and low-income families in district 11 and distant localities nationwide.
The Vietnamese burn for the deceased to ensure them a happy afterlife
Through unions in the district, the pagoda sent VND200 million for providing scholarships to poverty-stricken students who have good academic performance; for eye operations and repairing dilapidated houses of low-income earners.
On the occasion, followers also gave presents including rice, noodle, sugar and cooking oil to indigent inhabitants in the district.
This year Vu Lan or Wandering Soul's Day, followers have saved VND600 million from stopping burning joss paper. In addition to giving scholarships, VND250 million of the sum was given to poor residents in the highlands province of Kon Tum.
In response to the appeal not to burning paper money of Lien Hoa pagoda which has not burned the special money for 20 years, followers haven’t waste their money on joss paper but saved VND3.6 billion for scholarships to destitute students; VND2 billion for poor people’s eye operations; VND1.5 billion and VND1.4 billion for building houses and digging wells for disadvantaged dwellers respectively.
Moreover, nearly VND2.5 billion was used to buy coffins for poor people and VND5 billion for presents to residents in the central province of Quang Binh and the highlands province of Kon Tum; and VND2 billion for supporting other unions.
The pagoda’s deed has helped reduce environment pollution and save money to support disadvantaged people.
