Issues Raised for the Study of Buddhist Stele Inscriptions of the 17th

The above has collected 330 steles, accounting for ¼ of the number of steles collected in 1992 [17;10 - 14].

The above are general comments on the Le Dynasty steles of Kinh Bac region, including many types of relics.

During the Le Dynasty, Confucianism occupied a high position, Buddhism was temporarily maintained only in the scope of village activities. During this period, pagodas also developed in a limited way with a small number. According to statistics, in the 15th century, only 5 Buddhist steles appeared in Bac Ninh province. But in the 17th - 18th centuries, Buddhism in general and Buddhism in Bac Ninh province developed strongly, many pagodas were restored and built on a grand scale, with a very large number of Buddhist steles appearing. It can be said that this was one of the quite brilliant development stages of Buddhism, which was specifically and vividly expressed on the famous landscapes and ancient temples of Bac Ninh. "At the beginning of the Le Dynasty, Buddhism had to give way to Confucianism, and pagodas were rarely restored. However, during the Le Trung Hung period, Buddhism was revived. Village pagodas and communal pagodas were expanded, built and restored, attracting a lot of money here. Several hundred stone steles erected in pagodas along with the remaining pagoda system to this day in all regions of Kinh Bac have proven the brilliant development of Buddhism in Vietnam in many different periods" [146; 50 - 51].

According to statistics by Pham Thi Thuy Vinh, the number of Buddhist steles in Kinh Bac region during the Le dynasty still accounts for the highest percentage among 12 types of steles: (52.3% with a quantity of 556 steles (Meanwhile, the number of steles in other relics is only a more modest number: Communal house: 302 steles; Temple, shrine: 50 steles; Van chi: 40 steles; Tu duong: 36 steles; mausoleum: 22 steles; Tu chi: 19 steles; Bridge: 15 steles; Market: 9 steles; Sinh tu: 7 steles; Diem: 6 steles; Am: 1 stele [146; 79].

Author Pham Thi Thuy Vinh also classified the Kinh Bac stele inscriptions by chronology with the following specific numbers:

Maybe you are interested!

+ 15th century; has 5 steles

+ 16th century: There is 1 stele dated Quang Hung. In addition, in Kinh Bac there are 13 steles of Mac period [The number of Mac steles is not included in the statistical table but we still mention it to see the continuity of Kinh Bac steles].

+ In the 17th century (up to the end of the Chinh Hoa era - 1705), there were 437 steles.

+ 18th century (From Vinh Thinh era 1705 to Chieu Thong era 2 (1788) there were 612 steles [146; 88].

Not only did she compile and research on Buddhist steles, Pham Thi Thuy Vinh also researched the participation of the eunuch class in the work of the pagodas with the appearance of memorial works and tombs of eunuchs in large numbers, distributed in almost all districts and prefectures of Kinh Bac. The author compiled 100 steles from the year (1620 - 1779) within 160 years, the distribution of the steles according to the district units: including 4 prefectures and 20 districts, including: Tu Son prefecture (Yen Phong, Dong Ngan, Tien Du, Que Duong, Vo Giang); Thuan An prefecture (Gia Lam, Sieu Loai, Gia Dinh); Bac Ha prefecture (Hiep Hoa, Yen Viet); Lang Giang prefecture (Yen Dung, Phuong Nhan, Bao Loc districts), in which the eunuch force participated in most of the work in the villages, communes and society, including 12 steles recording the eunuchs participating in repairing pagodas.[146; 88].

- On specific studies of some typical pagodas and discoveries

sporadic

- Research on some typical temples

Research on the history of famous pagodas of the 17th and 18th centuries in the province

Bac Ninh also has Nguyen Quang Ha: Learning more about the history of Dau Pagoda (Thuan Thanh, Bac Ninh) [21; 184 - 204]; History of But Thap Pagoda - Thuan Thanh, Bac Ninh (Through Han Nom documents) [22; 57 - 67]. In the above articles, the author has inherited the research results of previous authors, continuing to learn about the history of specific pagodas through a long time axis from the beginning of their formation until the end of the medieval period. In particular, Dau Pagoda used to be a Buddhist center during the Northern domination period and the Ly - Tran period, and was also renovated and built on a large scale during the Le - Trinh period; But Thap Pagoda at this stage was basically built as seen today by the Princes, Princesses, and Royal Consorts in the Trinh Lord's palace. Although the author delves into the study of some specific typical pagodas of Bac Ninh province, it has practical significance and value in learning about the history of Zen sects such as Dau pagoda, which represents the Southern Zen sect of Ty.

- Ni - Da - Luu - Chi was maintained until the end of the Ly - Tran dynasty, then during the Tran dynasty, Dau pagoda received the Truc Lam Tam To Zen sect and in the 17th - 18th century, Dau pagoda

belongs to the Lam Te Zen sect. But Thap Pagoda was founded by Zen master Chuyet Chuyet (Chinese Zen master) and then inherited and continued by Dai Viet Zen masters. For many centuries, But Thap - Ninh Phuc Zen temple represents the Zen sect of Lam Te. This is also one of the cradles of Lam Te sect with the strongest development and spread.

At the same time as the researchers of stele inscriptions on the aspect of exploiting the content of textual information, the research on the anthropological aspect was also conducted by archaeologists. Those are the studies on the burial statues of the founders of some famous pagodas in Bac Ninh in the 17th - 18th centuries that have attracted the attention of some researchers. In the 90s of the 20th century, the archaeologist - anthropologist Nguyen Lan Cuong published a number of burial statues of Zen masters Chuyet Chuyet and Zen master Nhu Tri (Phat Tich Pagoda) all dating from the 17th and 17th centuries. This is one of the rare documentary evidences that not only proves the historical sources of documents and stele inscriptions but also proves the art and knowledge of embalming technology of the ancients and at the same time shows an ancient belief and ancient concept of the afterlife of Zen masters with the meditation and lotus posture of the Zen sect.

In addition to studying the conduct of Zen masters, some researchers have also discovered a number of works and Han Nom relics related to the activities and writings of typical Zen masters of Bac Ninh province in the 17th - 18th centuries. These are very valuable historical documents that contribute significantly to the study of the history of Vietnamese Buddhism in general and the history of Buddhism in Bac Ninh province as well as the history of each famous place and mountain gate in particular. These are the studies of Luu Dinh Tang: About Zen master Tinh Mo, who organized the carving of two sets of woodblocks to print the story of Buddha at Dau pagoda , [128; 68 - 69]. Nguyen Quang Khai: Discovered the book Chuyet Cong Ngu Luc at Phat Tich pagoda, Tien Du district [45; 394 - 399]; Pham Tuan: Chan Phuc Zen Master and the relationship from Phat Tich to But Thap, [127]... These famous Zen masters played an important role in building famous pagodas in Bac Ninh, with activities related to scholarship, printing Buddhist books, or contributing to the formation of a new sect, at the same time this is also evidence of their presence in history to compare with other sources of documents.

ancient documents and contemporary stele inscriptions. In addition, research on the statues of the Late 17th and 18th centuries from stele inscriptions has also been of interest to some authors, such as: Pham Thuy Vinh: On some steles and statues of the Late 17th and 18th centuries [144; 491 - 501. In addition to the pagodas in Hung Yen and Ha Tay (old), the author surveyed the statues of Hau in Dai Bai village (Gia Binh district) and Tinh Quang pagoda (Tu Phong village, Cach Bi commune, Que Vo district, Bac Ninh)...

- Research on individual cases of discovering some steles in Bac Ninh land.

Every year (from 1994 to present), the Han Nom Studies Announcement Conference ( now the annual Han Nom Studies Research Conference organized by the Institute of Han Nom Studies) announces the results of collecting, researching, and discovering new documents about Han Nom, including documents about Buddhist steles. The Conference on New Discoveries in Archaeology organized by the Vietnam Institute of Archaeology and a number of specialized journals often publish the results of collecting and discovering new documents about Buddhist steles or related to Buddhist steles in Bac Ninh province: Pham Thuy Vinh: Chinese text on a 15th century Buddha statue was recently discovered in Ha Bac , [141; 54 - 57]; According to researcher Pham Thuy Vinh, the statue dating from the above period was discovered in Cung Kiem village (Nhan Hoa commune, Que Vo district, Bac Ninh). In addition, the research on woodblock prints or steles engraved with the Trinh Lord's Orders (But Thap pagoda) has been Some researchers have provided additional data on the major construction year of the pagoda in the 17th century... In addition to the discoveries of inscriptions and artifacts such as statues and worship objects before the 15th century, there are also discoveries of steles belonging to the period before the 17th - 18th centuries, or in other words, not belonging to this period, but these are additional discoveries and research to contribute to the study of the historical process of the formation of famous ancient pagodas. Some scientific articles can be mentioned such as: On the newly discovered relic civilization of Thien Chung pagoda (Thuan Thanh - Bac Ninh) by Dinh Khac Thuan [115; 14 - 22]. Also related research on the content of Buddhist tablets in the Sui Dynasty is the article On the Sui Dynasty (601) stele, Hue Trach Tu (Thuan Thanh - Bac Ninh) by Nguyen Quang Ha [24; 62 - 67]. Researching on Buddhist steles of the Tran Dynasty in Bac Ninh province, there is also an article: Adding the Tran Dynasty stele of historian Ho Tong Thoc at Pho Thanh pagoda (Lang Ngam commune, Gia Binh district, Bac Ninh) by Nguyen Quang.

Ha [21; 78 - 83]. The discovery of the Tran Dynasty stele by Ho Tong Thoc at Pho Thanh Pagoda (Lang Ngam Commune, Gia Binh District, Bac Ninh) has contributed to supplementing documents on the general situation of Buddhism and the donation and construction of Pho Thanh Pagoda during the Tran Dynasty in particular. Besides the stele dated during the Tran Dynasty compiled by historian Ho Tong Thoc and erected at Pho Thanh Pagoda (Lang Ngam Commune), there is also a stele dated Khai Huu (1339) also compiled by Ho Tong Thoc himself and erected at Khai Nghiem Pagoda (Vong Nguyet Commune, Que Vo District). However, this stele was re-engraved in the year Canh Thinh 5 (1797), [Kh: 23637 / 23638].

The announcement of the discoveries of Le Dynasty steles in Bac Ninh province must include the following studies: Lam Giang: Yen Phu Temple Stele, Van Phai, Yen Phong District, Bac Ninh Province, 17; 20 - 24]; Nguyen Quang Khai: On the "Phu Ky" stele in Bac Ninh Temple of Literature , [44; 76 - 80]; Nguyen Minh Tuan: On the stele of digging a pond to release fish in Chan Lac village, Dung Liet commune, Yen Phong district, Bac Ninh province, 1997, No. 3(32), pp. 86 - 89; Tran Van Lang: Preservation of Han Nom heritage in Ha Bac [64; 150 - 157]. Nguyen Huu Mui: Tran Tan Tu Tich is not a Ly Dynasty stele , [58; 229 - 236], (can see the copy of the stele inscription number: 6366 - 6367 in Phuc Tho commune, Thien Tai district, Thuan An prefecture, Kinh Bac - now Thuan Thanh district, Bac Ninh province). The author proves that the place names on the Tran Tan Tu Tich stele were administrative units under the Le So period (15th century)...etc.

Some of the Mac Dynasty steles discovered in Bac Ninh province are mainly communal house steles, not many pagoda steles. However, the Buddhist steles of the Mac Dynasty are also documents that we are interested in because these are documents that confirm the existence of pagodas in the period before the 17th - 18th century - the subject that we are interested in researching.

It can be said that the above sources of stele and Han Nom documents have mentioned many aspects of life, economy, culture, and society of Bac Ninh residents, including the 17th and 18th century pagodas. However, up to now, the issue of in-depth research on Buddhist stele of the 17th and 18th centuries in Bac Ninh has not been deeply exploited and studied by researchers.

1.4. Issues raised in the study of 17th - 18th century Buddhist stele in Bac Ninh province.

In previous studies by some scholars, due to the separation and integration of administrative boundaries, in addition to the differences in the objects and scope of research, some localities in the current Bac Ninh province were not included in the research objects. Therefore, at present, in the context of the contemporary administrative boundaries, those "interlaced" and "bordering" areas have not been included in the research area. Regarding this, the author of the work " Stele records of the Le Dynasty in Kinh Bac and the reflection of village life " also had to acknowledge this difficulty: (...) "Therefore, despite our best efforts, we still do not dare to say that we have approached all the communes of Kinh Bac in the Le Dynasty. We also excluded some communes of Luong Tai district, Thuan An prefecture that were listed in the directory according to the place names of the Nguyen Dynasty, but when directly checking on the stele inscriptions, in the Le Dynasty they belonged to Hai Duong region and not Kinh Bac region. Therefore, the stele numbers of those communes were eliminated in our collection” [146; 52].

Because part of Luong Tai district in the late Le and early Nguyen dynasties belonged to Hai Duong, the author excluded the research on the stele inscriptions of Luong Tai district in the Le dynasty and Kinh Bac region from the scope of the study. Therefore, the number of results of the survey on the number of stele inscriptions of Luong Tai district (currently) with the number of stele inscriptions dating back to Canh Hung period of Luong Tai district, Thuan An prefecture has only 03 steles [146; 94]. Thus, the thesis on Buddhist steles in the 17th - 18th centuries of Luong Tai district

Tai in particular and Bac Ninh province in general, we have the opportunity to supplement a lot of documents. In addition, in reality, the number of steles of the 17th - 18th centuries in Bac Ninh province is much larger because in the process of collecting steles in some villages and communes, they were missed during the collection process and are not included in the VNCHN collection. For example, recently, the author has collected and published nearly 60 units of steles of An Phu village (An Thinh commune, Luong Tai district, Bac Ninh), including 03 steles dating from the Le dynasty (17th century) [25; 39 - 52, 107].

When researching Buddhist steles of the 17th - 18th centuries in Bac Ninh province, the author inherited the research results of previous researchers, especially the work of Steles of the Le Dynasty in Kinh Bac and the reflection of village life of Pham.

Thi Thuy Vinh. However, this work only mentions the steles dating from the Le Dynasty, specifically stopping at the last year of King Le Chieu Thong (1788). Therefore, we will continue to survey and research the Buddhist steles dating from the Quang Trung period (1789 - 1792) and the Canh Thinh period (1792 - 1800) within the scope of Bac Ninh province. The number of steles from the Nguyen Tay Son period (only counted from 1792 - 1800) is not large with only more than a dozen copies, but it contributes to fully reflecting the historical appearance of Buddhist steles in Bac Ninh province in the 17th - 18th centuries.

In this thesis, the author tries to study the formation and development of famous pagodas in Bac Ninh in the flow of its history, especially in the 17th - 18th centuries with the merit of the aristocracy or restored and built by some princes and nobles... Dai Bi Pagoda (Doan Bai commune), Phuc Thanh Pagoda (Mo Dao commune, Que Vo district); Pho Thanh Pagoda (Ngam Dien commune, Gia Binh district); Dien Quang Pagoda (Doan Xa commune, now Thuan Thanh district); Tan Phuc Pagoda (Que Tan commune, Que Vo district); Dai Khanh Pagoda (Trung Xa commune, Luong Tai district); Tinh Lu Pagoda (Dong Cuu commune, Gia Binh district); Ninh Phuc Pagoda (But Thap village, Dinh To commune, Thuan Thanh district)...

Through the source of stele documents of the 17th - 18th centuries, many pagodas also appeared in Bac Ninh province with the contributions of construction and presiding of many Vietnamese monks and some Chinese Zen masters such as Chuyet Chuyet, Minh Hanh, Trinh Hue Giac... which will also be introduced in depth by the author in this thesis.

Most of the 17th - 18th century pagodas in Bac Ninh province were formed in previous periods. In other words, many famous pagodas in Bac Ninh province were formed during the Ly and Tran dynasties, but by the Le dynasty they had deteriorated and had to be rebuilt or renovated and expanded.

CHAPTER 1 SUMMARY

Bac Ninh is an ancient land with a long history of formation and development. Since prehistoric times, Bac Ninh land has been chosen as the "foothold" of the ancient Vietnamese people in the process of conquering and transforming the Northern Delta. This is also the place where many cultural exchanges between Vietnam - India; Vietnam - China took place, typically

Luy Lau cultural space. Since the first centuries AD, Bac Ninh was also the place where the Buddhist center of Giao Chau was formed and developed.

Although it is the smallest province in the country, with a long history of continuous development, Bac Ninh has left behind more than a thousand historical relics of many different types, including hundreds of pagodas with historical, cultural, architectural and artistic values.

Research on the political, economic, cultural and religious history of Bac Ninh (present) or the history of Kinh Bac (ancient) has been of interest to many researchers. In these research fields, research on steles has also achieved many achievements, many interesting discoveries contributing to clarifying many issues of the history of relics, the history of formation and development of the locality and issues of culture, beliefs, religions... However, there are studies whose content is too broad, too rich, too diverse, reflecting many cultural activities, activities of village life, so some issues of Buddhism in general and Buddhist steles in Bac Ninh in the 17th - 18th centuries in particular have not received due attention. In addition, the discoveries about Buddhist steles through scientific publications are still quite scattered, just sporadic discoveries or comments about the formation of some relics without having in-depth research in a wide scope and over a relatively long period of time in history. Therefore, it can be said that the research on Buddhist steles of the 17th - 18th centuries in Bac Ninh province needs to be studied more deeply to contribute to solving problems arising in practical life. In the future, when there are conditions and time, the author of the thesis will continue to conduct field surveys, especially will pay attention to finding many steles written about Buddhist masters and Zen sects. Through the source of Buddhist steles, increase understanding of the cultural and historical values of the homeland in particular and the history of relics and Buddhist history in general. Hopefully, this thesis will help local managers and policy makers in exploring historical values, promoting culture, developing tourism, contributing to the socio-economic development of the province.

Issues Raised for the Study of Buddhist Stele Inscriptions of the 17th - 18th Centuries in Bac Ninh Province.

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