Some Typical Pagodas of Bac Ninh Province in the 17th

Thien said that: In 1652, while designing the construction items of Tay Thien pagoda such as the Upper Hall, incense burner, front hall, bell tower, surrounding wall... this time, they also carved statues including the statue of the Jade Emperor. Tin Thi Stele

The inscription on the stele, [N 0 : 05149], dated the 4th year of Khanh Duc (1652), recorded: Year Giap

Than (1644), the Duke built an incense burner, and in the year of the Pig (1647), he built a statue of the Jade Emperor.

The statues were sculpted and painted, including many important Buddhas in the Vietnamese Buddhist temple system such as: Shakyamuni statue, Tuyet Son statue, Arhat, Dharma protector, Ngoc Hoang, Nam Tao, Bac Dau, Quan Am statue, and Co Hon statue.

... among the statues mentioned above are all quite familiar statues in the worship system of Vietnamese (Kinh) Buddhists and each Buddha has its own function and meaning:

+ Gautama Buddha or Siddhartha Gautama / also known as Shakyamuni Buddha or simply Buddha, was an enlightened person (Buddha) and a real teacher who lived in ancient India. According to legend and historical records, he lived and taught in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent between the 6th century BC and the 4th century BC. Siddhārtha advocated the Middle Way ( Majjhimāpaṭipadā ), both abandoning the luxurious life and the ascetic practice that was popular in Indian religious doctrines at that time. The teachings he preached laid the foundation for the formation of Buddhism.

+ Quan Am : 觀音(ja. Kannon) , originally Quan The Am but due to avoidance

The word "The" in the name of the Tang emperor is Ly The Dan李世民, so he is called Quan Am.

or Avalokiteśvara, is the name of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara觀世音, (sa. avalokiteśvara )

in Vietnam, China, Korea, Japan and neighboring countries. Chinese Buddhists often worship Quan Am alongside Bodhisattvas Samantabhadra普賢 , (sa. samantabhadra ), Ksitigarbha地藏, (sa. kṣitigarbha ) and Manjushri文殊師利 , (sa. mađjuśrī ). These are the four Great Bodhisattvas of Chinese Buddhism [No:

5082/5083].

+ Tuyet Son: is a type of statue illustrating the ascetic period of Sakyamuni before becoming Buddha according to a certain model. According to legend, Sakyamuni was 29 years old at that time, left the throne to go to the Himalayas to seek the path. He practiced asceticism for six years, accepting physical torture to attain spiritual liberation. In that state, his body was thin and emaciated but could not shake his strong will. In the seventh year, he attained enlightenment, abandoned asceticism and reached enlightenment to become Buddha.

+ Arhat/ A - La - Han阿羅漢; sa. arhat, arhant; pi. arahat, arahant; bo.

dgra compa); translation: Sat Tac殺賊is the one who has destroyed all the bandits of afflictions and pollution; Ung Cung應供, the one worthy of offerings; Bat Sinh不生or Vo

Sinh無生, a person who has attained Nirvana, ended birth and death, and completely escaped the cycle of reincarnation.

+ Dharma protector護法, (sa. dharmapāla, pi. dhammapāla) according to Buddhism, especially

Vajrayāna (Skt. vajrayāna) are deities that protect the Dharma and Buddhists [No: 04491].

+ Jade Emperor or Jade Emperor or Jade Emperor

The Great Emperor Huangdi, or Jade Emperor for short , is the supreme king of the sky, the

The owner of Heaven in the concept of China and Vietnam. Stele [No: 05149] reads:甲申年興功始造燒香一座至丁亥年又造玊皇一相(Year of the Monkey

He started to build an incense burner, and in the year of Dinh Hoi, he created a statue of the Jade Emperor.

+ Nam Tao; Bac Dau: two deities in charge of the books and population of the dead.

+ Lonely souls: Ghosts without a place of worship or refuge. Stele [No: 04491]

Note: Two statues of the Holy Buddha, Buddha, the lonely ghost statue, the mountain lord, the dragon god.

Regarding the beliefs of the Zen sect in Bac Ninh, it is necessary to pay attention to the phenomenon of worshiping the statue of Buddha Quan The Am [No: 5082/5083]. Because the expression of worshiping Buddha Quan The Am is a manifestation of Tantric Buddhism. Those are the statues of Thousand-armed and Thousand-eyed Quan The Am. Thousand-armed and Thousand-eyed Buddha Quan The Am appears in the sutras

Buddha preached the Thousand-armed, Thousand-eyed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, the Great, Perfect, and Unobstructed Great Compassionate Sound Dharani composed by Gia Pham Dat Ma during the Tang Dynasty. According to authors Nghiep Lo Hoa, Truong Duc Bao, Tu Huu Vu, "After the Tang Dynasty, the Esoteric School flourished, and the Great Compassionate Avalokitesvara statue with a thousand arms and a thousand eyes became the main statue for worship in the Esoteric School" [172; 108 - 112]. Even in the Thien Thai temple (see Dong

rescue. h. Gia Binh) also worships the statue of Tam Giao:新造上殿燒香前堂再造三敎聖尊諸佛

(Create a new upper hall, incense house, and front hall, and create the Three Religions' holy Buddhas) [No: 04491].

- Carving Buddhist scriptures and planting trees :

Along with statues, religious objects, and the monastery system, Buddhist scriptures are indispensable in the practice of Buddhist beliefs. Buddhist scriptures and Buddhist teachings are promulgated together, but in addition, famous ancient temples sometimes, due to their own needs, proactively engrave and print scriptures or documents of their own sects or works of famous monks... On the Bao Thap Son stele,

Thien Thai pagoda, scattered inscriptions寳塔山天台寺士娓碑記[N 0 : 04493], dated Germany

Long 5 (1633), recorded about planting trees and carving Buddhist scriptures: "Quan Vien Tu, Lap Ai commune, housed in Sinh Trung village, Dong Cuu commune, had Mau Lam assistant Lang Trinh Phuc Nguyen with his eldest grandson, Ve Su Thang Son Ba, the position of Thien Ho Tong Binh, passed on his enlightenment, pure heart, gave up his family fortune, sought the path, abbot of Tinh Lu pagoda, Bhikkhu Hue Giac, respectfully worshiped Buddha, worked hard to accumulate merits along with worshiping Buddha and carving Buddhist scriptures, planted trees to have beautiful flowers, his merits were complete" 25 .

Commenting on the 17th and 18th century statues, Buddhist researchers said: "Regarding the Buddhist shrine in the 17th century, it can be said that there were almost enough Buddha and Bodhisattva statues like today (...). At But Thap pagoda, many 17th century statues are still preserved: Those are the three statues of Tam The, the statue of Manjushri Bodhisattva riding a lion, the statue of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva riding an elephant, the Tuyet Son statue, the statue of Quan Am toa son (Quan Am sitting on a rock mountain) and the most famous is the statue of Quan Am with a thousand eyes and a thousand hands, 2m high, with 42 large hands, 952 hands

25 Yuan text:玆立愛社,屋在東究社,生忠村,官員子茂林佐郎鄭福源乃衞使勝山伯旹嫡孫千户總兵之令子遵次遺教得師傳覺性明心,出家求道,住持静慮寺,比丘惠覺謹事佛集福興崇佛螿相刊經穜木生花等物功德既圓.

small, including the height of 3.7m, made of painted wood, carved by the sculptor Truong in 1656 [90; 39].

Art and the trend of sculpture and statue making: Commenting on the art of sculpture, the authors of the Outline of Vietnamese History commented: “… while many ancient pagodas have been ruined by time and had to be repaired many times, many works of sculpture art have been kept intact with sophisticated and skillful techniques. Many statues leave a liberal style of the artisan such as the statue of Lady Ngoc Chu (Thai Phi) at Dau Pagoda (Bac Ninh), meditating on a lotus throne, etc. In general, at that time, a trend of carving individual statues (kings, lords, nobles) with a distinct style was formed” [83; 392].

3.7. Some typical pagodas in Bac Ninh province in the 17th - 18th centuries

In the 17th - 18th centuries, the social situation in Vietnam had many complex changes, forming political groups in two regions, the North was the Le King - Trinh Lord group and the South was the Nguyen Lord group with Gianh River as the boundary. Buddhism during this period continued to develop, especially Buddhism in the North, at a strong speed with the appearance of hundreds of majestic pagodas in terms of architectural scale and unique construction art with the support and contribution of many princes, princesses and the participation of the Le King and especially the Trinh Lord. Commenting on Buddhism during this period, the authors of the work Vietnamese Pagodas wrote: “The 17th century was a period when pagodas and towers were built on a large scale and at a rapid pace in Dang Ngoai. Most of these renovation works were sponsored by the Trinh Lord or the Princesses in the Lord's Palace. The development of Buddhism during this period was also stimulated by the introduction of the Lam Te and Cao Dong Zen sects from China. In 1633, the Chinese monk Chuyet Chuyet of the Lam Te sect came to Khan Son pagoda in Thang Long, during the reign of King Le Huyen Tong and Lord Trinh Trang. Chuyet Chuyet then returned to practice at Phat Tich pagoda (Bac Ninh province). He had two outstanding disciples, Minh Hanh (Chinese) and Minh Luong (Vietnamese). Minh Luong's student, Zen master Chan Nguyen (1647 - 1726), can be considered a person who made great contributions to the revival of Buddhism in Dang Ngoai, both in terms of creative activities, in terms of propagating Buddhism and building pagodas and towers" [80; 36].

Writing about traditional beliefs and the economic and cultural situation in the 16th - 18th centuries, the authors of the work History of Vietnam believe that this was a period of serious spiritual crisis: “The development of traditional beliefs was local in nature, therefore inevitably leading to an increase in superstition, heresy, and arbitrary worship of the primitive “animistic” nature. Thus, besides satisfying a spiritual need, besides some positive factors of more or less communal significance, the development of traditional folk beliefs demonstrated the spiritual crisis of the people of Dai Viet at that time. This crisis increased during the decades of peasant war in the second half of the 18th century [83; 389].

- Dau Pagoda (Dien Ung Pagoda)

Through the documents left behind of nearly 40 steles, bells, and gongs at Dau Pagoda and other pagodas in the Tu Phap system, we know the construction, renovation, and architecture of these pagodas during the Le and Nguyen dynasties. At Dau Pagoda, the earliest stele dates from the year Bao Thai 3 (1722) to the latest document from the year Tu Duc 26 (1873), covering about 150 years, with at least 20 times of renovation, large and small construction, merit-making, post-offering, repair of bridges, towers, and worshiping halls. In the 18th century alone, Dau Pagoda was renovated 10 times, and in the 19th century, the Nguyen Dynasty built and renovated large and small about 10 times. Those were the years: Bao Thai 3 (1722), Vinh Huu 4 (1738), Canh Hung 12 (1751), Canh Hung 17 (1756), Canh Hung 21 (1760), Canh Hung 24.

(1763), Canh Hung 30 (1769), Canh Hung 36 (1775), Quang Trung 3 (1790), Quang Trung 5 (1792). During the Nguyen Dynasty (19th century), Dau Pagoda was restored and built with large and small projects in the years: 1805, 1809, 1815, 1824, 1826, 1831, 1850, 1852, 1873. Thus, during the 18th and 19th centuries, there was a construction and restoration event every ten years or so. This proves that for nearly two consecutive centuries, Dau Pagoda has always been given attention for restoration and construction.

When mentioning the works at Dau Pagoda, we cannot help but learn about the "Nine-storey Tower, Nine-span Bridge, Hundred-room Pagoda" through folk memories and written documents.

People still pass down a song about Dau pagoda tower: "No matter where you go,

Whenever I see Dau pagoda tower, I will come back.

No matter who trades in a hundred professions

On the eighth day, go to Dau pagoda"

According to the people, the tower used to be 9 stories high, but after the storm it collapsed and only 3 stories remained as it is today. The Hoa Phong tower stele inscription和豐塔碑記is dated to the year of Mau Ngo.

The 4th year of Vinh Huu (1738) said: "Over the years, the palace has become old, the walls are mossy and the bricks are broken, the old foundation is no longer there, the faithful see no one who is not moved. Now there are the Tieu Thuy teams, Noi Tru commune, Oc Hoa Duong commune, Cao Xa, (Duong Hao district, Thuong Hong prefecture, Hai Duong) are Phan Thi Noi Giam, Ty Le Giam, Ta Thieu Giam Kien Tho Hau Vu Ha Thuy, alias Hue Tien, and his wife Nguyen Thi Huu, alias Dieu Chinh, who converted to Buddhism, wholeheartedly responded to the Zen forest, following the practice of Co Chau.

The restoration time was from mid-autumn month (August) of Dinh Ty year.

(1737) to the beginning of summer of the year Mau Ngo (April 1738) was completed" [N 0 : 23178 - 23181]. Thus, through the stele, it shows that by the beginning of the 13th century, this tower had deteriorated,

restore and add to the old original text is "Tang truc y cuu"曾築伊舊, not

must be newly built and named Hoa Phong tower. According to this stele, it also states that along with the tower restoration, the pagoda and the guest room were also repaired and mentioned a book called Co Chau Thuc Luc which is no longer seen today. At the end of the stele is a 12-line inscription saying that the pagoda was previously large and now it was built even larger:

寳塔號和豐前修基既廣後築制加功

The company

"The Zen temple's name is Dien Ung Bao Thap, the name of Hoa Phong Tien Tu Co Ky Quang.

"Post-processing architecture"

Maybe you are interested!

Roughly translated:

(The temple's name is Dien Ung, the tower's name is Hoa Phong.

Previously built wide

Then add more work) [N 0 : 23178 - 23181].

Next to the Nine-storey Tower, there is also a Nine-span Bridge located in front of the pagoda. According to the elderly, this bridge could still be seen before the French colonial period 26 . According to

26 According to field surveys and the stories of some elderly people, the Nine-span Bridge (Cuu Cap Kieu) made of stone was arranged in front of Dau Pagoda, across a small lake, which is now the area where some houses are being built.

According to the book Dai Nam Nhat Thong Chi , this bridge was built by Mac Dinh Chi during the Tran Dynasty [81; 109]. In the stele Thuong An Thap Tinh Minh, engraved in the year Tu Duc

5 (1852) wrote about the monk Pho Giac who lived in the late Le and early Nguyen dynasties, with a passage: "The monk had the merit of renovating stone gongs, bronze bells, repairing pagodas, and nine-span bridges (original text is "Cuu

"cap kieu"九及桥. Or Bao Duc tower stele inscription寳德塔碑記(dating from around the beginning of

Nguyen) wrote about a monk named Nghi, from Bao Kham commune (Gia Dinh district - now Gia Binh district), a monk who had the merit of casting gongs, making rainbows, and renovating pagodas. The inscription has the following verse:

The company has a strong reputation for quality.

The company has a good reputation.

"The creation of this red bridge is without any defect or fault. The creation of this precious palace is without any blessing."

Translation:

(Creating a Rainbow, now the effort cannot be lost. Creating a Treasure Palace, now the happiness cannot be exceeded.)

In addition, many steles record the merits of building the pagoda, corridors, and inner palace such as: Hau Phat stele records that Mrs. Man Thi Thuong, alias Dieu Vien, had the merit of renovating and building the Luu Ly palace. One of the steles with the merits of the scholars is

The stele of the Co Chau Temple's rear Buddha stele, Canh Hung 24th year (1763), records

The name of Dr. Tran Thieu (Tran Canh) is offered to Hau here: "The Prime Minister, from Dien Tri commune , Chi Linh district , Hai Duong, his name is Tran Thieu ( also known as Canh ) , at the age of 35, he passed the doctoral exam in the year of Mau Tuat, and went through four ministries of Public Works,

Minister of War, Minister of Rites. At the age of 73, he retired at the age of 75. Every year, April 6 is the anniversary of his death" [N 0 : 23158 - 23159].

Under the Le and Nguyen dynasties, Dau pagoda was renovated many times. The Hau Phat Bi Ky stele (Quang Trung 3 - 1790) recorded: Nguyen Dinh Phuong, from Khuong Tu commune, district

Sieu Loai and his wife renovated the temple: The Buddha's stele inscription ( Gia Long era)

4th (1805) wrote: "Cao Thi Tien used her own money to renovate the inner temple and corridors. In the year

living. The pond in front of Dau Pagoda has also been filled in to build houses. We have restored the Dau Pagoda model based on field research, synthesizing documents and current architectural models to initially reconstruct the structural model of the Dau Pagoda ground plan in the 17th - 18th centuries (Thesis Appendix).

In 1826, Giap Trung Nhi restored the inner temple (Stele: Hau Phat stele dated around the Nguyen Dynasty). The stele records the people who donated to the temple in kind, such as Nguyen Thi Khuyen, alias Dieu Pho (Duc Hiep commune, Sieu Loai district), who donated 1,000 Bat Trang bricks... The stele offerings at the temple indicate that by the 17th - 19th centuries, the temple had dozens of hectares of rice fields. Notably, there was the custom of singing Ca Tru.

- Ham Long Pagoda (Long Ham Tu, Son Duong commune)

The book Dai Nam Nhat Thong Chi (ĐNNTC) wrote: "Ham Long Pagoda in Lam Son commune, Que Duong district has a tower about 1 truong high, on the east side of the mountain there are 2 stone caves, the water flows never dry. According to legend, this is the place where monk Duong Khong Lo practiced". [81; 345].

According to the book ĐNNTC, Duong Khong Lo also practiced at Ham Long pagoda, which also shows that this pagoda dates back to the Ly dynasty and belongs to the Mat Tong sect. Until the 17th and 18th centuries, in addition to worshiping Buddha, Ham Long pagoda also worshiped Trinh Thap - a high monk who had the merit of opening the Lien Tong sect. The documents recording Trinh Thap are relatively late. In front of the pagoda, there is still a 3-storey Cuu Sinh tower with a four-sided stele recording Trinh Thap's merit. The stele is dated Minh Mang 10 (1830), recording the merit of the pagoda's renovation and about Cuu Sinh founder Trinh Thap. The pagoda festival is held on the 14th day of the 2nd lunar month every year. This is a famous Tantric pagoda...

- Van Phuc Pagoda, (Phat Tich commune)

The stele is engraved with the Nom poem: Thư Bút Đạt Tứ書筆特賜, (N 0 : 2179), dated Canh Hung year 16 (1755); composed by Lord Trinh Doanh, placed at Van Phuc pagoda, Phat Tich commune, Tien Du district. Formal characteristics: 1-sided stele, unadorned border, plain writing. Content: The Nom poem has 8 verses praising loyal officials. The first line reads: Phung ban chi si thi (poem bestowed to a retired mandarin). The stele's date reads: Le Hoang Trieu Canh Hung 16th year, year At Hoi, month Ky Suu, coc nhat thuyen (Engraved on the stele on an auspicious day, month At Suu, year Ky Suu, Canh Hung year 16 (1755).