Chùa Hang (Bình Định)
Gia Lai
Hang Pagoda is the common name for Thiên Sanh Thạch Tự (also known as Thạch Cốc), located halfway up Chùa Mountain (whose literary name is Lý Thạch, also called La Hơi) in Hội Khánh hamlet, Phù Mỹ Tây commune, Gia Lai province.
According to the abbot of Hang Pagoda, the pagoda was founded in 1613 during the reign of Lord Nguyễn Phúc Nguyên. Some other sources claim that at the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th century, someone came to the stone cave in Hội Khánh hamlet and established a pagoda there for religious practice, calling it Hang Pagoda. Halfway up Chùa Mountain, within Hội Khánh hamlet (Phù Mỹ Tây commune, Gia Lai province), there is a pagoda formed from a stone cave, hence the name Hang Pagoda.
In fact, the name Chùa Mountain also originates from the local people's habit of referring to the mountain where the pagoda is located (since there are many other mountains in the area without pagodas), while this mountain's actual name is La Hơi, and its literary name is Lý Thạch. Mr. Đặng Như Dước, 95 years old, one of the few elders in Hội Khánh with extensive knowledge and stories about Thiên Sanh Pagoda, explained the name La Hơi of the mountain: 'Legend has it that when there is a drought, if one hears a 'ồ ồ' sound on the mountain (towards Thiên Sanh Pagoda), like the sound of people milling rice, then soon after, it will rain. Conversely, if it is raining heavily and one hears the same 'ồ ồ' sound, the rain will immediately stop and the sun will come out.' Mr. Dước added that this phenomenon is the reason the mountain was named La Hơi, and that this phenomenon still occurs today, though not as frequently as before.
Two legends about Hang Pagoda
As mentioned above, Hang Pagoda is the common name for Thiên Sanh Thạch Tự. Venerable Thích Nhuận Tín, the current abbot, said the pagoda was founded in 1613 during the reign of Lord Nguyễn Phúc Nguyên. However, to this day, there are no historical documents that accurately confirm this.
Some other sources claim that after Thập Tháp Di Đà Pagoda (in An Nhơn town, Bình Định province) was built, Buddhism in the region flourished. Therefore, at the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century, someone came to the stone cave in Hội Khánh hamlet and established a pagoda for religious practice, calling it Hang Pagoda. Initially, the pagoda was still primitive and simply arranged; it was not until the late 19th and early 20th centuries that the pagoda was renovated on a larger scale.
According to Venerable Thích Nhuận Tín, he has only been the abbot for a few years, and all the history and stories related to the pagoda were recorded and handed over by Mr. Dước. Mr. Dước was previously a pre-revolutionary cadre and later the Party Secretary of Mỹ Hòa commune. The documents and stories recorded by Mr. Dước are still kept at the cultural office of Mỹ Hòa commune. Currently, there are two legends about Hang Pagoda. At that time, there were already several pagodas in the Phù Mỹ area, but none had resident abbots. Upon hearing that Mr. Phan Chọn from the district had become a monk at Trà Cang Pagoda (in Bình Thuận), the locals discussed inviting him back. The abbot of Trà Cang Pagoda agreed to let monk Trà Ban (i.e., Mr. Phan Chọn, some sources record as Trà Bang) return to be the abbot of Hang Pagoda, which was in 1896. In addition, upon his return, monk Trà Ban also established many other pagodas in the district and neighbouring areas.
It is said that due to his spiritual attainment, monk Trà Ban could move as swiftly as the wind and clouds. He was also skilled in medicine and Buddhist scriptures, and he gathered information to provide to the resistance forces of Trần Cao Vân during the period when Trần Cao Vân used the Bình Định and Phú Yên mountains as bases against the French.
In the book 'Nhân vật Bình Định' by Lộc Xuyên Đặng Quí Địch, in the section about Võ Trứ (a deputy general under Mai Xuân Thưởng in the Cần Vương movement in Bình Định, who later, together with Trần Cao Vân, initiated the Minh Trai movement in Phú Yên but was unsuccessful), there is mention of a strange event in Bình Định. In the year Giáp Ngọ (1894), Phù Cát district and many places in Bình Định were ravaged by epidemics, many villages were quarantined, and some villagers burned their villages and fled elsewhere. The dead could not be buried in time, and everywhere was shrouded in the atmosphere of death and disease.
At this time, an old monk appeared, known as the monk of Hang Pagoda, and a few days later, Võ Trứ also arrived. The two distributed medicine to the people, which was a piece of yellow paper printed with five images of Bodhisattva Quan Âm, called 'Ngũ công Quan Âm'. At first, people were suspicious of this medicine and did not dare to use it, but later, thinking they had no other hope and seeing that it was free, they followed the monk's instructions, prayed to the saviour, burned the paper, mixed it with water, drank it, and recovered.
News of the efficacy of the medicine distributed by the old monk and Võ Trứ spread quickly, causing the district magistrate of Phù Cát to fear that the monk of Hang Pagoda would gather people to rebel, so he forbade people from seeking the medicine and ordered a strict search for the monk. Being spiritually accomplished, the monk of Hang Pagoda had many disciples, and when the medicine distribution attracted the attention of the authorities, most of his disciples were implicated, many lost their fortunes, and some even lost their lives. 'As for the monk of Hang Pagoda, it is said that to avoid arrest, he had to hide in different houses from day to day. At that time, only Võ Trứ continued to secretly distribute medicine to the people, evading the authorities. Later, it is not known when or where the old monk died, but in gratitude, the people came to the cave to establish Hang Pagoda to worship and remember his life-saving deeds,' Mr. Dước recounted.
According to Mr. Dước, regarding the time of Hang Pagoda's appearance, there is also another opinion that the pagoda was established during the Trần dynasty. The reason is that previously, someone illegally excavating in front of the pagoda discovered a statue of Amitābha Buddha, on which was inscribed 'Gift from Princess Huyền Trân' (it is unclear to whom it was given).
The legendary path to the underworld
Here, a brief introduction to Hang Pagoda: It is a deep stone cave halfway up the mountain, with the front of the pagoda facing east towards vast rice fields and coconut forests. To reach Hang Pagoda, one must follow a winding rocky slope; when a large rock is encountered, that is the 'roof' of the pagoda. To the left of the 'roof' are several stone benches, and to the right of these benches is a small path leading into the cave. To pass through this path, one must stoop down, at which point the chill of the stone cave can be felt. After a few more stone steps, one will see the altars to the Buddhas.
Although Hang Pagoda is small, it is spacious enough for more than a dozen people to move around comfortably. At the age of 95, Mr. Dước is only slightly hard of hearing, but his mind is still sharp, and he remembers clearly the history and legends of Hang Pagoda.
He recounted that previously, Hang Pagoda had two paths: one leading to heaven and one to the underworld. Above the altar in Hang Pagoda, slightly to the right, there is a 'ventilation hole'. This 'ventilation hole' is said to be the path to heaven, though no stories about this path have been heard. In reality, the 'ventilation hole' Mr. Dước refers to is the space above the altar. The Buddhas and worship objects are arranged on ascending steps like a staircase, with the highest step of the altar being very close to the path to heaven, according to Mr. Dước.
Previously, below the 'roof' of Hang Pagoda (it is unclear which direction), there was a tunnel leading down, known as the path to the underworld. It is said that when alive, one abbot, Venerable Nguyên Lượng, tried to explore it, but the further he went, the deeper and more difficult it became, so he had to turn back.
There is also a story of a person who, wanting to test the depth of the 'path to the underworld', carried two baskets of candles to light the way. When the candles were almost gone, the cave still seemed endless, so he had to return. Someone once dropped a grapefruit marked with a sign into the cave, and some time later, it was found at the mouth of Đề Gi estuary, more than 20 km from the pagoda. Since then, people have said that the cave connects to the sea. Through the wars, the path to the underworld has been buried.
During the Cần Vương movement, Hang Pagoda was a hiding and operating place for several leaders such as Trần Cao Vân and Bùi Điền. During the resistance against the French, Hang Pagoda was the second base of Mỹ Hòa commune in particular and Phù Mỹ district in general. During the resistance against the Americans, Hang Pagoda was a base for revolutionary cadres and liberation soldiers. For this reason, on 29 January 1968, US and South Vietnamese forces dropped gas bombs, killing 24 civilians who were sheltering in the cave.
Today, to meet the wishes of the local people as well as Buddhist monks, nuns, and followers, many auxiliary structures of the pagoda have been and are being built.