Hang Pagoda (Bình Định)

Chùa Hang 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, and is also called La Hơi) in Hội Khánh hamlet, Phù Mỹ Tây commune, Gia Lai province.

According to the abbot of Chùa Hang, 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, transformed it into a pagoda for religious practice, and called it Chùa Hang (Cave Pagoda). Halfway up Chùa Mountain, within the territory of Hội Khánh hamlet (Phù Mỹ Tây commune, Gia Lai province), there is a pagoda formed from a stone cave, hence the name Chùa Hang.

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 here without pagodas), while this mountain's name is La Hơi, and its literary name is Lý Thạch. Mr. Đặng Như Dước, 95 years old, is one of the few elders in Hội Khánh who has researched and preserved many stories about Thiên Sanh Pagoda, and he explains the name La Hơi of the mountain: "Legend has it that when there is a drought, if you hear a 'ồ ồ' sound like someone grinding rice on the mountain (towards Thiên Sanh Pagoda – NV), it will soon rain. Conversely, if it is pouring rain and you hear the same 'ồ ồ' sound, it will immediately become sunny." Mr. Dước adds that this is the characteristic that led people to name the mountain La Hơi, and in fact, this phenomenon still occurs today, though not as frequently as before.

Two legends about Chùa Hang

As mentioned above, Chùa Hang is the common name for Thiên Sanh Thạch Tự. Venerable Thích Nhuận Tín, the current abbot, states that 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 However, to this day, there are no historical documents that accurately confirm this.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 developed strongly. 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, transformed it into a pagoda for religious practice, and called it Chùa Hang. 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 at the pagoda for a few years, and all the history and stories related to the pagoda were recorded and handed down by Mr. Dước. Mr. Dước was formerly a pre-revolutionary cadre and later served as the Party Secretary of Mỹ Hòa commune. The documents and stories recorded by Mr. Dước are still preserved in the cultural office of Mỹ Hòa commune. Currently, there are two legends about Chùa Hang. At that time, throughout the Phù Mỹ region, there were already several pagodas, but none had resident abbots. Upon hearing that Mr. Phan Chọn from their district had gone to practice at Trà Cang Pagoda (in Bình Thuận), the locals discussed and decided to invite him back. The abbot of Trà Cang Pagoda agreed to let monk Trà Ban (i.e., Mr. Phan Chọn, some documents record the name as Trà Bang) return to serve as abbot of Chùa Hang, which was in 1896. In addition, upon his return, monk Trà Ban also established many other pagodas in the district and neighbouring districts.

It is said that due to his spiritual attainment, monk Trà Ban could move as swiftly as the wind and as lightly as clouds. He was also skilled in medicine and knowledgeable in Buddhist scriptures and mantras, and he gathered information and provided it to the Trần Cao Vân insurgent forces during the period when Trần Cao Vân used the mountains of Bình Định and Phú Yên as bases to resist the French.

In the book "Nhân vật Bình Định" (Figures of 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 an epidemic, with many villages quarantined, and some villagers burning their villages and fleeing 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 Chùa Hang monk because he practised at Chùa Hang, and a few days later, Võ Trứ also arrived. The two distributed medicine to the people to cure the disease; the medicine was a piece of yellow paper printed with five images of Bodhisattva Quan Âm, called "Ngũ công Quan Âm" (Five Powers of 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 cost nothing, they followed the Chùa Hang monk's instructions to pray to the saviour, burn the paper, mix it with water, drink it, and were cured.

News of the effectiveness of the medicine distributed by the old monk and Võ Trứ spread rapidly, which made the district magistrate of Phù Cát fear that the Chùa Hang monk might gather followers to start a rebellion, so he forbade people from seeking the medicine and ordered a strict search for the Chùa Hang monk. Being spiritually accomplished, the Chùa Hang monk had many disciples, and when the medicine distribution incident "disturbed" the district magistrate, most of his disciples were implicated, with many losing their fortunes or even their lives. "As for the Chùa Hang monk himself, it is said that to avoid the authorities' search, he had to hide in different houses from day to day. At that time, only Võ Trứ continued to secretly evade the district's strict inspections to distribute medicine to the people. Later, it is not known when or where the old monk died, but in gratitude, the people came to the cave to establish Chùa Hang to worship and remember his life-saving deeds," Mr. Dước recounted.

According to Mr. Dước, regarding the time of Chùa Hang's appearance, there is also an opinion that the pagoda was established during the Trần dynasty. The reason is that previously, someone illegally dug in front of the pagoda and discovered a statue of Amitābha Buddha, on which was inscribed "Gifted by Princess Huyền Trân" (it is unclear to whom it was gifted).

The legend of the path to the underworld

On this occasion, let us introduce a little about Chùa Hang: This is a deep stone cave located halfway up the mountain, with the front of the pagoda facing east, overlooking vast rice fields and coconut forests. To reach Chùa Hang, one must follow a winding rocky slope; after a long walk, when you encounter a large rock, that is the "roof" of the pagoda. Next 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, and at this point, the coldness of the stone cave can be felt. After a few more stone steps, one will see the altar of the Buddhas.

Although Chùa Hang is small, it is spacious enough for more than a dozen people to move about comfortably. At the age of 95, Mr. Dước is only slightly hard of hearing, but his mind is still very sharp, and he remembers clearly the history and legends of Chùa Hang.

He recounted that previously, Chùa Hang had two paths: one leading to heaven and one to the underworld. Above the altar in Chùa Hang, slightly to the right, there is a "ventilation hole". This "ventilation hole" is said to be the path to heaven, but unfortunately, there are no stories about this path. In fact, the "ventilation hole" Mr. Dước refers to is the space above the altar. The Buddhas and ritual 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 Chùa Hang (exact direction unknown), there was a tunnel leading down, which people called the path to the underworld. It is said that when he was alive, one abbot of the pagoda, 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 man who, wanting to test the depth of the "path to the underworld", carried two baskets of candles to light his way. When the candles were almost gone and the cave still seemed endless, he had to return. Someone else dropped a grapefruit marked with a sign into the cave, and some time later, someone at the mouth of Đề Gi sea, more than 20 km from the pagoda, found it. Since then, local folklore has claimed that this cave connects to the sea. Over the course of the wars, the path to the underworld was buried.

During the Cần Vương movement, Chùa Hang was a hiding and operating place for some leaders such as Trần Cao Vân, Bùi Điền, etc. During the resistance against the French, Chùa Hang was the second base of Mỹ Hòa commune in particular and Phù Mỹ district in general. During the resistance against the Americans, Chùa Hang was a place of activity for revolutionary cadres and liberation soldiers. For this reason, on 29 January 1968, US and South Vietnamese forces dropped poison gas shells, killing 24 civilians who were sheltering from bombs 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.