Phước Hưng Pagoda

Phước Hưng Tự (also known as Hương Pagoda) is an ancient pagoda, currently located at 461 Hùng Vương Street, Ward 1 (former), Sa Đéc City, Đồng Tháp Province, Vietnam.

The pagoda was built by Most Venerable Thích Minh Phước in the 19th year of Minh Mạng (Mậu Tuất, 1838). By the 6th year of Thiệu Trị (Bính Ngọ, 1846), due to a certain incident, the Minh Hương Pagoda of the Chinese community in Sa Đéc was merged into Phước Hưng Pagoda, and so it became commonly known as Hương Pagoda.

Phước Hưng Pagoda has a rather unique architectural style compared to other ancient pagodas in Southern Vietnam, resembling a đình (village communal house) more than a traditional pagoda (see photo). The pagoda has 8 roofs and 2 levels, covered with yin-yang tiles, consisting of:

The main hall is a rectangular building (19.50 m long x 14 m wide). The roof is covered with yin-yang tiles, two tiers, creating undulating waves, with the corners curving sharply upwards. On the roof are bas-reliefs of dragons, qilin, turtles, phoenixes, etc., decorated with colourful porcelain shards. The horizontal boards and parallel sentences, carved on wood or on columns, are all lacquered and gilded. The main hall's facade features a pair of couplets in Han characters:

福种菩提地

興培般若門

Han-Vietnamese transliteration:

Phước chủng Bồ đề địa

Hưng bồi Bát nhã môn.

Provisional translation:

Blessings sown in the land of Bodhi

Nourishing the gate of Prajñā.

Inside the main hall are the following statues:

- The Western Trinity, consisting of: Amitābha, Avalokiteśvara, and Mahāsthāmaprāpta. Notably, the Amitābha statue was sculpted in 1838 (the year the pagoda was built), made of unbaked, gold-gilded clay, yet remains intact to this day.

- Wooden statues: Cundi Bodhisattva, Mañjuśrī, Samantabhadra, Kṣitigarbha, the Great Sage with the Flaming Face, Good Friend (a previous life of Śākyamuni Buddha), Evil Friend (a previous life of Devadatta), the Jade Emperor, Southern Dipper, Northern Dipper.

- A bronze Dharma Protector statue.

Other features: Inside the East wing is a guest room for receiving visitors from all directions. Behind the East wing is the Ancestors' Hall with five compartments, housing the altar to the patriarchs and former abbots. The ancestral tablets and portraits are all placed in a wooden frame, lacquered and gilded, intricately carved. Behind the Ancestors' altar is the management office and monks' quarters for resident monastics. To the left of the Ancestors' Hall is the West wing for receiving monastic guests. Here, there is a cabinet displaying the Tripiṭaka, daily recitation texts, and other scriptures. Behind the West wing is the Stupa area containing the remains of previous abbots.

Since its construction, the pagoda has undergone many renovations, notably in the year Giáp Dần (1854), when Most Venerable Thích Minh Phước (first abbot) rebuilt the Ancestors' Hall, East and West wings; in the year Nhâm Ngọ (1882), Most Venerable Thích Quảng Đức (second abbot) carried out a major renovation of the main hall, which remains to this day.

Although the pagoda has been restored several times due to deterioration, it still preserves its ancient features. Currently, the pagoda is the site of the province's basic Buddhist studies school.

Within the pagoda are several valuable artefacts, such as:

- A wooden fish-shaped mokugyo (wooden bell) dating from Mậu Tý (1888), notable for its sound: in hot weather, it produces a sharp tone, while in cool weather, the sound is warmer.

- A large wooden mokugyo, weighing about 15 kg, with a diameter of 1.4 m and a length of 70 cm, brought back by the late Most Venerable Thích Vĩnh Tràng (fourth abbot) after making a pilgrimage to the Northern region to venerate holy sites. Both on the journey there and back, the monk travelled on foot (carrying the mokugyo on his head on the return), reciting "A Di Đà Phật" with every step.

- Wooden printing blocks for printing scriptures and monastic codes (including the Diamond Sūtra, the Universal Gate Chapter from the Lotus Sūtra, the Kṣitigarbha Sūtra, the Amitābha Sūtra, the Essential Daily Monastic Code, the Novice Monastic Code, etc.) from the time of Most Venerable Vạn Hiển (third abbot). As they are made from good quality wood, the blocks remain intact.

To date, Phước Hưng Pagoda has had six generations of abbots:

- 1838 – 1882: Elder Most Venerable Thích Minh Phước, dharma name Tư Trung, passed away on the 19th day of the 7th lunar month, year Giáp Thân (1884).

- 1882 – 1890: Most Venerable Thích Quảng Đức, dharma name Như Diệu, passed away on the 13th day of the 5th lunar month, year Canh Dần (1890).

- 1890 – 1936: Most Venerable Thích Vạn Hiển, dharma name Kiểu Ấn, dharma title Tâm Pháp, passed away in the year Bính Tý (1936).

- 1937 – 1962: Most Venerable Thích Vĩnh Tràng, dharma name Hồng Tỵ, passed away on the 19th day of the 2nd lunar month, year Quý Mão (1963).

- 1962 – 1987: Most Venerable Thích Vĩnh Đạt, dharma name Hồng Hạnh, passed away on the full moon day of the 9th lunar month, year Đinh Mão (1987).

- Currently, the pagoda is headed by Most Venerable Thích Thiện Huệ, Member of the Supreme Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, Honorary Advisor to the Executive Board of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, Đồng Tháp Province. The abbot is Venerable Thích Chơn Trí, Head of the Executive Board of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, Sa Đéc City.