Tập Phước Pagoda

Tập Phước Pagoda (潗福寺), also known as Sắc Tứ Tập Phước Tự (敕賜潗福寺) (as the pagoda was granted an imperial edict by Emperor Gia Long in 1802), is currently located at 233 Phan Văn Trị Street, Bình Thạnh District, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. This is one of the famous ancient pagodas in the former Gia Định region.

According to the book History of Buddhism in Đàng Trong, the pagoda was probably built around the mid-18th century, at the same time as Khải Tường Pagoda, Từ Ân Pagoda, and Giác Lâm Pagoda, when Lord Nguyễn Phúc Khoát officially declared himself king (1744), turning the territory of Đàng Trong into a country equal to Đàng Ngoài, which was ruled by Lord Trịnh.

However, it is still unclear which monk founded Tập Phước Pagoda; it can only be confirmed that the pagoda existed during the time of Zen master Pháp Nhân-Thiên Trường (36th generation, Lâm Tế school). During the period when this monk was abbot, there was an occasion (around 1776-1779) when, while fleeing the Tây Sơn army, Lord Nguyễn Phúc Ánh (later Emperor Gia Long) and his retinue had to take refuge here.

However, some sources claim that Tập Phước Pagoda was founded by monk Toàn Tánh-Chánh Đắc (37th generation, Lâm Tế school), who came from Quảng Nam and built it during the reign of Lord Nguyễn Phúc Khoát. Initially, the pagoda was just a small thatched hermitage, and it was not until 1801 that the aforementioned monk officially held the inauguration ceremony for the pagoda. In addition, regarding the question of who established this pagoda, Professor Nguyễn Lang (i.e., Zen master Thích Nhất Hạnh) also has a different opinion, which will be clarified in the "Doubts" section.

Following monk Chánh Đắc, the subsequent abbots were: Most Venerable Phước Tường (38th generation), Most Venerable Huệ Thành (39th generation), Most Venerable Hoằng Trí (40th generation), Most Venerable Hoằng Giáo (41st generation), and Venerable Thiện Duyên (42nd generation) from 1993 to the present.

According to researcher Huỳnh Minh, long before 1975, a notorious gangster in the Bà Chiểu area came to ordain at this pagoda and later became a Great Elder Most Venerable, with the Dharma name Thiện Minh.

Since its establishment, Tập Phước Pagoda has undergone major restorations in 1927, 1967, and 1993. The current architecture and arrangement of the Buddha Hall date from the most recent restoration organised by Most Venerable Hoằng Giáo.

Within the pagoda, two horizontal lacquered boards are still preserved: "sắc tiên chế" and "tứ hoàng phong", bestowed by Emperor Gia Long in gratitude for shelter. In addition, there is a great bronze bell (cast during Gia Long's reign), a pair of parallel sentences on the columns in front of the main hall (from the Nguyễn dynasty), and many ancient statues of high artistic value. Although the pagoda's façade has been completely changed due to reconstruction in a new architectural style, the interior still retains the traditional wooden frame and beams.

According to Huỳnh Minh, the pagoda formerly had a Tam quan (triple gate), with a large inscription: "Sắc Tứ Tập Phước Tự". Standing outside and looking in, one could see the magnificent pagoda nestled in a tranquil setting, shaded by trees. Nowadays (before 1975, during Most Venerable Hoằng Giáo's tenure as abbot), the old scene is no longer as before. Graves have sprung up all around, resembling a public cemetery. In front of the pagoda, only a narrow path remains for entry. The front of the main hall has also been rebuilt with a flat roof in a new architectural style, losing the solemn, ancient appearance of one of the region's oldest famous pagodas.

Also according to this researcher, during Most Venerable Hoằng Giáo's abbacy, the central altar in the main hall worshipped: the Three Buddhas of the Past, the Eighteen Arhats, and the Ten Kings of Hell. In front were the Dharma Protector, with Thiện Hữu and Ác Hữu (Good and Evil Friends) and Tiêu Diện on either side. On the side walls were altars to Già Lam Buddha and Bodhidharma. At the back was the ancestral altar and the Eighteen-Armed Cundi Buddha. Along the side of the pagoda are stupas containing the remains of monks, notably three stupas belonging to Most Venerable Phước Tường (38th generation), Most Venerable Huệ Thành (39th generation), and Most Venerable Hoằng Trí.

In the past, Tập Phước Pagoda often organised retreats for monks from everywhere to come and study.

Below are the opinions of Professor Nguyễn Lang regarding the founder of Tập Phước Pagoda. Summarised as follows:

In the 18th century, when the Nguyễn lords expanded their territory southwards, several eminent monks also followed the migration wave to settle in new lands. During the reign of Lord Nguyễn Phúc Khoát, in Đông Phố (Gia Định), there was Thiên Trường Pagoda founded in 1755 (later renamed Kim Chương) and Tập Phước Pagoda... It is likely that the founding patriarch of this pagoda was a Zen master of the 36th generation of the Lâm Tế lineage. According to the ancestral tablets still worshipped at the pagoda, the 37th generation was Zen master Thánh Đắc, the 38th was Zen master Phước Thường, the 39th was Zen master Ấn Thập, and the 40th was Zen master Hoàng Trí.

Researching this 36th-generation Zen master, it is found that Nguyễn dynasty official Trịnh Hoài Đức (1765-1825) once composed a poem for a Zen master named Viên Quang at Tập Phước Pagoda. The Đại Nam Liệt Truyện Tiền Biên states that Zen master Viên Quang belonged to the 36th generation of the Lâm Tế lineage, but also says that Viên Quang practised at Giác Lâm Pagoda, also in Gia Định. It is possible that Zen master Viên Quang was the founder of Tập Phước Pagoda, later handing it over to his disciple and moving to Giác Lâm Pagoda for greater tranquillity.

A second hypothesis: Zen master Mật Hoằng founded Tập Phước Pagoda and invited his Dharma brother Viên Quang to reside with him. After Mật Hoằng was summoned to the capital to serve as abbot of Quốc Ân Pagoda, Viên Quang also moved to Giác Lâm. Both these Zen masters were disciples of Zen master Linh Nhạc of the Nguyên Thiều lineage, originally from Thập Tháp Pagoda.

However, according to the biography of Zen master Tổ Tông-Viên Quang (abbreviated as Viên Quang) recorded in the books Vietnamese Zen Masters and History of Buddhism in Đàng Trong, there is no mention of "Zen master Viên Quang founding Tập Phước Pagoda", but only the following information: "Zen master Viên Quang (1758-1827, 36th generation of the Lâm Tế Zen school) was a disciple of Zen master Phật Ý-Linh Nhạc at Từ Ân Pagoda. In 1772, Giác Lâm Pagoda lacked an abbot, so the master sent him there. When Trịnh Hoài Đức was appointed by Emperor Gia Long as Hiệp Tổng trấn of Gia Định Citadel, between 1816-1820, during a ceremony at Tập Phước Pagoda, this official happened to meet Zen master Viên Quang again, who had been his childhood classmate in his maternal hometown. Afterwards, Trịnh Hoài Đức composed a regulated five-character poem in Chinese to express his feelings." Thus, it is possible that Zen master Viên Quang was merely a guest at the ceremony.

On 12 October 2005, the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City issued Decision No. 188/2005/QĐ-UBND, classifying Tập Phước Pagoda as a city-level architectural and artistic heritage site.