Vạn Linh Pagoda

Vạn Linh Pagoda is situated at an altitude of 535 m (above sea level) on Cấm Mountain, at the foot of Vồ Bồ Hông (over 700 m high), beside Thủy Liêm Lake (with a capacity of 60,000 m³ of water); it now belongs to Vồ Đầu hamlet, Núi Cấm commune, An Giang province (Vietnam). This is a scenic and famous site, visited and venerated by many people.

In 1927, after the Rains Retreat, the monk Thích Thiện Quang asked his teacher, the Venerable Thích Trí Thiền at Phi Lai Ancient Pagoda (Châu Đốc), for permission to go into retreat on Cấm Mountain, and was granted approval.

Upon arrival, Venerable Thiện Quang built a simple hut to worship the Buddha, made of bamboo and leaves (hence Vạn Linh Pagoda is also known as the Leaf Pagoda), to focus on spiritual practice and to treat illnesses for the local people. As more disciples gathered, in 1941, Venerable Thiện Quang began the renovation of the main hall, making it more spacious and with a tiled roof; it was completed in 1943 and named Vạn Linh Pagoda.

In 1945, the Việt–French war broke out. Fearing the enemy would establish a base there, the French colonial authorities ordered that people were no longer allowed to live on Cấm Mountain. As a result, Venerable Thiện Quang had to lead his disciples down the mountain, and later went to practice at Linh Bửu Pagoda in the Cầu Bông area, Sài Gòn. In 1953, Venerable Thích Thiện Quang passed away.

In 1954, with the country temporarily at peace, the chief disciple of Venerable Thích Thiện Quang, Venerable Thiện Thành, who was then practising on Kỳ Hương Mountain near Phi Lai Monastery (Châu Đốc), returned to Cấm Mountain with a group of monks. Due to the ravages of war, the old pagoda was in ruins, so Venerable Thiện Thành had a temporary pagoda built from wood and leaves as a place for practice.

In 1958, thanks to the support of some lay Buddhists in Sài Gòn, Venerable Thiện Thành began a solid reconstruction: concrete pillars, brick walls, tiled roof; it was completed in 1960.

A few years later, war broke out again. In 1967, by order of the provincial authorities at the time, the people again evacuated down the mountain. Sharing their fate, Venerable Thiện Thành and the monks had to take refuge at Phi Lai Monastery (Châu Đốc). In 1970, Venerable Thiện Thành was appointed Abbot of Phi Lai Monastery.

After April 1975, the war ended. Seeing that Vạn Linh Pagoda was again in ruins due to bombs and shells, Venerable Thiện Thành intended to rebuild it, but as the situation was still complicated at that time, it could not be done. In 1992, Venerable Thiện Thành died of illness.

In 1993, Mr. Lâm Cáo Kia, a lay disciple of Venerable Thích Thiện Quang, came to request Venerable Thích Trí Tịnh (also a disciple of Venerable Thích Thiện Quang) to re-establish Vạn Linh Pagoda, and was granted approval.

After obtaining permission from the relevant authorities, on the 6th day of the 8th lunar month, 1995, Vạn Linh Pagoda began reconstruction on a large, solid and beautiful scale, using reinforced concrete and high-grade ceramic tiles, including: main hall, stupa, bell tower, Patriarch’s tower, etc., on an area of about 6 hectares. This time, the person in charge of the construction was Venerable Thích Hoằng Tri.

On the 24th day of the 11th lunar month, 2003, the Ceremony of Installing the Buddha Statues was held here, marking a long and arduous period of building Vạn Linh Pagoda, due to the complex terrain, rugged and steep mountain roads, lack of all means, etc.

On the 25th and 26th days of the 11th lunar month every year, a solemn memorial ceremony for the Founding Venerable is held here.

Vạn Linh Pagoda lies on a gently sloping mountainside, with ornamental flowers and plants flourishing all year round, creating a poetic and meditative landscape. The structure is designed in the traditional architectural style of Eastern pagodas. In front of the main hall are three majestic towers:

In the centre is the Quan Âm Stupa, consisting of 9 storeys, 35 m high. Apart from the top floor, which enshrines the Buddha’s relics, the other floors are dedicated to various Buddhas (statues made of white marble, life-sized): the 7th floor to Buddha Shakyamuni, the 6th to Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara (Quán Thế Âm), the 5th to Bodhisattva Mahāsthāmaprāpta (Đại Thế Chí), the 4th to Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī (Văn Thù), the 3rd to Bodhisattva Samantabhadra (Phổ Hiền), the 2nd to Bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha (Địa Tạng), the 1st to Bodhisattva Maitreya (Di Lặc), and the ground floor houses the statue of Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara.

To the right is the Stupa of the founding Venerable Thích Thiện Quang, three storeys high. The middle floor is where the relics of the Venerable, brought from Huệ Nghiệm Pagoda in An Dưỡng Địa (Ho Chi Minh City), are enshrined.

To the left is the octagonal Bell Tower, with two storeys: the ground floor has a statue of Thousand-armed, Thousand-eyed Avalokiteśvara (a small white marble statue) and hangs a great bronze bell weighing 1.2 tonnes; the upper floor is dedicated to Buddha Amitābha (a statue larger than the Avalokiteśvara statue on the ground floor, also made of white marble).

The Main Hall is a large building. The Buddha Hall is solemnly arranged. In the centre is the sacred statue of Buddha Shakyamuni in meditation. The statue is made from a single block of stone, weighing 2 tonnes. On either side of the Buddha statue are bas-reliefs of Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara and Bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha. In front of the Buddha Hall are bas-reliefs of Dharma Protectors and Tiêu Diện. At the rear of the hall is a bas-relief of Patriarch Bodhidharma. All are carved from precious stone.

However, in 2011, to harmonise the Main Hall of Vạn Linh Pagoda with the surrounding structures, this building was relocated to the rear (and became the Ancestral Hall), to make way for another large building under construction, consisting of two floors: the ground floor, measuring 25 m x 35 m, will be used as a Lecture Hall; the upper floor, measuring 26.8 m x 36.8 m, will serve as the Main Hall.

In addition, within the grounds there are several other structures, such as the Buddha Recitation Hall (large, beautiful, located at the highest point to the right of the Main Hall), monks’ quarters, guest house, dining hall, kitchen, etc., which have been and are being built.

Venerable Hoằng Tri, Record of the Restoration of Vạn Đức and Vạn Linh Pagodas (abbreviated as Record). Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House, 2006.