Vũ Thạch Pagoda

Vũ Thạch Pagoda is named after Vũ Thạch village, which was once home to a renowned school and the village teacher Nguyễn Huy Đức (1824–1898), who was famous for his virtuous character and for training many talented and virtuous students in Thăng Long. The pagoda's architecture has a floor plan in the shape of a pestle handle, and the Buddha statues are arranged according to the full traditional system. In 1986, the pagoda and its associated relic complex were classified as an architectural and artistic heritage site by the Ministry of Culture and Information.

Festivals are held annually on the 10th day of the 2nd lunar month and the 15th day of the 10th lunar month. During the festival, there is always a delegation from Xuân Đỗ (Hạ) village participating. The customary offerings at the temple include a tray of sticky rice and a rooster. After the ritual, there are folk games such as tổ tôm (a traditional card game), ca trù singing, hát văn (spiritual singing), and performances of traditional martial arts.

According to legend, this pagoda has stood by the left Vọng lake since ancient times. Tả Vọng is a part of Hoàn Kiếm Lake. The pagoda has been restored many times.

The pagoda is located at 13B Bà Triệu Street, Tràng Tiền Ward, Hoàn Kiếm District, Hà Nội.

Vũ Thạch Pagoda is said to have been founded during the Lý dynasty, built in the chuôi vồ (pestle handle) style. According to the stele commemorating the pagoda's restoration in the 10th year of Tự Đức, the pagoda was also known as Quang Minh Tự. The pagoda mainly worships the Buddha, but also venerates the Mother Goddess (Mẫu) and the ancestral abbots who have passed away over the years. The pagoda's Sino-Vietnamese name is Quang Minh tự.

In all three worship halls, there remain parallel sentences and horizontal lacquered boards with beautiful inscriptions, such as:

"Thượng đế uỷ thần quyền chẩm đãi sơn hà duy bả ác

Hạ dân triêm đức trạch, chấm lăng phong vũ ngưỡng bình mông"

Translation:

Heaven has entrusted divine authority, to guard the land and rivers

The good people are grateful for virtue, protected through countless storms

Or:

"Thánh đức nguy nhiên cao Bắc đẩu

Thần công hách nhĩ chấn Nam thiên"

Translation:

Holy virtue lofty as the Northern Dipper

Divine merit resplendent throughout the southern sky

Or:

"Dữ Phật vi lân, tuệ chúc quang khai thành bất dạ

Đại thiên hành hoá, đức phong phổ biến hải vô ba"

Translation:

With the Buddha above, the torch of wisdom shines through the night

Upholding the Way under Heaven, the wind of virtue calms the boundless sea

And the great calligraphic plaques:

- Đức hợp vô cương (Virtue without bounds)

- Vạn dân hoá dục (Nurturing all people)

- Tứ hải bình mông (Sheltering the four seas)

- Thánh tức Thiên (The Saint is Heaven)

Zen Master Thích Thanh Tường (1858–?), lay name Đinh Xuân Lạc, in 1936, after the passing of Vĩnh Nghiêm Zen Master and Dharma Patriarch Thích Thanh Hanh, was invited to become Zen Master and Dharma Patriarch at the age of 78. He was an important figure in the revival of Vietnamese Buddhism in the early 20th century. Another notable abbot here was Nun Superior Thích Đàm Thuận (1930–2001), lay name Tiết Thị Kim, born at 60 Hàng Dầu Street, Nam Định, into a family of traditional herbalists. At the age of eleven, little Kim became a novice at Cầu Pagoda (Bắc Giang), belonging to the Vĩnh Nghiêm lineage. In 1945, she went to Hà Nội to study and practise the Dharma at Vân Hồ Pagoda and Bà Đá Pagoda in Hà Nội. In 1957, she became abbot of the then-deserted Vũ Thạch Pagoda. Throughout a life of pure practice, through four wars, poverty, chaos, death, separation, and the pagoda's desolation and ruin, Nun Thích Đàm Thuận diligently studied and practised the Dharma, showing intelligence, resourcefulness, and agility. She both encouraged lay Buddhists to practise and organised cooperatives for handicrafts, bamboo weaving, knitting, bamboo blinds, embroidery, and sewing to earn a living and to provide for offerings and the preservation of Vũ Thạch Pagoda. In 1995, she rebuilt the Main Hall (Tam Bảo), the Mother Goddess Hall, and the Ancestors' Hall, making them spacious and splendid by Hoàn Kiếm Lake. Vũ Thạch Pagoda has retained its value as an ancient Vietnamese village pagoda worshipping Ancestors, Saints, Mother Goddesses, Deities, and Buddhas.

Vũ Thạch, resplendent for ten thousand generations, is sacred.

Vũ Thạch đình (communal house) is dedicated to Khỏa Ba Sơn, a general of the Trưng Sisters. According to surviving thần phả (deity genealogies), Khỏa Ba Sơn was originally from Ái Châu and was sent by the Trưng Sisters to Hoa Động hamlet (now part of Cự Khối commune, Gia Lâm, Hà Nội) to set up a decoy garrison to deceive the Han army, which led to the defeat of Tô Định. After ascending the throne, the Trưng Sisters had him return to garrison Hoa Động, but he passed away during a celebratory feast for the villagers (his main place of worship is now Xuân Đỗ village, Cự Khối commune, Gia Lâm).

Today, his main shrine is in Xuân Đỗ village, Cự Khối commune, Gia Lâm district. There, the Thánh tích ngọc phả (Sacred Relics Genealogy) records his origins and achievements in detail.

The genealogy, dated "the mid-autumn month of the 6th year of Vĩnh Hựu (1740)", states that Khỏa was granted the title of Vanguard General by Queen Trưng, with command of over 500 troops to defend the eastern and northern fronts.

After his passing, the villagers of Hoa Động worshipped him, and subsequent dynasties conferred imperial decrees of recognition.

Notably, the đình houses a statue of the deity Khỏa Ba Sơn along with 30 lacquered and gilded thrones, of which 5 large ones are exquisitely carved. The đình also preserves a kiệu bát cống (eight-bearer palanquin) and four pairs of white-glazed, blue-painted vases from the Qing dynasty.

Vũ Thạch Temple is dedicated to Mother Goddess Liễu Hạnh and other goddesses in the folk belief system. The legends of these Mother Goddesses have been recorded in many books.

The Vũ Thạch đình, temple, and pagoda complex is the only relic in the area around Hoàn Kiếm Lake to have escaped destruction at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, when the French colonialists demolished the old streets and built many government offices and Western-style streets. The complex has been restored and repaired many times over the years: the 35th year of Tự Đức (1882), the 3rd year of Thành Thái (1891), and the 9th year of Khải Định (1924). It still preserves a system of valuable artefacts: incense tables, altars, ancestral beds, parallel sentences, imperial decrees, deity genealogies, etc. Notably, at Vũ Thạch đình there is a statue of the deity Khỏa Ba Sơn along with 30 lacquered and gilded thrones, of which 5 large ones are exquisitely carved. The đình also preserves a kiệu bát cống (eight-bearer palanquin) and four pairs of white-glazed, blue-painted vases from the Qing dynasty. In addition, five imperial decrees from Nguyễn dynasty emperors are still preserved here, such as one from Emperor Gia Long in 1802, two from Emperor Tự Đức in 1852 and 1879, one from Emperor Đồng Khánh in 1886, and one from Emperor Thành Thái in 1889. All the decrees express respect for the illustrious general Khỏa Ba Sơn.

To commemorate this deity's merits, the Vũ Thạch đình and temple still hold festivals on the 10th day of the 2nd lunar month and the 15th day of the 10th lunar month every year. During the festival, there is always a delegation from Xuân Đỗ (Hạ) village participating. The festival features many traditional folk games such as ca trù singing, hát văn, and performances of traditional martial arts.

The Vũ Thạch đình, temple, and pagoda relic complex is a highlight in the overall religious architecture of the former Vũ Thạch village and was classified as an architectural and artistic heritage site by the Ministry of Culture and Information in 1986. Alongside its cultural values, Vũ Thạch đình was also the site of the ballot box for the first National Assembly election (6 January 1946) and served as a base for the Hà Nội Self-Defence Gate during the 60 days of resistance at the end of 1946 and the beginning of 1947. In 1995, Tràng Tiền Ward erected a memorial stele for 77 heroic martyrs who were citizens of the ward.

The existence of the Vũ Thạch relic is not only historical evidence of an ancient village around the Thăng Long citadel but also a milestone marking the cultural tradition of the Hoàn Kiếm area, which has long been the foremost scenic spot of the thousand-year-old capital.

It was once the site of the ballot box for the first National Assembly election (06/01/1946).

It served as a base for the Hà Nội Self-Defence Gate during the 60 days of resistance at the end of 1946 and the beginning of 1947.

Vũ Thạch Pagoda was newly restored and renovated on a large scale in 1995 on the basis of its old location and grounds, including: the Main Hall (Tam bảo), the Ancestors' Hall, the Mother Goddess Hall, the stupa, and the guest house. The pagoda gate is right next to the pavement of Bà Triệu Street and has a simple design.