![Chùa Thầy (9411972929)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Ch%C3%B9a_Th%E1%BA%A7y_%289411972929%29.jpg)
Thầy Temple (Vietnamese: Chùa Thầy or ''Master's Temple'') is a Buddhist temple in
Quốc Oai District (formerly
Hà Tây Province
Hà Tây () was a former province of Vietnam, in the Red River Delta, now part of Hanoi. On May 29, 2008 the decision was made to subsume the province into the city of Hanoi. The merger took place on August 1, 2008. The name of the province wa ...
, now part of
Hanoi
Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...
), Vietnam. The temple is also known as ''Thiên Phúc Tự'' ("Temple of Heavenly Blessings"). The temple was established in the 11th century during the reign of Emperor
Lý Nhân Tông of the
Lý dynasty. It is dedicated to
Vietnamese Thiền master
Master or masters may refer to:
Ranks or titles
* Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans
*Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...
Từ Đạo Hạnh (1072-1116). It is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Vietnam,
It is well maintained by the monks.
The temple is a center of pilgrimage during
Tết
Tết (), short for Tết Nguyên Đán ( Chữ Hán: 節元旦), Spring Festival, Lunar New Year, or Vietnamese Lunar New Year is one of the most important celebrations in Vietnamese culture. The colloquial term "Tết" is a shortened form of ...
.
Geography
The temple is located in Sài Sơn village, from Hanoi. It sits on the banks of an artificial lake, at the foot of the Sài Sơn Mountain, near Thăng Long Boulevard.
History
![HTay ChThay ChCa TuDaoHanh](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/HTay_ChThay_ChCa_TuDaoHanh.jpg)
Từ Đạo Hạnh (also known as Minh Không) was a famous monk. He was the chief monk at the temple, a
choreographer of traditional
water puppetry
Water puppetry ( vi, Múa rối nước) is a tradition that dates back as far as the 11th century when it originated in the villages of the Red River Delta area of northern Vietnam. Today's Vietnamese water puppetry is a unique variation on the a ...
, an inventor, and also a medical man and mystic in his village. The mystic acts associated with the monk include him burning his finger to usher in rain and curing local people of disease by blessing them, in addition to performing many other miracles.
He presented water puppetry (which is unique to Vietnam) at the small lake pavilion which he built in the middle of the lake, in front of the main hall. According to the local belief he had incarnated thrice, once as Buddha in the form of Sakhyamuni, then as the son of King
Lý Nhân Tông who later became the King Lý Thần Tông and then as a monk who saved the King Thần Tông also. He created his own brand of Từ Đạo Hạnh cult.
Features
The temple is divided into three parts. The entrance hall is the prayer hall. The middle chamber has images of Buddhas surrounded by demons, made of lacquer and garbed in red-coloured attire. The back chamber has statues of the monk.
The temple has been refurbished many times. The temple has three dedications: to Emperor Lý Thần Tông (1127 to 1138), to Gautama Buddha and his eighteen
arhat
In Buddhism, an ''arhat'' (Sanskrit: अर्हत्) or ''arahant'' (Pali: अरहन्त्, 𑀅𑀭𑀳𑀦𑁆𑀢𑁆) is one who has gained insight into the true nature of existence and has achieved ''Nirvana'' and liberated ...
s and to the
Buddhist monk and Thiền master Từ Đạo Hạnh. It is built in a typical Vietnamese architectural style. The main prayer hall of the temple has nearly 100 colourful images of different period. At the entrance to the shrine there are two large clay mixed papier-mâché images of the 7th century, each weighing about a ton; these are considered the largest such images in Vietnam.
The main hall contains the temple's oldest image, dating from the temple's foundation: a
triptych
A triptych ( ; from the Greek adjective ''τρίπτυχον'' "''triptukhon''" ("three-fold"), from ''tri'', i.e., "three" and ''ptysso'', i.e., "to fold" or ''ptyx'', i.e., "fold") is a work of art (usually a panel painting) that is divided ...
of Buddha and disciples dating from the 16th century on a high pedestal. There is a 13th-century statue of a
bodhisattva
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood.
In the Early Buddhist schools ...
seated on a
lotus throne
In Asian art a lotus throne, sometimes lotus platform, is a stylized lotus flower used as the seat or base for a figure. It is the normal pedestal for divine figures in Buddhist art and Hindu art, and often seen in Jain art. Originating in In ...
, which is a wooden statue draped in yellow. It was made in the likeness of the master Đạo Hạnh in a pensive mood. The statues of Từ Đạo Hạnh and his reincarnation in the form of Lý Thánh Tông are located in the hall next to each other.
Within the same temple complex there is a small shrine referred to as the "old temple" ( vi, chùa cũ). It was founded by Emperor
Lý Thái Tổ
Lý Thái Tổ ( vi-hantu, , 8 March 974 – 31 March 1028), Vietnamese name, personal name Lý Công Uẩn, temple name Thái Tổ, was a Vietnamese people, Vietnamese emperor, the founder of the Lý dynasty of Vietnam and the 6th ruler of ...
in 1132 and has been renovated several times.
There are two arched bridges connecting to the temple. Built in 1602, they are named Sun and Moon. One of these bridges leads to a small island, home to a small
Taoist temple
A Taoist temple (, also called ''dàoguàn'' and , is a place where the Tao is observed and cultivated it is a place of worship in Taoism.
Structure and function can vary according to the Taoist school the temple belongs to. For example, ''guà ...
representing the elements of earth, air, and water. The second bridge leads to a limestone hill. Đạo Hạnh, during the last stage of his life, had walked up to this place and disappeared in a cave. This cave is located in the middle of roots of
banyan
A banyan, also spelled "banian", is a fig that develops accessory trunks from adventitious prop roots, allowing the tree to spread outwards indefinitely. This distinguishes banyans from other trees with a strangler habit that begin life as a ...
s and is hemmed between a small temple built
in honour of the monk's parents and a small temple. Both these are religious places from where there are lovely vistas of the entire valley. There is also a limestone
grotto known as the hang Cắc Cớ, "the Mischievous".
Festival
A colourful festival, known as the Thầy temple festival, is held in honour of the monk Từ Đạo Hạnh. It is held from the 5th to 7th days of the third
Lunar month
In lunar calendars, a lunar month is the time between two successive syzygies of the same type: new moons or full moons. The precise definition varies, especially for the beginning of the month.
Variations
In Shona, Middle Eastern, and Eur ...
. During the festival puppet groups present water puppetry stage shows at the open air theater in the lake. A pageant of tableaux are also taken out on the occasion. Participants in the festivities come from four villages. The
sandalwood
Sandalwood is a class of woods from trees in the genus ''Santalum''. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and, unlike many other aromatic woods, they retain their fragrance for decades. Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods for us ...
statue of the master, located in the temple, is moved with intertwined strings during the puppet festival.
During other festivals held here, poems written by Từ Đạo Hạnh and Emperor Lý Nhân Tông are recited.
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References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Thay Temple
Buddhist temples in Hanoi
11th-century Buddhist temples