Chùa Vĩnh Nghiêm - Một bảo tàng văn hóa Phật giáo Đại thừa tiêu biểu ở miền Bắc nước ta

According to sources such as inscriptions, bibliographies and survey results, surveying and surveying at Vinh Nghiem pagoda, the pagoda was started before the Ly dynasty; By the reign of King Ly Thai To, the pagoda was built more spaciously called Chuc Thanh Pagoda (or Chuc Thanh Meditation Temple), popularly known as La Pagoda or Duc La Pagoda. According to the stelae recorded, in Thuan Thien Nguyen Nien (1010), King Ly Thai To sent two mandarins in the dynasty, Nguyen Dao Thanh and Pham Hat, to design a project and take care of the construction of eight temples, including Vinh Nghiem pagoda. nowadays. The pagoda was completed in 1016, the first abbot was Thien Van Van Hanh, followed by the monks: Dao An, Minh Tam, Bao Tanh and Hue Quang.

In the Tran dynasty, Vinh Nghiem pagoda developed into one of the four centers of Truc Lam Zen (including Yen Tu, Quynh Lam, Vinh Nghiem and Thanh Mai), becoming a Buddhist Center to train monks and nuns nationwide. during nearly 8 centuries of establishment and development of the Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen School, considered as the first Buddhist University of Vietnam, considered by researchers to be the "Museum of Mahayana Buddhist Culture" expression in the North of our country. All three of the three patriarchs of the Truc Lam Zen sect, Trần Nhân Tông, Pháp Loa and Huyền Quang, were ordained at Vĩnh Nghiêm pagoda, taking this place as the center of Buddhism in the Tran dynasty. Therefore, for centuries, Vinh Nghiem pagoda is a place for Buddhists to make pilgrimage to the legendary Yen Tu peak, folk saying:

“Who goes to Yen Tu and Quynh Lam

Vinh Nghiem has not come, meditation has not yet. "

People have questioned why, when founder of Truc Lam Yen Tu sect, Tran Nhan Tong chose Vinh Nghiem pagoda, Bac Giang province as a place to train monks and nuns in the country, one of four Truc Lam Buddhist Center? The first is due to the advantageous position of the temple: Located at the confluence of the Luc Nam and Thuong rivers (called the confluence of Phuong Nhan); the pagoda overlooks the river junction, the side of Luc Dau Giang - Kiep Bac, the Cam Ly region gateway to Yen Tu mountain; The pagoda is surrounded by mountains, including Co Tien Mountain; across the river is the royal palace of Tran Hung Dao, Kiep Bac temple. The second reason is the affinity of Vinh Nghiem pagoda with Tran Nhan Tong when he was in office: Legend has it that when King Tran Nhan Tong and his entourage went to examine and examine the country's important positions, going to Yen Dung, Bac Giang province, the king's horse stopped, did not continue, He thought this was a strange sign and asked the people around him to know that recently there was an ancient sacred temple, the king and his entourage came to visit the temple. Considering that this was a predestined relationship between him and the temple, Tran Nhan Tong allowed to renovate, renovate and rebuild it and name it Vinh Nghiem Pagoda (meaning forever solemnity). Also from that predestined relationship, when the founder of Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen was founded, Tran Nhan Tong chose Vinh Nghiem pagoda, Bac Giang province as a place to train monks and nuns in the country, as one of the four Truc Buddhist Centers. Lam. named after Vinh Nghiem pagoda (meaning forever sanctuary). Also from that predestined relationship, when the founder of Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen was founded, Tran Nhan Tong chose Vinh Nghiem pagoda, Bac Giang province as a place to train monks and nuns in the country, as one of the four Truc Buddhist Centers. Lam. named after Vinh Nghiem pagoda (meaning forever sanctuary). Also from that predestined relationship, when the founder of Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen was founded, Tran Nhan Tong chose Vinh Nghiem pagoda, Bac Giang province as a place to train monks and nuns in the country, as one of the four Truc Buddhist Centers. Lam.

It can be said that since Giac Hoang Dieu Tran Nhan Tong and his followers chose Vinh Nghiem pagoda as the basis of propagating the Dharma, Vinh Nghiem has entered the history associated with Truc Lam Zen. When Giac Hoang Dieu Tran Nhan Tong and his two disciples Phap Loa and Huyen Quang founded Zen Buddhism sect, or Truc Lam Tam To Zen (a combination of the three previous Zen lineages: Bhikkhuni, Vo Nhac and Thao Duong), expanding the system of pagodas and pagodas along the two sides of Yen Tu mountain range, from which spread to the Northern Delta region, Vinh Nghiem Pagoda and Yen Tu region became centers for training Talents for both country. King Tran Nhan Tong took the ordination at Vinh Nghiem pagoda first, then Phap Loa succeeded the abbot; When Phap Loa passed away, Zen master Huyen Quang succeeded in taking the position, from here the Truc Lam Zen lineage developed. Starting from Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, forming an orthodox church, with a policy, an administrative organization, a hierarchy of clergy, and a message of the Sangha. For the first time, Buddhism had a monastic training school, with a clear educational inclination.

Over nearly 800 years of history with many ups and downs, the name Vinh Nghiem still exists until now, in accordance with the meaning of its name. Vinh Nghiem today has become a spiritual tourism center, with a long history of the country's first Talented training institution, with bold architecture typical of the ancient North; located in the charming country landscape, occupying a spiritual position giving rise to a pure Vietnamese Zen.

Vinh Nghiem Pagoda continues to play the role of a Buddhist center of the Truc Lam Zen Buddhism, and also plays the role of the ancestor's place so that every place until February 14 of the lunar calendar annually flockes here to celebrate its death anniversary. With the woodblocks event of Vinh Nghiem Pagoda recognized as a World Memory Heritage in the Asia-Pacific region, Vinh Nghiem Pagoda has become an ideal spiritual tourist destination, a place where the people of the whole country can visit. Visit, admire, discover and feel the unique cultural and spiritual values ​​of Moc Nghiem Vinh Nghiem Pagoda.

Vinh Nghiem pagoda used to be a place to train Buddhist monks so it was a place to store ancient wooden planks of 10 houses. Those are the long-running scriptures, ancient treasures of extremely valuable books. It is a storehouse of carved boards, ancients called "a carpentry log", an artifact proving that Vinh Nghiem Pagoda once ruled 72 places of lumbering. At present, the woodblock store still preserves 09 scriptures and precepts of Buddhism with 3,050 engravings, each has two sides, each side has 2 pages of reverse engraving (negative) about 2,000 Nôm and Chinese characters. . The earliest inscriptions, the most books, the most beautiful standard words and reached the level of sophistication among the woodblocks still preserved in our country. From those engravings, it is possible to print out enough spread borders, mind, fish, heaven and earth. The woodblocks mainly record Buddhist scriptures, the history of Truc Lam Zen sect's formation and development, the writings of the three Zen masters are Tran Nhan Tong, Phap Loa and Huyen Quang; There are also works of poems, poems, diaries of Mac Dinh Chi and some high monks. Studying carpentry archives, we have a rich and diverse amount of information about the Buddhist history, the ideology of religion and the incarnation of Truc Lam Zen Buddhism, literature, customs and the development of carving. woodblock printing, wood carvings as well as Vietnamese development history.

According to the Han - Nom researchers, besides the value from museum artifacts, the woodblocks of Zen Buddhism in Truc Lam sect of Vinh Nghiem pagoda contain many great meanings about the philosophy of human life and religious belief. threshold, literature, art, human education. Not only that, these woodblocks are also a "living history" of woodblock printing, ideology and culture, helping the latter to fully and accurately understand the history of Vietnamese Buddhism, about Truc Lam Zen sect as well as the body and career of Lord Tran Nhan Tong and some famous people of the nation.