 |
| Bat Nha Monastery from a distance - Photo: Thai Hang |
Bat Nha monastery opens to tourists from early morning and this is the best time to visit, as the air is full of the smell of tea leaves from the surrounding farms.
Venerable Thich Duc Nghi in 1995 laid the first brick of the monastery that is on top of a hill and covers 20 hectares.
Stone stairs lead from the main road to a giant dragon statue in front of the main house. In the house lays a Buddha statue, but before lighting some incense and praying for peace and protection for family and loved ones, tourists are advised by an old monk to go to the back of the Buddha statue to pay respect to Indian monk Vinitaruni, who brought Buddhism into Vietnam in the early second century. The architecture and decorations are similar to other pagodas with Buddha statues - a cast iron bell, carved wood rails and wattles - but it’s the mood of the monastry that brings the visitor to Zen.
Outside is the sacred Lam Ty Ni garden, which is named after the place where Buddha was born. The garden has statues of Buddha, dragons and phoenix. Behind the garden are the monks’ quarters and areas for reading and study. It is restricted to tourists.
Tourists who came to Bat Nha in late September last year will remember the dispute between supporters and opposers a strange statue that was put there by a monk who had come back from France. The dispute turned to violence and tourists visiting the garden a year later can still see the broken pieces of statues and stones, a reminder of a fight in sacred territory.
Behind the hill are two streams which are always full of water no matter what season. When the weather becomes too hot, the streams are favorite spots for local people to swim, fish and cool off.
Bat Nha monastery recently opened short-term classes for those who want to study Buddhist texts and find some quiet.
No comments:
Post a Comment