Following the bank of the Đồng Nai River south of central Biên Hòa along a quiet village road, visitors come upon the three-entrance gate of Long Thiền. Inside stand three parallel halls roofed with yin-yang tiles, low and elongated beneath ancient trees. There is no towering multi-story stupa in the front courtyard and no colossal outdoor statue. The most solemn presence in the compound is the stupa garden housing the mortuary stupas of the Founding Patriarch and successive generations of patriarchs, standing quietly in a corner of the grounds.
Buddhists come to Long Thiền not merely to admire its architecture. They come because this is one of the earliest ancestral seats of the Lâm Tế Gia Phổ lineage in the Đồng Nai region and also serves as a monastic training campus for the Đồng Nai Intermediate Buddhist College. In the Patriarchal Hall, the ancestral tablets of successive abbots are arranged in generational order, and reading the first character of each abbot's Dharma name reveals that they follow in exact sequence a four-line transmission verse composed in seventeenth-century China.
IThe Gia Phổ lineage and its transmission verse
Lâm Tế (Linji) is the largest Zen lineage in Vietnam, yet it is not a single uniform block. It branches into several sub-lineages, each identifying its members through a Dharma-name transmission verse (kệ truyền thừa). Central Vietnam is home to the Chúc Thánh and Liễu Quán branches. In Southern Vietnam, the earliest stream arrived with Patriarch Nguyên Thiều from China into Đàng Trong, and the branch that uses the transmission verse of 31st-generation Lâm Tế Patriarch Mộc Trần Đạo Mân came to be known as Lâm Tế Gia Phổ. Long Thiền belongs to that stream.
A transmission verse is a short poem left behind by a founding patriarch. Each generation of disciples takes the next character in the poem as the first character of their monastic Dharma name (pháp danh). If the master bears the first character, the disciple bears the second, and the disciple's disciple bears the third. Simply looking at a monk's Dharma name tells which lineage he belongs to and which generation he occupies from the patriarch. When a verse is exhausted, the lineage adopts a new verse or a later patriarch composes a continuation poem.
The verse of Patriarch Đạo Mân used by the Gia Phổ branch reads as follows in Sino-Vietnamese transcription, as recorded on phatgiao.org.vn.
Đạo bổn nguyên thành Phật tổ tiên
Minh như hồng nhật lệ trung thiên
Linh nguyên quảng nhuận từ phong phổ
Chiếu thế chơn đăng vạn cổ huyền
The character Đạo corresponds to the 31st generation, that of Patriarch Đạo Mân himself. The third character, Nguyên, corresponds to the 33rd generation, that of Patriarch Nguyên Thiều. The fourth character, Thành, corresponds to the 34th generation, that of Patriarch Nguyên Thiều's disciples, including Patriarch Thành Nhạc who founded Long Thiền.
| Character in verse | Lâm Tế generation | Figure bearing that character in the Long Thiền line |
|---|---|---|
| Đạo | 31 | Patriarch Mộc Trần Đạo Mân, author of the transmission verse |
| Bổn | 32 | Patriarch Bổn Quả Khoáng Viên, master of Patriarch Nguyên Thiều |
| Nguyên | 33 | Patriarch Nguyên Thiều Siêu Bạch (1648 to 1728), who brought the lineage to Đàng Trong |
| Thành | 34 | Patriarch Thành Nhạc Ẩn Sơn (passed away in 1766 according to phatgiao.org.vn), founder of Long Thiền |
| Phật | 35 | Patriarch Phật Chiếu Khánh Đoan, abbot who expanded the pagoda in 1748 |
| Tổ | 36 | No documented abbot bearing the character Tổ has yet been verified in published sources |
| Tiên | 37 | Patriarch Tiên Đức Tịnh Tạng, abbot who restored the pagoda in 1842 (alongside Patriarch Pháp Thông Thiện Hảo who restored it in 1843) |
| Minh and Như | 38 and 39 | Most Venerable Chơn Như Chánh Thành (restored the pagoda in 1928) in the early twentieth century |
| Hồng | 40 | Most Venerable Elder Hồng Tín Huệ Thành (1912 to 1998), abbot from 1938, who built the lecture hall for Great Ordination Ceremonies |
| Nhật | 41 | Most Venerable Nhật Hiển Huệ Hiền (1949 to 2013) and Venerable Nhật Thông Huệ Khai (abbot since 2014) |
The table above illustrates visually what a lecture can hardly summarize in a few words, namely that the Dharma names of Long Thiền's abbots across three centuries fall into the exact sequence of the verse. Thành in the 34th generation, Phật in the 35th, Tiên in the 37th, Hồng in the 40th, and Nhật in the 41st. That is why monastics in the lineage call Long Thiền an ancestral seat, not merely because the building is old, but because the line of transmission can be read directly with the eye.
IIThree centuries beside the Đồng Nai River
Patriarch Thành Nhạc Ẩn Sơn was one of the 34th-generation disciples of Patriarch Nguyên Thiều, according to the Buddhist Studies Review. Travelling south into Đồng Nai, he became associated with Châu Thới Pagoda and Long Thiền Pagoda on the riverbank, spreading the Gia Phổ lineage across the region. Among his fellow disciples under the same master was Patriarch Thành Đẳng Minh Lượng, associated with Đại Giác Pagoda on Phố Islet about one and a half kilometers away. The two were Dharma brothers.
- Late 17th centuryFounding of the pagodaPatriarch Thành Nhạc Ẩn Sơn founded the pagoda as a bamboo-and-thatch hermitage. Popular tradition cites 1664 under Lord Nguyễn Phúc Tần, though this date conflicts with the lifespans of Patriarch Nguyên Thiều and Patriarch Thành Nhạc, as detailed below.
- 1748First major expansion in brick and tile35th-generation Patriarch Phật Chiếu Khánh Đoan expanded the compound, rebuilt the main sanctuary with brick walls and tiled roofs, and erected the Patriarchal Hall.
- 1842 to 1843Nguyễn-dynasty restorationsIn 1842, 37th-generation Patriarch Tiên Đức Tịnh Tạng repaired the Patriarchal Hall and built the lecture hall and kitchen. Phật Sự Online also records an 1843 restoration led by Patriarch Pháp Thông Thiện Hảo.
- 1928 and 1952 to 1956Early and mid-20th-century reconstructionsMost Venerable Chơn Như Chánh Thành restored the pagoda in 1928. After the great Nhâm Thìn flood of 1952, Most Venerable Hồng Tín Huệ Thành built the lecture hall in 1954 and carried out a major reconstruction in 1956.
- 1991National Heritage designationRecognized as a National Historical Heritage Site under Decision 1057-QĐ dated June 14, 1991 by the Ministry of Culture, Information and Sports.
- 2005 to 2012Conservation of the main hall, Patriarchal Hall, and monastic quartersBetween 2005 and 2006, the pagoda partnered with the Đồng Nai Museum to conserve the main hall and Patriarchal Hall. In 2012, Most Venerable Thích Huệ Hiền renovated the main hall and monastic quarters and regilded the carved wooden panels.
- 2016Reconstruction of the three-entrance gateVenerable Thích Huệ Khai rebuilt the three-entrance gate and landscaped the ancestral compound.
Regarding the founding year and the biography of Patriarch Thành Nhạc, sources diverge noticeably and the library notes the discrepancies directly. Phật Sự Online and Phật Tử Việt Nam state that Patriarch Thành Nhạc Ẩn Sơn founded the pagoda in 1664 during the reign of Lord Nguyễn Phúc Tần. However, the Buddhist Studies Review notes that his master, Patriarch Nguyên Thiều, was born in 1648 and arrived in Đàng Trong in 1665 or 1677, and also states that Zen Master Thành Nhạc (title Ẩn Sơn) founded Châu Thới Mountain Pagoda and succeeded as abbot of Long Thiền Pagoda. Meanwhile, phatgiao.org.vn records that Zen Master Thành Nhạc Ẩn Sơn passed away in 1766, more than a century after 1664. Because these chronological markers do not fully align, the library dates the founding to the late seventeenth century while presenting both the traditional year 1664 and the 1766 death date for comparison.
Regarding the mid-twentieth-century restoration, Phật Tử Việt Nam mentions 1952, the Nhâm Thìn year when a severe flood damaged the temple, whereas Phật Sự Online records that Most Venerable Hồng Tín Huệ Thành built the lecture hall in 1954 to host a Great Ordination Ceremony and completed a major reconstruction of the main sanctuary in 1956. The two accounts complement each other across the sequence of events following the 1952 flood.
IIIThree parallel halls in the chữ tam layout
Long Thiền is built in the chữ tam (three-parallel-bars) plan consisting of three parallel halls, with the main sanctuary in front, the Patriarchal Hall in the middle, and the lecture hall, monastic quarters, and kitchen at the rear, linked by covered cross-passages. This is a classic layout of early southern Vietnamese temples, distinct from the I-shaped (chữ công) or inner-I outer-enclosure (nội công ngoại quốc) plans of northern Vietnam. The main architectural block covers roughly 800 square meters, supported by hardwood columns and rafters beneath yin-yang tiled roofs.
Enshrines the Buddhas of the Three Times, Avalokiteśvara, and Kṣitigarbha, with gilded carved wooden archways, horizontal plaques, and an ancient pair of parallel couplets bearing the name Long Thiền on the two front columns.
The middle hall housing the spirit tablets and portraits of successive patriarchs, where the Gia Phổ transmission line can be read through their Dharma names. First erected in 1748.
The study and living quarters of the monastic community, associated with Great Ordination Ceremonies and classes of the Đồng Nai Intermediate Buddhist College.
Includes the stupa of Founding Patriarch Thành Nhạc Ẩn Sơn alongside the stupas of successive abbots such as Tiên Đức Tịnh Tạng, Pháp Thông Thiện Hảo, Chơn Như Chánh Thành, Hồng Tín Huệ Thành, and Nhật Hiển Huệ Hiền.
Bronze and wooden statues together with antique horizontal plaques, parallel couplets, and a great bronze bell preserved inside the temple.
Visitors often judge a temple's age by its outward appearance, and seeing Long Thiền's fresh roof tiles and newly painted columns may assume the temple is recent. Long Thiền's age does not lie in its coat of paint. Although the buildings have been restored many times, most recently in 2005 to 2006, 2012, and 2016, the compound has faithfully preserved its three-row chữ tam layout and kept the Founding Patriarch's stupa in situ. For an ancestral seat, antiquity resides in the Patriarchal stupas and the unbroken sequence of Dharma names, two things that cannot be repainted.
The Biên Hòa area is home to several other ancient temples from the era of southern settlement, such as Bửu Phong Pagoda on Bình Điện Mountain and Đại Giác Pagoda on Phố Islet. Each temple carries its own historical thread, and this article focuses on the Gia Phổ lineage at Long Thiền.
IVThe lie of the land and orientation
Phật Tử Việt Nam notes that according to traditional geomancy, Long Thiền Pagoda sits on auspicious ground with the Đồng Nai River screening the front and Châu Thới Mountain standing firmly behind. The section below offers the library's detailed geomantic reading based on the temple's actual topography.
The first feature worth noting is the classic setting of river in front and mountain behind (tiền giang hậu sơn). Long Thiền stands on the right bank of the Đồng Nai River along the bend passing through Biên Hòa, near where the river divides to embrace Phố Islet, while to the south-southwest behind the temple rises Châu Thới Mountain (where Patriarch Thành Nhạc also served). In traditional land reading, a broad river curving across the front acts as attendant water forming an open bright hall (minh đường), while the mountain behind provides a steady rear backing. Late seventeenth-century pioneers travelled by boat, so placing a Zen lineage's early temple along the riverbank backed by a prominent mountain brought river transport and traditional geomancy together naturally.
In terms of the temple's name, the word Long means dragon. In traditional thought, the dragon is associated with water and with the dragon vein (long mạch) that courses along waterways. A temple beside a major river bearing the name Long, read literally, is a temple standing upon a dragon vein.
Regarding the chữ tam layout, arranging three parallel halls in the sequence of Buddha, Patriarchs, and Sangha reflects a deliberate hierarchy of meaning. The Buddha hall stands in front to receive, the Patriarchal Hall stands in the center to hold the lineage thread, and the monastic quarters stand at the rear for support. In geomantic terms, the central Patriarchal Hall occupies the spot that gathers qi for the entire compound, which is fitting for an ancestral seat.
Finally, there is the Patriarchal Stupa. Placing the Founding Patriarch's stupa right within the temple grounds rather than at a distant cemetery follows the traditional principle of keeping the root in place. Because the stupa marks where the lineage began locally, later generations erected their own stupas around it, turning the stupa garden into a family tree written in brick and stone.
VPatriarchal memorial day and annual observances
The most important day of the year at an ancestral temple is the Founding Patriarch's memorial day (giỗ Tổ). At Long Thiền, that observance falls in the twelfth lunar month, when monastic descendants from affiliated temples gather to pay homage. Alongside it, the pagoda observes the major annual festivals of the Buddhist calendar.
| Lunar date | Observance | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 15th day of the 1st lunar month | First Full Moon (Thượng nguyên) | New Year prayer service for peace and well-being. |
| 15th day of the 4th lunar month | Buddha's Birthday (Phật Đản) | Celebration of the birth of Śākyamuni Buddha. |
| 15th day of the 7th lunar month | Vu Lan (Ullambana) | Festival of filial piety and offerings to wandering spirits. |
| 18th day of the 12th lunar month | Founding Patriarch's Memorial Day (Giỗ Tổ) | Annual memorial day of Founding Patriarch Thành Nhạc Ẩn Sơn, according to Phật Tử Việt Nam. Monastics from across the lineage gather to offer incense at the Patriarchal Hall and stupa garden. |
The term monastic lineage community (môn phong) refers to all monastics sharing the same line of transmission from an ancestral seat. On the Founding Patriarch's memorial day, the meaning of the transmission verse becomes tangible as monks and nuns of later generations, bearing the subsequent characters of the poem, return together to offer incense before the Patriarch who bore the character Thành.
VILocation And How To Get There
- Address
- Ấp Tân Bình cũ, bên sông Đồng Nai, phường Biên Hòa (phường Bửu Hòa cũ, thành phố Biên Hòa cũ), tỉnh Đồng Nai
- Getting there
- The pagoda is located in Tân Bình neighborhood beside the Đồng Nai River, Biên Hòa Ward, Đồng Nai City, within the area of former Bửu Hòa Ward. From central Biên Hòa, cross Hóa An Bridge or Ghềnh Bridge and follow the riverbank south for about one kilometer, while Đại Giác Pagoda on Phố Islet lies roughly one and a half kilometers away.
- Coordinates
- 10.9393, 106.8147
Long Thiền is an active ancestral temple where monastics reside and study. Visitors are asked to dress modestly, remove hats before entering the main sanctuary and Patriarchal Hall, and walk and speak softly. Do not touch the ancestral tablets, antique horizontal plaques, or parallel couplets. When visiting the Founding Patriarch's stupa, offer incense outside the plinth without climbing onto the base. Please ask the resident monks before taking photographs inside the Patriarchal Hall.
Nearby places in the library
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?Quick Questions
Which Buddhist lineage does Long Thiền Pagoda belong to
It belongs to the Lâm Tế Gia Phổ lineage, the Lâm Tế branch that uses the transmission verse of 31st-generation Patriarch Mộc Trần Đạo Mân, introduced into Đàng Trong by Patriarch Nguyên Thiều. Its Founding Patriarch was 34th-generation Zen Master Thành Nhạc Ẩn Sơn, a disciple of Patriarch Nguyên Thiều.
What is the Gia Phổ transmission verse
It is a four-line poem by Patriarch Đạo Mân beginning with the line Đạo bổn nguyên thành Phật tổ tiên. Each generation of monastics takes the next character in sequence as the first word of their Dharma name. The character Đạo corresponds to the 31st generation, and Thành corresponds to the 34th generation of Long Thiền's founder.
When was Long Thiền Pagoda founded
Sources differ. Some accounts cite 1664 under Lord Nguyễn Phúc Tần, but the founder's master, Patriarch Nguyên Thiều, arrived in Đàng Trong in 1665 or 1677, and another source records that Patriarch Thành Nhạc passed away in 1766. The library therefore dates the founding to the late seventeenth century and notes 1664 as a traditional account.
How are Long Thiền and Đại Giác pagodas related
Located about one and a half kilometers apart across the Đồng Nai River, both belong to the Lâm Tế lineage transmitted from Patriarch Nguyên Thiều. Patriarch Thành Nhạc at Long Thiền and Patriarch Thành Đẳng Minh Lượng at Đại Giác were both 34th-generation disciples of Patriarch Nguyên Thiều, making them Dharma brothers.
What is the architectural layout of Long Thiền Pagoda
The pagoda is built in the chữ tam layout with three parallel halls comprising the main sanctuary, Patriarchal Hall, and monastic quarters, covering roughly 800 square meters with hardwood columns and yin-yang tiled roofs. Its grounds preserve the stupas of Founding Patriarch Thành Nhạc and successive abbots. It has been a National Heritage Site since 1991.