Follow the moss-grown brick steps winding beneath old pine canopies, jackfruit trees and ancient plumerias up the slope of Mount Tiêu in Tam Sơn Ward, Bắc Ninh Province, and a visitor's pace naturally slows in a stillness untouched by urban noise. Halfway up this low hill that once overlooked the legendary Tiêu Tương River of ancient Cổ Pháp, the dark curved tile roofs of Tiêu Pagoda, formally known as Thiên Tâm Tự or Tiêu Sơn Tự, emerge quietly amid a garden of weathered brick stupas. Inside the Patriarchs' Hall behind the main sanctuary, within a sealed nitrogen-filled glass chamber, rests the whole-body relic of Zen Master Như Trí, seated in full lotus posture for more than three hundred years since his passing in the Quý Mão year (1723).
Renowned not only for the extraordinary lacquer-preservation of an eighteenth-century master, this hill and its monastery occupy a foundational place in Vietnamese national history. More than a millennium ago, within the Tiêu Sơn monastic community, the eminent elders Lý Khánh Văn and Lý Vạn Hạnh sheltered, educated and imparted statecraft to the young Lý Công Uẩn, preparing the peaceful dynastic transition of 1009 and the Edict on the Transfer of the Capital that inaugurated the Thăng Long era in 1010.
IThe ancestral monastery of Mount Tiêu Sơn and the cradle of the Lý dynasty
Tiêu Pagoda stands on the slope of Mount Tiêu (Mount Tiêu Sơn) in Tam Sơn Ward, Bắc Ninh Province (prior to 1 July 2025, Tương Giang Ward of the former Từ Sơn City, which after merging Tương Giang Ward and the former Tam Sơn Ward under Resolution No. 1658/NQ-UBTVQH15 takes the name Tam Sơn Ward). In the historical geography of the Kinh Bắc region, Mount Tiêu lies at the heart of ancient Cổ Pháp Prefecture (also called Diên Uẩn or Cổ Pháp canton), the ancestral homeland of the Lý royal house. Across the centuries the monastery has borne several classical titles: Tiêu Sơn Tự (焦山寺) after the mountain, Pháp Ấn Tự (法印寺) associated with the lower temple at the foot of the hill, and above all Thiên Tâm Tự (天心寺), the Temple of the Heavenly Mind.
In the traditional spatial layout of the Tiêu Sơn monastic complex, the mountain once held two closely linked pagodas: the Upper Pagoda halfway up the southeastern slope named Thiên Tâm Tự, and the Lower Pagoda at the southwestern foot named Pháp Ấn Tự (which still preserves a four-sided stone stele dated to the fifth year of the Dương Hòa era under King Lê Thần Tông, 1639, and once housed a celebrated great bronze bell known as the Tiêu Sơn Bell among the four famed treasures of old Kinh Bắc). Today the name Tiêu Pagoda refers to the entire Buddhist heritage complex on Mount Tiêu Sơn.
In the intellectual history of Vietnamese Buddhism, Tiêu Sơn Pagoda was one of the foremost ancestral seats of the Vinitaruci (Tỳ Ni Đa Lưu Chi) Zen school during the tenth and eleventh centuries, before later integrating streams of the Trúc Lâm and Lâm Tế (Linji) Zen lineages in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Far from practicing world-renouncing seclusion, the patriarchs of Mount Tiêu Sơn exemplified the spirit of engaged Buddhism protecting the nation during the Đinh, Early Lê and early Lý dynasties. The monastery served simultaneously as a meditation hall for awakening and as a classical academy teaching Chinese script, the scriptures of the Three Teachings and benevolent governance to the finest minds of the realm.
That spirit is crystallized in the celebrated deathbed verse of National Master Vạn Hạnh (who passed away in the ninth year of the Thuận Thiên era, 1018) recorded in the Thiền uyển tập anh (Compendium of Outstanding Figures of the Zen Garden): The body is like a flash of lightning, here then gone, / Ten thousand trees flourish in spring and wither in autumn, / Riding the rise and fall without fear, / Rise and fall are like dewdrops on the tips of grass. Such fearless equanimity amid political rise and fall became the spiritual anchor of a new dynasty at the dawn of Đại Việt's independence.
Both the official court chronicle Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư and the Buddhist biographical compendium Thiền uyển tập anh document the historical bond uniting Mount Tiêu Sơn with three pivotal figures: Elder Lý Khánh Văn, Zen Master Vạn Hạnh (Lý Vạn Hạnh, twelfth-generation master of the Vinitaruci school and disciple of Zen Master Định Huệ of Lục Tổ Pagoda) and Lý Công Uẩn (974 - 1028). According to the annals and Cổ Pháp local traditions, after Lady Phạm gave birth to Lý Công Uẩn at Cổ Pháp Pagoda (Dận Pagoda), she brought the boy at age three to be adopted by Elder Lý Khánh Văn at Lục Tổ and Tiêu Sơn pagodas. On this slope of Mount Tiêu, Lý Công Uẩn received his early education from Elder Lý Khánh Văn and was mentored throughout his youth by his kinsman Zen Master Vạn Hạnh before entering the court at Hoa Lư under the Early Lê dynasty, eventually ascending the throne in the Kỷ Dậu year (1009) as King Lý Thái Tổ to inaugurate more than two centuries of Lý rule.
A common misconception among visitors is to conflate Tiêu Pagoda (Thiên Tâm Tự) entirely with Dận Pagoda (Cổ Pháp Điện / Diên Ứng Tự) or Lục Tổ Pagoda in the biography of Lý Công Uẩn. In reality, ancient Cổ Pháp was a network of closely connected monasteries situated within a few kilometers of one another: Dận Pagoda was associated with the birth of Lý Công Uẩn, whereas Tiêu Pagoda on Mount Tiêu Sơn was the monastic seat of Elder Lý Khánh Văn and National Master Vạn Hạnh where Lý Công Uẩn studied in his youth and where he once took refuge from Lê Long Đĩnh's pursuit prior to his accession. Recognizing the spatial link among these Từ Sơn monasteries reveals the full landscape of the Cổ Pháp Buddhist cradle.
IIA millennium of history and the 1715 woodblock edition of Thiền uyển tập anh
Following its golden age under the Lý and Trần dynasties, Tiêu Pagoda experienced a vigorous revival in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries during the Restored Lê period. A priceless cultural milestone of this era is linked to Zen Master Như Trí (an eminent master of the northern Lâm Tế lineage who served as abbot of Tiêu Sơn Pagoda in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries). Realizing that the Thiền uyển tập anh ngữ lục (the oldest surviving history of Vietnamese Buddhism, compiled in the Trần era to record the biographies of Zen masters from the sixth to the thirteenth century) was in danger of being lost, in the Ất Mùi year, the eleventh year of the Vĩnh Thịnh era (1715) under King Lê Dụ Tông, Zen Master Như Trí organized the collation, woodblock carving and reprinting of the entire work at Tiêu Sơn Pagoda. That 1715 Vĩnh Thịnh woodblock imprint from Tiêu Sơn Pagoda remains the oldest extant textual edition of this foundational work of Vietnamese Buddhist history.
In the Quý Mão year, the fourth year of the Bảo Thái era (1723) under King Lê Dụ Tông, Zen Master Như Trí passed away at the pagoda while seated in full lotus meditation. His disciples performed the traditional lacquer mummification rite (tượng táng) and enshrined his whole-body relic inside the brick stupa Viên Tuệ on the slope of Mount Tiêu. Across more than two and a half centuries of upheaval, the weathered stupa became overgrown with moss and survived mainly in the oral accounts of local elders until 5 March 2004, when scientists and Bắc Ninh provincial authorities opened the Viên Tuệ Stupa for conservation and found the master's mummified relic statue intact inside.
- 10th centuryFormation of the Mount Tiêu Sơn Buddhist centerTiêu Pagoda was established on the slope of Mount Tiêu Sơn in Cổ Pháp Prefecture, becoming the monastic seat of Elder Lý Khánh Văn and Zen Master Vạn Hạnh of the Vinitaruci school.
- Late 10th century - 1009Upbringing of Lý Công Uẩn and his accession to the throneEntrusted to the monastery at age three, Lý Công Uẩn was raised and educated by Lý Khánh Văn and National Master Vạn Hạnh before serving at the Early Lê court and ascending the throne as King Lý Thái Tổ in 1009.
- 1018Passing of National Master Vạn HạnhIn the ninth year of the Thuận Thiên era (1018), National Master Vạn Hạnh recited his verse to his disciples and passed away, King Lý Thái Tổ and the court held his cremation rite and erected a stupa in his honor.
- 1639Erection of the Restored Lê stone steleIn the fifth year of the Dương Hòa era (1639) under King Lê Thần Tông, a four-sided stone stele was erected recording a major restoration of the Tiêu Sơn monastery.
- 1715Zen Master Như Trí carves and prints the Thiền uyển tập anhIn the eleventh year of the Vĩnh Thịnh era (1715) under King Lê Dụ Tông, Zen Master Như Trí oversaw the woodblock carving and printing of the Buddhist history Thiền uyển tập anh at Tiêu Sơn Pagoda, producing the oldest surviving edition.
- 1723Passing of Zen Master Như Trí and enshrinement in Viên Tuệ StupaIn the fourth year of the Bảo Thái era (1723), Zen Master Như Trí passed away in meditation, his body was preserved with traditional lacquer and placed inside the Viên Tuệ Stupa on Mount Tiêu.
- 1991Ranked as a National Historical and Cultural Heritage SiteOn 31 January 1991, the Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports and Tourism issued Decision No. 168-VH/QĐ ranking Tiêu Sơn Pagoda as a national heritage site.
- 2004Opening of Viên Tuệ Stupa and scientific conservation of the relic statueBetween March and September 2004, a scientific team led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyễn Lân Cường opened the Viên Tuệ Stupa, restored the mummified statue of Zen Master Như Trí using traditional natural lacquer and placed it in a nitrogen-filled glass chamber.
The 2004 anthropological and conservation report of the Vietnam National Museum of History published by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyễn Lân Cường clarified the anatomical structure of Zen Master Như Trí's relic statue. On-site X-ray radiographs confirmed that beneath the outer coating of natural lacquer mixed with sawdust and fine alluvial earth lies the complete human skeleton of an eighteenth-century Vietnamese monk seated in full lotus posture, with the skull, cervical vertebrae, ribs and limb bones preserved in their natural anatomical articulations. This is the fourth mummified monk statue scientifically documented and conserved in Vietnam, alongside those of Masters Vũ Khắc Minh and Vũ Khắc Trường at Đậu Pagoda (Hanoi) and Master Chuyết Chuyết at Phật Tích Pagoda (Bắc Ninh).
IIIHillside monastic architecture, the stupa garden and the relic statue of Master Như Trí
The architecture of Tiêu Pagoda today embodies the quiet simplicity of a traditional northern Vietnamese mountain temple nestled into the natural incline of Mount Tiêu Sơn. Rather than displaying towering pavilions or gilded gateways, the approach leads up old brick steps through an understated arched gate shaded by pine trees and orchards. The principal buildings step upward along the hillside terraces, comprising the Three Jewels Sanctuary (Front Hall and Upper Hall), the Patriarchs' Hall (where the relic statue of Zen Master Như Trí is enshrined), the Shrine to King Lý Thái Tổ, guest quarters and monastic cells.
The Three Jewels Sanctuary follows the traditional T-shaped (chữ Đinh) plan roofed with curved tiles, its ridge crowned by two dragons flanking the moon, supported by smoothly planed ironwood trusses with restrained floral carvings. Inside the Upper Hall stands a solemn array of gilded wooden statues of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas rising from the Nine-Dragon birth relief in front to the Three Times Buddhas on the highest altar. Behind the main sanctuary stand the Patriarchs' Hall and the Mother Goddess Hall backed directly against the gravel-stone hillside of Mount Tiêu, where the air remains cool and hushed throughout the year.
The mummified relic statue of Zen Master Như Trí and the ancient stupa garden
The most precious heritage of Tiêu Pagoda is the whole-body relic statue of Zen Master Như Trí enshrined in the central bay of the Patriarchs' Hall. Prior to March 2004, the statue rested inside the second story of the Viên Tuệ Stupa, an old brick stupa in the hillside stupa garden. Because nearly three centuries of tropical humidity had caused portions of the outer lacquer layer to crack and peel, in 2004 the Ministry of Culture and Information and the Bắc Ninh Provincial People's Committee approved an emergency conservation project. Over six months of meticulous on-site work using pure traditional Vietnamese lacquer (sơn ta), fine gauze, sawdust and clay identical to eighteenth-century techniques, conservators restored the outer surface of the statue without shifting a single millimeter of the skeletal frame within.
Seated in full lotus meditation, the relic statue of Zen Master Như Trí measures 69.5 cm in height from base to crown (about 12.5 cm taller than the relic statue of Zen Master Vũ Khắc Minh at Đậu Pagoda) and weighs 14.2 kg after conservation. The master's face is serene with half-closed eyes, a straight nasal bridge and elongated earlobes, his hands resting one upon the other before his abdomen in the Samadhi (meditation) mudra, draped in a russet-gold monastic robe. To protect the relic permanently against mold and insects, the statue is housed inside a double-walled glass case filled with 99.9 percent pure nitrogen gas.
Along the slope of Mount Tiêu Sơn stands an ancient stupa garden containing more than ten brick and stone stupas dating from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century, notably the Viên Tuệ Stupa (which sheltered Zen Master Như Trí's body for 281 years), the Diệu Quang Stupa and the memorial stupas of successive abbots. The monastery also preserves a four-sided stone stele set on a stone turtle dated to the fifth year of the Dương Hòa era (1639) alongside Restored Lê and Nguyễn statues of the Dharma Guardians and Patriarchs carved in wood and molded clay.
A whole-body lacquer-preserved relic containing the intact skeleton of Zen Master Như Trí seated in lotus posture, 69.5 cm tall and weighing 14.2 kg, conserved in 2004 inside a nitrogen-filled glass chamber in the Patriarchs' Hall.
A group of more than 10 seventeenth- to nineteenth-century brick and stone stupas on the slope of Mount Tiêu Sơn, including the Viên Tuệ Stupa that housed Master Như Trí's relic body from 1723 to 2004.
The sacred hall commemorating the two eminent Early Lê and Lý masters who raised Lý Công Uẩn and laid the foundations of engaged Buddhism in Đại Việt.
A four-sided stone stele mounted on a stone turtle dated 1639 under King Lê Thần Tông (in the Pháp Ấn Tự lower temple area), inscribed in Chinese characters with the restoration history of the Tiêu Sơn monastery.
A memorial shrine dedicated to the founding emperor of the Lý dynasty near the crest of Mount Tiêu Sơn, overlooking the ancestral Cổ Pháp - Từ Sơn plain.
When hearing of a mummified monk statue, many visitors think of ancient Egyptian mummification involving evisceration and chemical embalming. In reality, the Buddhist lacquer-mummification practice (tượng táng) of Vietnamese Zen masters such as Như Trí at Tiêu Sơn Pagoda or Vũ Khắc Minh at Đậu Pagoda followed a completely different path: before passing away, the master voluntarily entered a sealed meditation retreat, abstaining from grain and drinking only aromatic herbal infusions to purify the body and deplete body fat while continuing to meditate and chant. Once the master breathed his last in lotus posture, disciples applied multiple layers of fine cloth soaked in natural lacquer mixed with fragrant wood powder and fine earth over the intact body without any surgical incision.
IVThe lie of the land and the facing
This section is the library's own reading through the eyes of traditional form-school feng shui, not something recorded in the pagoda's stelae or historical chronicles. We state this clearly so that readers can distinguish historical documentation from geomantic interpretation.
At coordinates 21.1375 degrees North latitude and 105.9828 degrees East longitude, Tiêu Pagoda sits halfway up the southeastern slope of Mount Tiêu (Mount Tiêu Sơn), an isolated gravel-stone hill rising about 50 meters above the fertile plain of ancient Cổ Pháp. In the Thiền uyển tập anh and old Kinh Bắc gazetteers, the terrain stretching from Mount Tiêu Sơn across Mount Tam Sơn to the Báng Forest (Đình Bảng) was recognized by Tang-Song and Early Lê geomancers as an imperial dragon-node land where eight hills and mounds encircle the plain like eight lotus petals or crouching dragons and tigers. Mount Tiêu itself has the rounded, well-balanced profile of an inverted bell (a Metal-star hill), both stable and gentle in its concentration of qi.
In terms of mountain orientation and water configuration, Tiêu Pagoda follows the classic pattern of backed by mountain, facing water, resting its back against the crest of Mount Tiêu to the northwest (sitting in Qian) and opening its face toward the southeast and south (facing Xun - Li). Directly below the foot of Mount Tiêu once flowed the ancient Tiêu Tương River, winding like a silkjade belt around the base of the hill before joining the Đuống and Cầu rivers, forming a water-gathering bright hall (minh đường) right in front of the monastery. Looking northeast, the three peaks of the Tam Sơn range stand as the Azure Dragon on the left and outer front screen (tiền án), while the Đình Bảng - Cổ Pháp plain to the southwest forms the White Tiger on the right. This setting, backed by quiet pine slopes and facing the former course of the Tiêu Tương River, creates a pure field of qi suited both to the meditative attainment of incorruptible relics and to the nurturing of an emperor who founded a dynasty.
VThe Tiêu Sơn Pagoda festival and patriarchal memorial days
The traditional festival of Tiêu Pagoda opens the spring cycle of festivals associated with the Lý dynasty in the Từ Sơn - Bắc Ninh homeland (alongside the festivals of Dận Pagoda and Đô Temple). Every year, the main festival takes place from the 8th to the 10th day of the 1st lunar month (with the main ceremonial days on the 9th and 10th), drawing residents of the Tiêu Long, Tiêu Sơn and Tam Sơn neighborhoods as well as pilgrims from across the country to offer incense to the Buddha, honor National Master Vạn Hạnh, Elder Lý Khánh Văn and King Lý Thái Tổ, and pay reverence before the relic statue of Zen Master Như Trí.
Beyond the spring festival, the Tiêu Sơn monastic community observes solemn patriarchal memorial days throughout the lunar year: the commemoration of National Master Vạn Hạnh's passing in the fifth lunar month and the death anniversary of Zen Master Như Trí on the 22nd day of the 8th lunar month. Notably, Tiêu Pagoda has long maintained the pure discipline of a traditional Zen monastery: no votive paper money is burned on the premises, and no donation boxes or plates of small change are placed across the altars, allowing visitors to experience genuine serenity as they ascend Mount Tiêu.
| Lunar date | Festival / Rite | Main rituals and activities |
|---|---|---|
| 8th to 10th day of the 1st month | Traditional Tiêu Sơn Pagoda Festival (spring rites) | Processions and incense offerings honoring National Master Vạn Hạnh, Elder Lý Khánh Văn and King Lý Thái Tổ, prayers for national peace, and Quan họ Bắc Ninh folk singing on the slope of Mount Tiêu |
| 1st day of the 5th month | Commemoration of National Master Vạn Hạnh | Incense offering, sutra chanting and recitation of the master's deathbed verse honoring the life and nation-protecting merit of National Master Lý Vạn Hạnh (passed away in 1018) |
| 22nd day of the 8th month | Death anniversary of Patriarch Như Trí | Solemn ancestral rites at the Patriarchs' Hall and Viên Tuệ Stupa commemorating Zen Master Như Trí, who printed the Thiền uyển tập anh (1715) and left behind his whole-body relic (1723) |
| 15th day of the 4th and 7th months | Buddha's Birthday and Vu Lan Filial Piety Festival | Bathing the Buddha ceremony, memorial chanting and Dharma talks conducted in pure Zen monastic style |
VILocation And How To Get There
- Address
- Sườn núi Tiêu (núi Tiêu Sơn), phường Tam Sơn (trước ngày 01/07/2025 là phường Tương Giang, thành phố Từ Sơn cũ), tỉnh Bắc Ninh
- Getting there
- From central Hanoi, follow National Highway 1A (or the Hanoi - Bắc Giang Expressway) across Phù Đổng Bridge for about 20 km to the former Từ Sơn area, then turn left onto Provincial Road 295B toward Tam Sơn Ward for about 3 km to the foot of Mount Tiêu. From central Bắc Ninh, travel southwest for about 12 km along the Nguyễn Văn Cừ - Tam Sơn road to reach the pagoda.
- Coordinates
- 21.1375, 105.9828
Tiêu Pagoda is renowned across northern Vietnam for preserving a pure Zen monastic custom over many decades: the pagoda does not burn votive paper offerings, does not practice fortune-telling and does not place plates for loose change across its altars. When visiting, you are invited to bring only a sincere heart and incense, walk softly beneath the pine trees, and maintain complete silence inside the Patriarchs' Hall while viewing the relic statue of Zen Master Như Trí, refraining from using camera flash against the nitrogen conservation chamber.
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?Quick Questions
What role did Tiêu Pagoda play in the life of King Lý Thái Tổ (Lý Công Uẩn)?
Tiêu Pagoda on Mount Tiêu Sơn is where Lý Công Uẩn was entrusted by his mother at age three to be adopted by Elder Lý Khánh Văn and where he was educated in classics, ethics and statecraft throughout his youth by National Master Vạn Hạnh. It was also from this monastic center that National Master Vạn Hạnh prepared the moral authority and political support that brought Lý Công Uẩn to the throne in 1009 as founder of the Lý dynasty.
Whose mummified relic statue is preserved at Tiêu Pagoda and when does it date from?
The relic statue at Tiêu Pagoda is the whole-body relic of Zen Master Như Trí, an eminent master of the Lâm Tế Zen lineage who served as abbot of the pagoda and oversaw the woodblock reprinting of the Buddhist history Thiền uyển tập anh in 1715. He passed away seated in full lotus meditation in the Quý Mão year (1723) under King Lê Dụ Tông, his body was preserved with traditional lacquer and kept inside the Viên Tuệ Stupa for 281 years before being scientifically conserved in 2004.
What are the dimensions and conservation state of Zen Master Như Trí's relic statue?
According to the 2004 scientific conservation dossier led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyễn Lân Cường, the seated relic statue of Zen Master Như Trí measures 69.5 cm tall and weighs 14.2 kg, enclosing the master's complete, anatomically articulated skeleton. It is now enshrined in the Patriarchs' Hall inside a double-walled glass chamber filled with 99.9 percent pure nitrogen gas to prevent oxidation and biological decay.
Which ward of Bắc Ninh Province does Tiêu Pagoda belong to after the 2025 administrative reorganization?
Tiêu Pagoda stands on the slope of Mount Tiêu in Tam Sơn Ward, Bắc Ninh Province. Prior to 1 July 2025, this area belonged to Tương Giang Ward of the former Từ Sơn City. Under Resolution No. 1658/NQ-UBTVQH15 of 2025 issued by the Standing Committee of the National Assembly, Tương Giang Ward and the former Tam Sơn Ward were merged into the new Tam Sơn Ward under Bắc Ninh Province.
When does the Tiêu Pagoda festival take place and what special custom should visitors observe?
The traditional Tiêu Pagoda festival takes place annually from the 8th to the 10th day of the 1st lunar month to honor National Master Vạn Hạnh, Elder Lý Khánh Văn and King Lý Thái Tổ, alongside the death anniversary of Zen Master Như Trí on the 22nd day of the 8th lunar month. The pagoda's most distinctive custom is that no votive paper money is burned and no loose cash is placed on the altars in order to preserve monastic purity.