At the shore of Truồi Lake, visitors board a small boat. The surface of the lake is wide and still, its water dark green with the reflection of the mountains, backed by the cloud-wrapped Bạch Mã range. About fifteen minutes later, the boat docks at the foot of a low mountain sitting squarely in the middle of the lake, wooded from the water's edge to its crest. From the landing, a steep flight of stone steps climbs the slope, and visitors count one hundred and seventy-two steps to reach the three-entrance gate (tam quan).
This is Trúc Lâm Bạch Mã Zen Monastery, on Linh Sơn mountain. Giác Ngộ newspaper describes it as the first monastery of the modern Trúc Lâm Zen school in central Vietnam. Having begun in Vũng Tàu, established its ancestral seat in Đồng Nai, and built major monasteries in Đà Lạt and northern Vietnam, the school gained a center linking the two regions in 2008. What sets this monastery apart lies in the boat crossing itself, as no one reaches the meditation hall without first crossing an expanse of water.
IThe school's monastery in central Vietnam
To place Bạch Mã in context, it helps to recall the sequence of the school's major centers. Chơn Không Zen Monastery on Tương Kỳ mountain in Vũng Tàu was the starting point, growing out of the Pháp Lạc hermitage built in April 1966 and becoming a monastery in April 1971. Thường Chiếu Zen Monastery (1974) serves as the ancestral seat where the school's principles and practice methods are articulated, as covered in the Thường Chiếu entry. Trúc Lâm Đà Lạt Zen Monastery is the highland center on Phượng Hoàng hill. Trúc Lâm Tây Thiên Zen Monastery stands on the foundations of an ancient temple in northern Vietnam. Bạch Mã completes the bridge in central Vietnam.
The founder is Most Venerable Thích Thanh Từ. The stone-laying ceremony took place on March 30, 2006, and the monastery was inaugurated on April 20, 2008. Giác Ngộ notes that the monastery belongs to the Trúc Lâm Yên Tử lineage, sharing the same family as the monasteries in Quảng Ninh, Đà Lạt, and former Vĩnh Phúc. Stated precisely in the library's terminology, this belongs to the modern Trúc Lâm Zen revival led by Most Venerable Thích Thanh Từ rather than a surviving Trần-dynasty temple.
Visitors to Bạch Mã often remember the boat ride even more vividly than the Buddha hall, and that crossing resonates with a classic scriptural image. Buddhist texts frequently call awakening the other shore, rendering the Sanskrit pāramitā as reaching the other shore (đáo bỉ ngạn). Delusion is this shore, and the practitioner is one who crosses the river. The scriptures also teach the parable of the raft, explaining that a raft is used to cross the water and is not carried on one's shoulders once the far bank is reached. The Dharma teaching likewise serves as a means of crossing rather than an object of attachment.
The library does not claim that the builders chose this island site specifically as a literary metaphor, as the sources make no such statement. The library simply notes that here the act of crossing water is no longer just a figure of speech on paper. Visitors leave the bank, sit quietly on a boat across the lake, and step onto a mountain surrounded on all sides by water. For a Zen monastery dedicated to turning inward to illuminate one's own mind, that expanse of water is a silent reminder that needs no inscription.
Many travel websites state that Trúc Lâm Bạch Mã Zen Monastery sits at an elevation of 1,450 meters. That figure is the elevation of Bạch Mã Peak, not the elevation of the monastery. The monastery stands on Linh Sơn mountain, a low hill rising from the middle of Truồi Lake at the foot of the Bạch Mã range, about 30 kilometers south of central Huế along National Highway 1A followed by a 10-kilometer turnoff according to Giác Ngộ. Travelers looking for the monastery atop the high mountain peak will go the wrong way. Because the name includes Bạch Mã, some also assume the monastery occupies an ancient temple of that name, whereas it is a modern monastery built between 2006 and 2008.
IIAdding a link in central Vietnam
The construction history of Bạch Mã itself spans just two years. The timeline below places the monastery within the broader sequence of the school's foundations to show why Giác Ngộ calls it the first Trúc Lâm monastery in central Vietnam. Milestones prior to 2006 are summarized briefly, with full details available in each site's dedicated entry.
- 1966 and 1971Chơn Không, the starting pointIn April 1966 Most Venerable Thích Thanh Từ built the Pháp Lạc hermitage on Tương Kỳ mountain (Vũng Tàu), establishing Chơn Không Zen Monastery there in April 1971, according to phatgiao.org.vn.
- 1974Thường Chiếu, the ancestral seatFounded in former Long Thành, later becoming the primary training center of the lineage.
- 1993Trúc Lâm Đà LạtConstruction began on Phượng Hoàng hill beside Tuyền Lâm Lake.
- 2004 to 2005Trúc Lâm Tây ThiênBuilt on the foundations of ancient Thiên Ân Pagoda beneath the Tam Đảo range in northern Vietnam.
- 2006Groundbreaking at Bạch MãThe stone-laying ceremony took place on March 30, 2006 (the 2nd day of the 3rd lunar month of the Bính Tuất year, coinciding with the memorial of Second Patriarch Pháp Loa) on Linh Sơn mountain in Truồi Lake.
- 2008InaugurationAfter more than eighteen months of construction, the monastery held its inauguration ceremony on April 20, 2008.
- PresentThree zones and over twenty structuresThe complex is divided into the outer court, monks' cloister, and nuns' cloister, comprising more than twenty structures large and small according to Thanh Niên.
According to Giác Ngộ newspaper, Venerable Thích Tâm Hạnh (abbot of the monastery) recounted that while standing on Bạch Mã Peak and looking down across Truồi Lake below, he noticed the serene, isolated setting of Linh Sơn mountain in the middle of the water and resolved to request permission to build a Zen monastery there. The stone-laying ceremony took place on March 30, 2006, and the complex was inaugurated on April 20, 2008. Regarding the placement of the giant stone statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, sources describe it from two perspectives, with Thanh Niên stating that the statue stands on a hill in front of the temple and VinWonders describing it as seated atop a mountain peak in the lake. The library records both descriptions.
IIIOuter court, monks' cloister, and nuns' cloister
According to Thanh Niên and VinWonders, the monastery is divided into three zones, comprising the outer court (ngoại viện) housing the main sanctuary open to visitors, the monks' cloister (tăng viện) for ordained monks, and the nuns' cloister (ni viện) for ordained nuns. Together the three zones encompass more than twenty structures, including the ancestral hall, main hall, monks' hall, refectory, abbot's quarters, bell tower, and relic stupa. Because the complex sits on a small mountain in the lake, the three zones are stepped along the slopes, revealing their roofs sequentially by elevation rather than all at once.
From the boat landing, 172 stone steps lead up to the three-entrance gate (tam quan) with one central portal and two side portals. The staircase is the first threshold every visitor crosses.
Located in the outer court and built of timber in traditional East Asian style, it enshrines Shakyamuni Buddha meditating beneath the Bodhi tree at the center, with an altar to Patriarch Bodhidharma behind. Its wooden lattice doors and half-meter-high threshold board (cửa bức bàn) require visitors to step carefully and bow mindfully upon entering, according to VinWonders.
A two-story pavilion with eight curved roof eaves covered in fish-scale tiles and carved with dragons, phoenixes, and floral scrolls, according to Thanh Niên and VinWonders.
Venerates Patriarch Bodhidharma and the Three Patriarchs of Trúc Lâm, following the shared liturgical standard of Trúc Lâm Zen monasteries.
Two separate monastic training zones for monks and nuns, containing meditation halls, dormitories, refectories, and solitary huts. These inner quarters are closed to sightseers.
Carved in stone, standing 24 meters tall and weighing about 1,500 tons in meditation posture, according to Thanh Niên. The statue is clearly visible across the lake before the boat reaches the dock.
While the three-zone layout at Bạch Mã follows the pattern of other Trúc Lâm monasteries, the island topography transforms how it works. At Đà Lạt, the outer and inner courts spread across a broad hillside. Here, the entire monastery occupies a single small mountain surrounded on all four sides by water. Secluding the monastic quarters requires no high perimeter walls because the lake itself acts as the boundary. Visitors arrive and depart by boat, leaving the monks and nuns with the mountain and the quiet water.
IVThe lie of the land and orientation
This section presents the library's reading through the lens of traditional geomancy, not a doctrine recorded in the monastery's texts. Apart from the abbot's account in Giác Ngộ of sighting Linh Sơn mountain from Bạch Mã Peak, available sources do not record a compass bearing for the main hall. The paragraphs below therefore examine the overall relationship of mountain and water rather than guessing a compass direction.
The topography of Bạch Mã is rare, consisting of a mountain standing in the middle of water. Built from 1996, the Truồi Lake reservoir creates a water surface of roughly 380 to 400 hectares holding about 60 million cubic meters of water, encircling the monastery's Linh Sơn mountain. In traditional geomantic thought, mountain is stillness and water is movement, where mountain holds qi and water gathers qi. Most sacred sites have water on only one side, either in front or along a flank. Here water embraces all four sides in what classical geomancy calls an encircling-water configuration (thủy nhiễu), where water wraps around the node so that qi does not disperse.
Rising behind the entire basin is the Bạch Mã mountain range, wreathed in clouds almost year-round. In traditional land reading, the great range behind serves as the ancestral mountain (tổ sơn) from which the dragon vein (long mạch) descends from afar, while low Linh Sơn in the middle of the lake marks the spot where the vein comes to rest upon meeting the water. A child mountain sitting before its mother range amidst still water embodies the classical ideal of a mountain with a backing and water with a gathering place.
A third element is separation. Geomantic texts often emphasize dragon veins and bright halls, yet for a place of contemplative practice the most decisive factor is often seclusion. Truồi Lake creates that separation without walls or fences, since reaching the mountain requires a boat and the boats run only on schedule. For Zen practitioners, the lake forms a natural buffer that keeps the monastic precinct undisturbed.
Finally, there is the name itself. Linh Sơn (Spirit Mountain) is the Sino-Vietnamese name for Vulture Peak (Gṛdhrakūṭa) in India, where according to the scriptures the Buddha delivered major discourses and where Zen tradition places the flower-sermon transmission to Mahākāśyapa. While the library has no source stating when the mountain received this name, a Trúc Lâm Zen monastery standing on a peak named Linh Sơn brings topography and contemplative lineage together in a single name.
VAnnual observances and pilgrimage season
The monastery does not hold noisy village-style festivals. Its annual calendar follows the shared observances of Northern Buddhism alongside the commemorative days of the Trúc Lâm Zen lineage. Thanh Niên notes that residents of Huế and pilgrims from afar visit in the largest numbers during the New Year season to pray for peace, with the boat crossing over Truồi Lake forming the opening step of their spring pilgrimage.
| Lunar date | Occasion | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1st lunar month | Early spring pilgrimage | The busiest season of the year, when visitors cross the lake by boat and climb the 172 stone steps to venerate the Buddha, according to Thanh Niên. |
| 15th day of the 4th month | Buddha's Birthday (Phật Đản) | Celebrates the birth of Shakyamuni Buddha and marks the opening of the monastic rains retreat. |
| 15th day of the 4th to 15th day of the 7th month | Rains retreat (An cư kiết hạ) | Three months of intensive monastic cloister. On a mountain island, the rains retreat is the quietest season of the year. |
| 15th day of the 7th month | Vu Lan (Ullambana) | Festival of filial piety and the conclusion of the three-month rains retreat. |
| 1st day of the 11th month | Memorial of the First Patriarch of Trúc Lâm | Commemorates the Parinirvāṇa of Buddhist Emperor Trần Nhân Tông, observed across all Trúc Lâm Zen monasteries. |
| 8th day of the 12th month | Buddha's Enlightenment Day | Commemorates Shakyamuni Buddha's awakening beneath the Bodhi tree, holding special meaning for Zen practitioners. |
Buddha's Enlightenment Day deserves special mention. At many village pagodas it is a quiet observance, but at a Zen monastery it marks the very goal toward which meditation is directed, recalling how the Buddha sat in stillness beneath the tree until awakening dawned. At a sanctuary that can only be reached by crossing water, the day echoes the image of reaching the other shore that every visitor enacts by boat.
VILocation And How To Get There
- Address
- Núi Linh Sơn giữa hồ Truồi dưới dãy Bạch Mã, xã Lộc An (xã Lộc Hòa cũ, huyện Phú Lộc cũ), thành phố Huế
- Getting there
- The monastery sits on Linh Sơn mountain in the middle of Truồi Lake, Lộc An commune, Huế city (former Phú Lộc district). From central Huế, follow National Highway 1A south for about 30 kilometers to Truồi Bridge, turn right and travel about 10 kilometers to the Truồi Dam boat dock, then take a boat across the lake.
- Coordinates
- 16.2462, 107.7927
Bạch Mã Zen Monastery is an active residence for monks and nuns in training, so visitors should strictly observe monastic etiquette. Dress modestly, wear sturdy footwear for climbing the stone steps, and maintain order at the dock and on the boat. Visitors may walk only within the outer court and must not enter the monks' or nuns' cloisters. Please speak quietly around the main hall, do not photograph monastics without permission, and return to shore according to the monastery's boat schedule.
Nearby places in the library
VIIContribute To This Page
Contribute photos, information or video for Truc Lam Zen Monastery, Bach Ma
Góp ảnh, thông tin hoặc video cho Thiền viện Trúc Lâm Bạch MãEveryone is welcome to enrich this page: a photo you took, a detail the page misses, a short video. Every contribution is read and answered.
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?Quick Questions
Where is Trúc Lâm Bạch Mã Zen Monastery located?
The monastery stands on Linh Sơn mountain in the middle of Truồi Lake at the foot of the Bạch Mã range, in Lộc An commune, Huế city (former Phú Lộc district). From central Huế, travel about 30 kilometers south along National Highway 1A to Truồi Bridge, turn right for another 10 kilometers to Truồi Dam, then cross the lake by boat and climb 172 stone steps.
When was Trúc Lâm Bạch Mã Zen Monastery built?
The stone-laying ceremony took place on March 30, 2006, and the monastery was inaugurated on April 20, 2008. It was founded by Most Venerable Thích Thanh Từ, with Venerable Thích Tâm Hạnh serving as abbot. Giác Ngộ newspaper describes it as the first monastery of the modern Trúc Lâm Zen school in central Vietnam.
What is the elevation of Trúc Lâm Bạch Mã Zen Monastery?
The monastery sits on Linh Sơn mountain, a low hill rising from Truồi Lake. The figure of 1,450 meters cited on many travel websites is the elevation of Bạch Mã Peak, not the monastery. From the boat landing to the three-entrance gate is a climb of 172 stone steps.
How tall is the stone Buddha statue at Trúc Lâm Bạch Mã Zen Monastery?
The open-air stone statue of Shakyamuni Buddha stands 24 meters tall and weighs about 1,500 tons, according to Thanh Niên. Thanh Niên describes it as standing on a hill in front of the temple, while VinWonders describes it as seated atop a mountain peak in the lake. It is clearly visible from the boat across the water.
How does Trúc Lâm Bạch Mã differ from Trúc Lâm Đà Lạt Zen Monastery?
Both belong to the same Zen lineage, share the same founder, and divide their grounds into an outer court and inner monastic cloisters. Đà Lạt is a highland monastery on Phượng Hoàng hill beside Tuyền Lâm Lake accessible by road to the gate, whereas Bạch Mã occupies an island mountain in the middle of Truồi Lake that can only be reached by boat and serves as the school's center in central Vietnam.