Trúc Lâm Tây Thiên Zen Monastery

IA new Zen monastery on the foundations of an old pagoda

Tây Thiên belongs to the modern Trúc Lâm Zen school founded by the Most Venerable Thích Thanh Từ, with the Venerable Thích Kiến Nguyệt serving as abbot overseeing its construction from the outset, according to Chốn Thiêng and phatgiao.org.vn. The teachings of the school and the role of Thường Chiếu Zen Monastery as its ancestral seat are covered in that entry and are not repeated here. In short, to avoid confusion, this is a Zen school established in the 20th century that takes the Three Patriarchs of Trúc Lâm of the Trần dynasty as its source, rather than an unbroken institutional lineage surviving continuously since the Trần period.

Most other monasteries of the school were raised on new land, such as donated land in former Long Thành, a pine hill in Đà Lạt, or a mountain in the middle of a lake at Bạch Mã. Tây Thiên is different. According to Tuổi Trẻ, the monastery was built on the site of the ancient Thiên Ân Pagoda, and before construction began as well as when the foundations were opened, scientists together with the Most Venerable Thích Thanh Từ and the monks found numerous Buddhist archaeological remains. The exhibition hall to the right of the main hall now preserves artifacts bearing era names and traces from the Lý, Trần, Lê, Mạc, and Nguyễn periods. In other words, the new Zen school chose to set itself on a spot where Vietnamese Buddhism had been present across many eras.

IIFifteen months on the slopes of Mount Tam Đảo

Tuổi Trẻ records that the monastery was built in 15 months with an initial investment of about 30 billion VND. For a large complex on a mountain slope, that time frame was remarkably short, with the main hall completed in 9 months thanks to woodcarvers from Hà Tây and Bắc Ninh, stone carvers from Non Nước and Ninh Bình, and masons from Nam Định and Hanoi. The first completed structures included a 2-kilometer paved access road, the triple gate, the main hall, the Patriarch hall, the abbot's quarters, the reception room, the nuns' guesthouse, the exhibition hall, the dining hall, and two parking lots, according to Chốn Thiêng.

• UnknownAncient Thiên Ân Pagoda
  An old pagoda on the slopes of Mount Tam Đảo, traditionally called Thiên Ân Thiền Tự. Archaeological artifacts found on the site date from the Lý and Trần through the Lê, Mạc, and Nguyễn dynasties.
• 2004Groundbreaking
  On April 4, 2004 (the 15th day of the 2nd lunar month), construction began on the site of Thiên Ân Pagoda. Surveys and foundation work uncovered numerous ancient Buddhist bricks, tiles, and artifacts, according to Tuổi Trẻ.
• 2005Inauguration
  Late November 2005. Tuổi Trẻ gives November 25, while Chốn Thiêng gives November 27.
• 2006Inner monastic expansion
  Abbot Thích Kiến Nguyệt noted plans to build the meditation hall, library, lecture hall, and monks' quarters after the first phase, according to Chốn Thiêng.
• 2010First summer retreat
  From this year the monastery began holding annual summer retreats for youth, according to phatgiao.org.vn.

IIIThe main hall, exhibition hall, and monastic quarters

The architecture of Tây Thiên follows the style of northern Vietnamese pagodas, with curved tile roofs, timber framing, and stacked roof tiers. The buildings step up the mountain slope, higher tiers rising behind lower ones, with the central main hall forming the largest volume. The portal phatgiao.org.vn gives its name as Đại Hùng Bửu Điện (Precious Hall of the Great Hero), standing 17 meters high and covering 675 square meters on four stone pillars nearly 1 meter in diameter, able to hold about 600 people for meditation or Dharma talks.

The exhibition hall to the right of the main hall is well worth a long stop. Trúc Lâm Zen monasteries usually keep their interiors simple, with few antiquities. At Tây Thiên, the layer of artifacts came out of the very ground beneath the buildings rather than being brought in from elsewhere. Standing before fragments of Lý and Trần bricks and tiles inside a monastery bearing the name Trúc Lâm lets a visitor see with the naked eye the link between the old Zen lineage and the modern school, not merely read about it in books.

IVThe lie of the land and orientation

This section offers the library's reading through the lens of traditional geomancy (phong thủy), not something recorded in the monastery's own texts. The sources read by the library state only that the monastery was raised on the foundations of Thiên Ân Pagoda, without recording a geomantic reason for the choice of land or the compass facing of the hall. The passage below is an interpretation for comparison, which readers should distinguish from documentary records.

VAnnual observances and summer retreats

Beyond the general observances of Northern (Mahayana) Buddhism and the memorial day of the First Patriarch of Trúc Lâm, Tây Thiên has a distinct practice widely covered in the press, namely its summer retreats for youth. According to the Venerable Thích Thanh Trí on phatgiao.org.vn, since 2010 the monastery has held six summer sessions each year, each welcoming about 250 students aged 14 to 18 (with boys and girls studying separately) to learn Buddhist teachings, practice sitting meditation, and recite the Three Vows (Tam đề) and Five Contemplations (Ngũ quán) before meals.

The summer retreats are the occasion when the monastery opens its doors widest to young people. During those days, students learn Buddhist teachings and practice sitting meditation right on the grounds, living close to the daily schedule of a Zen monastery. For a site raised on the foundations of an ancient pagoda, bringing the youngest generation here to study and practice adds one more layer to the long line of people who have cultivated on this ground.

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