Dai Tu An Pagoda is located in Dan Phuong high-class ecological area, Dan Phuong district, Hanoi city. Built in 2010 on the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long – Hanoi.
The pagoda has a peacock-shaped architecture, surrounded by three rows of houses, in front is a three-door gate, two sides have a bell tower on both sides, outside is a large square with Nhat Nguyet lake, Great Amitabha Buddha statue, and the ten Arhats, creating a complete architecture according to the Northern Mahayana Buddhist tradition, inheriting the 2,000-year-old traditional Buddhist culture of Vietnamese Buddhism.
The reason why the pagoda is called Dai Tu An is built by the Third Dharma Master, Most Venerable Thich Pho Tue. Great Compassion is referring to the great grace of the Buddha who was born to save sentient beings. Before starting this temple, we were allowed to go to India to admire the relics of the Buddha and were fortunate enough to visit the sacred land where the Buddha was born, attained enlightenment, turned the Dharma wheel, and entered Nirvana with the relics. Buddhist scriptures. After that, he was allowed to go to China to visit Bach Ma pagoda (the first temple of Chinese Buddhism) and Dai Tu An pagoda where Master Xuanzang’s Tripitaka, after going to Tay Truc to ask for sutras, was there to translate. translating and training talented monks, spreading the Buddhadharma and requesting the Tripitaka to bring back with Buddhist instruments, so the Dharma Master taught that:
On the day of the ground-breaking ceremony for the pagoda, the Venerable Thich Thanh Tu, the Most Venerable Thich Thanh Tu, the Most Venerable Vice President, the Most Venerable Elder Venerable Thich Pho Tue, the Venerable Dharma Master The Most Venerable Thich Thanh Bich, the Most Venerable Standing Vice President Thich Thanh Tu, and the ten monks from all directions proved their family. maintain.
The pagoda is built on two floors, the ground floor is the Great Lecture Hall, the upper floor is the Dai Hung Bao Palace made of ironwood, the front hall is 7 rooms, the ancient match house has eight roofs, the harem is 5 compartments, two layers of ancient matches 12 roofs, the front hall connects to the rear. bow with 3 bays and four roofs to form the letter ( công). This is the temple with the most beautiful system of gold and fake Buddha statues today. In the middle of the Three Jewels, there are 5 layers of statues from bottom to top, the statue of Cuu Long (the newborn Buddha), the two sides are the statue of Tuyet Son – Maitreya, next is the statue of Dong Phuong Buddhist monk Luu Ly Quang Vuong Phat (Buddha Luu Ly Quang Vuong). doctor). The two sides are Bodhisattva Nhat Quang and Nguyet Quang. Next is the statue of Sa Ba teacher, Sakyamuni Buddha (Teacher Buddha) flanked by two great disciples, Ananda and Kassapa. Next is the Western statue of the cult leader welcoming Master Amitabha Buddha, flanked by Bodhisattva Quan m and The Chi. At the top is the statue of Tam The Buddhas.
With the meaning that a person is born and matures until he returns to the cosmic being, in order to achieve perfect happiness, it is necessary to have a doctor to protect health (Pharmacist), a teacher to open the mind (Master Teacher). ) and spiritual life, spiritual perfection (Master). In other words, the precious human capital is health, intelligence and morality. Therefore, the Three Jewels of Dai Tu Pagoda worship the three great teachers of mankind, that is, a physician, a teacher, and a spiritual teacher. The two sides of the Three Jewels are statues of the crosses to examine the ten good things as well as the ten evils of people.
Behind the Three Jewels in the middle is a statue of Buddha Shakyamuni entering Nirvana, representing the full and bright Buddha. On both sides are statues of four great Bodhisattvas representing the four great vows of the Buddha, which are Bi-Truth- Action-Vow. Great Compassion Saves Suffering Avalokitesvara m; Great Wisdom of Manjushri; Great Action Samantabhadra Bodhisattva and Great Vows Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. Besides the four great bodhisattvas, there are eight Vajra statues representing the transformation of eight consciousnesses into four wisdoms in the Mahayana teachings.
In addition to the street, there is a statue of Monsignor, the bourgeois Anchor Lone, who spread gold to buy land to build a temple to worship the Buddha. The statue of Saint Hien, aka Ananda, a close disciple of the Buddha, was also the one who gathered the Tripitaka after the Buddha entered Nirvana.
Especially, in addition to the front hall, they also worship the statues of the Buddha’s father and mother, King Tinh San San and Queen Ma Da to educate people on filial piety.
On both sides is a statue of the guardian deities, protecting and protecting the Buddhadharma.
Behind Tam Bao is the ancestral house to worship the great ancestor who has merit of Vietnamese Buddhism in spreading the Dharma to save lives.
On both sides of the ancestral house is a library storing the Tripitaka of Buddhism in India, China, and Vietnam.
Two rows of houses on the left and right are the lecture hall and the office of the Hanoi City Buddhist Intermediate School. Behind is the dormitory, the road, the road boy.
This is the training center for Buddhist monks in Hanoi capital and neighboring provinces as the wish of the Third Dharma Master. The training program for each course is 4 years, 10 months per year.
The front yard of the temple includes a bell tower, a pavilion, a flower garden and two rows of statues of the ten greatest disciples of the Buddha, with 10 different aspects.
On the right is a nine-story stupa, below the stupa is a museum displaying artifacts and antiquities of Vietnamese Buddhism in order to preserve and promote the history of Vietnamese Buddhism’s culture and art in service of visiting people. visiting, researching, studying and teaching of the school and visitors from all over the world.
The stupa is named Da Bao tower (many treasures) The tower was built in the model of Pho Minh tower of Buddha Emperor Tran Nhan Tong, on the top of the tower there is a symbol of Pen writing in the blue sky, 32m high tower. Represents 32 good generals of the Buddha.
On the left is the lake with the shape of Tai Chi; Taiyin (moon) and Taiyang (sun). The square tower represents the earth, and the round tower symbolizes the sky. On the summer solstice, when the sun sets its shadow to the west, the shadow of the tower’s pen will dip into the ink.
In the middle of the entrance to the Tam Bao, there is an engraving of the Bat Nha Sutra. This is the quintessential Buddhist sutra that talks about wisdom overcoming the sufferings of birth and death to the joy of liberation and enlightenment.
It is the symbol of education: Pen, Study and Book.
Outside the three-door gate, there are two rows of spiritual animals with 5 on each side, taken according to the model of Phat Tich pagoda (Ly dynasty), representing the 5 life stages of the Buddha: Birth (white elephant), ordination (white horse). , practice (white buffalo), enlightenment (white rhinoceros), dharma teaching (white lion).
On the right is the Lumbini garden with a statue of Buddha’s Birthday, on the left is the Deer Garden. The Buddha sat under the Bodhi tree giving a sermon to his five brothers, Kieu Tran Nhu, marking the time when the Three Jewels were formed (the birth of Buddhism).
In front of the Three Jewels is Cuc Lac Square, with the center of which is Amitabha Buddha protecting the nation, over 15m high, placed on a 5m high platform bearing the symbol of the Xa Tac Dandelion. Under the lotus pedestal is a circle symbolizing the full circle of heaven and earth, next is a square pedestal, symbolizing the earth, below is an octagonal tower representing the four directions and eight directions (the bagua), also a symbol of the Dharma. the four truths (4-sided square) and the Eightfold Right Path (the eight-branched Dharma wheel).
At the four corners are the statues of the Four Heavenly Kings, the four gods who govern the four directions of the East, the West, the South and the North, protecting the country and Buddhism. 1. Eastern Tri Quoc Thien Vuong; 2. Southern Growth Thien Vuong; 3. Western Quang Muc Thien Vuong; 4. In the North Da Van Thien Vuong. With the meaning of wanting to protect the country (to maintain the country), to make the Buddhadharma develop (grow), it is necessary to have a wide perspective (expansion) and learn a lot (multi-language). The entire monument is placed in the middle of Sun Moon Lake. It is also a symbol for the entire universe.
In the middle is the spiritual axis of the Noble Eightfold Path with eight lotuses on it with the word “Ultimate Bliss” in Amitabha’s world (this is Amitabha’s Ultimate Bliss world existing in the human world). There are also eight true paths to liberation from suffering: 1. Right view; 2. main thinking; 3. official language; 4. political career; 5. main network; 6. main refinement; 7. righteous thoughts; 8. official determination.
On both sides of the Buddhist axis are statues of 18 Arhats, modeled on the Western Phuong pagoda, carved in white stone, representing 18 methods of spiritual practice in Buddhism.
In addition, the pagoda also has a system of green trees, ornamental flower gardens that are meticulously cared for, creating a peaceful and peaceful landscape in the place of meditation, a place of practice for Buddhist monks and nuns of Hanoi capital. worship of the Buddhist people of the ten directions.
Source: Collected internet.