Bach Ngoc, the land of Buddha

(Baonghean) -I have been to the land of Bach Ngoc many times with many different attitudes: sometimes to research the topic, sometimes to visit the pagoda, sometimes to sightsee, to admire the gentle, poetic Lam River, the green alluvial plains to let my soul drift with the slowly flowing water, my heart is strangely calm. Those water sources seem to flow forever from ancient times to the future...

Bach Ngoc is now the territory of 3 communes Boi Son, Lam Son, Ngoc Son (Do Luong district) located on the left bank of Lam river. As soon as he entered Nghe An to collect taxes, Ly Nhat Quang realized that Bach Ngoc land had favorable terrain for ships to go down Lam river to the East sea, or up to the West of Nghe An; behind were majestic mountains and forests, very easy to defend, difficult to attack. Therefore, in 1041, Uy Minh Vuong Ly Nhat Quang was appointed as the governor of Nghe An, he chose Bach Ngoc land as the capital.

Ly Nhat Quang was the 8th son of King Ly Thai To. During the Ly Dynasty, Buddhism was considered the national religion. King Ly Thai To was also a Buddhist who often went to the pagoda to pray to Buddha. Therefore, during his time as the governor of Nghe An, along with the task of keeping the border peaceful and helping the villagers stabilize their lives, Ly Nhat Quang also focused on developing Buddhism here. He built and renovated pagodas, opened a Zen monastery to teach Buddhism. Nhan Boi Pagoda and Ba But Pagoda were built during that period. Through many historical changes, the two ancient temples still exist as a challenge to time.

Nhan Boi Pagoda was renovated and renovated.

Ba But Pagoda is located on the alluvial plain by the river, surrounded by lush, dense trees. According to historical records, during his time as the governor of Nghe An, Ly Nhat Quang was blessed by the Goddess of Mercy at Ba But Pagoda, so he had a lot of luck and success. During the conquest of the Champa army, Ly Nhat Quang was blessed by the Goddess of Mercy to help him defeat the enemy. Legend has it that when Ly Nhat Quang went to war, he was seriously injured, and when he returned to Bach Duong, Thuong Tho village (now Lam Son commune), a fairy at Tich Tu Pagoda told him: "Qua Son is a sacred place, and he can be reincarnated in that land forever". Listening to her, he returned to Qua Son and passed away. The army built a tomb and a temple in Qua Son. Therefore, every year there is a custom of "welcoming spring" on the 20th day of the first lunar month, carrying the statue of Ly Nhat Quang from Qua Son Temple to Ba But Pagoda for a solemn thanksgiving ceremony. The thanksgiving ceremony took place in front of all the villagers and dignitaries in the village. That is why, since ancient times, Do Luong people have believed that without Ba But, there would be no Qua Son Temple. This shows the close and harmonious relationship between these two historical relics.

Ba But Pagoda is one of the ancient pagodas with a large number of statues with 28 statues, many precious ancient statues, especially the statue of Bodhisattva Guanyin with 12 arms, and the statue of Cuu Long... The statue of Cuu Long is placed in the middle of the first row of the worshiping palace. The statue stands on a lotus pedestal, the left hand points to the sky, the right hand points to the ground. The halo radiating around the statue is created by 9 dragons, symbolizing 9 rivers, 9 mountains and 9 Hung King families...

Not only a place to worship Buddha, Nhan Boi Pagoda is also a place to worship Uy Minh Vuong Ly Nhat Quang during the war years. In 1952, Qua Son Temple was destroyed by the enemy, local people had to bring his statue and sacrificial objects to the temple. Bombs destroyed, life was difficult, lacking in all aspects, but the people here still did not forget to burn incense to pay respect to Buddha and Holy Uy Minh Vuong Ly Nhat Quang on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month. It seems that Buddhist philosophy has been deeply ingrained in every way of thinking, so amidst the hustle and bustle of making a living, the people here still keep a pure heart. After Qua Son Temple was restored, the statue and sacrificial objects were brought back to the temple, and people again donated to build the temple. All the Buddha statues, statues of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, Nam Tao, Bac Dau were donated by Buddhists...

In 2007, Qua Son Temple was renovated, people brought back the statue of the Buddha, and returned the temple grounds. With the kindness of Buddhists, the temple was built spaciously. The Buddha statues, Bodhisattva statues, Nam Tao Bac Dau statues... were all donated by the people with sincere hearts. The large and beautiful statue of Bodhisattva Quan The Am was donated by a Buddhist in Yen Thanh. Although economic conditions were still difficult, the people of Bach Ngoc brought their respect, worshiped Buddha and made merit to build a larger and more beautiful temple. Not only the people in the area but also Buddhists everywhere turned to the Buddha's land with a sincere heart!

Article and photos: Nguyen Le