Dai Tong Lam Tu Pagoda in Vung Tau

Dai Tong Lam Tu Pagoda is an imposing relic of Phu My Commune, Tan Thanh District, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province. Located on National Road 51, about 70 kilometers from HCMC, the sanctuary is an ideal place to indulge in sacred tranquility.

Built in 1958 on 100 hectares, the pagoda has a statue garden, tower, and sanctum. The highlight of the pagoda is the 17-meter-high statue of Bodhisattva standing on a dragon head.

The two-storey sanctum built in 2002 is 91 meters long and 46 meters wide.

In front of the sanctum is a statue of Mitreya Buddha carved from a granite rock from Khanh Hoa Province. The rock weighs 40 tons and is 5.1 meters in height. The statue holds the Vietnamese record as the country’s largest statue of Buddha made of granite.

The second floor is dedicated to the worship of nine granite statues of Buddha. The surrounding walls are carved with 10,000 small Buddha statues ; each 0.25 meters wide and 0.3 meters high. It also holds a Vietnamese record as the country’s largest sanctum.

The pagoda is renowned for the statue garden that includes 48 statues, including an 18-meter-Buddha Amitabha.

(Source: SGT)

Great Buddhist Festival to mark 1000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi

1,247 Buddhist nuns and monks will gather for the Great Buddhist Festival to mark the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi scheduled to take place in Hanoi from July 27 to August 2. he festival will comprise two major activities- a procession of the statue of King Ly Thai To from the Do Temple in Bac Ninh to Hanoi and a three-day ceremony to pray for peace at the Thang Long Royal Citadel.

In the lead up to the 1000th anniversary of the capital city, the Hanoi Buddhist Church has paid special attention to preserving and developing national cultural identities, particularly the Buddhist culture.

Buddhist institutes have worked closely with the municipal administration and relevant agencies to upgrade and restore historical relics and hold traditional festivals to bring into full play tangible and intangible culture and to celebrate the capital city’s anniversary.

From now through the end of this year, the Hanoi Buddhist Church will accelerate the collection of documents on the capital city’s history of Buddhism. Over the past year, Buddhist followers in Hanoi have raised VND 2.8 billion to support the poor, Agent Orange victims, disadvantaged and handicapped children, elderly people living alone and the families of social policy beneficiaries.

The Hanoi Buddhist Church now has a total of 2,078 monks and nuns, 2,059 Buddhist centres and 29 Buddhist congregations at municipal and district levels.

(Source: VOV)