April 05, 2022 | 20:25 (GMT+7)
A pagoda where ancient ordination decrees are preserved
PANO - Vinh Quang Pagoda in Thanh Mien townlet, Thanh Mien district, Hai Duong province is where the oldest religious ordination decrees in the province are being preserved.
Located about 20km from Hai Duong city, Vinh Quang Pagoda is a worshiping complex covering an area of 10,000 sq.m in Phu Noi quarter of Thanh Mien townlet. No one knows exactly when the pagoda was built, but over the past hundreds of years, 13 ancient ordination decrees from the Le Dynasty and many copies of other ancient ordination decrees have been well-kept in the pagoda.
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Vinh Quang Pagoda (Photo: ) |
These ordination decrees have been properly kept for years in a wooden box with exquisite carvings. They included five decrees from the Le Dynasty and eight decrees from the Nguyen Dynasty. The oldest decree dated back to the 5th year of the Thinh Duc reign (1657) and is still now intact.
According to Abbot of Vinh Quang Pagoda Thich Thanh Luong, these ordination decrees are carefully and effectively preserved by the pagoda as the paper used in the past is still very good. Therefore, the decrees don’t require special caring and just need to be kept in a dry place to avoid moisture and termites.
The abbot of Vinh Quang pagoda also revealed that all the 13 original ordination decrees are well-preserved without any damages to the paper and with the seals of the kings still clearly visible. This may be one of the oldest decrees that have been preserved until now.
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One of the ordination decrees preserved in the pagoda (Photo: baohaiduong) |
“Annually, at the beginning of spring, the abbot informs the local authorities of the conditions of the ordination decrees preserved in the pagoda so that they can jointly take care of these decrees,” said Do Tien Tuyen, a resident in Thanh Mien district.
After more than 350 years of existence, these ordination decrees are possibly the oldest of its kinds in Hai Duong province. Ordaining Thai Thuong Lao Quan (or Taishang Laojun) has shown the harmonious exchange between Taoism and indigenous beliefs of the local people. The local authorities, therefore, have developed a plan to protect and preserve these precious decrees of the locality.
By Quynh Thuong – Minh Hue