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Story: Huong Quynh
Photos: Ba Ngoc
Dating back to the 11th century, Vinh Nghiem Pagoda in Bac Giang hosts a treasure trove of ancient woodblocks.
Throughout eight centuries of the development of the Truc Lam Zen School, Vinh Nghiem Pagoda was a center for educating monks and publishing Buddhist literature. It was one of the largest Zen schools in Vietnam. The pagoda’s colossal treasure of woodblocks hold invaluable knowledge about the Truc Lam Zen School, founded by the Buddhist Emperor Tran Nhan Tong in the 13th century.
The woodblocks in Vinh Nghiem Pagoda are written in Chinese and vernacular Nom script. These blocks were mostly made of Diospyros wood, which is malleable, soft-surfaced and resistant to cracks and swelling. Depending on what was to be printed, the woodblocks varied in size with the largest measuring over one-meter long and 40 to 50cm wide and the smallest just 15cm-long and 20cm wide. Each woodblock is a work of art. The woodblocks corresponding with the first and last pages of each Buddhist scripture hold the date, the name of the sculptor and the place of storage. Because they were used many times, the woodblocks are covered in lustrous black ink. They were made by talented artisans from woodcarving villages in the provinces of Hai Duong, Bac Ninh and Bac Giang.
The woodblocks in Vinh Nghiem Pagoda were crafted in stages between the 17th and 20th centuries. Unfortunately, many blocks made before the first half of the 19th century were lost. Over 3,000 woodblocks remain, mostly dating from the late 19th and early 20th century. Most of these blocks are carved with Buddhist scriptures and accounts, doctrines of realms and literary or medical texts written by authors and Zen monks, who made notable contributions to founding and refining the Truc Lam Zen School and building the Vinh Nghiem Buddhist hub. Included are works by the school’s three founding monks, namely the Buddhist Emperor Tran Nhan Tong, Phap Loa Dong Kim Cuong and Huyen Quang Ly Dao Tai.
Vinh Nghiem Pagoda holds the only original versions of Truc Lam Zen School texts that have been taught to generations of Buddhist followers. This woodblock collection conveys the core philosophies of the Truc Lam Zen School, a form of Buddhism unique to Vietnam. Beyond its profound religious values, this woodblock collection possesses remarkable linguistic, literary and artistic values.
History comes alive when we visit this solemn pagoda and see the sophisticated inscriptions on these ancient blocks. Our forefathers used these beautiful woodblocks to pass on values that remain central to our culture.
