Introdution

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In the late 18th century, a Buddhist woman in Rach Gia, Mrs. Duong Thi Oan (locally known as Mrs. Hoang), built a temple on a plot of land in what is now Vinh Lac ward, Rach Gia town, and named it Tam Bao Temple. To this day, the biography of Mrs. Duong Thi Oan and the temple's first abbots remain unclear. It is only known that during the war with the Tay Son dynasty, Nguyen Anh temporarily sought refuge at Tam Bao Temple. After ascending the throne, King Gia Long granted the temple a royal decree in 1803, and from then on, it was known as the Tam Bao Temple (Temple of Royal Decree). In his memoir (Volume 1: From U Minh to Can Tho), writer Son Nam recounts that Mrs. Duong Thi Oan, wealthy from the local rice trade, gave Nguyen Anh, while he was fleeing from the Tay Son, precious silk threads to make sturdy oar handles for crossing the sea, replacing the easily broken handles made of hemp or burlap. It is possible that this act of kindness led King Gia Long to later grant the Tam Bao Pagoda a royal decree. In 1913, Venerable Tri Thien (whose ... View more

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In the late 18th century, a Buddhist woman in Rach Gia, Mrs. Duong Thi Oan (locally known as Mrs. Hoang), built a temple on a plot of land in what is now Vinh Lac ward, Rach Gia town, and named it Tam Bao Temple. To this day, the biography of Mrs. Duong Thi Oan and the temple's first abbots remain unclear. It is only known that during the war with the Tay Son dynasty, Nguyen Anh temporarily sought refuge at Tam Bao Temple. After ascending the throne, King Gia Long granted the temple a royal decree in 1803, and from then on, it was known as the Tam Bao Temple (Temple of Royal Decree). In his memoir (Volume 1: From U Minh to Can Tho), writer Son Nam recounts that Mrs. Duong Thi Oan, wealthy from the local rice trade, gave Nguyen Anh, while he was fleeing from the Tay Son, precious silk threads to make sturdy oar handles for crossing the sea, replacing the easily broken handles made of hemp or burlap. It is possible that this act of kindness led King Gia Long to later grant the Tam Bao Pagoda a royal decree.

In 1913, Venerable Tri Thien (whose secular name was Nguyen Van Dong) was invited by local Buddhists to become the abbot of Tam Bao Pagoda. Two years later, he undertook a major renovation of the pagoda, which retains its architectural style to this day. The renovation was completed in 1917. Venerable Tri Thien continued as abbot until 1941. His nearly 30 years as abbot of the Tam Bao Pagoda were marked by numerous historical events, which is why the local people also call Tam Bao Pagoda "Ong Dong Pagoda" (Mr. Dong's Pagoda).

Born in 1882 into a farming family in Vinh Thanh Van village, Chau Thanh district, Rach Gia province, at the age of 30, he became a monk under Venerable Vinh Thuy at Hon Queo Pagoda (Hon Dat district) and the following year, became the abbot of Tam Bao Pagoda. In the early 1930s, Venerable Tri Thien participated in the Buddhist Revival movement in the region and became a renowned advisor in the Buddhist community at that time. It was during this period that he met Master Thien Chieu, a highly educated monk with progressive Marxist ideas. He strongly agreed with Master Thien Chieu's progressive stance and considered him a comrade.

Zen Master Thien Chieu, besides his secular name Nguyen Van Sang, also had another name, Nguyen Van Tai, and a pseudonym, "Xich Lien" (Red Lotus), born in 1898 in Go Cong. At the age of eight, he served his grandfather, Zen Master Huệ Tịnh (abbot of Linh Tuyền Pagoda, Gò Công), to study both Buddhist doctrine and classical Chinese. In 1923, he became the abbot of Linh Sơn Pagoda (Saigon) and later collaborated with the Southern Vietnam Buddhist Studies Association in the Buddhist Revival Movement led by Zen Master Khánh Hòa. However, after some time, he disagreed with this organization and in 1936, he went to Rạch Giá to meet with Venerable Trí Thiền to propose the establishment of a truly progressive Buddhist organization. Thus, the Buddhist Studies and Charity Association was founded in Rạch Giá, with Tam Bảo Pagoda serving as its headquarters and also as the editorial office of the Association's magazine, Tiến Hóa (Progress). The Association's chief general was Venerable Trí Thiền, and the two deputy general generals were Venerable Bửu Ngươn (abbot of Thập Phương Pagoda) and Venerable Bửu Thành (abbot of Phước Thạnh Pagoda). The first issue of the magazine Tiến Hóa (Progress) was published in early 1938, with Phan Thanh Hà (Venerable Pháp Linh) as Editor-in-Chief and Mr. Đỗ Kiết Triệu as Publisher. The name "Buddhist Studies and Mutual Aid" highlighted the intention of its founders: in addition to studying Buddhist teachings, they also practiced governance and social welfare. The name Tiến Hóa (Progress) reflected the magazine's progressive stance. Indeed, in the monthly issues of Tiến Hóa, one could find articles promoting the true Dharma, eradicating superstition, and raising public awareness… The soul of Tiến Hóa magazine lay in the excellent articles imbued with the dialectical materialism of Venerable Thiện Chiếu and Venerable Pháp Linh. The Buddhist Charity Association advocated for the establishment of orphanages, popular schools, free clinics, and disaster relief... During this time, the Buddhist Charity Association and the magazine "Tien Hoa" (Progress) were legitimate tools for Venerable Thich Tri Thien, Zen Master Thien Chieu, and their associates to carry out the task of reviving Buddhism and participating in the revolution under the leadership of the Indochinese Communist Party. From 1940, Tam Bao Pagoda served as a liaison point for the Hau Giang Inter-Provincial Committee and a hiding place for homemade weapons, documents, and leaflets prepared for the Southern Uprising. Then, in June 1941, due to an informant from Sa Dec, French secret police raided Tam Bao Pagoda, arresting Venerable Thich Tri Thien and Monk Thien An along with the documents and homemade weapons. While being arrested and tortured on the spot, Monk Thien An kicked over a table piled with explosives. The explosives killed the chief secret policeman from Sa Dec instantly and wounded another soldier. Venerable Thien Chieu escaped, while Venerable Tri Thien was sentenced to 5 years of exile on Con Dao Island by the French colonial court, and Venerable Thien An was sentenced to death. In 1943, he went on a hunger strike to protest the harsh prison regime and died in prison on June 26th, at the age of 62.

Venerable Thien An (secular name Tran Van Thau) was a Communist Party member. During his clandestine activities at Tam Bao Pagoda, he was responsible for hiding documents and weapons, and arranging food and lodging for revolutionary cadres who came to work there. In 1996, Venerable Tri Thien and Venerable Thien An were recognized as martyrs.

Tam Bao Pagoda, Rach Gia City
After escaping to Saigon, Venerable Thien Chieu continued his revolutionary activities. In 1942, he was arrested, tortured until he was paralyzed, and exiled to Con Dao Island. During the resistance war against the French, he joined the Go Cong Provincial Party Committee and relocated to the North in 1955. In 1956, he went to China to work as the Head of the Translation Department of the Foreign Language Publishing House in Beijing. In 1961, he returned to Hanoi, worked at the Institute of Philosophy (Social Sciences Committee), and passed away there in 1974 at the age of 76.

After Venerable Thich Tri Thien was exiled to Con Dao Island, Tam Bao Pagoda was without a resident abbot until 1956. From 1957 to 1995, the abbots were Venerable Tam Chon (1957–1962), Venerable Bon Chau (1962–1970), Venerable Thien Dao (1970–1974), and Venerable Bon Chau (1974–1995). Venerable Bon Chau belonged to the 40th generation of the Lam Te Chanh Tong lineage. His lay name was Tran Van Bach, born in 1922 into a middle-class farming family with a tradition of patriotism and respect for religion in Cai Be district (Tien Giang province). In 1945, when the country entered the resistance war against the French, he directly participated in the resistance movement in his hometown. After the Geneva Accords, in 1957, he was imprisoned for two years by the Ngo Dinh Diem government for being a former resistance fighter who refused to cooperate. In 1959, after his release from prison, he became a monk at Van Tho Pagoda (Saigon) and attended the Tathagata Messenger course organized by the Southern Vietnam Buddhist Sangha at An Quang Pagoda. In 1962, he was appointed abbot of Sac Tu Tam Bao Pagoda until 1970 and again from 1974 to 1995. During his time as abbot of Sac Tu Tam Bao Pagoda before the Liberation Day, he and lay Buddhist Trinh Van Minh regularly raised funds to purchase food and medicine to supply the Liberation Army via Go Quao district. After the Liberation Day, he served as Vice Chairman of the Kien Giang Provincial Fatherland Front Committee in charge of religious affairs and as a Provincial People's Council representative for many terms. In 1981, in response to the unification of Vietnamese Buddhism, thanks to his organizational skills, the Kien Giang Provincial Buddhist Association was one of the first provincial associations in the country. For three consecutive terms, from 1981 to 1993, he served as the Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Kien Giang Provincial Buddhist Association, in charge of Northern Buddhism. In 1993, he fell seriously ill and passed away two years later, at the age of 73, having been a monk for 32 years. His stupa was erected at Sac Tu Tam Bao Pagoda. Known for his poetic talent and numerous articles on Buddhism published in newspapers before and after the Liberation under the pen name Tran Trung Nghia, when gravely ill, he wrote a poem that could be considered the final words of a man who had devoted himself wholeheartedly to the Dharma and the world:

Born in the year of the Dog (1942) amidst the marketplace of life
My hometown is Cai Be district
My secular name is Tran Van Bach
My mother is Gioi, my father is Luu, from the same place

I took up my teaching and set out on the road, answering the call
I fought long and hard without retreating
I was imprisoned in 1957, and practiced Buddhism in 1959
Returned to this temple at the age of forty

The Buddha's decree appointed me here
To dispel delusion and evil in all four directions of the Dharma
To spread the Dharma and open the path in all three times of the year
The treasure of the profound teachings encompasses the four wonders

With free and divine power, I cross the shore of enlightenment
My divine pen guides those who cross the river of delusion
Signed with the pen name Tran Trung Nghia
Leaving behind the Dharma name Thich Bon Chau

The Buddha appointed me here to practice here
My diligent efforts and merits are never wrong
In the three ages, I bow to the Vulture Peak
The four seasons always Serving the Ancestor and Master

Rach Gia Abbot of Tam Bao Temple
Propagating the true Dharma of the Tathagata
Helping people and benefiting all beings, always maintaining a pure heart
The Buddha sent me here to practice here

For decades I have served the Ancestor and Master
The burden of worldly life and spiritual matters remains unwavering
Through bitterness and hardship, my heart is not discouraged
My heart is firm, my resolve unshaken

Farewell to the followers here
Strive to cultivate yourself, and you will meet the Master again
Bearing the heavy burden of both worldly and spiritual matters on my shoulders
My work is complete, and I return to the West

While alive, I have made mistakes, more or less
I beg forgiveness from everyone
For any transgressions or faults of this body

Hell and heaven are also within the heart
Suffering and being immersed in delusion
With the cessation of mental afflictions, Bodhi will appear
No need to search for the Western Paradise (1993)

After the passing of Venerable Abbot Bon Chau, the Abbot of Sac Tu Tam Bao Pagoda from 1995 to the present day has been Venerable Thien Chon (secular name Lam Van Minh). Born in 1962 into a devout Buddhist family in Chau Thanh district (Kien Giang province), at the age of 23, he became a monk at Tam Bao Pagoda under Venerable Bon Chau and graduated from the Buddhist Intermediate School in 1995. In the same year, Venerable Thien Chon was appointed abbot of Tam Bao Pagoda and currently serves as the Chief of the Office of the Kien Giang Provincial Buddhist Association, Chief Representative of Buddhism in Rach Gia town, Provincial People's Council delegate, member of the Fatherland Front Committee of Rach Gia town, member of the Fatherland Front Committee of the ward, and member of the Red Cross Committee of Vinh Lac ward. After becoming abbot, Venerable Thien Chon began the restoration of Tam Bao Pagoda, including the renovation of the Main Hall (1997), the Ancestral Hall (1998), the West Wing (1999), and the construction of a row of residences for monks and nuns during the summer retreat (2000) and the East Wing (2001). While from 1955 to 1980, Tam Bao Pagoda was the headquarters of the Southern Vietnam Buddhist Association, from 1981 to the present, the pagoda... It serves as the office of the Kien Giang Provincial Buddhist Association and a center for Buddhist activities in the province. In 1988, it was recognized by the Ministry of Culture as a National Historical and Cultural Monument. Sac Tu Tam Bao Pagoda is a precious cultural heritage of Kien Giang province, with its architecture remaining intact for the past 80 years. The pagoda still preserves unique works of wood carving art, such as the intricately carved wooden panels in the main hall depicting "Two Dragons Worshipping the Moon," "Two Phoenixes Facing the Pearl," "Eight Immortals," etc., with vibrant gold leaf paint; and a collection of high-quality wooden statues of Maitreya Buddha, Cundi, Ksitigarbha, Manjushri, Samantabhadra, and Avalokiteshvara.

(Source: "A Brief History of Pagodas in Kien Giang"; Ho Chi Minh City Publishing House (2002))

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