Opening ceremony of the conference
The conference was attended by delegates: Venerable, Dr. Thich Duc Thien - Vice President, General Secretary of the Executive Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha; Venerable Thich Giac Dat - Abbot of Bach Mon Pagoda; leaders of the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee, Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Representatives of Tien Du district were Mr. Nguyen Duong Bac - Standing Deputy Secretary of the District Party Committee and Mr. Nguyen Dai Dong - Deputy Secretary of the District Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Committee. On behalf of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, there were Prof. Dr. Hoang Anh Tuan - Principal of the school; Dr. Le Thi Thanh Tam - Head of the Department of Vietnamese Studies and Vietnamese Language, and representatives of relevant departments/faculties/institutes.
Venerable Thich Giac Dat - Abbot of Bach Mon Pagoda, Head of the Executive Committee of the Buddhist Sangha of Tien Du District, Bac Ninh
Speaking at the workshop, Venerable Thich Giac Dat - Abbot of Bach Mon Pagoda shared about the history and importance of Bach Mon Pagoda: Bach Mon Pagoda, whose Chinese name is Linh Cam Tu, was built halfway up Long Kham Mountain, an ancient temple built during the Ly Dynasty, a cultural heritage with a long history of beliefs. This was once a place where members of the Ly Dynasty royal family, King Le, Lord Trinh came to visit, practice and pray for national peace and prosperity. With a unique structure that is hard to find in the second pagoda, and the possession of many valuable historical artifacts, Bach Mon Pagoda deserves to be a special national monument, representing Bac Ninh, Kinh Bac - the cradle and center of Buddhism in Vietnam.
Prof. Dr. Hoang Anh Tuan - Rector of University of Social Sciences and Humanities,
Hanoi National University speaking at the opening session of the conference
Accordingly, Prof. Dr. Hoang Anh Tuan - Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi also emphasized: Buddhism has always played an important role in two thousand years of existence and development, closely associated with and accompanying the Vietnamese people. In particular, Bach Mon Pagoda - with its long history of formation - development and its cultural and architectural values, has contributed significantly to creating the historical and cultural values of Buddhism in Kinh Bac region in particular and Vietnam in general.
Based on the research that has been conducted, the Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, in collaboration with the Executive Committee, Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, Tien Du District, Bac Ninh, Tran Nhan Tong Institute, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, organized the Scientific Conference: "Architecture and Culture of Bach Mon Pagoda in the History of Buddhism in Bac Ninh - Kinh Bac." With nearly 30 research reports in two sessions: Archaeology, stele inscriptions and architecture of Bach Mon Pagoda; Preservation and promotion of the value of Buddhist heritage of Bach Mon Pagoda, the conference will contribute to affirming the values that have been created, aiming to honor the achievements left by our ancestors and promote the position of Vietnamese Buddhism in the future.
Associate Professor, Dr. Dinh Khac Thuan - Institute of Han Nom Studies presented the paper: "Stele of the restoration of Linh Cam Pagoda and Lord Bach Mon"
Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thanh Tung shared about the paper: "Some opinions on the original name and origin of the image of Bach Mon Pagoda"
Associate Professor, Dr. Dinh Hong Hai introduces "Mandala architecture of Bach Mon pagoda from a comparative perspective"
At the end of the workshop, Associate Professor Dr. Dinh Khac Thuan - Institute of Han Nom Studies, on behalf of the chair, summarized the workshop and highlighted some development orientations of Bach Mon Pagoda in the coming years with the following content:
- Restore Bach Mon Pagoda according to the architecture of the 18th century, early 19th century and unify the name of Bach Mon Pagoda;
- The implementation of the restoration of Bach Mon Pagoda will continue to be discussed in depth at upcoming seminars and workshops;
- The results of the conference will be selected and published for widespread dissemination among Buddhists and local people, contributing to promoting the good values of Buddhism for the locality in particular and the country in general in the current period.
Some pictures at the conference:
