“Spiritual Landmark” in the Sea

Like other pagodas in Truong Sa Archipelago, the pagoda on Truong Sa Lon Island is not only a place for the islanders to practice their religion but also a unique architectural work that confirms the sovereignty over the sea and islands of Vietnam. 

For years, on the 1st and 15th of the lunar month, the locals on Truong Sa Lon
go to the pagoda to worship Buddha and pay tribute to their ancestors and martyrs who sacrificed their lives to protect the country’s sovereignty over the sea and islands.

We were at Truong Sa Lon Island on the first days of May according to the lunar calendar so we saw many islanders going to the pagoda to pray for peace and prosperity. It is like the image often seen at most of the pagodas on the mainland on the first or fifth days of the lunar month. The cozy and sacred atmosphere here was completely different from my imagination of a simple and deserted pagoda before I set foot at the island.
After burning incense and praying at the pagoda, we met Most Venerable Thich Giac Nghia who runs the Truong Sa Lon Pagoda. We talked with him in the pagoda’s precinct shaded by the canopy of Bang vuong (Barringtonia asiatica) trees and ancient Phong ba (Heliotropium foertherianum) trees. Most Venerable Thich Giac Nghia shared with us the stories about Buddhism and the reason why he stays in this remote island’s pagoda. He is one of the first Buddhist monks who volunteered to do religious affairs in Truong Sa (Spratly) Islands and it is the third time he asked to stay and practice Buddhism at the pagoda on Truong Sa Lon island.

Most Venerable Thich Giac Nghia, a native from Hue who runs the pagoda on Truong Sa Lon Island. Most Venerable Thich Giac Nghia is one of the Buddhist monks who volunteered to do religious affairs on Truong Sa. The worshipping ceremony is held solemnly with rites of Buddhism. The bell sound echoes amidst the sea that create a firm “spiritual landmark” on the fatherland’s remote island. The locals pray for peace and prosperity at Truong Sa Lon's pagoda. The pagoda is decorated with a plastic peach tree. The pagoda is a place for the locals to pray for peaceful life and pay tribute to those who sacrificed their lives to protect the country’s sovereignty over the sea and islands.

Most Venerable Thich Giac Nghia said that from the old days in any place where the Vietnamese live and work, their culture and religion is always preserved and practiced which is clearly seen at pagodas, temples and communal houses. Therefore, many years ago Vietnamese fishermen established small temples or shrines on islands in the East Sea where they pray for safe fishing trips. These architectural works show the fact that the Vietnamese people early affirmed their sovereignty over these islands.
To serve the islanders’ religious practice and remind them of great contributions of the ancestors and heroic martyrs who laid down their lives to protect the fatherland’s sea and islands, many pagodas were built and restored, increasing the total number of pagodas in Truong Sa to five.
The pagoda on Truong Sa Lon Island is located at the centre of Truong Sa Town. It has a large three-door gate and a spacious precinct with a yard and garden. Above the gate is a bell tower roofed with red tiles. The pagoda’s sanctum consists of a compartment and two lean-tos with a knife-curved roof. The whole system of door paintings in fresco, curtains, parallel sentences and horizontal lacquered boards were made from precious wood which is highly resistant to the salinity of sea water. In the central chamber stands a precious white statue from the Gold Pagoda in Myanmar. This statue is the World Buddhism Association’s present to Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung who then presented it to the pagoda. The pagoda also has an altar to worship heroes and martyrs who scarified their lives to protect the country’s sovereignty over the sea and islands.
We talked with Most Venerable Thich Giac Nghia until the time when the pagoda prepared for a worshiping ceremony. Most Venerable silently went inside the pagoda and put on a monk’s robe to carry out the ceremony. He deliberately rang the pagoda bell and the bell sound echoed amidst the sea that warmed the hearts of visiting guests and seemed to create a firm “spiritual landmark” on the fatherland’s remote island.
 

Most Venerable Thich Giac Nghia talks with marine cadres and soldiers. Most Venerable Thich Giac Nghia brings Truong Sa Lon islanders great moral strength. Bidding farewell to each other before leaving.

Story: Thao Vy - Photo: Viet Cuong

Source: http://vietnam.vnanet.vn