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The original temple was simply built, and later expanded and renovated. In 1665, the major construction was undertaken by Nguyen Phuc Nguyen Tan Lord.
In 1695 Zen Master Thich Dai san, a member of the sect Tao Dong, arrived from China. He was invited to come to Hue as a guest of the Nguyen lords to start a Buddhist congregation and oversee its development. He was a noted Buddhist scholar of the Qing Dynasty and was sponsored by Lord Nguyen Phuc power Chu and was appointed abbot of the pagoda. In the seventh month of 1696, he returned to China, but given the Bodhisattva vows on Chu.
In 1710, Chu has funded casting a giant bell, which weighs 3285 kg, and was considered one of the most popular cultural remains of his time in Vietnam. The bell is said to be audible at 10 km and has been the subject of many poems and songs, including one by Emperor Thieu Tri Nguyen Dynasty that ruled in the 1840s.
In 1714, Chu oversaw another series of major expansions and construction projects, the biggest boom in the history of the pagoda. The main set of triple doors were erected, in addition to various shrines in high places, the Jade Emperor, the ten kings, rooms for Dharma preaching tours to store sutras, bell, drum towers, meditation rooms and halls to worship Avalokiteshvara and Medicine Buddha and housing for the sangha.
Chu also organized for the staging of Vassana retirement that occurs every year between the full moon of the fourth and seventh lunar month. The tradition was inaugurated at the time of Buddha Gautama in ancient India to coincide in the rainy season. Meanwhile, the monks would stay in one place and continue their spiritual, rather than wandering around and expose the dharma to the people because they were inclined to go on living beings during this period due to the water for their paths. It also organized an expedition to China to bring copies of the Tripitaka Canon and the Mahayana sutras, representing more than a thousand volumes, and bury them in the pagoda.
During the 19th century, the pagoda was frequented by the emperors of the Nguyen Dynasty, which was founded in 1802 by Emperor Gia Long after the unification of modern Vietnam. His successor Minh Mang funded further expansion and renovation of the temple.
Stone turtle with a stele on his back
Emperor Thieu Tri, who succeeded Minh Mang, Nhan Tower Từ erected in 1844, which is now known as Phuoc Duyen tower. The brick tower rises 21 m and is octagonal and has seven floors, each of which is dedicated to a Buddha. The tower has stood since, overlooking the Perfume River and has become synonymous with the landscape of Hue and the Perfume River. Its impact is such that it has become the unofficial symbol of the city.
The temple also contains a statue of a large turtle in marble, a symbol of longevity. Next to the tower on each side are structures that store the architectural history of the tower, and various poems composed by Thieu Tri.
The pagoda and buildings were severely damaged in a cyclone in 1904. Emperor Thanh Thai reconstructions authorized in 1907 and has continued to the current day, although it was still much lower and wider than its heyday Dynasty Nguyen before the storm. Today, a tourist establishment is also present among the gardens and grounds of the temple, a stupa was erected in honor of Hoa Thượng Thích Ðôn Hậu, the abbot of the pagoda during his resconstruction phase in the 20th century. His body is buried in the holy stupa, a pine garden.
In the main room, there is a statue of Maitreya Buddha, flanked by Bo Van Thu Tát Tát su Act and Bo Pho Hien.
During the summer of 1963, Thien Mu Pagoda, like many in South Vietnam, became an anti-government protest home. Buddhist majority of South Vietnam has long been dissatisfied with the rule of President Ngo Dinh Diem since coming to power in 1955. Diem showed strong favoritism towards Catholics and discrimination against Buddhists in the army, the civil service and distribution of government assistance. In the countryside, the Catholics were de facto exempt to accomplish the chore and in some rural areas, Catholic priests led private armies against Buddhist villages. Dissatisfied with Diem exploded in mass protest in Hue during the summer 1963 when nine died Buddhist hand of the army and police of the Diem on Vesak, the birthday of Gautama Buddha. In May 1963, a law against theft of religious flags was selectively invoked; Buddhist flag was banned on display Vesak while the Vatican flag was displayed to celebrate the anniversary of the consecration of Archbishop Ngo Dinh Thuc, Diem's brother. Buddhists defied the ban and a protest that began with a march from Từ Đàm Pagoda with government broadcasting station ended when government forces opened fire. Consequently, the Buddhist protests took place across the country and regularly increased in size, demanding the signing of a joint statement to end religious inequality. Thien Mu Pagoda was a major organizing point for the Buddhist movement and was often the location of the hunger strikes, barricades and protests.
In the early 1980s, one person was killed near the pagoda and the site became the focal point of anti-communist protests, traffic through the Phu Xuan bridge closure. The Communist government responded by arresting monks in charge of traffic and disturbing public order.
The temple also houses the vehicle engine in which Austin Thich Quang Duc was led to his self-immolation in Saigon in 1963 against the Diem regime. It was the first of a series of self-immolations by members of the Buddhist clergy, which the fate of Buddhists to the attention of the international community.
Greeting
