The Thiền Tôn ancestral temple is preserving many ancient Hán Nôm (Sino-Vietnamese) documents and heritage. (Photo: PHÙNG QUỐC ANH)
From centuries-old wooden planks to scriptures passed down through generations, these are tangible testaments to the monastic life, practice, and transmission of knowledge. The process of research and digitization is opening up further opportunities for the recognition, preservation, and dissemination of this valuable heritage.
Ancient documents tell stories spanning three centuries.
Within the grounds of the Thiền Tôn Ancestral Temple, researchers from the Huệ Quang Library and the Liễu Quán Center meticulously handle each wooden plank and page of ancient documents. Each carving on these time-darkened wooden slabs seems to reveal a glimpse of history. The Thiền Tôn Ancestral Temple, founded by Zen Master Thiệt Diệu - Liễu Quán (1667-1742), is one of the important ancestral temples of the Liễu Quán Zen lineage in Thuận Hóa. For over three centuries, besides preserving a space for spiritual practice, it has also preserved traces of transmission, teaching, and the printing of Buddhist scriptures.
During the research and digitization process, this value became particularly evident in the "Zen Monastery Daily Chanting" woodblock set, carved in 1814 during the reign of Gia Long, under the direction of Zen Master Dao Tam Trung Hau, the sixth abbot of Zen Monastery. After 212 years, 68 boards with 122 carved sides remain. These boards, which were previously displayed at the Hong Duc facility of the Vietnam Buddhist Academy in Hue , have now been brought back to Zen Monastery to unify the woodblock system, facilitate digitization, print paper versions, and continue to be preserved at the main temple.
"Daily Chanting of Zen Monasteries" is a collection of sutras, mantras, verses, chanting rituals, morning and evening schedules, retreat ceremonies, praises, repentance prayers, and offerings... Through this, one can quite clearly imagine the efforts of the ancients in creating a body of scriptures to serve the life of study and practice of monks and nuns in ancient Zen monasteries. The scriptures not only reveal what the ancients read and chanted, but also illustrate how a day of study, a retreat season, and a Buddhist ceremony were organized.
Notably, about one-third of the 122 engraved surfaces have worn boards, faded characters, missing pages, and some are only partially legible. But for researchers, these marks reflect the deterioration of the ancient artifacts. Each wear mark, chipped area, added board layer, or preserved old engraving is evidence of the text's historical existence.
Through research, two distinct layers can be identified: the original woodblocks carved in 1814, with characters worn away over time, and the later, supplementary woodblocks, with sharper characters. Particularly noteworthy is the phenomenon of "repeated woodblocks"—new woodblocks were added while damaged old ones were retained—creating valuable layers of material memory. From these, it is possible to trace the journey of a document through its carving, printing, use, correction, and transmission through many generations.
According to Venerable Thich Thanh Dam, Abbot of Thien Ton Monastery, the woodblocks not only record scriptures but also the history of practice and transmission of the Zen lineage founded by Patriarch Lieu Quan. Therefore, an old wooden board transcends the realm of a sacred treasure within the temple, becoming a source of material for textual studies, printing history, and the history of Vietnamese Buddhism.
Heritage is preserved and empowered.
At Thien Ton Pagoda, besides preserving Buddhist stories, there is also a layer of literary memory of Hue. The great poet Nguyen Du once visited Thien Ton and left behind the poem "Looking at Thien Thai Pagoda". The image of the ancient pagoda amidst Thien Thai mountain, the old monk, white clouds, and the sound of the old bell in the poem shows that Thien Ton has entered the literary memory of the land, becoming a cultural landmark within a religious space.
Here, encounters between heritage keepers and young researchers are creating a new cycle. A group of Buddhist monks and graduate students from the Vietnam Buddhist Academy in Hue came to learn about the research, digitization, and preservation processes of documents, and to directly experience printing scriptures from woodblocks.
According to Venerable Thich Minh Duc, Head of the Department of Sino-Vietnamese Studies at the Academy, taking monastic students out of the lecture hall to interact with woodblock prints and ancient scriptures has special significance. This is because Sino-Vietnamese studies is not just about language and texts; within these woodblocks, scripture pages, verses, or inscriptions lies the history of the very lineages that today's students are continuing.
By personally examining a woodblock print, young people can gain a clearer understanding of the path Buddhist knowledge has taken to reach its present state. A monastic student, after directly viewing an ancient scripture and witnessing the woodblock printing process, shared the feeling of "touching a piece of history."
The collection of woodblocks at Thien Ton Monastery provides a broader perspective on the preservation of Han Nom (classical Chinese and Vietnamese script) in Hue. For many years, agencies, organizations, and individuals have strived to collect and digitize scattered Han Nom documents in villages, clans, private homes, and religious establishments. Nearly 500,000 documents have been collected, classified, and digitized, but transforming these documents into knowledge for society still requires a long process.
Researchers argue that if woodblocks are the "physical memory" of texts, then digitization is a way to create another opportunity for that memory to enter the future. But a woodblock photographed is only the first step. To become a valuable source of information, documents need to be cataloged, their origin and age identified, transcribed, translated, annotated, researched, and a database built for long-term exploitation. This is also the direction in the Plan for collecting, digitizing, preserving, restoring, and promoting the value of Han Nom documents in Hue City for the period 2026-2030.
Regarding the Buddhist Han Nom heritage of Hue, Venerable Thich Khong Nhien, Vice Rector and Deputy Executive Director of the Center for Archives and Research (Vietnam Buddhist Academy in Hue), believes that digitized Han Nom documents are a valuable resource that helps future generations better understand the history and culture of Buddhism. The Center also plans to continue digitizing publications such as Lieu Quan, woodblock prints, ancient texts, inscriptions, bells, statues, ritual objects, and other Han Nom Buddhist documents using modern technology. On the one hand, it is necessary to protect the original state of documents such as the "Thien Mon Nhat Tung" woodblock print at Thien Ton. On the other hand, it is necessary to create high-quality digital copies, build a scientific database, and gradually expand access for researchers, students, monks, nuns, and the general public.
NGUYEN CONG HAU
Source: https://nhandan.vn/danh-thuc-tu-lieu-co-tu-di-san-phat-giao-hue-post992658.html
