Phuong Nam Zen Monastery opens in Can Tho

Nhan Dan Online – The Phuong Nam Truc Lam Zen Monastery has opened in the southern city of Can Tho after nearly one year of construction.

Buddhists at the Phuong Nam Zen Monastery dedication ceremony on May 17
Buddhists at the Phuong Nam Zen Monastery dedication ceremony on May 17

Built on an area of four hectares and featuring a hall with a capacity of 500 people, the Phuong Nam Monastery, with Venerable Thich Binh Tam appointed as its abbot, is the largest Buddhist temple in the Mekong Delta region.

The project cost a total of VND145 billion (US$6.8 million), with funding from donors throughout the country in a campaign started by General Pham Van Tra, a former minister of defence.

Phuong Nam is one of many monasteries of the Truc Lam Zen School, which was founded by 13th century King Tran Nhan Tong and recently revived by Most Venerable Thich Thanh Tu.

After repelling the Mongol invasions, King Tran Nhan Tong abdicated in favour of his son and sought a retreat in the Yen Tu Mountain where he founded a Vietnamese Zen school by unifying existing sects.

General Pham Van Tra said he wanted to build the Phuong Nam Zen Monastery so as to reinvigorate the Truc Lam Zen sect and create a learning and meditation centre for Buddhist monks, nuns and followers in Can Tho city.