Passing through the courtyard and the steps leads to the Front Hall. This structure has five bays, with a side-wall and gable-end style, two sloping roofs, and in the center of the ridge a scroll-shaped ornament bearing three Chinese characters “玉包寺 – Ngọc Bảo tự”; at both ends of the ridge are decorative finials, and at the ends of the border strips are three-step details. The ridge and border strips both have a row of rectangular floral-and-dragon motifs running along them to enhance the aesthetic effect of the roof. The roof is covered with fish-scale tiles.
Corresponding to the bays, the front has a plain folding-door set; the porch has a row of stone columns supporting the porch brackets. The columns are made of blue stone, square in section, with a constricted-bulb base, trapezoidal tops decorated with petals, and bodies divided into panels; above and below are square panels decorated with lotus and aster-like flowers, and the middle is carved with Chinese-character couplets. The porch components are of two types: at the two gable sides, in the form of plank panels decorated with bamboo and pine-and-deer themes; the main bays use bracket arms with carvings of long ma. Inside are truss sets linked above rows of column bases, connected according to basic truss forms. Wooden components such as con chong, beams, brackets, and bảy are planed smooth and fitted closely without floral decoration; between the con chong are square bearing blocks tapering at the base. The upper ridge area has Chinese characters and Romanized Vietnamese indicating that the Front Hall was built in the Canh Dan year, 2010. The floor is paved with bat-shaped bricks. At the rear are three arched openings, with no doors connecting to the Ống Muống corridor.
In the Front Hall, the altar of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is placed in the outermost bay on the right; above the altar hangs a set of horizontal plaques and couplets; in the center of the Front Hall hang the horizontal plaque “Ngọc Bào tự” and a pair of couplets.
b. Ống Muống
This is the connecting section between the Front Hall and the Upper Hall; it is quite small and built in the style of a transverse house. Instead of trusses or a tiled roof, it has a concrete roof and is built like a ceilinged house, using a column system similar to the porch columns of the Front Hall for support. In the Ống Muống, an altar to Thousand-Hand Thousand-Eye Guanyin is placed in the center, and an altar to the Earth God is placed at the far left outside. This deity governs and watches over the land. The Ống Muống is also where the monk sits to chant sutras.
c. Thượng Điện
Connected behind the Ống Muống are the three bays of the Upper Hall. The Upper Hall is a longitudinal building, built as a one-story, four-roofed structure with curved upcorners; the ridge is left blank, twisted kìm ornaments are molded on both sides, the upcorner ends are shaped like dragon heads, and the rear is walled to create a discreet, sacred space for arranging statues, the manifestations of historical Buddhist figures.
The roof trusses of the Upper Hall are made of concrete, stand on rows of main columns and rest on the enclosing walls, connected in the form “upper stacked rường with small brackets, lower connecting bracket arms.” Compared with the simple, rustic components of the Front Hall, the Upper Hall is carved with decorative motifs: specifically, the rường and bracket arms are carved with cloud scrolls, leaf scrolls, or seal-script characters, and the upper-ridge support is carved with a tiger charm.
The Upper Hall is the most sacred place in the relic site; it is paved with bat-shaped bricks, and along the length of the Upper Hall floor a stepped platform rises gradually to display the system of Buddha statues, including the following representative levels: on the top, the first level, are three statues of the Three Ages sitting in lotus meditation; next, the second level, is an Amitabha statue carved seated on a lotus pedestal, flanked by statues of Guanyin and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva carved standing on lotus pedestals; the third level is Shakyamuni Holding a Flower, with a Shakyamuni statue seated on a lotus pedestal holding a lotus flower, flanked by Ananda and Mahakashyapa. The fourth level is a Thousand-Hand Thousand-Eye Guanyin seated on a lotus pedestal. The final level holds the Nine-Dragon throne and the newborn Shakyamuni statue, flanked by Indra and Brahma seated on pedestals.
On the left and right sides of the Upper Hall there are also altars: the altar of the Holy Sage is placed in the right bay, and the altar of Đức Ông is placed on the left.
Adding further artistic value to Can Ha Temple (Ngoc Bao Tu) is the system of other ritual objects, such as sets of horizontal plaques and couplets praising Buddhism and other worship objects. Particularly notable is an ancient bell dated to the 19th year of Chinh Hoa – Mau Dan (1698), along with two horizontal plaques, “Từ Bi” and “Hách Trạc,” dated to the 4th year of Khai Dinh (1919). These are relics that both convey information and are works of art that artisans skillfully and ingeniously created with devout hearts.
d. Ancestor House and Mother House
Behind the Upper Hall are the Ancestor House and the Mother House, built as a transverse house in the “nhất” character plan, with gable-end wall architecture, two sloping roofs, covered with local tiles, and decorative finials at the two gable ends. Corresponding to the bays is a system of wooden hinge doors opening inward. The trusses of the main bays are made in the style “upper giá chiêng, bracket arms seated at the sides; lower connecting bracket arms”; the intermediate trusses are made in the style “upper stacked rường with curved panels, lower connecting bracket arms,” using xoan wood. Unlike the simplicity of the main temple, the wooden components in the Ancestor House and Mother House are decorated quite diversely and distinctively, especially the intermediate trusses with many decorative themes. In the Ancestor House, on the intermediate trusses, the upper-ridge support is decorated with a tiger charm, the purlin supports are all pierced with delicate plum blossoms, and the curved panels stand out with colorful ornaments and three Chinese characters “giới định tuệ” – “Khai ân tu.” The Mother House is similar, except that the curved panels feature a phoenix holding a letter.
The Ancestor House and Mother House are separated by an arched doorway.
*Ancestor House: It also serves as a guest house, with three bays; the central bay holds the ancestor altar with a statue of Bodhidharma, the left bay is the altar for monks and nuns, and the right bay is used to receive guests.
*Mother House: In the Mother House, three altars are arranged: the central altar is a stepped platform rising gradually to display the system of Mother Goddess statues, including the following representative levels: at the top are the statues of the Three Holy Mothers – three figures with distinctive robe colors: the Heavenly Mother in red, the Water Mother in white, and the Mountain-and-Forest Mother in blue; the second level is the four Lady Attendants; the third level is the set of five venerable lords; below the altar is the altar of the Five Tigers. The two side altars are the altar of Saint Tran of the Trieu dynasty and the altar of the Mountain Mother. The objects in the Mother House also include other ritual items, such as sets of horizontal plaques and couplets praising the Mother Goddesses, Saint Tran, and other worship objects.
Existing on a land with many cultural works serving the religious and spiritual needs of the people, the communal house and Can Ha Temple (Ngoc Bao Tu) also carry the following historical and cultural values:
1. Historical value of the relic
Set in such a geo-cultural space, the presence of Can Ha Temple (Ngoc Bao Tu) at its current location is a historical testimony, marking the formation and development of a homeland rich in revolutionary tradition in the past, present, and future, and contributing to promoting the cause of building an advanced Vietnamese culture imbued with national cultural identity.
Can Ha Temple (Ngoc Bao Tu) has appeared on the land of Can Ha since the 16th century. The temple has existed and accompanied the people through the ups and downs of history. Can Ha Temple (Ngoc Bao Tu) was established to meet the needs of worshipping Buddha and the Mother Goddesses and to support the people's spiritual life. Buddhist history is a part of human history in general and of our country in particular. Compassion and wisdom are the two pillars of Buddhist doctrine. The entire Buddhist doctrine aims to guide people to use their wisdom to perceive the world as it truly is, and from there to live with compassion. Buddhism presents the images “as you sow, so shall you reap,” “sow the wind and reap the whirlwind,” and “live virtuously and meet good.” Vietnamese people often hold the notion: “Life is a temporary stay, death is a return home,” which contains a profound philosophy of the Buddhist worldview about the concept of a person's whole life. It holds that all things and phenomena are dynamic combinations of dynamic elements, so they have no self-nature, meaning there is nothing by virtue of which they can be called themselves. Everything is without self, “all dharmas are without self.” Even human beings are only a dynamic combination of the five aggregates (form, feeling, perception, mental formations, consciousness); therefore, human beings are without self.
The Buddhist worldview points out that the basic relationship of all things and phenomena is causal relation. It is from this way of viewing all things that people who follow the Buddhist worldview also take on a causal character. The influence of this view is so great that it has itself become the life philosophy of the vast majority of Vietnamese people. People always say to one another: sow whatever cause and reap that fruit, “sow the wind and meet the storm,” “evil brings evil retribution.” For ordinary people, the causal view of the Buddhist worldview is difficult to understand to its very source, especially the doctrine of reincarnation and karmic retribution, but in some respects it has a certain significance for the Vietnamese concept of life. One might ask: if this view were replaced by the view that “death is the end,” what immeasurable consequences would it leave? When selfishness and the “ego” reach their extreme, people will disregard fairness and rightness, ethics and morality, to satisfy personal desires. That is a sign of degeneration that we must fight against uncompromisingly. Besides legal propaganda, on the other hand, we should emphasize education of conscience and responsibility. Therefore, the causal view is extremely valuable for the Vietnamese concept of life.
Today, Buddhism lives in harmony with the vibrant rhythm of human society. It still wishes to guide people to the shore of happiness, so that people may find “ultimate bliss” and “nirvana.” Continuing the tradition of their ancestors, brave in combat and diligent in labor and production, through the two sacred resistance wars of the nation, the army and people of Kieu Phu commune in general and the army and people of Can Ha village in particular, with spirit and responsibility, did everything to contribute to the common victory. Can Ha Temple (Ngoc Bao Tu) became a shelter and operating place for many groups of soldiers; the main temple was a place that protected and shielded those revolutionary soldiers so that they could safely fulfill their lofty mission. Even the temple's abbot during the resistance war wore a soldier's uniform, both to protect the homeland and the country and to protect Buddhism.
