Hưng Hiền Pagoda, Hiền Giang Village, Thường Tín Commune, Hanoi City

The pagoda was built long ago, but no one remembers the exact time. Based on the bronze bell currently hanging in the pagoda's bell tower, bearing the era name Thiệu Trị the 3rd (1843) and named Linh Quy tự chung, meaning Bell of Linh Quy Pagoda. The bell inscription reads in part: Kim cứ Đại Nam quốc, Hà Nội tỉnh, Thường Tín phủ, Thượng Phúc huyện, Có Hiền tổng, Hưng Hiền xã, Tư Đồng xã thượng hạ viên ấp lý dịch thái ấp lão bà cập thiện tín đàn na nhân cựu dương chú các tuyên tại chung dĩ vi dịch tha. A temporary translation is: Now the officials and village functionaries, the elders, and the good men and women donors of upper and lower Tư Đồng, Hưng Hiền commune, Cổ Hiền canton, Thượng Phúc district, Thường Tín prefecture, Hanoi province, Great Nam country, cast this bell to leave to later generations. According to the above content, the bell bears the same name as the current Sino-Vietnamese name of the site, Linh Quy Pagoda, in Hưng Hiền commune (now Hưng Hiền Village), Cổ Hiền canton. Thus it can be affirmed that Hưng Hiền Pagoda existed at least before this bell was cast, that is, before 1843 (the early years of the 19th century).

Based on the artifacts currently in the site, including the Three Worlds statues, the Amitabha statue, and the Nine Dragons throne, which are statues in the artistic style of the 18th century. Although these artifacts cannot determine the exact date of the site, they suggest that the site was built around the 18th century. If the construction date is as estimated, it shows that the site has had a fairly long history of existence and development on the land of Thường Tín.

No document records the past restorations of the site, but since its creation the pagoda has endured a long period of existence and has been affected by war, fire, and natural disasters, so damage and deterioration were unavoidable, and the local people certainly restored and repaired it many times. Hưng Hiền Pagoda today is the product of later restorations.

Hưng Hiền Pagoda is one of the cultural and spiritual destinations of local people. Like many other pagodas, Hưng Hiền Pagoda was first established as a place to worship Buddha according to Mahayana Buddhism. Buddhism is a religion taught by Shakyamuni in northern India in the 6th century BCE. It was spread over about 49 years while the Buddha was alive to many places and many peoples. The history of Buddhism's development is quite diverse in its schools as well as its rituals and methods of practice. From the very beginning, Shakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, organized a sangha with strict precepts. Thanks to the flexibility of the teachings, Buddhism could adapt to many social circumstances, many types of people, and many customs in different periods, and therefore today Buddhism continues to exist and increasingly spread throughout the world, even in countries with advanced science such as the United States and Western Europe.

Buddhism was introduced into Vietnam very early, from the beginning of the Common Era, with the fairy tale of Chử Đồng Tử (in today's Hưng Yên) learning the way from an Indian monk. Luy Lâu (in Bắc Ninh Province), the administrative seat of Giao Chỉ commandery, soon became an important Buddhist center. Legends of Thạch Quang Phật and Man Nương Phật Mẫu appeared together with the preaching of Khâu Đà La (Ksudra) around 168-1892.

Because Buddhism was received directly from India, the word Buddha (the enlightened one) was transliterated directly as Bụt, and Bụt was used widely in folk tales. Vietnamese Buddhism at that time bore the color of Hinayana. Bụt was regarded as a deity specializing in helping good people and punishing bad people. Later, in the 4th-5th centuries, due to the influence of Mahayana Buddhism from China, the word Bụt was lost and replaced by the word Phật. In Chinese, Buddha was transliterated as Phật đà, Phật đồ and then shortened to Phật.

Buddhism took deep root in Vietnam very early. By the Lý and Trần dynasties, Buddhism developed extremely prosperously and was regarded as the state religion, influencing all matters of life. By the Later Lê dynasty, Confucianism was regarded as the state religion and Buddhism entered a period of decline. In the early 17th century, King Quang Trung tried to revive Buddhism and rectify and build pagodas, but because he died early, this did not yield much result. In the 20th century, despite the strong influence of Westernization, Vietnamese Buddhism developed strongly starting from the urban areas of the South with important contributions from the monks Khánh Hòa and Thiện Chiếu.

The main object of worship at Hưng Hiền Pagoda is Buddha. The site was established through the devotion, generosity, and piety of the people around the region. Through Buddhism's system of teachings and ideas on reincarnation, enlightenment, and encouragement of goodness, Hưng Hiền Pagoda has created fine traditions for the community of Hưng Hiền Village in particular and the people around the region in general. Buddhist teachings contribute to regulating the moral behavior of each person and are a place that preserves the long-standing customs and cultural traditions of the nation. In gratitude to the Buddha, Buddhists, in addition to painting statues, casting bells, and building pagodas, must also study the teachings and live according to the virtues the Buddha advised in order to develop spiritual capacity. Besides worshiping Buddha, Hưng Hiền Pagoda also worships Mother and Patriarch. This worship originates from indigenous beliefs and the Vietnamese ancestor worship tradition and expresses our nation's very beautiful tradition of remembering the source when drinking water. Our country was formed on the basis of a backward agriculture and was affected by harsh climate and complex terrain. Facing such unfavorable circumstances, the ancient Vietnamese and subsequent generations struggled for survival, while preserving national identity and creating their own culture and civilization, including the worship of the agricultural Goddess.

The worship of Buddha in Vietnam and some Southeast Asian countries is also influenced by indigenous Mother worship, specifically the appearance of Guanyin Bodhisattva, a fusion of Vietnamese Buddhism with India, China, and Korea. Man Nương in the Four Dharma legend is a unique feature of the Vietnamese people with the harmony of Indian Buddhist mission. The Mother worship custom in particular is a unique feature bearing the identity of the wet-rice, Red River Delta people.

Thus, at present Hưng Hiền Pagoda worships Buddha and Bodhisattvas according to Buddhist worship tradition, and the pagoda also worships Mother according to the indigenous beliefs of the Vietnamese people. Each year Hưng Hiền Pagoda organizes four major ceremonies: Beginning of Spring, Beginning of Summer, Start of Summer, and Winter Solstice. These four ceremonies are organized by the pagoda's abbot, and local people offer incense, flowers, and offerings. In addition, every year the pagoda also holds the main Buddhist ceremonies (according to the lunar calendar) as follows:

* First day of Tết Nguyên Đán: celebration of Maitreya Buddha.

* Full moon of the first lunar month: Thượng Nguyên Festival. At this time, Buddhists and good men and women go to the pagoda in large numbers to pray for a year full of happiness, good fortune, wealth, and prosperity.

* 8th day of the 2nd lunar month: celebration of Shakyamuni Buddha's renunciation.

* 15th day of the 2nd lunar month: celebration of Shakyamuni Buddha's parinirvana.

* 19th day of the 2nd lunar month: celebration of Bodhisattva Guanyin.

* 21st day of the 2nd lunar month: celebration of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra.

* 15th day of the 3rd lunar month: death anniversary of Mother Liễu Hạnh.

* 16th day of the 3rd lunar month: celebration of Bodhisattva Cundi.

* 4th day of the 4th lunar month: Bodhisattva celebration.

* 15th day of the 4th lunar month: celebration of Shakyamuni Buddha's birth. Also the ceremony for the summer retreat.

* 6th lunar month: celebration of Bodhisattva Guanyin's practice.

* 7th lunar month: celebration of Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta.

* 15th day of the 7th lunar month: Vu Lan Festival of filial piety and gratitude (remission of sins for the deceased). On this day the pagoda usually holds sutra chanting, lantern releasing, and life releasing. Many Buddhists come to worship.

* 30th day of the 7th lunar month: celebration of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha.

* 20th day of the 8th lunar month: death anniversary of Saint Trần Hưng Đạo.

* 19th day of the 9th lunar month: celebration of Bodhisattva Guanyin's renunciation and cultivation.

* 30th day of the 9th lunar month: celebration of Medicine Buddha.

* 17th day of the 11th lunar month: celebration of Amitabha Buddha's birthday.

* December 18: the ceremony commemorating Shakyamuni Buddha's attainment of enlightenment.

According to local accounts, Hung Hien Pagoda was once a scenic area. Over time, through war, natural disasters, and the effects of nature, the pagoda no longer retains its original appearance, but it still preserves the terrain and grounds of Hung Hien Pagoda from ancient times.