Truc Lam Monastery

Truc Lam Temple is a Zen Buddhist Pagoda outside of Da Lat in Phuong Hoang Hill some 1300 meters above sea level. The temple was built in 1993 (opened to public 1994) and it’s located on the area of 24 hectares With the goal of renovating Vietnamese Zen of Tran dynasty, the Master started to translate and lecture all writings and teachings of Truc Lam’s sect. Since that time, all monasteries founded by the Master applied the same rites and practiced each night the “Rite of Repentance,” which was written by King Tran Thai Tong.

Truc Lam Zen monastery with its advantage of location was designed as a new style of architecture by Mr. Ngo Viet Thu, who used to designed Independence Palace, today known as Unification Palace, Ho Chi Minh City. Besides, architecture Huynh Ngoc An was in charge of the design of the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary was built in rectangle shape to head south. Sanctuary surroundings are a lot of traditional Vietnamese pagodas and the monastery was designed modernly. It is simple in its form but modern in structure and use. The pagoda, designed with the oriental architecture style, built in 1993-1994 by superior Buddhist monk Thich Thanh Tu, was divided into 4 main areas. With the beautiful landscapes, the pagoda is not only a meditative place but also an ideal visiting place.

The main area of 192m2 is decorated simply but meaningfully of the Buddha. The 2-metter Buddha statue of Guru Shakyamuni stood in the center of the shrine; his right hand holding lotus flower is called Shakyamuni “United States Minor” – that means the statue’s image was built based on “Lotus Minor”.

The right of the Buddha is Bodhisattva Manjushree riding a lion and the left of the Buda is the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra riding a 6-tusk white elephant. Around the top of the sanctuary is the bas-relief carvings 8 manifestations of Buddha and wooden altars carved meticulousl