Bao Thien Stupa
Ladies and gentlemen, one of the highlights of your visit to Bai Dinh Pagoda today is Bao Thien Stupa. During the journey to visit Bai Dinh Pagoda, you have learned a lot about Quoc Su Nguyen. Minh Khong, not only a famous physician, he is also the ancestor of bronze casting, the creator of the Four Great Airs of Vietnam :
1. Bao Thien Stupa
2. Quy Dien bell.
3. Minh universal cauldron
4. Quynh Lam Buddha statue
To remember and give thanks for His merit. After nearly 1000 years, the pagoda has restored the four great gases with the desire to pray for the nation's peace and prosperity, favorable rain and wind. One of the four great gases is Bao Thien Stupa.
With exquisite architecture containing the quintessence and efforts of artisans, the stupa has now become a sacred symbol of Bai Dinh Pagoda. The structure of the stupa is imbued with Vietnamese culture. The tower has 13 floors, 100m high, the base of the tower is a solid octagonal with a circumference of 30m. Covering the entire outer part of the stupa is Bat Trang fired bricks with decorative patterns in the Ly dynasty's artistic style such as flying clouds, water waves, and lotus petals. Around the 8 sides are small stone Buddha statues placed harmoniously from the foot up to the tower, creating a special highlight for this place. To build a unique and impressive Stupa like this is thanks to the ingenious ingenuity of hundreds of sculptors from India and good architects and artisans in the country. Stepping inside the stupa, you feel like you are lost in a splendid space, filled with golden colors. Right in the center of the first floor of the stupa is a brilliant gold-plated statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, placed on a blue stone altar carved with dragons, lotus flowers and mascots in a very delicate way. . He has an earth contact seal which means touching the earth. Or there is another name "calling the earth to prove" Looking up at the 6 sides of the wall are bas-reliefs depicting the Buddha's life from birth to righteous practice. Here, you take the stairs through 62 steps, admire the system of stone reliefs carved sharp, sophisticated, simulate the points in the life of the Buddha and take the elevator to the highest floor, the first floor. 13 of the Stupa.
The 13th floor of the stupa is where the Buddha's relics are located, which were presented from India, Thailand and Myanmar in 2008. Legend has it that, after he passed away, the disciples performed a tea ceremony, when the fire was on. In the ashes, they discovered that there were 84,000 transparent crystals in the ashes emitting 5-color rays that later became known as Buddha relics. Therefore, you can see that the flag of Buddhism usually has 5 colors, this is also the color of the Buddha's relics. Buddha relics have very special characteristics and structure, impact does not break, burn does not burn, blends in water and does not dissolve, always floats on the water surface and self-assembles in a clockwise direction. This is considered a treasure of Buddhism. On the ceiling of the stupa is designed in a mysterious Indian style, carved on it is the image of Buddha, the image of a lotus and a lost bird mounted on the wooden walls. Dear guests, It can be said that when you come here, the sacred place where Buddha's relics are located, you can not only admire the Buddha, imbued with the profound ideas of Buddhism, but also admire the panoramic view of Bai Dinh pagoda. majestic, majestic between the mountains intermingled with nature of earth and sky.
After worshiping Xa Loi, please go down to the 12th floor to admire the pagoda scene. Standing on the 12th floor of Bao Thap, you will be able to admire the panoramic view of Bai Dinh pagoda mountain. In the distance is the main bowl area on the right hand side is "Ham Rong" mountain. On the left hand side are Le mountain, Kham mountain, and U Bo mountain. In front is Ho Dam Thi, mother of King Dinh Tien Hoang. further away is the legendary Hoang Long River. Across the river is the hometown of King Dinh Tien Hoang and also the hometown of National Master Nguyen Minh Khong.The person who had the first merit to found the Bai Dinh pagoda area looked at the whole place like a charming painting of water, yin and yang. All mountains and rivers form a heart letter. Therefore, the pagoda chose this place to expand Bai Dinh pagoda.
The stupa worshiping the relics of Shakyamuni Buddha in particular and Bai Dinh pagoda in general, was built as a symbol to preserve and promote the cultural, spiritual and Buddhist values of the people for thousands of years. We Vietnam, make a significant contribution to making the ancient land gradually become the Buddhist center of the country. I hope that you come here to be quiet, relax and pray for all the good things and peace in life.
Here, we invite you to move down to the 1st floor to visit The Kuyan-Yin Hall, the last temple of Bai Dinh Pagoda. Thank you for listening.