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The bell resounded through villages. A monk stood besides the gate of a pagoda waiting for someone. Long Phuoc pagoda in Phuoc Thuan commune of Tuy Phuoc District has a martial hall. These monks living there are all martial arts monks.
Binh Dinh martial arts have been well known partly thanks to some pagodas known as “Shaolin temples” with martial arts monks.
The yard of Long Phuoc pagoda is often used for practicing martial arts. One afternoon, several students came here but then went back because there was no martial arts class.
“This academic year begins early, so I have to stop teaching martial arts. Students only learnt in their summer holiday,” said monk Thich Hanh Hoa, head of Long Phuoc pagoda.
“After their studying is scheduled, they will be able to continue learning martial arts,” he added.
Located on a large area adjacent to many villages, Long Phuoc is one of big pagoda in Binh Dinh. It has a martial hall called Long Phuoc pagoda martial arts club.
It has a fate with martial arts, according to monk Hanh Hoa. All of the monks in this pagoda are Masters.
Previously, most monks in Binh Dinh’s pagodas were good at martial arts. They then taught their students in pagodas. Some taught outsiders, making martial arts become more popular.
Thousands of people have learnt martial arts at Long Phuoc pagoda since 1982. Some Masters and martial arts coaches were also trained here, said monk Hanh Hoa.
Long Phuoc pagoda has been set up for over 150 years. Surely, late martial arts monks contributed to the development of martial arts in Binh Dinh. Thanks to some achievements of Binh Dinh traditional martial arts, many Masters and martial arts experts have visited Long Phuoc pagoda for many times.
Over 300-year “Shaolin temple”
Thap Thap pagoda in Van Thuan hamlet of Nhon Thanh commune in An Nhon District is known as an ancient big pagoda. It is also a place for monks and outsiders to learn martial arts.
Thap Thap pagoda is known as the first “Shaolin temple” in Vietnam because it is one of branches of Shaolin temple firstly built in Vietnam in 1677.
It was established by a Chinese monk when he came to Binh Dinh. Together with other monks, he then built other pagodas, including Long Phuoc.
All monks in these pagodas mastered martial arts. They always built more pagodas and taught martial arts to their students, said monk Vien Kien, one of heads of Thap Thap pagoda.
When the Chinese monk came here, this was still a desolate land. He and other monks helped Nguyen Lords in civilizing local people.
To deal with wild beasts and wrongdoers, monks taught martial arts to both their students and outsiders.
Legend has it that there were many wild beasts around Thap Thap pagoda, including a fierce white tiger. Living near the pagoda for a long time made it become less fierce. After it died, monks in the pagoda buried it in the back of pagoda.
Together with the 300-year Thap Thap pagoda, “Shaolin temples” in Binh Dinh have much contributed to the development of Binh Dinh martial arts.
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