With the mindset that “Even if you eat everything, you will wear out your clothes, and the merit money will last a long time”, so when communal houses and pagodas are degraded, many people in Thanh Ha (Hai Duong) join hands to contribute their efforts and money to improve the situation. create an increasingly beautiful and spacious spiritual place.

Cao Phuc Pagoda was built spaciously thanks to the contributions of Buddhists and children of the homeland

Heading towards the homeland

At the newly built beautiful Ngoc Lo communal house, Mr. Nguyen Manh Thong, Secretary, Head of Ngoc Lo village (Tan Viet commune) expressed his emotion for the affection of children far away from home for the village. Touching the door of the communal house, which was still fragrant with the smell of new wood, Mr. Thong said that Ngoc Lo communal house used to be a place for people in the village to gather whenever they needed to discuss village affairs and make offerings to the three tutelary gods of the village, wishing for a good harvest. bumper crop, stable life. The new communal house was built with a total cost of more than 4 billion VND, entirely contributed by the people, the few people donated 5 million VND, the larger people donated 500 million VND. Mr. Nguyen Quy Yeu, a resident of Ngoc Lo village, said: “Contributing to the construction of communal houses and pagodas is something that every child of the homeland should do. It is also an action that demonstrates the morality of drinking water and remembering the source.”

The communal house was built in the style of a Dinh letter, including 5 front worship rooms and 1 back palace room. After construction, many people also offered stone incense bowls, stone scrolls and many other valuable objects. Mr. Thong always remembers the day when the communal house was inaugurated, the children and grandchildren of the village came from far away to burn incense in a large crowd like a festival. There are people who have been away from home for decades and come back, everyone shakes hands and celebrates.

Many people donate valuable objects to their hometown temples and pagodas. In the photo: The stone scroll was presented to Ngoc Lo communal house by Mr. Nguyen Duc Hong’s family in Ngoc Lo village

Cao Phuc Pagoda in Ba Nha village (Thanh Quang commune) is one of the most beautiful pagodas in Ha Dong area with unique architecture. The pagoda complex includes a 5-compartment ancestral church made of corn dou lotus architecture, humorous tiles… The main building is built in the style of a nail, including 7 pre-chambers, 3 ironwood back rooms worshiping the three generations, Worship Buddha…

All statues are painted and gilded. The pagoda was built from 2013 – 2016. When talking about the pagoda, everyone in the village is grateful to his hometown Hoang Van Giang. Mr. Giang was born and raised in Ba Nha village.

He later went to work far away, but his heart always turned to his homeland. Cao Phuc Pagoda was completed with a total cost of about 20 billion VND, Mr. Giang alone contributed more than 10 billion VND to the construction. Now, although he does business and lives in Hai Phong, every time his homeland calls or mobilizes, he wholeheartedly joins in.

Contributions to repair and beautify hometown temples and pagodas all come from the hearts of villagers and children far from home in Thanh Ha. The district has nearly 100 communal houses and pagodas. Although there are no complete data yet, it has basically been renovated and embellished. There are only a few communal houses and pagodas ranked as degraded relics that need funds to repair.

Ngoc Lo communal house was built with a total cost of more than 4 billion VND contributed and supported by the people

In Thanh Ha, there is a pagoda where the first Party Cell of the district was established, Van Tue pagoda (Tan Viet commune), Cao Phuc pagoda was the place where the first Party cell of the former Hop Duc commune (now Thanh Quang) was established. )… Many communal houses and pagodas are places where popular education classes, revolutionary propaganda, and raising soldiers and people during the resistance war take place. Many temples and pagodas serve as evidence of important historical periods of the localities.

In the past, due to difficult economic life, people did not have the conditions to restore temples and pagodas, but in recent years, with the efforts of localities and a large number of children from the homeland, many temples and pagodas have been built. has been rebuilt, effectively meeting the cultural and religious needs of the people.

Mr. Nguyen Manh Thong added that when meeting to build communal houses and pagodas, they received high support and consensus from the people in the village. There are people who have not called yet and have already generated hundreds of millions of dong in merit.

Building communal houses and pagodas in villages has become a cultural beauty of the community. Mr. Le Van Hien, Thanh Quang commune’s cultural official, said that merit money and donations to build communal houses and pagodas are all public and transparent to the villagers. The design and construction of communal houses and pagodas are based on the advice of professionals to suit traditions, culture and beliefs.

Mr. Nguyen Van Vinh, Head of the Culture and Information Department of Thanh Ha district, said that in recent years, the construction of “diligent and exemplary landscape pagodas” has been achieved in the campaign “All people unite to build cultural life in residential areas.” (now the campaign for all people to unite to build new rural areas and civilized cities) in Thanh Ha is always of interest

. The movement developed strongly when it mobilized people far from home to support with large amounts of money, creating motivation for people to follow. Spacious temples and shrines have been jointly built in many different villages.

Specialized departments and the Buddhist Executive Board of Thanh Ha district regularly propagate and mobilize people to exercise their right to freedom of belief and religion according to the law in accordance with national traditions, contributing to preserving and multiplying. cultural identity value.