But Moc Pagoda was originally just a small, simple temple. There was a rock that looked very much like Buddha. And that is why, the pagoda has been named the Bụt Mọc (Buddha Risen). The pagoda is located on road 357, An Tien commune, An Lao district, Hai Phong.
History of the But Moc Pagoda
The history of the pagoda is recorded as follows by the monk and the epitaph of the pagoda. In the past, there was an official named Nguyen Duy Thanh. He was originally from My Hao, Hung Yen now. He was appointed by King Minh Menh as governor of An Lao district.
Not to betray the king’s trust, he was always integrity. There was things that he still did not have a son. This is very important to ancient feudal times. One night, in a dream, he saw a deity that would be helped. In the year of the Dragon, when he and his wife passed through the pagoda. The horse suddenly surrendered toward Đất Mountain. Seeing the strange thing, both he and his wife went to the temple to burn incense and pray.
Finally, as in his dream, the following year, he and his wife had a son. The district chief was overjoyed at that time. In the particular month of the year of the Dragon, he made merit, restored the pagoda and cast statues of idols. Moreover, he also merits 3 sào of rice field to build 2 more Tiền Đường pavilions and 3 harem spaces to build more spacious pagodas.
In the year of the Rooster, he was promoted to mandate of Nam Sach district. Until the year of the Rabbit, he and the elderly, Buddhist monks and nuns everywhere repaired together to make the Buddhist temple become more spacious.
But Moc pagoda has charming feng shui: its back is mountain-like, the surface is water, and far away is Elephant mountain. There are studies that say that the pagoda of the Buddha or the cave is located in the landscape of An Lao Elephant Mountain in Hai Phong.