Gò Kén Pagoda

Gò Kén Pagoda, also known as Từ Lâm Tự or Thiền Lâm Pagoda, is a Buddhist pagoda located in Long Trung hamlet, Hòa Thành ward, Tây Ninh province. This is one of the earliest Buddhist architectural structures in Tây Ninh, with a history of over 100 years. It is also the place where Cao Huỳnh Cư, Cao Hoài Sang, and Phạm Công Tắc borrowed to establish the Cao Đài religion. The current abbot of the pagoda is Thích Thiện Nghĩa. Along with the Tây Ninh Holy See and Bà Đen Mountain, these three are considered the three spiritual architectures that are almost aligned in Tây Ninh.

The pagoda was built on a high mound covered with kén vines. For this reason, people called Thiền Lâm Pagoda "Gò Kén Pagoda". That name still exists today even though the kén vines are no longer present. The pagoda's goal is to become the Buddhist centre of Tây Ninh province.

The pagoda was built around 1904 from simple bamboo and leaves by Venerable Thích Trí Lượng. In 1925, Venerable Thích Từ Phong, disciple of Venerable Thích Trí Lượng, together with Buddhist followers, rebuilt the pagoda sturdily on a site of 20,000 m2 (now this area has been reduced to just over 6,000 m2).

From the 15th day of the 10th lunar month of the year Bính Dần (1926) to the full moon of the first lunar month of the year Đinh Mão (1927), Cao Huỳnh Cư, Cao Hoài Sang, and Phạm Công Tắc borrowed Từ Lâm Tự as the place to found the Cao Đài religion.

Gò Kén Pagoda was restored in 1970 after being damaged and abandoned due to war. In July 2007, Venerable Thích Thiện Nghĩa was appointed by the Executive Board of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha of Tây Ninh province as the abbot of the pagoda and has held this position to the present day.

On the morning of 7 January 2022, the Executive Board of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha of Tây Ninh province solemnly held the inauguration ceremony of the Executive Board of Hòa Thành Town Buddhist Sangha for the 2021-2026 term at Từ Lâm Tự. Venerable Thích Thiện Nghĩa serves as Head of the Executive Board of Hòa Thành Town Buddhist Sangha.

The pagoda was built according to the design of architect Học Đình, with a length of 30 m and a width of 15 m. The pagoda complex is a blend of Eastern and Western cultures, half ancient, half modern.

In front of the pagoda courtyard, the most prominent feature is the statue of Shakyamuni Buddha meditating under the bodhi tree, built in 2009. The statue of Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara (Quán Thế Âm) is 25 m high, standing on a dragon 7 m high; the statue of the reclining Buddha entering nirvana is 25 m long, and 18 statues of Arhat Buddhas were also completed and installed in 2017.

There are also many other structures such as the triple-arched gate (cổng tam quan), the hall for worshipping Maitreya Buddha (Đức Phật Di Lạc), Lumbini Garden (vườn Lâm Tỳ Ni), Ngũ Hành Sơn (Five Elements Mountain), and a 9-storey stupa for relics (bảo tháp xá lợi) currently under construction.