Thien Mu Pagoda

This morning (10/15, if my gmail is to be believed) we woke to clear blue skies and the sound of a million scooters and motorbikes passing the Saigon Morin Hotel in Hue.  We walked across an adjacent park to the Purple River, where we enjoyed a leisurely cruise down the river in a broad boat clearly intended for tourists.  Never missing an opportunity to encourage tourist trade, the boat was full of tchatchkes for us to purchase.

Around several bends (and many photos later of low-sitting barges carrying gravel up river to construction sites) we cam to the Thien Mu Pagoda, a seven-story octagonal tower called the "Source of Happiness Tower."  According to my guidebook, this pagoda was founded in 1601.

Walking into the compound, one comes upon a wonderful shrine, where a Buddhist monk occasionally strikes the large brass bowl shown below. Those wanting to pray enter this space, while the rest of us tourists stand back but are allowed to take photographs. The sound of that deep gong resonated throughout. 

What I didn't know was that this was the home monastery of Thich Nhat Hanh.  Young monks were quietly walking to their quarters while tourists streamed through the very restful retreat.  A collection of bonzai trees sat within a courtyard.  Young pines provide shade at the rear of the property, where fencing is reinforced with rusted barbed wire.

The unexpected emotional whallop was the car, shown below.  This is the vehicle driven to Saigon by monk Thich Quang Duc and his brother monks in 1963.  The plaque in front of the vehicle, and the photo behind it, honor this monk who, surrounded by the other monks, immolated himself in protest against the Diem regime.  For those of us who remember the news of this event, this quiet memorial within the peaceful setting had a powerful impact.