Buddhist Woodblocks May Gain UNESCO Heritage Recognition

Vietnam (CHAKRA) – After being recognized last year, The Truc Lam Zen Buddhist Prayer Woodblocks located in northern Vietnam have been submitted for an opportunity to be recognized for the UNESCO World Documentary Heritage.  The Woodblocks are part of the Nguyen Dynasty.

The Truc Lam Blocks origins are from the Vinh Nghiem Pagoda which follows the Truc Lam Zen Buddhist sect.  The Truc Lam Zen for of Buddhism was founded by King-MonkTran Nhan Tong in the northern province of Back Giang, in the late 13^th century.

According to Thich Thanh Vinh—the head monk of Vinh Nghiem Pagoda, there are 3,050 separate woodblocks in the collection which were carved in the 17^th-19^th century.  The carvings are in Chinese and Nom, which are considered ancient Vietnamese writing.

These set of woodblocks are the only Buddhist woodblocks that exist for the purpose of prayer and they are a rich display of historical Vietnamese culture.  They represent the rich and diverse history of Buddhism as a religion as well, and would be a very valuable addition to the UNESCO Heritage.  In addition, studying them will bring like to not only the history of Vietnamese culture and Buddhism as a religion, but they will also shed light on the Vietnamese language throughout significant periods in history.