How old is a Temple?
Question: Why is it that when I go to a temple, they tell me it’s 1,000 years old or something, and I can look and tell it was built not so long ago?
Answer: The reason is that a building is a thing of this world – temporary, it will have a life and it will die. A religious place, however, is a spiritual concept which is eternal.
When a place is dedicated to a deity, the people dedicate that place to a concept and want that place to remain there for ever. They ask craftsmen to build a house of worship there and put into this structure many beautiful things including objects of worship. All these things are made of wood or other such raw materials. After many years, these craftsmen will die, and after that the building materials will decay and crumble. And, new people will come build again. This is life on earth. Life cannot be preserved, and neither should the building because it represents life on earth. But, the spirit of the place will live on for ever.
Translation from English to Vietnamese is kindly provided by my Vietnamese teacher, Bui Phuong Thao.
| Hanoi Grapevine focuses mainly on contemporary art and culture in Vietnam, but we also post information about events that are part of Vietnam’s rich cultural heritage. Mr. Roman Szlam, a student of Vietnamese language, history and culture, has a passion for attending and learning about the world of Vietnamese traditional cultural events. He has offered to provide us with information that crosses his path about such events in Hanoi as he explores this aspect of life in Vietnam. |
