Charles VanBourgondien
Chua Giac Hoa (roughly translated as “pagoda of the flower”) is a small Buddhist temple located in the South Norfolk area of Chesapeake, Virginia. It is just off the side of Interstate 464, and is nestled away right next to several large industrial fuel tanks. The temple is difficult to see from the road and is easily missed by the many people commuting past each day, with a few noticing and managing to wander the roads back to find it.
History and Lineage
The land Chua Giac Hoa is located on was originally purchased in 1988 by Ngoc Xuan Nguyen (also known as Grand Master Adam Nguyen). Originally Nguyen intended to use the small house already located on the property as a temple, but it didn’t work out and so he and other members of the local Buddhist community tore it down and began construction on the structures that stand there today. Construction is still continuing to this day as more monuments and paths are added to the property joining those already there that celebrate the four major events of the Buddha’s life: birth, enlightenment, first teachings, and death. The statues surrounding the temple are shipped in from Vietnam. Chua Giac Hoa was the first place of worship for Buddhists in the Hampton Roads area when it opened up in the early 1990’s, and has continued to be an excellent resource for the many practitioners in the community as well as a place of education for non-Buddhists to learn about the culture, religion and teachings surrounding this unique community. Buddhism in the area has expanded greatly since Chua Giac Hoa was founded, and there are now several Buddhist temples in the Virginia Beach area offering sermons in English to help get local people interested in the religion and spread the teachings of the Buddha.
The members of Chua Giac Hoa practice Zen Buddhism from a Vietnamese lineage, known as Thiền Buddhism. Zen Buddhism originated in China under the name of Chan Buddhism; it takes the well known name of Zen from its movement into Japan, but it is synonymous with the other names. Thiền Buddhism teaches the special mind to mind transmission of Enlightenment which is greater than any spoken words. The tradition was originally founded by Bodhidharma who transmitted the “teaching of the lamp” to China. He taught that enlightenment was not about accumulating karma, but was instead about seeing and recognizing ones true Buddha nature. The second Patriarch of Zen Buddhism was Huike, who chopped off his own arm to prove his dedication to Bodhidharma and who had enlightenment passed on to him. Meditation is extremely central to the Zen tradition and is a large part of being able to recognize your own Buddha nature. It is not completely certain when Zen made its way into Vietnam. Tradition points to it being a monk called Vinitaruci in the 6th century who brought it with him after several years of study in China.
Grand Master Adam Nguyen helped to found the temple and he is presently an active teacher and leader in the Hampton Roads Buddhist community. He teaches Yoga regularly and has also had extensive learning in Karate and Zen teachings. He believes that Zen Buddhism is both a lifestyle and a philosophy. Additionally, he advocates for proper training to prevent people from becoming stiff and frail through the intense practice of yoga.
The Teacher at Chua Giac Hoa
The resident monk Reverend Thích Tâm Hoàn has lived at Chua GIac Hoa since 1998. Prior to that he studied with monks in Vietnam. He teaches regularly at the temple every Sunday except when he is traveling to preach elsewhere (as he was when I visited). He helps to maintain and improve the grounds of the temple and emphasizes heavily his role in providing spiritual guidance for the community.
Constituency
The constituency is mainly made up of Vietnamese people and the sermons held each Sunday morning are done in Vietnamese. When I visited I got the sense that there were people of all ages practicing there, as it seemed like a tight knit community where families come to learn and practice the teachings of the Buddha. Members of the community gather every Sunday to hear a sermon and practice their religion. Additionally, the members pitch in to help further the development of different projects around the temple including the building of new paths and installation of more statues. The people who come to practice at Chua Giac Hoa want nothing more than greater understanding in the world.
My Experience
When I visited the temple, I was greeted by a friendly man who told me I was welcome to explore the grounds and invited me to see the inside of the temple. I attempted to talk to a few of the members but most spoke very little English. I was able to talk to a woman who told me about how she and her husband volunteer there regularly, and how the husband has helped make many of the paths around the grounds. Additionally, many of the practitioners brought fresh flowers to adorn the grounds as well as the insides of the temple. Overall, the community was very welcoming of my presence, and while we had a hard time communicating I was able to get a feel for the kind and friendly nature of the people who were there. The grounds of the temple itself are very beautiful, and easily make you forget where you are. I became unaware of the noises of traffic going by just behind a row of statues. The property is meticulously well kept and it was a very pleasant experience to be free to wander around and observe.
Additionally, when I discovered that Grand Master Adam Nguyen was a part of the founding of this temple I was very excited as I knew I had heard the name before. My yoga teacher from Tidewater Community College, Master Bill Pascarosa, learned from Grand Master Nguyen and told me a good deal about him long before I knew anything about this community which was very exciting for me to find out. He teaches a form of yoga that involves a lot of arm swings as a way to promote joint and muscle health in the shoulders, back, elbows, neck, and chest.
Works Cited
Virginian-Pilot, Katherine Hafner The. “Buddhist temple in Chesapeake is a hidden gem off the interstate, no matter your religion.” Virginian-Pilot, 13 Sept. 2016, pilotonline.com/news/local/buddhist-temple-in-chesapeake-is-a-hidden-gem-off-the/article_947371ed-50f9-54f5-95cc-49c3ca835806.html.
Tu, Thich Thanh. “Vietnamese Zen.” Vietnamese Zen – Zen History, www.truclamvietzen.net/ZenHistory.htm.
“Master Adam.” Master Adam – Ngoc Xuan Nguyen, www.agelesstimeless.com/featured/master_adam/master_adam.html.