Tay Phuong Pagoda perches atop a fifty-meter-high limestone hillock supposedly shaped like a buffalo. It was built during the 6th and 7th centuries and has been restored several times since then. Tay Phuong pagoda is about 40km west of Hanoi and is located in the Ha Tay province of Vietnam.
These four statues of Buddha stand in a row in the middle of the scene and are surrounded by scholars and disciples. One can see the statues of a golden newborn Buddha, the Buddha Maitreya, the Buddha Shakyamuni and the Amitahba Buddha.
The newborn Buddha points to the heavens with two fingers and to the earth with the other hand to declare that "there is only one truth in this world". Maitreya, the Buddha of the future, is often caricatured as the "laughing Buddha". Shakyamuni, the present time Buddha, is often depicted as the ascetic Buddha of the Snowy Mountain. Amitahba is one of the numerous Buddha of the past and the guardian of the western paradise that is celebrated in the "Pure Land" school of Mahayana Buddhism.
Modern practice of Vietnamese Buddhism can be very eclectic, including elements from Zen, Pure Land, Tiantai, and popular practices from Esoteric Buddhism. The methods of Pure Land Buddhism are perhaps the most widespread within Vietnam. It is common for practitioners to recite sutras, chants and dharanis. It is a devotional practice where those practicing put their faith into Amitabha Buddha. Followers believe they will gain rebirth in the Pure Land by chanting Amitabha’s name.
Sources: (
visit link) and (
visit link)