Serene pagodas make an ideal study spot

      If you pay a visit to the Tao Sach Pagoda near West Lake these days, you may be surprised to see young people sitting around the pagoda’s garden with books and pens in their hands.
The quiet students look very thoughtful. Some are preparing for their graduate exams and others are studying for their university entrance exams.
Nguyen Minh Tam, one hard working pupil, says he chose the pagoda as a place to study, because it makes him feel less tense than the hot and crowded exam training centres; when he comes here, he doesn’t have his parents looking over his shoulder.
"I was told that the pagoda was built on the place where a prince used to study his books, so I think it is a sacred place for learning. The pagoda’s garden is quiet and cool, so I feel I can absorb knowledge very well here," he says.
Though Ha Noi is experiencing hot summer days, the pagoda is cool, thanks to the old leafy trees and the breeze off of West Lake.
The pagoda’s monks welcome the students and offer them water.
It is not only the Tao Sach Pagoda, which is attracting eager students. Other pagodas in Tay Ho District such as Quang Hoa, Uc Nien, Van Nien and Khai Nguyen are also attracting those in search of a quiet corner to study.
"The pagoda’s isolation and quiet help us easily focus our minds on studying. Some of my friends stay at the pagodas all day, even bringing fast food and drinks along with them," says Lan Anh, a student.
Student Ngoc Linh from Truong Chinh Street often studies at the Van Nien Pagoda. He says the sacred atmosphere puts his mind at ease.
"More important, instead of travelling to many places to pray like my friends do, or going to Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam (Temple of Literature) to touch the heads of stone tortoises, I just want Buddha to see that every day I focus on studying, so Buddha will witness and bless my studies."
As more and more students arrive at the pagodas, some are afraid they will take away from the pagodas’ peaceful and sacred atmosphere.
But the chief monks say that the students are focused on learning and are aware that they must uphold a certain decorum.
"They respect the pagoda’s solemnity. After completing their studies, they just stroll around the grounds to relax. None of them are pesky, so we are pleased to create these conditions for them," says monk Thich Thong Van.
Throughout the hot summer many other pagodas like Cot Pagoda in Cau Giay District, Phuc Khanh and Boc pagodas in Dong Da District, Trieu Khuc Pagoda in Thanh Xuan District and Lang Pagoda in Ba Dinh District will also offer ideal spots for students.
Monks say that some students leave their names and ask the monks to pray for Buddha’s blessing, as a way to leave their minds at peace.
Students are not only using the pagodas to help them absorb knowledge, but also learning patience from the example set by the monks.
I don’t know how much work these students will get done in the pagoda’s gardens, but choosing the pagodas as a place to study will give students a better awareness of their culture and politeness.
Any student sitting on a bench in the pagoda’s garden, will stand up to greet a passing monk with a "Good morning, master".
In our modern society, which seems to abound with rudeness, this re-emerging attitude is one worth cultivating among Ha Noi’s students.