Name of an ancient temple in Huế, Central Vietnam. The full name is Linh Sơn Đông Thuyền Tự, situated on an open hill at Cư Sĩ hamlet, Dương Xuân Thượng village.
The temple was built in the middle of the eighteenth century by Most Venerable Tế Vỹ, one of the highly enlightened disciples of Patriarch Liễu Quán. From the beginning, the temple was only a thatched house. After the the death of Most Venerable Tế Vỹ, Venerable Đại Quang Tuệ Chiếu took over.
However, after the crises in the late eighteenth century, the temple was left in ruins. More than ten years later, when king Gia Long already ascended the throne. Most Venerable Đạo Tâm Trung Hậu from Thuyền Tôn temple rebuilt the thatched house as a dedication to the relic of the living place of one of Patriarch Liễu Quán’s best disciples. In 1838, the thirteenth princess of king Gia Long, Nguyễn Phước Ngọc Cơ, who left home and became a novice with Most Venerable Tánh Không after her husband and children passed away in their young age, built a worship house in the back of the temple to worship her husband and children, her dead relatives, as well as for her worship after her death.
In 1842, as head of the congregation, she together with her realtives in the royal family undertook the reconstruction of the temple. The new structure consisted of a square main hall with two side-rooms, the headmonk’s residence, houses for staff, meditation hall, and a back house with more than ten rooms.
The set of statues of Past, Present and Future Buddhas and a statue of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva in bronze were cast, and a great-size bell, 398 pounds, and most of other statues in the temple were made this time. After the reconstruction was completed, Most Venerable Tế Chính Bổn Giác, a royal-recognized monk from Giác Hoàng temple, inaugurated the new temple in the same year. After the princess’ death, Đông Thuyền temple was entrusted to the heirs in the princess’ family in Dương Xuân Thượng and Hạ hamlets. The worship was thus carried on for three generations.
The in 1978, the last heir of the family submitted the temple to the Buddhist official authority. Most venerable Nun Diệu Không assigned Nun Diệu Đạt from Hồng Ân temple to take charge of the temple. In 1987 and 1989, Bhikkhuni Diệu Đạt rebuilt the princess’ worship house, the back house, tea house, and a three-entrance gate. Đông Thuyền nowadays still keeps its antique appearance in the architectural style of the earliest times of the Nguyễn Dynasty.
