Venerable Bhikkhu Paññākāra Tuệ Nhân, formerly known as Lâm Văn Nguyễn, was born in 1981 in Đắk Lắk, Vietnam, and emigrated to the United States in 1997. He graduated with a degree in Information Technology Engineering. During this period, he actively participated as a leader of the Buddhist Youth Association at Liên Hoa Temple in Irving, Texas, under the guidance of Abbot Venerable Khantidhammo Pháp Nhẫn, who was then Vice Chief of the Vietnamese Overseas Theravāda Buddhist Saṅgha Congregation. Venerable Khantidhammo Pháp Nhẫn bestowed upon him the Dhamma name Viên Trí.
In 2007, he was ordained as a novice monk (Sāmaṇera) under Venerable Bhaddanta Ratanaguṇa Bửu Đức at Vipassanā Bhāvanā Meditation Center at Hương Đạo Temple, Fort Worth, Texas. He received the monastic name Tuệ Nhân (Paññākāra).
Venerable Ratanaguṇa Bửu Đức is a Dhamma brother of Venerable Dhammarakkhita Hộ Pháp, a distinguished Aggamahāpaṇḍita, revered for his profound wisdom and great virtue. Both Venerables are the only surviving disciples of Venerable Hộ Tông (Bhaddanta Vaṃsarakkhitamahāthera), a renowned and exemplary monk with a Bodhisatta’s vow, who pledged a vow to become a Buddha and was instrumental in pioneering the dissemination of Theravāda Buddhism in Vietnam.
Before moving to the United States, Venerable Ratanaguṇa Bửu Đức served as one of the abbots of the Bửu Long Monastery, a historically significant temple in Thủ Đức, Vietnam. His contributions to preserving and propagating the Dhamma reflect the deep lineage and spiritual legacy of Vietnamese Theravāda Buddhism.
Bhikkhu Paññākāra Tuệ Nhân received full ordination (Upasampadā) during the Vesak full moon in 2010. Most Venerable Nanda and Most Venerable Sumanajoti recited Formal Announcement and Acceptance (Kammavācā).
In 2013, on the Vesak full moon, Bhikkhu Paññākāra Tuệ Nhân was officially appointed as the Deputy Abbot and Administrator of Hương Đạo Temple, under the witness and guidance of senior monks, including Venerable Puṇṇobhāso Viên Minh and Venerable Sīlaguṇo Giới Đức. In 2018, during the Vesak full moon, he founded the Hương Từ Charity Association, organizing global charitable activities. Later, he traveled to Myanmar for meditation studies under the guidance of Venerable Pa Auk Sayadaw in Pyin Oo Lwin.
In late 2020, Bhikkhu Paññākāra Tuệ Nhân returned to Hương Đạo Temple to fulfill responsibilities within the Temple. Inspired by the opportunity to expand the temple grounds and recognize the favorable conditions that have come, he presented his long-held aspiration to his teacher. With his teacher’s blessings, he initiated a project to construct a marble stupa complex designed to house the complete Pāli Canon (Tipiṭaka) in languages from various countries, including India (MāgadhīPāli), Bangladesh (Bengali), Thailand (Thai Pāli), Myanmar (Burmese Pāli), Sri Lanka (Sinhala), Cambodia (Khmer), Laos (Lao Pāli), Vietnam (Vietnamese), European countries (Latin Pāli), and United States (English). This project was formally presented to the international Saṅgha during the Vesak full moon in 2022, where it received widespread support and acclaim from monastics, lay practitioners, and local government officials.
As the Head of the Project Management Committee, Bhikkhu Paññākāra Tuệ Nhân has meticulously planned and implemented the various phases of the project’s development. Since November 2022, he and the Organizing Committee have been introducing the project to monastic communities and lay practitioners across the United States, Vietnam, India, Myanmar, and Nepal. The project continues to seek intellectual and financial support from benefactors worldwide to ensure its successful completion.
