Prominent Figures
of Vietnamese Buddhism
Ven. Thich
Thien Chau
---o0o---
TRAN THAI TONG, 1218-1277
Born of a fishermen family from Tuc Mac
(Nam Ha, Vietnam) Tran Thai Tong is the first king of the Tran dynasty. He mounted the
throne at eight, with as tutor Tran Thu Do.
In 1237, he took refuge at the Yen Tu with
the aim to consecrate himself entirely to Buddhism. He met there Master Truc Lam and told
him his projects.
Soon later, he returned to the capital.
Beside his Court activities, and his efforts for the maintenance and defense of the
kingdom, he continued to improve and learn Buddhism under the clear-sighted direction of
the best masters: Truc Lam, Tuc Lu, and with the help of his co-religious like Dai Dang,
Ung Thuan, Thien Phong. He equally and regularly maintained relations with other famous
masters like Duc Thanh who came from China.
As a king and as a Buddhist practitioner,
Tran Thai Tong was much interested in the study of Chinese civilization to draw from it
necessary lessons for the exercise of his political duty. He was devoted to Buddhism both
for his personal awakening and that of his people. He founded in 1253 in the capital a
national institute, erected statutes in honor of Chu Cong, Confucius, Mencius. He ordered
the painting of portraits of 72 Wisemen for their celebration. A few years after his
return from Mount Yen Tu, Tran Thai Tong proceeded to the installation of Ta Nhai
institute so that he could come there to meditate, to perfect himself in Buddhism and to
help those princes and dignitaries of the Court who wished to learn and practice Buddhism.
Tran Thai Tong had strong knowledge of the three religions practiced in Vietnam in that
time, namely: Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, but he naturally attached himself more to
writing on Buddhism.
Tran Thai Tong reigned for thirty two
years. Then he abdicated in favour of his son who seceded him under the name of Tran Thanh
Tong. However he remained as supreme counselor for another twenty years, benefiting of
this long respite to learn more and write. He died in 1277.
The whole work of Tran Thai Tong aimed at
awakening among followers a knowledge conforming to the reality of life sufferings of
birth, old age, illness, death, impurity of the body, impermanence and insubstantiality of
all phenomena. It aims at dissuading people from plunging blindly into harassment’s
of the world so that not to terminate their life in sufferings and regret. For Tran Thai
Tong, life is neither a beautiful flower garden, nor a blessing offered us by the
Providence. Rather, it is a bad dream. They are only mirages and illusions which fade away
quickly. All that this low world considers as precious and eternal like honour and wealth,
Tran Thai Tong considered it as artificial, ephemeral. According to Tran Thai Tong,
the Spirit of awakening must always be observed at all times by followers so that they are
not away from the native land of beatitude and not to wander into alien lands of
sufferings. Besides, it is thanks to this awakening that Tran Thai Tong does not shut
himself in the yoke of a lavish life that his royal position could have provided him. He,
on the contrary, has known to fully accomplish his task vis-a-vis his people, for the good
of his country, and succeeded at the same time in reaching his own awakening and
liberation.
To return to the native land, that is the
aim of Buddhists, notably followers of Thien, according to Tran Thai Tong. In several
works, he considers the attainment of awakening the return to native land: "The day
has ended, but one is ten thousand miles from the native land.", (Tu Son) or,
"On the long way, one does not walk but one arrives at home" (Niem Tung Ke). The
native land is nothing else but the proper nature which is also called real Spirit, which
dwells in and exists in each living being. Consequently, on the plane of the absolute,
Buddha and living beings are the same thing, since all is in Nature where Spirit is always
there, unshakable, transcendental and durable like a diamond: "proper Nature is
marvelous and quiet, where real Spirit is calm and silent." Nature abandons all ideas
on perfection and imperfection, except in the wisdom of Saints; one cannot find its
essence; it is not composed nor decomposed, it is not existent nor non-existent, human
eyes cannot see its face, ears cannot hear its echo, since it is not the existence nor the
non-existence it is neither supramundane nor mundane. It exits independent and
transcendental. Beyond itself, nothing exists, this is why it is called Nature of Diamond
(Kim Cuong Tam Muoi Kinh Chu Giai).Thus is Nature. Yet, it is covered by the evil of
ignorance and illusion. This is why, if one aspires to get it back and return to the
native land, one must develop wisdom by purification of Spirit according to the Dharma.
To return to the native land and discover
nature, one must train oneself in these three points of study advocated by Buddha:
morality (Sila), meditation (Samadhi) and wisdom (Prajna). Tran Thai Tong described:
"morality, it is just behaviour, meditation, it is non-agitation; and wisdom, it is
knowledge."Tran Thai Tong underlined the correlation between meditation and wisdom,
one being engendered by the other: there could not be wisdom as long as Spirit remained
agitated; therefore there is interference between these two psychic states.
Wisdom is engendered by meditation, if
Spirit is concentrated, Wisdom appears. If Spirit is agitated, Wisdom disappears.
Therefore there is interdependence between Wisdom and Meditation and that Spirit does not
arrive at concentration, Wisdom can be born: that is not correct. All living beings
originally possess potential Wisdom, but they don’t practice sitting meditation, they
cannot tell, of course, that they possess wisdom if it is not necessary to practice
sitting meditation to have Wisdom just the same, so what for the sitting meditation? (Tue
Giac Giam Luan).TRAN NHAN TONG, 1258-1308
Son of Vietnamese king Tran Thanh Tong,
his real name was Tran Kham. Tran Nhan Tong was born in 1258. Acceded to the throne at 20.
He was the third king of the Tran dynasty. He had the merit of twice winning over the
Mongolian armies. After a reign of 14 years, he abdicated and handed over power to his son
(who acceded to the throne under the name of Tran Anh Tong. He remained at his post of
Thai Thuong Hoang (King father) during 5 years. At the age of 41, Tran Nhan Tong left the
royal life and made himself a friar at the monastery. He was the reorganizer of the Truc
Lam school, a Vietnamese school of unified Thien. Even in his childhood, Tran Nhan Tong
had on many occasions made clear that he wished to stay away from power, and wanted to
step aside in favor of his young brother. In 1299, he left the capital and went to Yen Tu
mount to be able to consecrate entirely Buddhism. But at the order of his father, he was
compelled to regain the imperial palace. In spite of the splendor of life in the palace,
Tran Nhan Tong continued to live like a hermit, practiced a monastic life in Vo Lam pagoda
(Ninh Binh province), totally adopted a vegetarian regime and considered himself as the
spiritual son of Tue Trung. He definitely left the imperial palace in 1301, and placed
himself under the orders of Venerable Hue Tue, the fifth patriarch of Truc Lam school.
With a group of co-religious, Tran Nhan
Tong took a trip to Champa (Chiem Thanh) which has long been an enemy of Vietnam to study
the Buddhism situation there, and eventually to seek peace conditions between that kingdom
and Vietnam. It is in that purpose that he promised king Che Man the hand of his daughter,
princess Huyen Tran whose marriage was celebrated in 1306. The king of Champa donated to
Vietnam two provinces O and Ly (now Thua Thien, Hue).
Tran Nhan Tong was at the same time Tang
Thong (Patriarch) and Thai Thuong Hoang (King father). Though being at the head of the
Buddhist church, he never missed his mission given himself: reorganize Buddhist
institution and reform national culture in the spirit of Buddhism. Beside three months of
annual abstinence, Tran Nhan Tong made several travels throughout the country to preach
Buddhism, educate people, transform outdated customs and habits and particularly banned
all superstitions anchored since millennium in the mind of people, one of the main causes
of stagnation in the evolution of the country towards progress.
Thanks to his personal prestige and
influence on his son, king Tran Anh Tong, Tran Nhan Tong had been able to create a unified
Buddhist institution put on solid bases and capable of transforming the Vietnamese
society. Political, administrative and above all social transformations have been
proclaimed under his aegis. He thus prepared his succession in the person of Phap Loa who
would relay after his death in 1308. Among his successors, we can cite notably Phap Loa,
Huyen Quang, who had contributed to the great development of the Truc Lam School.
As patriarch of the Truc Lam school, Tran
Nhan Tong had bequeathed to posterity a considerable number of works, all impregnated with
Buddhist spirituality. The thought of Tran Nhan Tong reflects the influence of Tue Trung,
however it is not expressed as intense as the latter. On the contrary, the style of Tran
Nhan Tong is more alert, richer, more concise, full of imagery and more doctrinal. He has
a character of real conversation between master and disciples.
According to Tran Nhan Tong, the
potentiality of Awakening always exists in each person. And Reality is there eternally.
Consequently, to explore that faculty, one should not consider it as an external thing
that one must pursue to obtain. As Reality is there, one should not seek it as a lost
object. So it is necessary to develop that faculty by the method of not seeking it. In
other words, if one has the intention of becoming an Awakened (Buddha) in practicing
meditation, that is like "polishing a tile to make it a mirror and if one wants to
seek Reality as an object, one would never find it because one cannot penetrate reality
like one finds a desired thing. The following piece expresses the idea of Tran Nhan Tong
on the method of not seeking: "Immense reality is never constrained by ideas. Its
nature is calm and quite, it is neither good nor evil. When one makes discriminations
there, it becomes an inextricable complexity; as soon as a conception appears, it
disappears immediately. The profane and the Saint belong to the same origin. Truth and
falseness are nit two opposed poles. This is why one must know that in their proper nature
sin and merit are empty, cause and effect are unreal. The whole world possesses completely
that essence. Each person possess (potentially) already perfection. The nature of Buddha
and the body of Dharma are like the body and its shadow despite their appearance and
disappearance, they are neither one nor two; they dwell under our nose, in front of our
face. However, they are not easy to see even one looks attentively. For if one has the
intention of seeking it, one can never find reality. (Thien dao yeu hoc).The practice of
Thien, according to Tran Nhan Tong does not absolutely urge the exercise of sitting
meditation. It is the awakened and liberated life that counts. So one cannot live with the
Thien even in daily life by fulfilling social tasks. What matters is the awareness here
and now that accomplishes according to just comprehension and just thought whereas all
that concerns religious formalities is secondary. Consequently, Tran Nhan Tong advocated
that Thien addresses to all those who aspire to adeep spiritual life and seek beatitude
without any discrimination between religious and simple believers between man and woman,
between literate’s and illiterates etc. After having received initiation and
transmission, the followers teach themselves by leading a simple and just fife, conforming
to Reality with which they try to identify. In other words, all activities and thought of
believers must be oriented with intelligence and creativity in the direction of awakening
and liberation. When the method is well assimilated, somewhat passed into their life, the
believers can then split themselves, liberated from all constraint. At that moment, they
can forget Thien and even Buddha. Tran Nhan Tong can illustrate these ideas in a long and
important stanza entitled: Cu Tran Dac Dao or Live in the world while tasting the joys of
the way.VAN HANH, ? - 1018
Descended from the Nguyen, a very old
family of Vietnam Buddhists (Ha Bac). Van Hanh is known since his childhood for his great
intelligence. At twenty one, he knew thoroughly under the clear-sighted direction of Thien
Great Master Thien Ong in Luc To pagoda. Later, he practiced the method of Tong Tri Tam
Dia (Dharani-Samadhi), this one ensued from developed canonical books such as
Mahayana-Vaipulyadharani-Sutra.
Van Hanh had not only been a fervent
Buddhist practicing religion with great seriousness, but also a great prophet. His
monastic life has not prevented him from making politics, lavishing the king with
clear-sighted counsels on the direction of the country’s affairs, inspiring a large
scale administrative reform. Though this attitude does not correspond to that which all
Buddhists must observe, he has always been considered by his contemporaries as a great
master of Thien, as the 12th patriarch of Vinitaruci school, the first and most important
Thien school in Vietnam founded by Vinitaruci, an Indian master coming to Vietnam in 580
(passing by China). This school survived until the death of Y Son in 1216 and counted 19
patriarchs.Van Hanh recommended that the authentic source of Buddhism does not lie in
speeches (Sutra) nor great commentaries, but the discovery of the potentiality of
Awakening in each person. This teaching is summed up in the following stanza:
Never take wringing and words
As a transmission exists outside the
doctrine
Only when showing directly Spirit and when
discovering its proper nature that one
vacuum Buddha:
Believer of Thien, Van Hanh has not
written much. But he has acted by his wisdom and knew to make his disciples understand his
personal experience, forged in the light of Buddha teachings which do not emerge from the
domain of ametaphysics but rather the knowledge of oneself, of the art of living. He is
not a philosopher as conceived by the West. He did not seek to exert personal influence on
philosophy, he is a wiseman.
From the works of Van Hanh, only a certain
number of stanzas and words lavished on his disciples have become so-called maxims.
What is important for Van Hanh, it is not
the philosophical knowledge of the impermanence but the way of living conforming to this
reality. For him, it is the very texture of wisdom which sounds a positive value and
significance to life.
Buddha has said before his death "All
that is composed is submitted to decomposition. Work assiduously to your perfection"
(Digha Nikaya - II, 156); these words have been considered as the last message. Since
Buddha has taught it, insubstantiality, impermanence of life force us to realize at all
cost our deliverance. The stanza of Van Hanh is full of this meaning, by recommending
detachments towards the daily, equanimity before tribulations of the world. He considered
these are morning dew which disappears as soon as the sun rises.This stand constitutes the
fundamental principle of Van Hanh’s thought illustrated by the following remarks:
"I don’t rest on what I could eventually rest, nor on what I could do
it."Thus founding his philosophical thought, Van Hanh has succeeded in edifying his
work in the spiritual and social field thanks to this clear-sighted conception of events
which allowed it to come into help with compassion to the deprived. As we said it, Van
Hanh was at the same time a Buddhist believer, a master of Thien and a political counselor
of the king. He has accomplished his latter task with great competence, tact and
dexterity. A Confucian among his contemporaries said of him: "Van Hanh has
transcendent knowledge, a foreseeing spirit. He is equally a personality out of the common
of Buddhist circle."Van Hanh was a patriot inclobed in the policy of defense of
national sovereignty. Before him, there was a considerable number of Masters of the
Kingdom who have brought their personal contributions to the national cause. But it was
Van Hanh who has been the first to play a really important role: with one of his believers
and close disciples Ly Cong Uan, he plotted the overthrow of king Le Long Dinh, a
bloodthirsty dictator, and founded the Ly dynasty (1010-1225) on political and cultural
basis corresponding to teachings of Buddha.
TUE TRUNG, 1229-1299
Of his real name, Tran Quoc Trung, Tue
Trung is the elder son of Grand Prince Kham Minh Tu Then. He governed first the region of
Hong Lo (now Hai Hung province). It is at this period that twice he fought and won against
invading troops coming from China. Thanks to these feats of arms, he won his generalissimo
stick. He then was affected to the defense of Thai Binh maritime region. Once retired, Tue
Trung withdrew to Duong Chan Trang, Tinh Bang hamlet, Vinh Lai district. Of calm and deep
nature, Tue Trung was interested since his young age in Buddhism. He practiced Thien under
the direction of master Tieu Dieu. King Tran Thanh Tong, his brother-in-law, venerated him
as Thuong Si, a title equivalent to Bodhisattva, entrusted to him the education of his son
who later became king Tran Nhan Tong.
Tue Trung was a Buddhist follower, not a
friar, (bhiksu). But his contemporaries considered him as a master of Thien. Capable of
adapting easily to various aspects of life, and according to all circumstances while
knowing how to maintain principles of wisdom, Tue Trung never lingered to deceptive
appearances but gave much importance to the spiritual.
Break the abstract concept - In all his
talks and conversations, Tue Trung made use of just and right words to create a
psychological shock among the disciples and leading them to come out from the constraint
of teachings contained in canonical books. This teaching method had the advantage of
sowing doubt among disciples and therefrom create occasions for them to liberate
themselves from abstract concepts and leading them to Awakening.
Destruction of duality - In general, when
dealing with the problem of Awakening and Liberation, one always has the tendency of
drawing frontiers: Awakening ? Ignorance, Liberation ? Constraint, Good ? Bad, Sanctity ?
Profane etc. Pushed by this dualistic view, one considers oneself as an independent
subject which rejects this object and seeks the other. Even the Nirvana, the
Unconditioned, also becomes an object for those who aspire to deliverance from the circle
of births and deaths (Samsara).
Tue Trung seeks to conduct persons of
superior faculty towards direct accession to Reality and rejection of dualistic view or
dual knowledge of Reality.
Tue Trung not only destroys dualistic view
but he equally rejects falser problems often created when speaking of religion, notably
the problems of sin and merit, of saint and profane, of mundanity and supra-nundanity,
etc. These are problems that engender other false problems: the choice between good and
evil, high and low, noble and ordinary etc. However, on the plane of the Absolute, from
the point of view of "original Nature", the choice is not necessary, let alone
"significant". Consequently, problems like observance of Morality (Sila),
practice of (Ksanti), Meditation (Samadhi), development of wisdom (Prajna) are all futile.
The necessity is to transcend all practices of the Way to accede directly to Reality.The
whole work by Tue Trung is put together in Thuong Si Ngu Luc or Collection of words by
Thuong Si (Tue Trung). It has been revised by Tran Nhan Tong, edited by Phap Loa and
post-faced by great marshal Tran Khac Chung. This work comprises three chapter. Chapter I:
42 conversations between Tue Trung and his disciples. Chapter II: 13 Cong an (subject:
Thien) each consisting of 3 exposes - subject in question, observations and commentaries,
and the stanza. Chapter III: 49 poems dealing with big problems of Reality.
HUONG HAI, 1627-1715
Huong Hai was born in Thua Thien, Vietnam.
His grandfather Trung Loc Hau followed Lord Nguyen Hoang in the south, by the middle of
XVIth century. Since childhood, he distinguished himself by his intelligence. At 18, he
obtained his Bachelor of Arts. For this reason, he was chosen to work at the court of Lord
Nguyen. Sometime later, he was promoted to the grade of deputy head of Trieu Phong, Quang
Tri. In 1655, he left his function and made himself frair under the direction of master
Vien Canh coming from China and got the Buddhist name of Huyen Co Thien Giac alias Minh
Chau. He had his Buddhist studies, guided by master Dai Tham Vien Khoan.
Having had solid studies in Chinese as
basis, Huong Hai rapidly and easily penetrated into Chinese canonical books. Besides,
during the years of living in the north and in favourable conditions, had had written
about 30 books, either in Sino-Vietnamese or in Nom letter.
The works by Huong Hai still available
reveal that he scarcely liked speculations on doctrine or philosophy. He preferred
expressing his practical experiences, his realizations in the way based on a non-dualistic
comprehension of the relation between the good and the evil, matter and spirit, ignorance
and awakening, Buddha and living being.
According to Huong Hai, the good and the
evil are conditioned notions which are insubstantial and impermanent. Besides, they have
no proper nature. Their appearance and disappearance take their origin from spirit,
according to Buddhism lately developed, is always pure and unshakable. The distinction of
good and evil is really necessary to perfect morality (sila) not to return to the origin,
ie spirit. On the plane of the Absolute, to consider notions of good and evil as eternal
values and to want to appropriate the good and reject the evil constitute a hindrance to
achievement of Reality. In other words, it is beneficial to transcend dualistic
discrimination: opposition between the good and the evil in order to accede directly to
Reality. Given that the origin of good and evil is Spirit, to reject the good and the evil
is also to reject Spirit.
Consequently, one transcended, dual ideas
of good and evil have also surpassed the classical tradition: which consists in observing
the rules.
This tradition, according to Huong Hai, is
no longer necessary for he who has already realized the proper nature of Spirit, which is
pure and unshakable and has come to the level of total detachment, having a liberated
wisdom from all hindrance.
Huong Hai again explains: "When one
is ignorant, the subject follows the objects, and while objects are multiplied, the
subject is not unified; when one is awakened, the objects follow the subject while the
subject being unified wit itself, it diffuses the objects."Different from idealists
and materialists, Huong Hai considers that the existence of conscience and that of the
matter depend on each other. These two elements exist parallely. The reason of putting the
stress on the conscience comes from what it is in ourselves and can be directed and
mastered by ourselves, but not because it is in the origin of the matter. "if the
matter appears, the conscience appears. Without the matter, conscience disappears."In
the other respects, all conscience depending on external objects are impermanent. This is
why the most beneficial is to return to the origin - Spirit, it is not the passionate
pursuit of subject after objects of pleasure; to return to the origin, it is to live in
the plenitude of Being without alienation of space and time.
Buddha, that is awakened spirit state; on
the contrary, living-Being, that is ignorance. According to Huong Hai, awakening and
ignorance are of common origin, this implies that Buddha and living-Being are not
different on the plane of Absolute. The realization of the proper nature of Spirit
eliminates all useless discriminations between Awakening, Ignorance, Buddha, living-Being,
as Huong Hai put it.
Basing on the postulate: Buddha and
living-Being have a common origin, the Spirit is pure and unshakable, the method
recommended by Huong Hai is to return to Spirit by "Non-spirit".
"Non-spirit" is not indifference towards the world but an awakened visions,
guided by non-dual intuitive wisdom and transcendental knowledge without discrimination,
of existence and non-existence, of subject and object, of awakening and ignorance, without
contrary by passions and egoistic attachment.With wisdom, one lives in the world
correctly, peacefully, being in the way with awakened spirit, one is Buddha here and now.
LIEU QUAN, 1670-1743
Native of Bach Ma, under prefecture of
Dong Xuan, Phu Yen province (now Phu Khanh, Vietnam) Lieu Quan was born into a poor
family. He lost his mother at six. At twelve, his accompanied his father during a visit to
Hoi Tong pagoda, where he made acquaintance with master Te Vien. This later made a strong
impression on him. During the session he asked for authorization from his father to stay
with the Master and devote himself to religion. He left the pagoda in 1690 to settle down
in Thuan Hoa, in Thien Tho pagoda built on Ham Long mountain and led by master Giac Phong
who took him as disciple. One year after, he left the master to come home as his father
was very ill. After the death of his father, four years after his return to Thuan Hoa, he
returned to the pagoda to continue his studies and Buddhist research.
He received ordination of novice in 1695.
Two years later, at 27, complete ordination under the direction of master Tu Liem. He
worked hard and past most of his time in having relations with contemporary Great Masters
and discussed with them on doctrinal subjects.
In 1702, he met with the Chinese master Tu
Duong in An Tong pagoda of Long Son. This later belonged to the school of Lin-Tchi. He
counseled him of making research and meditate on the following subject:
"All things return to unique unity,
And unity, to what destination it
goes?Back in Phu Yen, Lien Quan put five years to studying and meditating on the
significance of that Cong An (Kung An in Chinese or Koan in Japanese: subject Thien). He
suffered greatly of not able to seize the import.
One day, when reading Truyen Dan Dai Luc
or Anthology of the lamp transmission, he stopped at the flowing sentence: "One does
not comprehend transmission of Spirit by indication of things."Lieu Quan soon
discovered the significance of Cong An that his master proposed him to meditate 5 years
before. He then returned to Thuan Hoa 1708 to report to master Tu Dung of the result of
his work, and most of all his personal comprehension of the significance of Cong An. Tu
Dung answered him in these terms:
"On the brink of a deep abyss, one
slackens one’s arms
One is all alone to endure sufferings
One dies, then one is born again
And no one can despise us."Lieu Quan
applauded, but Tu Dung made him understand that he has not yet seized the meaning of Cong
An, then severely told him:
"Not yet arrived!"Lieu Quan
replied: "The weight is originally in steel". But the master did not accept that
explication. The next morning, Lieu Quan passed before the refuge of Tu Dung who called
him and said: "What we have tackled together yesterday is not achieved yet. You
should further deepen your knowledge." Lieu Quan replied: "From early time, one
knows that the lamp is a flame! The rice is cooked long time ago".Then Tu Dung never
ceased to congratulate him.
In summer 1712, Lieu Quan not only was a
grand master of Thien who attained a very high level of culture by also a preacher having
all required qualities to dispense religious teaching to disciples. He built and directed
a considerable number of big pagodas throughout South Vietnam which was at that time under
the reign of Lords Nguyen, such as Thien Tong, Vien Thong pagodas (Thuan Hoa) Hoi Tong, Co
Lam, Bao tich pagodas (Phu Yen). He also was the Grand Computer of ordination ceremonies
of religious and laymen which numbered almost 4000.
In autumn 1742 he passed away in Vien
Thong pagoda at 72, in sitting position called blossomed lotus.
Lord Nguyen Phuc Khoan ordered the
erection in his honour and memory a stele and a tomb (stupa), giving him a posthumous
title of "Very Venerable of Excellent conduct, of propitious and just Awakening and
of perfect Comprehension."Lieu Quan was the 35th patriarch of the Lin Tchi school,
and founder of Lieu Quan school. Beside the stanza composed just before his death here
above mentioned, he left a second one to his disciples, which preached the essential of
Buddhist doctrine and fixed the order of transmission from generation to generation.
"Reality is the large Way, its nature
is like a limpid and calm sea
The source of Spirit impregnates
everywhere; the good of virtue is a wind of benevolence
The essence and function of Morality,
Meditation, Merit and Wisdom are interpenetrated
To surpass eternally the facts of
knowledge and result and discreetly harmonize achievements of practice
To concord conduct and comprehension
It is just that one attains and
understands real Vacuity."This stanza which preached fundamental principles of
practice and wisdom of his school, equally served as driving belt to one of the largest
Thien schools of Vietnam: each word of the poem serves to designate a generation of
followers and form their religious name. For instance:
a) The word THAT of the first line
indicates the first generation of Lieu Quan school; it formed with DIEU the religious name
of the founder: THAT DIEU;
b) The names of followers of the second
generation begin with TANH, and so on. Today, the successors of Lieu Quan belong mostly to
generations of TAM (like TAM MINH) or that of the NGUYEN (like NGUYEN DAO) etc. The author
of these lines has as religious name TAM THAT. Now the followers of Lieu Quan school are
of great number both in Vietnam and abroad.
One can say without exaggeration that the
Thien school of Lam Te (Lin Tchi) has been Vietnamized and developed notably in Southern
provinces, thanks to its doctrine and to its works of propagation.
Like all Thien masters, Lieu Quan did not
leave to posterity great writings. However, through his spiritual realizations, his
stanzas and particularly his conversations with Tu Dung, one can conclude without error
that his teaching is impregnated of the Thien spirit (Chan) by Tu Dung in Cong An on which
Lieu Quan meditated during five years:
"Everything returns to unique Unity
And Unity, to what destination it
goes?According to the tradition of Lam Te school or Lin Tchi, the Cong An are
contradictory statements or thoughts used by the Thien masters to create a psychological
shock among their disciples. They are formulated either under the form of thesis or
questions that cannot be solved by an intuitive and transcendental knowledge. They
contribute to creating a great state of spiritual tension provoking a personal experience
that the final purpose is Awakening. It is also a question of experience which exceeds
familiar dualities able to be notice between spectator and spectacle, between experimenter
and experience. Living Reality noticed by Awakening, which is discovery of Reality or
comprehension of Reality which always precedes an unshakable total liberation, full of
beatitude and which finally conducts the human being to master its end, like Lieu Quan had
experienced it.
The two stanzas of Lieu Quan above cited
get on an important doctrinal problem: Vacuity is perpetual interpretation between the
form and the empty. It should not be understood as Nothingness. By Vacuity (Sunyata in
Sanskrit, Khong in sino-vietnamese), one should understand the absence of all current
values, opposite properties or attributes that man gives it to beings or to things. It is
besides employed by Lieu Quan to express complete negation of this world of phenomena with
its procession of illusions and ignorance that human being takes it for Reality. It is
rather a pragmatic notion which leads to the Absolute. It is uniquely used to help human
being to surpass oneself constantly. Apparently, it has no positive significance, but it,
on the contrary, constitutes a source where liberation comes to get drenched by Wisdom.
The beatitude of most perfect one will appear when one finds oneself in Vacuity or the
Absolute.
-------------------------------
Source: Vietnamese Studies, No 2 - 1993,
Hanoi, Vietnam.
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Update: 01-11-2001
