Lacquered Thiền: A New Face of Thiền Manifested through Sinic-Vietnamese Contact as a “Cocktail Thiền” of Vietnamese Buddhism
Lacquered Thiền: A New Face of Thiền Manifested through Sinic-Vietnamese Contact as a “Cocktail Thiền” of Vietnamese Buddhism
DON THUONG TRIEU
University of Hawaii at Manoa Southeast Asian Studies
Introductions
History of Vietnamese Buddhism in period of pre-Trần dynasty
The Thiền Trúc Lâm School and the Cư Trần Lạc Đạo Phú
Conclusion
English Translation of the Cư Trần Lạc Đạo Phú
Appendix
Introductions
The aim of this research paper is to re-investigate the foundation of Thiền Trúc Lâm School of Vietnamese Buddhism, and thus its philosophical and cultural significance as representing Vietnam “pure” Buddhism. This Thiền School is considered to be the “first serious effort to establish a Zen school in medieval Vietnam.” The Thiền Trúc Lâm School became a national symbol of Vietnamese independence as a response to Vietnamese de-Sinicization efforts. Amongst Vietnamese Buddhist scholars, there are two opposite attitudes regarding this Zen school. The first attitude is that most Vietnamese Buddhist scholars [inside Vietnam] regard this Zen school as a “pure Vietnamese” Zen school. For example, Le Manh That proposed that a Vietnamese ruler, “Trần Nhân Tông established a stream of Thiền Trúc Lâm Yên Tử which reflected pure Vietnameseness based on the doctrine of Cư trần lạc đạo,” a purely Vietnamese text. Likewise, Thich Phuoc Dat, another Vietnamese Buddhist scholar, stated that “the Thiền Trúc Lâm School carried one authentic color of the independence of people [the Vietnamese], sovereignty, because it had never relied on or incorporated influences from any Ch’an schools from China.” The second attitude is that there is no “pure” Vietnamese Buddhism; but in fact, Vietnamese Buddhism is a unique cocktail version of blending and incorporation of other influences, predominately from China. This second attitude can be observed in the works of Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, a Buddhist scholar [outside Vietnam], and founder of the Van Hanh Buddhist University in Saigon during the Vietnam/American War. He evaluated the Thiền Trúc Lâm School and considered it to be the “backbone for the independent foundation of Vietnamese Buddhism” even though it had welcomed some influences from
Chinese Buddhism, Indian Buddhism, and Tibetan Buddhism; it still however, held for itself the
“special characteristics” of independent Đại Việt.
Yet, the dispute continues and there is no common or unanimous conclusion. As an additional example, Nguyen Tu Cuong, another Vietnamese Buddhist scholar working outside Vietnam from George Mason University in Virginia, argued that the Zen schools in Vietnam, including the Thiền Trúc Lâm School, “only stems from the elite eager to bring orthodoxy to
Vietnamese Buddhism.” In other words, it is a “fabrication” for a small group of Vietnamese.
On the other hand, in his book Zen in Medieval Vietnam, Nguyen Tu Cuong stated that the Trúc Lâm Zen School is a genuinely Vietnamese Buddhist school.9 These disagreements amongst scholars, namely whether Thiền Trúc Lâm School is purely Vietnamese or whether it was influenced by other cultures and traditions that motivated me to conduct a re-examination of the true face of the Thiền Trúc Lâm School of Vietnamese Buddhism.
Is it true that the Trúc Lâm School is thuần túy, a true reflection of pure Vietnamese Buddhism? What is pure Vietnamese Buddhism; is there such a thing? In order to approach these question, as an approximation closer to reality, I consider the text of Cư Trần Lạc Đạo Phú which was written in Chữ Nôm by the founder of this Zen school. My first task was to transliterate and translate this text into the current Vietnamese language. Chữ Nôm literally means “Southern script” which was invented based on Chinese logographic script by the Vietnamese scholars such as Nguyễn Thuyên – he was the first scholar who used Chữ Nôm to compose poetry in the 1280s. This text was composed in the form of Phú (賦 or fú in
Chinese). The phú is a type of rhymed prose that originated in Chinese literature during the Western Han period (206 BCE – 39 CE). It was widely used in Chinese literature to express appreciation for the beauty of nature from the countryside or to criticize the government. O. W. Wolters, a Southeast Asian historian, observed that it “became a successful Vietnamese localization of Chinese literacy form during the second half of the fourteenth century.” King Trần Nhân Tông composed this phu to express his understanding of Buddhist philosophy for his Trúc Lâm Zen School. Regarding my approach to the translation work, first, I engaged in transliteration from Chữ Nôm into Chữ Quốc Ngữ (or the current Vietnamese language) for the Vietnamese audience. However, I did not provide footnotes for this version of transliteration (English speakers will not find this useful). Second, I then translated this Chữ Quốc Ngữ version into English (this is the first time this document has been translated into English) with brief footnotes for each chapter. I hope that English readers may benefit from this translation and gain an understanding of this rich, original text. Upon completing this translation work, I then took a step back to consider the historical background that gave rise to the birth and dispute about the origins of Vietnamese Buddhism, from the beginning to the Trần dynasty (1225-1440). My aim was to identify the possible Sinic factors that influenced or may have influenced the shaping of Vietnamese Buddhism. Along these lines, the paper then continues by examining the origination of the text Cư Trần Lạc Đạo Phú. I analyzed the philosophical doctrines that are included in the text, to highlight the presence or absence of its Sinic influences. These steps were done with the intention of pointing out the presence of Viet-factors versus the presence of Sinic-factors, in order to see whether the Trúc Lâm Zen School is a genuine reflection or authentic form of Vietnamese Buddhism, or whether it is simply a version of Chinese Buddhism. By doing this, I hope we can see the true face of this Zen school objectively and from a scholarly viewpoint.
Background History of Vietnamese Buddhism in period of pre-Trần dynasty
First, this section does not intend to provide a complete and thorough discourse about the history of Vietnamese Buddhism, but rather, I review some major Buddhist schools that were influential in shaping Buddhism in Vietnam. Specifically, I draw attention to the possible Sinic influences in these Zen schools of Vietnamese Buddhism. This attempt will reveal that there is nothing called thuan tuy Vietnam or “pure Vietnamese [[[Buddhism]]]” as some scholars argued in regard to the Trúc Lâm Zen School; in fact, I propose that there is no pure Vietnamese Buddhism, but that it is more like a “cocktail” version.
The first “seed” for the Thiền Trúc Lâm School was planted by the Thiền Khuong Tang Hoi School, founded by Master Tăng Hội (Kang Shen Hui). Although Master Tăng Hội’s birthday is still unknown, we do know that he was born around the first decade of the third century, and that the year of his death was recorded on 280 C.E. His father was a Sogdian trader and his mother was a woman of Giao Châu – (交州, Jiaozhou)15. Nguyen Tai Thu and his colleagues argued that he was born in Sogdiane – a country in Central Asia that now is Uzbekistan, but there is no evidence to confirm this. However, I think, he was born in Vietnam because in the preface of Anapanasati Sutra, he states that his parents passed away when he was ten years old and he was accepted by a temple in Giao Châu which is located in Vietnam; so he was a Vietnamese boy at that time. Thich Nhat Hanh concluded that Khuong Tang Hoi was the “first Zen teacher in Vietnam.” He wrote numerous works that included Anapanasati, the Skandha-shatu-ayatana19, the Ugradatta, the Tree of the Bodhisattva’s Path , the
Smrtipasthana, and the Sutra of Forty-Two Chapters, the Prajnaparamita in Eight Thousand Lines , and the Collection on the Six Paramitas . The Collection on the Six Paramitas was compiled by himself. In this work, he emphasized the six virtues of an idealistic person – a Bodhisattva – who engages into life to serve living beings in order to help them cross over to the other shore (which means paramita), the shore of happiness or perfection. How? His methodology of meditation is based on Anapanasati sutra – a basic meditation for the Theravadin Buddhism School that focuses on the technique of mindful breathing. The English translation of the Preface of Anapanasati shows that Khuong Tang Hoi, which Thich Nhat Hanh translated, wrote it: “Mindfulness of breathing is the great vehicle used by the Buddhas to save beings who are tossing up and down and drowning in the ocean of great suffering.” The image of a Bodhisattva who engages with society by “mediation on breathing” as a tool (or upaya – skillful means) to help society to reduce suffering, reflects the philosophy of Engaged Buddhism that was deeply embedded in the Thiền Khuong Tang Hoi School. During this time, Vietnam was under Chinese dominance, through policies that promulgated “Chinese hegemony,” so there was much suffering and injustice in the society. Buddhism became a response to such oppression and adverse circumstances. Moreover, the idea of “engaged Buddhism” of this school became exported to China during the Warring States after the fall of Han Empire in 229 C.E. Giao Châu was part of Dong Wu, and Master Tăng Hội traveled to Dong Wu in 247. The ruler of this region was King Sun Quan or 孫權 (182-252), and Tang Hoi challenged the king and received the support of Sun Quan to establish the First
Temple (Chùa Kiến Sơ). Master Tang Hoi formed the sangha and organized an ordination ceremony for the monks in southern China under Sun Quan’s support.
Although Master Khuong Tang Hoi, arguably of Vietnam origins, is regarded as the first Zen master of Vietnam, Vietnamese Buddhism was first formulated with influences from India and later China with increasing Chinese dominance. In fact, the official language for sutras study was classical Chinese. Chinese factors played a very important role in development of Vietnamese Buddhism during pre-Trần dynasty that was the background for the development of the Trúc Lâm Zen School; therefore, Buddhist scholars who argue that this Zen school is a “pure” Vietnamese is basing such claims subjectively, appealing to personal biases. We see that Sinic influences continued throughout Vietnamese Buddhist history.
The second Thiền School of Vietnam which contributed to the emergence of the Thiền
Trúc Lâm School is the Thiền Tỳ-ni-đa-lưu-chi (Vinitaruci) School, which has its origin from
China and India. Evidence for tracing this influence back to India is based on Thiền Uyển Tập Anh – a collection of biographies of high monks of Vietnam that was compiled during the fourteenth century by “collective authors.” Zen master Tỳ-ni-đa-lưu-chi (Vinitaruci), an Indian monk, first came to China before he ventured to Giao Châu (Vietnam) sometime during 580 C.E.
He passed away in 594. He was a student of Tăng Xán or Sengcan26 – the third Patriarch of Chinese Ch’an Buddhism after the legendary First Patriarch Bodhidharma. In other words, his training was in the Chinese Ch’an Buddhism tradition. He established a Thiền school that bears his name in Vietnam. This shows that even though he was an Indian Buddhist monk, his training was in Chinese Ch’an tradition. This school merged into the Thiền Vô Ngôn Thông School, to be discussed shortly; by event of Master Thuong Chieu came to teach Dharma as a head monk or Dharma teacher (toạ chủ) at Luc To temple, an old temple of the Tỳ-ni-đa-lưu-chi School. And
Thuong Chieu was a great-grandmaster of King Trần Nhân Tông, who founded the Trúc Lâm Zen school. Nguyen Tu Cuong argued strongly that this school is “an effort to rationalize the root of this Vietnamese line of Buddhism in Chinese Zen” in terms of legitimizing its orthodoxy as a continuum of the Chinese Chan tradition. Thus, the evidence does not support the view of some Vietnamese Buddhist scholars that the Trúc Lâm Zen School is a thuần tuý Vietnamese Zen school.
The third school that also laid a solid stone for construction of the Thiền Trúc Lâm School is the Thiền Vô Ngôn Thông School, which also had its origins in China. According to Thiền Uyển Tập Anh, in the year 820, Zen master Vô Ngôn Thông came to Vietnam from China, but passed away six years later. He lived in Kiến Sơ Temple - 建初寺 (in present day Hanoi – Vietnam). His Thiền School bears his name, like the Thiền of Vinitaruci. According to the lineage of this school, the first patriarch was Zen master Vô Ngôn Thông and the second was Cảm Thành; the last generation was the Zen master Tiêu Diêu. There were seventeen generations of this school. 頓悟
The philosophy of the Thiền Vô Ngôn Thông School emphasizes the practice of đốn ngộ - – or sudden enlightenment, which means people can experience the enlightenment at any given moment, and it is not necessary to practice gradually (漸悟). In tracing back the origins of Vô Ngôn Thông’s basic teaching, one can see that it is based on Huineng’s teaching- the Sixth patriarch of Chan Buddhism of China; he is the root-master of Vô Ngôn Thông’s philosophy. He achieved enlightenment under the training of the Thiền master Bǎizhàng Huáihǎi 百丈懷海 -
Bách Trượng Hoài Hải (779 - 803), who was the author of Bach Truong Thanh Quy (The Bǎizhàng’s Principle: 一日不作一日不食 - no working a day, no eating a day). This principle was applied in the Wu Yang Tong School in Vietnam throughout seventeen generations. We can see the practice of Thiền is not to eliminate daily life in the sense of “Ordinary Mind as the Way”. Instead, “working” and “eating” are two important factors for happiness in life reflecting the nature of inseparation between Zen’s practice and ordinary daily activities (i.e., direct involvement with the mundane, not avoiding the mundane). One can see that Trần Nhân Tông emphasized this principle again as it became the principle of the Thiền Trúc Lâm School:
饑 則 飧 兮 困 則 眠 (Classical Chinese)
Đói cứ ăn đi mệt ngủ liền (Modern Vietnamese)
Whenever hungry, just eat; whenever sleepy, just sleep.
This principle illustrates the pragmatics of practicing Thiền (Zen) during the Tran dynasty, practicing Thiền is not a vaguely conceived idea but directly relates to life as it is lived in reality. D.T. Suzuki, a great scholar who spread Japanese Zen to the world, commented that Zen does not promote “nihilism” (because of the doctrine of emptiness – sunyata) and it is not a
“quibbling,” “playing at words,” or “sophistry;” but it is “the most serious concern in the world.” Thus, Thiền in Vietnam is not practicing exclusion, but wholehearted inclusion; it concerns the quality of human living in order to bring more happiness and peace for life. Indeed, this reflects the spirit of engaging with society. Le Manh That even suggested that this principle should become the “theory of nation-state” of the Tran dynasty because it satisfied the basic pragmatic needs as foods (wealth) and sleeps (security) of the Dai Viet society.
According to the lineage of the patriarch of this school during the Tran dynasty, Trần
Thái Tông (the first king of Tran dynasty, Trần Nhân Tông’s grandfather), Tran Thanh Tong (second king, his father), and Tue Trung Thuong Si (his uncle and his Zen teacher) are the disciples of this school. Therefore, either the relationship between the Thiền Trúc Lâm School and this Thiền School is very close, or Thiền Trúc Lâm is a continuation of the Thiền Vô Ngôn Thông School. This school provided a solid foundation for the appearance of Thiền Trúc Lâm School in both practice and philosophy. Again, we see that the Thiền Trúc Lâm School adopted these “Chinese doctrines” of Ch’an Buddhism in China. Therefore, to conclude that the Trúc Lâm Zen School is a “genuinely” Vietnamese Buddhism is not convincing because the Chinese Ch’an doctrines were the backbone for the establishment of the Trúc Lâm.
The last imported Buddhist school prior to the establishment of the Thiền Trúc Lâm School is the Thiền Thảo Đường School. With the continuous support of Buddhism from the kings of the Ly dynasty (1010-1225), the second ruler Ly Thanh Tong (1023-72) established the Thiền Thảo Đường School. He thus became the first generation of this school. Zen master Thảo Đường, a Chinese master who was a student of Xuedou Zhijan of Ch’an from China, was captured in Champa during Dai Viet’s attack in 1069. In discovering, that he was a great Thiền master and Buddhist scholar, King Ly Thanh Tong expressed his deep admiration for this monk’s knowledge of Buddhism. He became Zen master Thảo Đường’s disciple and studied with him. In fact, Zen master Thảo Đường was granted the title of “Quốc sư”, meaning “teacher of the country” or national Zen master by Ly Thanh Tong. Whitmore and his colleagues remarked that “at this time, Vietnamese society consisted of an aristocracy, a religious class (the Buddhist community), and peasants” and Dai Viet interacted and borrowed ideology from “its Southeast Asian neighbors” such as Champa in terms of shaping and aligning its country with the Buddhist philosophy. Le Manh That argued that “until Ly Thanh Tong’s reign, the strategy of development of Dai Viet was more clear cut, the direction of development of country with
Buddhist philosophy as its core force.” Thich Thien An added “As the first patriarch of the Thao Duong sect, Ly Thanh Tong was instrumental in establishing the teaching of his master in Vietnam, and in providing a suitable ecology for the growth of the Thiền Thảo Đường School.” The four successors of Ly monarchs of the Ly were equally earnest Buddhist patrons, including Ly Anh Tong (ruled 1138-1175) and Ly Cao Tong (ruled 1176-1210) who received the “seal-ofmind or tam an”40 to become third and the fifth patriarchs in the School of Thiền Thảo Đường. Again, we can see clearly the influence of Chinese Buddhist philosophy during the Ly dynasty and its penetration into the political affairs during the Ly dynasty. However, this school’s impact was on the royal cohort rather than the lay community because its nature of richness in poetic style and this style strongly influenced the monks of Vô Ngôn Thông and Tỳ-ni-đa-lưu-chi, which were the foundational schools for the Thiền Trúc Lâm School. Again, we see clearly that the Thiền Thảo Đường that originated from China strongly penetrated into the establishment of the Thiền Trúc Lâm School. This evidence tells us that the Thiền Trúc Lâm School arose based dominantly on “Chinese factors.” In sum, the emergence of all schools of Zen described above with their strong roots in Chinese Ch’an Buddhism should give us conclusive evidence that the establishment of the Thiền Trúc Lâm School is not a “pure” Vietnamese Buddhist School.
Thiền Trúc Lâm School and the Cư Trần Lạc Đạo Phú
All three major Zen schools in Vietnam with origins in China, namely Tỳ-ni-đa-lưu-chi, Vô Ngôn Thông, and Thảo Đường, presented above indicate a directed connection with the Thiền Trúc Lâm School. Therefore, we can imagine that the role of Chinese Cha’n influence is extremely important for its formation in Vietnam. Nguyen Tu Cuong commented, “Trúc Lâm Zen was principally a form of high-culture Buddhism for aristocrats” because it was viewed by the kings of the Tran dynasty as an ideal way in which to enjoy life and to become a spiritual leader after abdicating the throne to the next king. The motif of “transmission of the lamp” or “mind-seals” is a practice of Chinese Ch’an tradition. This motif was also an ideal for these schools of Zen in Vietnam, including the Thiền Trúc Lâm School.
In sum, we cannot conclude that the Thiền Trúc Lâm School that was established by the Vietnamese king is purely Vietnamese. Although Vietnamese people founded the Thiền Trúc Lâm School, it was modeled after the Chinese Zen tradition with local modification in terms of language and local interpretation. How so? Let’s us explore the text of Cư Trần Lạc Đạo Phú in terms of language and philosophical doctrines. According to Tho Van Ly Tran , a collection of poetry and writings of the Ly and Tran dynasty included about 32 poems and 22 diplomatic letters to the Emperor Yuan of China, along with other writings. Cư Trần Lạc Đạo Phu is one of such poems, and we can examine this piece of literature to explore influences from Chinese Ch’an traditions. As I mentioned above, “cư trần lạc đạo” means to enjoy practicing Dharma while living in the ordinary mundane world. In other words, this statement emphasizes that Vietnamese Buddhism is not separated from normal life. This reflects the concept of “ordinary mind as the Way,” that is, an adoption of Chinese Ch’an tradition. In chapter 3 of the phú, the author reaffirmed this philosophy:
㐱孛羅𢚸𢚸舍諳𠳨𠳨隊機馬祖
“Buddha is the Mind, and so one should learn the practices of Master Mã-Tổ. In general, the phu was written in Chu Nom (Chinese logographic script); the central idea is a replica of Mazu’s theory of “Buddha is Mind” from Chinese Ch’an, phú is a genre-rhymed prose that originated from China. All of these are “Sinic factors.” Only the author, few vocabulary , and pronunciation are Viet-factors. Again, it is very hard to accept the concept of the Thiền Trúc Lâm School as “pure” Vietnamese Buddhism.
Another example is the metaphors that the author used in the Cư Trần Lạc Đạo Phú. For instance, there were only three Vietnamese metaphors, namely “Cánh Diều Yên Tử” and “Sạn Hut and East Mount,” mentioned in chapter 3. The rest of metaphors are from Chinese Buddhism. For example, there are 32 metaphors in chapter 9 alone; they are all Chinese Ch’an historic metaphors, and none is Vietnamese. How can we conclude that this is an “authentic” Vietnamese Buddhist tradition with such obvious Chinese influences (100% Chinese factors in chapter 9 alone)?
For Vietnamese scholars, this text is a crystallized work of King Trần Nhân Tông, a philosophical core of the Thiền Trúc Lâm School and a “political ideology” to guide the kingdom during the period when KingTrần Nhân Tông served as the King. Many Vietnamese scholars, including Thich Phuoc Dat in his Ph.D dissertation and Nguyen Dinh Chu in his Ph.D dissertation, have frequently cited this statement. It became a standard for Vietnamese Buddhist scholars as a “thuần túy” Vietnamese Buddhism. Thích Nhất Hạnh perceives this text as “the heart” of the Thiền Trúc Lâm School in terms of philosophy and Buddhist practice in his
Vietnamese book, Trái Tim Của Trúc Lâm Đại Sĩ. I found no comment or even mention of this text by Western scholars including notable works by Taylor and Whitmore. This text contains many “Chinese factors” that reflect the inevitable phenomenon in Sinic-Viet contact especially since Vietnam was occupied by Chinese dynasties for more than one thousand years.
With respect to the philosophical doctrines, let us explore the core philosophy of Thiền Trúc Lâm School by examining the conclusion verse in Cư Trần Lạc Đạo Phú:
居塵樂道且隨緣， 饑則飧兮困則眠。 家中有寳休尋覓， 對境無心莫問禪.
Dwelling in the world with the Joy of Practicing the Dharma, let it flow with its conditions.
When hungry then eat! Where tired, so sleep then!
Treasures in the home, suspending the search,
Facing situation with no-mind! What inquiring Thiền for!
First concept of Thiền Trúc Lâm School is “隨緣” or tuy duyen is “flow with conditions.” This concept parallels “隨處作主 - tuỳ xứ tác chủ” of the Linji Zen School56 in China, which means having awareness to be mastered in any situations. Notice that Linji Zen came to Vietnam during this time and its influence on Zen of Vietnam was very strong. Second, the “無心, or vô tâm - wuxin – mind of emptiness” is another important element in the Thiền Trúc Lâm School. NoMind means no-thoughts or no-notions; we do not need a single thought to conceptualize the world because the world exists by itself. With or without the thoughts, the world exists as it is. It is a process of deconceptualization or sunyata in Buddhism. Liberation or freedom from all concepts is the highest value in Buddhism or nirvana. In Vietnamese, it is called niết bàn, a form of freedom and happiness. With reference to freedom, in the very first line of Cư Trần Lạc Đạo Phú, Trần Nhân Tông used the term of “rỗi” which means that the core practice of a Thiền practitioner is freedom. Third, the concept of “Buddha is Mind” reflects in terms of “家中有寳, or gia trung hữu bảo - treasures in the home.” This is central concept of Chinese Ch’an Buddhism. Thich Nhat Hanh concluded that the Linji School came to Vietnam with the concept of “No-Mind” and that it greatly influenced Vietnamese Buddhism during this time.59 Again, I can refute the argument of the Thiền Trúc Lâm School is a “pure or thuần túy” form of Vietnamese Buddhism because the “Chinese factors” are always dominant everywhere in this Thiền school.
Before concluding, I would like to sum up the basic teachings of the Buddha. The cosmological view in Buddhism relies on the view of prattiyasamutpada or dependent origination. Phenomena manifest with that as its base (i.e., this is because that is); therefore, there is no intrinsic nature (anatman or non-self) of a thing [in order to differentiate with other thing] but things exist in a continuum of changing (impermanence) of co-existing factors. Without notions and labels, the world functions as it is; thus, peace, non-discrimination, or nonduality (as no notions of “self” and “others”) is possible. Given this aspect of interbeing or coexistence, there is no such a thing as “pure” Buddhist tradition when it emerged into any society. Therefore, there is no a thuần túy or pure of Vietnamese Buddhism, but it is a “localized” Buddhism of Vietnam. In other words, the process of localization of Buddhism has lacquered giving a new face of Vietnam Buddhism as a “cocktail” Buddhism rather than a “pure” Buddhist form.
Conclusion
For decades, many Vietnamese Buddhist scholars have argued that Vietnamese Buddhism reflects a “pure” unadulterated form of Vietnamese Buddhism. However, based on the analysis of the historical genesis of Vietnamese Zen and the famous but yet untranslated historical text Cư Trần Lạc Đạo Phú, I argue that Vietnamese Buddhism, specifically Vietnamese Zen, is a composite, cocktail version. Based on the sense of nationalism, most Buddhist Vietnamese scholars tried to de-Sinicize Vietnamese Buddhism with the intention of uplifting Vietnamese Buddhism because the Vietnamese people had endured “Chinese rules” for more than a millennium. In fact, when King Trần Nhân Tông of the Tran dynasty established the Trúc Lâm Zen School in the fourteenth century, the majority of Vietnamese people quickly conceived this school to be a “genuine” or “pure” Vietnamese Buddhist Zen school. Scholars have subsequently supported this notion. Perhaps it simply reflects the view that the Trúc Lâm Zen School is an example of the intention of Vietnamese to form an “independent” identity for the Vietnamese.
With such a long term of Chinese dominance and influence, it should not be surprising that Thiền Trúc Lâm School incorporated many Sinic factors including language, philosophical concepts, and genre of poetry. Even the ritual of certifying achieving enlightenment (đắc pháp) as “transmission of the lamp” borrows from Chinese Ch’an Buddhist practice. One thousand years in Chinese rules, it is normal that “Chinese factors” emerged in people’s mentality.
Stephen O’Harrow at the University of Hawai‘i commented that Vietnamese people react
angrily if one questions him/her about the facts of borrowing Chinese cultural factors [[[language]], religion, or model of politics], but in the reality, s/he uses “Chinese values” as his or her own “property” in their own way of life. This observation means that some elements of Chinese culture have become a “natural portion” of their culture.
One can observe the strong Sinic influence in the literary text investigated in this paper, the Cư Trần Lạc Đạo Phú. This phú was composed in Chinese genre and in Chu Nôm (a Chinese based logographic script), and it included numerous Chinese metaphors. Excluding the facts that 1) Trần Nhân Tông was a Vietnamese and 2) the text was composed on Vietnamese soil, the phú was heavily influenced by Sinic factors. However, Vietnamese scholars often easily put this aside and embrace it as “thuần tuý or pure” Vietnamese Buddhist text. It is true that Vietnamese Buddhism is made by non-Vietnamese elements to form the Vietnamese Buddhism. This process reflects the core teaching of the Buddha – the pratiyasamutpada or dependent origination; thus, everything is interbeing. By refuting the argument that the Thiền Trúc Lâm School is a “pure” Vietnamese Buddhist Zen School, I do not intend to devalue its role in shaping the philosophy of Cư trần lạc đạo – Dwelling in the World with the Joy of Practicing the Dharma – of this school. This is a form of “engaged Buddhism” in Vietnam, a term that Thich Nhat Hanh coined during the Vietnam/American War. Engaged Buddhism means that Buddhist teachings are not reserved for any particular cohort, but are for everybody, and it means engagement with everyday living, the mundane existence of life. There is nothing wrong if Chinese Ch’an Buddhism influenced Vietnamese Buddhism. It is simply the process of localization, and as long as the Buddhist values of compassion, peace, and nonviolence are promoted and endorsed for reduction of suffering and for liberation for its practitioners. Then, it does not matter what label is attached to the term Buddhism or even using the word of “Buddhism” is not useful at all for any purpose.
English Translation of the Cư Trần Lạc Đạo Phú
Dwelling in the World with the Joy of Practicing the Dharma 居塵樂道賦
Cư Trần Lạc Đạo Phú
By King Trần Nhân Tông
Chapter 1
Body is in the town, Behavior is in the manner of mountain and forest being one.
Half-day practicing freedom , all actions are suspended and our True Nature is at peace. When the source of craving and attachment stops,
Then we no longer think of desire, of jewelry, and of gems. When the voice of argument of right and wrong is suspended, there is plentiful occasion to listen to the birds’ singing.
Enjoying the beauty of clear water or hiding in green mountains, how many are able to be satisfied with this? Knowing the nature of cherry blossoms and green willows, how many are able to understand?
The clear sky and the bright moon, shining on all rivers of Thiền. The sun of wisdom shines on all living beings to bloom beautiful flowers and to green tender willows.
Changing-bones and flying high, thus people want this elixir. Craving to prolong life and go to Heaven, thus people seek the immortal medicine.
Loving the nature of clarity is more precious than gems. Relaxing, reciting sutras, appreciating the nature of freedom more than gold.
Chapter 2
Knowing that, There is only one Dharma, which is the practice for freedom of mind.
Maintaining the nature of clarity, one might experience peace. Refraining the rise of all wrong perceptions,69 thus they are suspended
Suspending the notion of “self” and “persons,” thus the true nature of diamond is manifested.70 Ending greed and anger, thus, the mind of fully enlightenment appears.71
Pure Land is the pure mind, there is no wondering about which is the Western Paradise. Amitabha is the shining nature of clarity, why [are you] still looking exhaustedly for the Land of Ultimate Joy?72
Contemplating in the body and the mind, cultivating the nature of awakening,73 No need to wait for the accomplishment to show off to others.
69 念妄(Nôm), niềm vọng is native speaking form in Vietnamese ( vọng niệm, wrong perception, is in SinoVietnamese form).
70 “nhân or person” and “ngã or self” are two of four notions (the other two are included notions of living beings (chúng sanh) and lifespan (thọ giả) in the Diamond Sutra in Mahayana Buddhism. This sutra emphasizes the concepts of dependent origination. The formula that “A is made up from non-A factors that is the true A.” A person is made up a lot of “non-person” elements such as water, food, air, etc., to construct an entity called “person.” The self is constructed by many other non-self-factors to become that “self.” Because “here is the left”, therefore one could determine “the right is over there.” In this sutra, in order to experience the reality of phenomena, one should practice suspending all notions or labels that pre-occupy the mind. For a further detailed explanation, consult the book by Thich Nhat Hanh, “The Diamond that Cuts Through Illusion: Commentaries on the Prajñaparamita Diamond Sutra,” (Berkeley, California: Parallax Press, 1992).
71 圓覺(Sino-Vietnamese), viên-giác, fully enlightenment. This is a goal of a Buddhist. The Fully Enlightenment is the of title of the Buddha. 72 西方(Sino-Vietnamese), Tây- Phương: Western Paradise; and 極樂 (Sino-Vietnamese), Cực-Lạc: Land of Ultimate of Joy. Two of these terms are described as being in one place that is called the Pure Land (of the Amitabha Buddha). According to the Longer Sukhavatuvyuha Sutra (in Sanskrit), or Da Amitoufo Jing, 大阿彌陀經 (in Chinese), and/or "The Great Amitābha Buddha Sūtra” (in English), the Amitabha Buddha is ruling and preaching the Dharma in the Pure Land. If one desires to be born in that Pure Land after death, he or she must recite the name and worship the name of Amitabha Buddha. It is a basic belief of the school of Pure Land Buddhism, a branch of Mahayana Buddhism that emerged around the 2nd century CE. The author emphasized that the Amitabha Buddha is the nature of awakening or awareness in the human mind, thus we need not look for it in the future; that is a waste of time. 73 性識 (Nôm), tính thức (Vietnamese), the nature of awakening or the nature of understanding. It is a purpose of meditation. The true Zen practitioner is the one who meditates for concentration (Samadhi) to achieve the nature of understanding (prajna or wisdom). Meditation is a way of practicing self-cultivation; there is no need to prove or show off to someone else. Practicing the precepts and virtues to face the nature of impermanence, it is not an action for trading fame or advertising/marketing to sell it to others.
Eating vegetables and fruits, the mouth is not afraid of about either spicy or bitter foods. Wearing coarse clothes, the body does not care whether they are in black or in white.
Living joyfully with virtuous morality, even living in a half-size straw-hut, what preciousness, being more than the kingdom of Heaven. Knowing benevolence and righteousness, even when there is roof with three tiles; it is more favorable than a mansion.
Chapter 3
If one attends the View , then all wrongdoings are extinct. All trainings are thoroughly understood.
Keeping the nature of clarity present to avoid the wrong paths. Perfecting the trainings in alignment with Dharma.
Buddha is the Mind, and so one should learn the practices of Master Mã-Tổ. Renouncing money and sex, so one should learn the manners of living of Bàng Công.
Because of the presence of nature of clarity, there is no desire for self-benefit; But not because of residing at Cánh Diều Yên Tử. Because deconceptualization is present, therefore the sounds and forms are eliminated, But not because of sitting in meditation at Sạn Hut or East Mount.
Even dwelling in the dusty world, we can attain success if we practice wholeheartedly cherishing that happiness. Living in the mountain for practicing Dharma but not attending the enlightenment means the catastrophe of a waste life.
Making aspirations to live next the skillful teachers, the fruit of Bodhi might ripen in one night. The happiness of meeting good friends, the flower of Udumbara86 might bloom in few lifespans.
Chapter 4
Believing that,
Whenever one experiences one-mindedness, then one is free from all sorrows.
Transforming the three poisons, so experiencing the three bodies.
If one wants to cut-off the foundations of the six sense , one must eliminate the six objects of senses.
Finding ways for changing-bones, there is only the way to elaborate the elixir.
In practicing true emptiness, one does not fear attachments to sounds and forms.
By realizing the suchness,94 believing in Prajna,
There is no need to find the Buddha and patriarchs in the West or the East.
By enlightening to true reality, and opening the door of effortlessness (wuwie), There will be no need to inquire the sutras of the South or the North. Reading the teachings in the three collections, certainly the practice of the Zen-Garden and the Monastic Disciplines.
Knowing how to burn the five-elements-incense,98 means there is no need to purchase expensive sandalwoods or fragrant flowers.
Cultivating love and righteousness, nurturing virtues, Everyone considers the Shakyamuni Buddha. Practicing the precepts and virtues, eliminating greed and jealousy, That is a true Maitreya .
Chapter 5
So knowing,
The Buddha is in the house, no need to go searching afar.
Because if we forget the roots,
Then we search for the Buddha, forgetting we are the Buddha.
Speaking a few sentences of Zen,
We are already relaxing, lying in homeland of Hà-Hữu.
Reading sutras a few times,
We are already sitting freely in the state of Tân-La.
Living in the meaning of Dharma, we create more skillful practices.
So that we are already living in the environment of the sutras and the patriarchs.
Not participating in argument of wrong and right, preventing intervention of the forms and sounds,
Means not engaging in activities of sexual misconduct.
The virtue of the Buddha is compassion, thus we vow to live near him in numerous lifetimes. The grace of Nghiêu is great because of exempting all taxes for the monks.
Clothes and blankets are enough for seasonal needs even though simple or mended. Rice or rice-soup for feeling full, be it new rice or old rice.
Protect the eight consciousnesses, stop the eight winds, The more we repress the more they doubly rebound.
Open the three mystic doors , widen the three essences, Then we need to chop into small pieces as well as to grind slowly.
Even though the lute has no strings, we can still play the piece of melody no-birth no death. Even though the flute has no holes, we can still play the song of Great Peace.
Digging the roots to search for the branches is a pitiful action of Master Câu-Chi. Turning to look for his own head in the mirror is a silly story of Diễn-Nhã-Đạt-Đa.
Creep through a ring of diamonds, and this action does not make a hero feels anxious.
Swallow whole a thorny chestnut, so that there no need to worry if hands have a scratch on the skin.
Chapter 6
That is true,
Practicing no-mind is the right Path .
If the three karmas are calm, then the body and mind are calm. Attend one-mindedness,115 then we are now able to understand the teachings of Patriarchs.
Read letters for anticipating meanings,
It is wrong! Thus, Zen practitioners may still be desolate and lonely.
In directing experience of the Dharma, the Zen practitioner must be stable and skillful.
Inquiring the leakage and non-leakage,118
One should know that the silk-sifter leaks and the coconut-shell ladle contains.
Inquiring of what Mahayana or Hinayana is,
Straightforward speaking: It is a cord for beading all corns or a cord for water bucket at the well.
By recognizing the presence of the clarity nature of mind, There is no worry about the weather or conditions.
If you clean the clarity nature of mirror,
How the sense bases and the objects of senses disturb us?
Gold with contaminated ore must be molded and forged nine times still.
If greed of wealth and benefits are extinct, then we just need simple vegetarian meals.
Purifying the essence of precepts, cleaning the manifestation of precepts, are the internal and external adornments of a Bodhisattva. If the one-hearted serves the king, a filial one serves the parents,
Knowing when to proceed or when to stop, makes one a real royal hero with filial righteousness.
By selecting friends for the practice of Zen, even when this body disintegrates, it is hard to repay the gratitude to them.
By asking the permission from great masters for studying the Dharma,
Even if bones are ground and brain liquefied, these doings are not equivalent to offering gratitude to them.
Chapter 7
Thus knowing,
The teachings of the Buddha is highly precious, Only by practicing it, one might understand.
Ignorance is extinct, thus the Bodhi nature illuminates .
Sorrow is eliminated, virtue becomes more favorable.
Study the essence of sutras in order to understand what the Buddha taught.
Follow the practices of Patriarchs,
Then the emptiness in Zen is not hard to understand.
Go to the end of road when the sorrow detaches,
Do not let it manifest itself even though it is small.
Drop down the victorious flag; make full the insightful views , To empty the misfortune-causes even if it is small.
Use the flame of enlightenment to burn down the forest of wrong-views from the old days. Hold the sword of wisdom to sweep off the wrong perceptions from past to present day.
Be grateful to the Holy Ones, love the parents, and respect the Dharma teachers.
Revere the Buddha, prevent greed from arising, practice precepts and eat vegetarian.
Appreciate His Compassion-Loving Kindness , Vow to live close to him in life after life.
Grateful for His protection and support, Enduring even the suffering of crushing the body in thousand times in life after life.
Righteousness in mind, the Dharma remembered,
The offering of incense and flower symbolizes filial piety.
Saying belief but mind does not,
Even offering golds or jewels does not reflect sincerity Chapter 8
So that, the only way is practice. You should not stop learning!
Wake up the awareness, do not grasp unto attachments constantly.
Suspend all wrong perceptions, should not lead to restlessness.
Crave for fame and wealth, for those who are very ignorant.
Cultivate happiness and wisdom, which is the real wise man.
Build piers, bridges, stupas, or temples,
These are practices of the external adornments outside. Cultivate loving-kindness and compassion, permeating empathetic joy and equanimity , Recite the Heart-sutra for more internal freedom.
Train one’s mind for becoming the Buddha131, for it is only a diligent daily practice. Eliminate sand for gold, as it requires many times of sorting and filtering.
Read sutras and records, and make knowing and understanding equal. Respect the Buddha and practice mindfulness of the body,
Do not disregard a small mistake even though it is small as a hair.
Do not worry about spending time to study the root of each word each letter,
Master the skillful meanings of Zen, do not let the eight notions come in and out. Chapter 9134
Thus, we should know whether the teaching of Patriarchs are various methods, but they are not much different.
If only by saying from the period of Zen master Mã Tổ135, then one forgets the time of Tiêu Hoàng136.
“No good deeds at all!” The habit of attachment to ignorance creates more mistakes.
“Not sacred!” “Don’t know!” The ignorant ears are capable of hearing only the sounds.
“Born in India, died in a Shaolin Temple , buried hastily underfoot Mount Xiong’Er,”139 “Body as Bodhi tree!” “The mind as bright mirror!” The verse had raised and written on hallway wall.
134 In this chapter, the author uses more thang thirty classical metaphors in Chinese Chan literature. He introduces most of famous koans and dialogues in Chan. In order to investigate Chinese Chan Buddhism, it requires a number years of research and study. In general, the emergence of Chan tradition was from Tang dynasty (618-907). See Poceski, Ordinary Mind as the Way; Faure, Bernard, The Will to Orthodoxy: A Critical Genealogy or Northern Chan Buddhism Stanford University Press, 1997), and Ferguson, Zen’s Chinese Heritage.
135 Mazu (709-788), see note 16 on chapter 3.
136 蕭皇,Tiêu Hoàng (464–549), is 梁武帝, Liang Wudi (Lương Vũ Đế or Emperor Wu of Liang). He was a great supporter of Buddhism after he gained power. He interviewed Bodhidharma (the legendary first Patriarch of Chinese Chan, he was an Indian Buddhist monk) who came to spread the teaching of Buddha during the fifth century of Christian era. This dialogue became famous koan for many generations of Zen later. See Ferguson, Zen’s Chinese Heritage 15-16.
Vương - Lão141 chopped the cat! This action went through the mind of the Head of Sangha. Master Hồ142 warned people about angry dogs, to point out the immaturity of his students.
The price of rice at Linh Lăng market is too high, and does not allow for bargaining143. The rocky trails to Mount Thạch Đầu are very slippery144, And it is hard to come and to inquire about practicing Dharma.
Phá -Táo threw away the scared flag, and destroyed the Joss House where he worships the spirits.145 Câu-Chi raised a finger and continues using the Patriarch’s teachings.146
With the sword of Lâm-Tế,147the crutch of Bí-Ma,148 Back to these old days, monks were trained well, they had lot of freedom.
The body is the Bodhi tree,
Mind is like bright mirror Polish it all the times,
Maintain undusted it.
141 Vương Lão is another Chinese Zen Master Nanquan Puyuan or 南泉普願 (749-835), a student of Master Mazu. He is famous because of the koan of “Nanquan cuts the cat, or 南泉斬貓 (Nam Tuyền trảm miu).” One day, there were two monks who argued about the cat in monastic quarter; Nanquan came by and asked the situation. Then he held the cat and said: “Say something, if you cannot, I will chop the cat into two parts!” People got frightening from that saying. From that moment, the koan became famous in the Zen community.
142 柴胡, Thầy Hồ or Master Hồ, is Chinese Zen Master ZihuLizong or 子湖利蹤 (800–880), a student of Master Nanquan Puyan. He put a sign in front of his hut saying “be aware of mad dog!” To those who come to inquire about Dharma, he replied “woof! Woof!” Thus, it became a famous koan for the Zen practitioners. 143 𢄂𢄂盧陵眜末過於, chợ Lư Lăng gạo mắc quá ư, or the rice price of the Lư Lăng market” is a koan of Chan Master Qingyuan Xingsi, 青原行思 (660-740), a student of the sixth patriarch of China Chan Buddhism. The origins of this koan come from the story of “青原米價 or rice price of Qingyuan.” A monk asked him “what is the essence of Dharma of the Buddha?” He replied, “what is the price of rice in the Luling market?” See Ferguson, Zen’s Chinese Heritage, 48-49. 144 所石頭𥒥𥒥瀾歇則“Thửa Thạch Đầu đá trơn hết tấc, or The rocky trails to Mount Thạch Đầu are very slippery” is a koan of the master Tri Thiên (he live on the Thạch Đầu Mountain, thus he had the nickname of Monk Thạch Đầu or Shitou). Mater Shitou XiQian (700-790), a student of Master Qingyuan Xingsi. See Ferguson, Zen’s Chinese Heritage, 71-75.
145 Master Trung Sơn: Phá Táo Đạo, people in the village worship in the Joss House, he destroyed it. Thus people named him as “Phá Táo” (means Joss House destroyer). “Joss house is a Chinese temple, where people worship natural gods (or national heroes); it is a common way of worshiping in animism. In Vietnam, it is called “miếu.” 146 The koan of Master Juzhi, “Câu Chi giơ ngón or raising the finger!” See note 46. 147 Master Linji Yixuan (787- 886) the founder of Linji Zen School (Rinzai in Japanese). This school continues to serve the Zen community today including Japan and Vietnam. See Ferguson, Zen’s Chinese Heritage 155 -161. 148 秘魔,or Bí Ma, is a Chinese Zen Master who lived in Mt. Wudai, in China. He used to carry a crutch, and if anyone asked him about Dharma; he raised the crutch and shouted! The lion of Ông Đoan,149 the ox of Master Hựu,150 Taught the laity who should not be sarcastic and arrogant to their faces.
Raise the fan, raise the bamboo stick,
To help practitioners of Zen to achieve enlightenment easily. Throw a wooden ball, holding the wooden ladle, That reminds one that the monks should not show off.
Thuyền Tử paddled along the river; but the river had not yet helped him to purify himself. Đạo Ngô danced with his wooden sword, but it looked ghostly and mystically horrific.
The dragon of Yển Lão swallowed earth and sky; the watchers were scared of it . The snake of Ông Tồn lay across the world; people saw it, then they must run away .
The pine is the mind , wanting to see it and then look at the direction of Morning Star.
Bính Đinh159 belonged to the fire, looking at the direction of North Star, not to get lost the way. 149 西余端禪師 or Chinese Chan Master Xi Yu (Tây Dư Đoan Thiền Sư); he has a hat with decorations in many different colors. It looks like the head of a lion. Sometimes, he wears it whle he is preaching. 150 “柴佑, trâu Thầy Hựu , or the ox of Master Hựu”, is a koan of Master Quy Sơn Linh Hựu or Guīshān língyòu (潙山靈祐) the first patriarch of Guishan Chan School. Master Guishan (771-853) was a student of Baizhang Huahai. One day, he declared “one hundred years later, I will be born as an ox.” This became a koan for many generations in Chan tradition and his school.
Despite the tea of Triệu Lão160, the cake of Thiều Dương161, the students were still thirsty and hungry.
The paddy field of Tào Khê162, garden of Thiếu Thất163, there is plenty of land but the monks leave them deserted.
Throw down a buddle of firewood,164 blow out the lantern,165 and this leads to enlightenment. Seeing cherry blossom166, listening to sound of a bamboo167; thus is achieved the noble aura.
160 “茶趙老 or Trà Triệu Lão, tea of Master Zhao” is another koan of Chinese Chan Master Zhaozhou. See note 94.
People came to him and inquired about the teachings. He said, “Drink your tea!”
161 “餅韶陽 or Bánh Thiều Dương, cake of Thiều Dương” is a koan of the Chinese Chan master Wenyan, see note
92. People come to him and inquire about the Dharma. He replied, “Cake! Cake! Cake!” It became a famous koan of Yunmen Chan School called “Vân Môn Hồ Bính, 雲門胡餅.” 162 “曹溪 Tào Khê” is a name of Dharma center where the Sixth Patriarch of Chinese Chan Buddhism, Huineing (638-713) established (Baolin Temple). He is the author of Platform Classic Sutra, a text that emphasizes the concept of “no mind”. See Ferguson, Zen’s Chinese Heritage, 37-41. 163 “少室 or Thiếu Thất” is the garden where Bodhi Dharma meditated in 9 years of a solo retreat. See Ferguson, Zen’s Chinese Heritage, 15-20. The author used this metaphor to locate the source of Chan tradition where it begun.
164 “招𥿠𥿠檜 or gieo bó củi” is a koan or a classical metaphor of Master Tuyết Phong (Xuefeng, see note 93). One day, Maser Dong Shan asked him, “If you want to come in, please open your mouth!” Master Xuefeng replied, “I do not have a mouth!” Dong Shan shouted, “If you do not have a mouth, then you must return your eyes to me, how come you said you do not have a mouth?” Xuefeng threw down his bundle of firewood in his shoulder. Master Dong Shan asked, “Is it heavy?” Master Xuefeng replied, “It is so heavy the world’s population could not carry it.”
165 “厠芃畑 or Nảy bông đèn, blowing out the lantern” is a koan or classic metaphor of Master Đúc Sơn Tuyên Giám or Deshan Xuanjian - 德山宣鑒 (819-914). He is famous for his Diamond Sutra interpretation and was given the nickname of “Diamond Zhao!’’ See Ferguson, Zen’s Chinese Heritage, 196-200. One evening, he visited a monk (Chinese Chan Master Longtan, 龍潭), and Longtan said, “It is late, you should go home.” Deshan walked out, he turned back and said, “It is dark.” Longtan lit a lantern and gave to Deshan. Deshan reached for it; suddenly, Longtan blew it out. At this moment, Deshan attained enlightenment. 166 “祿桃花,Lộc đào hoa or seeing the cherry blossom” is a classic koan of Master Linh vân Chí Cần (靈雲志勤 or Lingyung Zhiqin). He composed a famous poem as an enlightenment poem after seeing the blossom of this flower: 三十年來尋劍客，幾回落葉又抽枝；自從一見桃花後，直至如今更不疑 For thirty years I’ve sought the swordsman,
Many timed the leaves have fallen, the branch bare. After seeing the peach blossoms, Never doubting again. See Ferguson, Zen’s Chinese Heritage, 164- 165.
167 “𦖑𦖑㗂竹, nghe tiếng trúc or listening to sound of swaying bamboo” is a classic koan of Master Hương Nghiêm Trí Nhàn, (or 香嚴智閑, Xiangyan Zhixian died about 898 CE). While cutting grass, a small piece of tile hit the bamboo stalk; he heard that sound and he experienced enlightenment. The story became a classic metaphor in Chan literature. See Ferguson, Zen’s Chinese Heritage, 172-175. Chapter 10
Noble Sangha, please listen:
Experience the true emptiness; this does not require much capacity and condition.
Because the mind has the attachments; therefore, it is yet not flowing freely; it is not because of the teachings of Patriarchs are inapplicable.
The Sangha of Hinayana practices the Dharma not deep enough yet,
Thus the Buddha was not afraid of creating metaphors for the House of Treasures and City of Phantom.
The realization of reality of the enlightened one does not rely on living conditions either in town or in the mountain.
The quiet mountain where the hermits enjoy their life.
The peaceful temples and calm hermitages that are the true places for Zen practitioners.
With great horses with huge parasols, the King of Hell does not exclude the arrogant ones.
With jade-decorated towers or golden mansions, Hell also does not exclude the noble ones.
In favoring fame, and identifying ourselves with the concept of self and others, those who do these are the really ignorant.
But favoring virtues, and transforming mind and body, definitely turns one into the Holy One.
Horizontal eyebrows and vertical nose make the look different but they are the same. The face may look Holy but the mind remains ignorant, the true and the fake differ like thousands and thousands of miles.
The verse that recites:
Dwelling in the world with the Joy of Practicing the Dharma, let it flow with its conditions.
When hungry then eat! Where tired, so sleep then!
Treasures in the home, suspending the search,
Facing situation with no mind! What inquiring Thiền for!
Appendix
Chart of the Connection between Chinese Ch’an Schools and Vietnamese
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