Xá Lợi pagoda in Saigon
III. AN OUTLINE OF VIETNAMESE BUDDHISM
1. BEFORE THE 3RD CENTURY
Under the rule of the Han
aggressors, the area of present northern Vietnam
At first Buddhism spread from
India to Vietnam China
According to Thiền Uyển Truyền Đăng Tập Lục (A Record
of the Lamp Transmission in the Zen Community), Dharma Master Đàm Thiên told a
king of the Sui dynasty (581-618) that Giao Châu had a waterway to India. Thus,
while Buddhism was still unknown in the area of Jiangdong (China
An author asserts that
Buddhism had spread from Vietnam
to China before it was
brought back from China to Vietnam Jianchu
Temple
Đại Việt Sử Ký Toàn Thư (Complete History
of Great Việt) and Wuzhi (Records of
the Wu Kingdom, written in the 4th century) recorded a letter from a Chinese
mandarin named Yuan Hui to Shangshu Ling
(Director of the Imperial Secretariat) Xun Yu in 207, saying that whenever Taishou (Prefect) Shi Xie (137-226) of
Giao Châu went out, he was accompanied by several Indian monks burning incense,
playing bells, drums and flutes.[4]
Because the North (i.e., Giao
Châu formerly) was early in direct contact with Buddhism, the northern
Vietnamese have the term Bụt (transliterated
from Buddha). After contacting
Chinese Buddhism, the Vietnamese have the term Phật, borrowed the Chinese transliteration of Buddha (Futuo, or Phật Đà in Sino-Vietnamese). Afterwards, the direct spread of
Buddhism from India to Vietnam gradually declined whereas its spread
from China to Vietnam
Influenced by Chinese
Buddhist tradition coming from the north, Vietnamese Buddhism belongs to
mahāyāna, also called Bắc Tông (Northern School Laos , Cambodia ,
Thailand
2. FROM THE 3RD CENTURY TO THE FIRST HALF OF THE 13TH CENTURY
Of several Buddhist schools
in Vietnam , Chanzong (Zen School
At the beginning of the 3rd
century, monk Khương Tăng Hội
founded Zen Buddhism of Vietnam and was the first monk to bring Buddhism from Vietnam to China
At that time, according to an
author, Vietnamese Buddhism belongs to mahāyāna because monk Khương Tăng Hội
and some eminent monks translated Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra; monk Kalasivi translated Lotus Samādhi Sūtra.[5]
Documents on Vietnamese
Buddhism in the 4th century are not extant.
Tục Cao Tăng Truyện (Continuation of the
Biographies of Eminent Monks) says in the 5th century Zen Master Huệ Thắng, a disciple of monk Đạt-ma Đề-bà
(Dharmadeva?), went to China many times to spread Buddhism.[6]
From the 6th century to the
end of the Lý dynasty (1225), there were three major Zen schools in Vietnam
- The Vinītaruci School : In 580 Zen Master Vinītaruci arrived in
Việt Nam , settled down at Pháp Vân
Temple
- The Wu Yan Tong School : In 820 Zen Master Wu
Yan Tong (759?-826) left China
for Vietnam
- The Caotang School : Zen Master Caotang left China Khai Quốc Temple Caotang School
3. VIETNAMESE BUDDHISM UNDER THE TRẦN DYNASTY
At the beginning of the 13th
century, the Vinītaruci, the Wu Yan
Tong, and the Caotang Schools gradually merged into the Yên Tử School, and
finally became the only school
of Trúc Lâm
Yên Tử
The Yên Tử School arose on mount Yên
Its founder patriarch was Zen
Master Hiện Quang (?-1221).
Zen Master Đạo Viên (also called Viên Chứng),
whose disciple was King Trần Thái Tông (reigned 1226-1258), was the second
patriarch. The King conferred the title Trúc Lâm Quốc Sư (Bamboo Grove National
Preceptor) on his Master.
The sixth patriarch was vua Trần Nhân Tông (reigned 1278-1293). He
became a monk at Hoa Yên pagoda on mount
Yên
The Yên Tử School had
flourished since its sixth patriarch (Trúc Lâm Ðầu Ðà, i.e., King Trần Nhân Tông). The
name Trúc Lâm Yên Tử School (or Trúc Lâm School
Zen Master Tĩnh Lự (also called Phù Vân) was the fifth patriarch of the
Trúc Lâm Yên Tử School, i.e., the tenth of the Yên Tử School. Caodai holy
teaching once referred to Phù Vân Quốc Sư (National Preceptor) under the Trần
dynasty; maybe that was him.
In the royal family there was
an eminent zen master called Tuệ Trung
Thượng Sĩ (1230-1291), whose lay name was Trần Quốc Trung, titled Hưng Ninh Vương (Improved Tranquilness
Prince). As the eldest son of An Sinh
Vương (Welfare Prince) Trần Liễu, he was the eldest brother of Hưng Đạo Vương (Improved Way Prince) Trần
Quốc Tuấn.
King Trần Thái Tông’s Khóa Hư Lục
(Instructions on Emptiness) and Tuệ Trung Thượng Sĩ’s Ngữ Lục (Recorded Sayings) are the two masterpieces of Zen
literature under the Trần dynasty.
4. FROM THE 15TH CENTURY TO THE 19TH CENTURY
The collapses of the two
successive dynasties of Hồ (1400-1407) and Later Trần (1407-1413) were followed
by the Chinese Ming army’s aggression. Due to continuous war and disorder,
Buddhism declined. After defeating the Chinese invaders, King Lê Thái Tổ
(reigned 1428-1433) organized exams to assess the competence of Buddhist monks
and Daoist priests. He who failed had to return to secular life.[8]
When the Hậu Lê dynasty
declined, the Trịnh Lords ruled in the North and the Nguyễn Lords controlled
the South. Buddhism weakened. At the beginning of the 18th century, after
uniting the nation, Emperor Quang Trung (reigned 1788-1792) restored Buddhism
positively, reorgannized the establishment of pagodas, imposed regulations on
constructing large and well-organized temples, dismissed unqualified monks and
forced them to return to secular life.[9]
From the 15th century on,
Vietnamese Buddhism no longer flourished like that of the Lý and Trần
dynasties, but eminent monks always appeared under any dynasty. Some Zen
schools were known during this period. In the North there were the Chinese
Caodong (Tào Động) under King Lê Thế Tông (reigned 1573-1599) and the Liên Tông
(the Lotus School Vietnam
On 01 September 1858, the
first cannon shot of French navy attacking Đà Nẵng estuary started a
century-long aggression of the French colonialism. Due to continuous war and
disorder, Buddhism gradually declined.
*
At the beginning of the 20th
century the movement of restoring Buddhism arose in many areas of Vietnam
Besides eminent monks, there
were also intellectual lay Buddhists of both traditional and western learning
who mastered secular knowledge as well as Buddhology. Throughout the three
regions of the country, talented and enthusiastic lay Buddhists contributed
positively to the reform of traditional preaching method. Among the well-known
figures were Nguyễn Hữu Kha, Lê Đình Thám, and Mai Thọ Truyền.
a. Thiều Chửu Nguyễn Hữu Kha (1902-1954): A traditional physician;
founder of Hội Phật Học Bắc Kỳ (the Society of Buddhology in Northern
Vietnam ), based at Quán Sứ pagoda in Hà Nội. He was in charge of Đuốc Tuệ (Prajña Torch) magazine of his
society.
b. Tâm Minh Lê Đình Thám (1887-1969): A medical doctor; founder and
head of Hội Phật Học Trung Kỳ (the Society of Buddhology in Central Vietnam)
also called An Nam Phật Học Hội (the Society of Buddhology of Annam), based at
Trúc Lâm (Bamboo Grove) pagoda in Huế. He was director and editor-in-chief of Viên Âm (Enlightenment Voice) monthly
magazine of his society.
c. Chánh Trí Mai Thọ Truyền (1905-1973): Đốc Phủ Sứ (a
high-ranking colonial civil officer), founder of both Xá Lợi (Śarīra) pagoda
(District 3, Sài Gòn) and Hội Phật Học Nam Việt (the Society of Buddhology in
Southern Vietnam). He was a devoted contributor to Từ Quang (Merciful Light) magazine of his society.
Later, the systematic training of Vietnamese monks and nuns at
elementary, intermediate, and advanced levels, as well as college degree
resulting from the fervent movement of restoring Buddhism emerged during some
first decades of the 20th century as Caodaism arose. For Caodaists, according to
a spiritual message, this concurrence was not a coincidence.
Indeed, at Bác Nhã Zen Monastery (Long Hải, Vũng Tàu, on 02 July 1974),
Caodai God taught:
“In respect of Dao, you do know that My third advent is to revive
all mankind on earth in My salvation grace permeating throughout the five
continents. Fifty or sixty years ago, as you see, all religions seemed to be in
a heavy sleep. However, since the wide spread of Caodaism, other religions have
been successively restored. Such resurrection has come not only to you but to
all mankind. Therefore, moral movements have been revived everywhere.”
HUỆ KHẢI
