Trúc Lâm Buddhism in Vietnam Trúc Lâm Buddhism in Vietnam: Its History, Development, and Legacy By Laura Thuy-Loan Nguyen Trúc Lâm Buddhism in Vietnam: Its History, Development, and Legacy By Laura Thuy-Loan Nguyen This book first published 2021 Cambridge Scholars Publishing Lady Stephenson Library, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE6 2PA, UK British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Copyright © 2021 by Laura Thuy-Loan Nguyen All rights for this book reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. ISBN (10): 1-5275-6285-9 ISBN (13): 978-1-5275-6285-1 Cover art: Thường Chiếu monastery (Trúc Lâm headquarters), Long Thành, Đồng Nai, Vietnam, 2010. Photo courtesy of Venerable Thích Nhật Quang and Venerable Thích Đạt Ma Quang Tuệ. TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures.......................................................................................... viii List of Abbreviations .................................................................................. x Preface ....................................................................................................... xi Introduction ................................................................................................ 1 History of Thích Thanh Từ’s Movement Twentieth-Century Buddhism in Vietnam ............................................ 7 Early Twentieth-Century Vietnamese Buddhism ............................ 7 Early Twentieth-Century Buddhist Restoration Movement ............ 9 1963 Buddhist Uprising ................................................................ 11 Late Twentieth-Century Buddhist Restoration Movement ................. 11 Thích Thanh Từ’s Biography ........................................................ 11 The Revival of Thiền Buddhism ................................................... 13 The Rivival of the Trúc Lâm Lineage ........................................... 16 Late Twentieth-Century Trúc Lâm Buddhism .................................... 19 Vietnamization of Buddhism ......................................................... 19 Self-Exploration (Phản Quang Tự Kỷ) .......................................... 21 Non-duality of Reality ................................................................... 22 Demythologization of Thiền Buddhism ........................................ 23 Summary ............................................................................................. 28 ............................................................................................. 42 History and Development of Trúc Lâm Thiền Buddhism Early Religions in Vietnam ................................................................. 43 Early Buddhism in Vietnam ................................................................ 44 The Formation Period .................................................................... 44 The Vinītaruci (Tì ni đà Lưu-chi) Thiền School ........................... 47 The Vô Ngôn Thông Thiền School ............................................... 49 Buddhism in Vietnam after Independence from China ....................... 51 The Thảo Đường Thiền School ..................................................... 53 The Yên Tử Thiền School ............................................................. 53 vi Table of Contents The Thirteenth-Century Trúc Lâm Thiền Sect .................................... 54 Trần Nhân Tông’s Biography (1258–1308) .................................. 55 Trần Nhân Tông’s Buddhism ........................................................ 56 Thirteenth-Century Trúc Lâm’s Lineage ....................................... 63 Summary ............................................................................................. 69 Transnational Trúc Lâm Thiền Buddhist Networks and Communities Interviews ........................................................................................... 86 View of Contemporary Trúc Lâm Followers on Meditation ......... 87 Buddhism at Contemporary Trúc Lâm .......................................... 88 Trúc Lâm Contemporary Followers’ Views of Their Roots ......... 90 Major Practices Reformulated from the Old Trúc Lâm ................. 92 Observations ....................................................................................... 92 General Characteristics ................................................................. 93 Worshipped Figures .................................................................... 117 Vietnamized Buddhism ............................................................... 122 Rituals ......................................................................................... 123 Summary ........................................................................................... 123 The Forces of Modernity and Buddhist Modernism Modernity and Religion .................................................................... 126 Globalization and Religion ............................................................... 128 New Religious Movements (NRMs) ................................................. 130 Buddhist Modernism ......................................................................... 132 Summary ........................................................................................... 135 Trúc Lâm Thiền Buddhism as a Case Study of Buddhist Modernism Original Elements Incorporated and Referenced .............................. 141 Vietnamization of Buddhism ....................................................... 142 Self-Exploration (Phản Quang Tự Kỷ) ........................................ 143 Non-duality of Reality ................................................................. 144 De-mythologization with Script and Meditation Synchronization .. 144 Original Elements Reconstructed ...................................................... 145 Emphasis on Gender Equality ..................................................... 146 De-mythologization with Koan Replacement ............................. 146 Influence of the Forces of Modernity and Globalization .................. 147 Summary ........................................................................................... 148 Trúc Lâm Buddhism in Vietnam: Its History, Development, and Legacy vii Conclusion .............................................................................................. 152 Bibliography ........................................................................................... 157 About the Author .................................................................................... 169 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1: Guiding diagram of Thiền schools (Lược Dẫn Thiền Phái Đồ). From The Analects of Tuệ Trung Thượng Sĩ (Tuệ Trung Thượng Sĩ Ngữ Lục) ................................................................................. 64 Figure 3.1. Thường Chiếu monastery gate ............................................... 93 Figure 3.2. Linh Chiếu nunnery gate ........................................................ 94 Figure 3.3. Thích Thanh Từ and the author in 2017 ................................. 95 Figure 3.4. A lunch ritual at Linh Chiếu ................................................... 95 Figure 3.5. An evening repentance at Thường Chiếu ............................... 96 Figure 3.6. Chơn Không monastery gate .................................................. 97 Figure 3.7. Nunnery section gate at Chơn Không..................................... 98 Figure 3.8. Thạch Đầu stairway ................................................................ 99 Figure 3.9. Pháp Lạc hut. From thuongchieu.net; retrieved February 12, 2019 .................................................................................................... 99 Figure 3.10. Statue of a hand holding up a lotus flower at Chơn Không ..................................................................................................... 100 Figure 3.11. Viên Chiếu nunnery gate .................................................... 101 Figure 3.12. A classroom at Viên Chiếu ................................................. 102 Figure 3.13. Entry sign at Tuệ Quang ..................................................... 103 Figure 3.14. The ancestor altar at Tuệ Quang ......................................... 104 Figure 3.15. The altar for Pure Land’s great masters at Tuệ Quang ....... 104 Figure 3.16. Chánh Giác monastery gate ................................................ 105 Figure 3.17. Lumbini at Chánh Giác ...................................................... 106 Trúc Lâm Buddhism in Vietnam: Its History, Development, and Legacy ix Figure 3.18. Bodh Gaya at Chánh Giác .................................................. 107 Figure 3.19. Sarnath at Chánh Giác ........................................................ 108 Figure 3.20. Kushinagar at Chánh Giác .................................................. 109 Figure 3.21. Statue of Hui-neng, the sixth Chan patriarch, at Chánh Giác ........................................................................................................ 110 Figure 3.22. Statue of Trần Nhân Tông in the Buddha-King hall at Chánh Giác ......................................................................................... 111 Figure 3.23. Entry sign at Đại Đăng ....................................................... 112