Vietnam and Buddhism

Vietnam and Buddhism

Context

Buddhism, the fourth most followed religion in the world, is based on the teachings of Gautama Buddha, who lived during the fifth century BCE in what is modern day India. The legend says when he was born, a wise-man came to see him, claiming to his father he would be either a king or a holy man. Contrary to his father's hopes, upon leaving his estate as a young man, Guatama saw things which made him decide his life should be led as an ascetic. He gave up his possessions and went searching for enlightenment. Being taught by many religious teachers without the success of finding what he was truly searching for, Guatama came to the conclusion harming one's self could not be the way. Thus, he discovered what Buddhists call the middle path, or way of moderation, and was able to reach true enlightenment. Guatama spent the remainder of his life spreading what he had learned. Buddhism, in short, is based on finding inner peace, with the goal of attaining enlightenment in order to become one with the universe or reach Nirvana after death. Buddhists search for the good in all things, leading to a life of happiness guided by Karma - the belief that your actions in this life will influence your next incarnation. The entry of Buddhism to what is now Vietnam happened sometime during the first century CE and quickly established itself as one of the prominent religions. It is thought to have been brought by Indian monks traveling through the area to reach China, while some sources state it spread from the native Khmer or Champa. As with most religions, Buddhism has come to develop multiple sects. In Vietnam, these consist of Theravada, Mahayana, and Zen. Theravada is the oldest branch of Buddhism, therefore the first to establish itself in Vietnam. It is based on the study of literal readings of the religious texts along with meditation in order to reach enlightenment. This is the stereotyped Buddhism where enlightened ones have no earthly desires nor suffering. Theravada is the least practiced sect due to the belief that only those born in a position to become a monk or religious scholar can achieve enlightenment. This is the major difference between Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism. Mahayana Buddhism is the school most followed since it claims anyone can achieve enlightenment with the guidance of a Bodhisattva - an enlightened soul which chooses to wait to enter Nirvana in order to help others reach enlightenment. Mahayana reaches for a "group salvation" and has a much more liberal take on the Buddhist texts. Mahayana spread to Vietnam after gaining a strong following in China, and is the most practiced form of Buddhism in Vietnam, as well as the rest of the world. The Zen tradition, in Vietnam referred to as Thien, is considered by some a separate sect, while others place it as a part of Mahayana Buddhism. The Zen belief followers do not rely on religious theory nor intense readings of sacred texts, but rather base their path to enlightenment around meditation and personal experiences. Zen is a much more personal form of the religion and no true doctrine or rules, and religious services are non-communal most times. It came about as a distinct branch of Buddhism in China in the seventh century CE, and is still highly practiced there and in Japan. It is commonly accepted that Zen came to Vietnam in 580CE, brought by an Indian monk who had been studying the Chinese Zen tradition. A strong Zen lineage was thought to be formed and maintained for many centuries, though this has recently been questioned. Buddhism developed a strong foothold as many government positions in the developing country were held by monks, as they would be educated as well as admired by the common people. However, it has flourished throughout Vietnam primarily because of the culture. With many social, economic, and environmental hardships during its history, it has provided acceptance for even those with little means. It allows hope for everyone of achieving enlightenment and reaching Nirvana. Strong spiritual beliefs and the fatalist mentality common among Vietnamese is welcomed in Buddhism rather than facing the opposition shown by most religions. Even in current times Vietnam keeps strong ties with the religion as one the most recognizable figures of Buddhism, especially in the West, is a Zen Buddhist monk from Vietnam named Thich Nhat Hanh.

Text

The compilation of the Thien Uyen Tap Anh in the early fourteenth century C.E. and its rediscovery in 1927 C.E. has provided a modern, commonly accepted authority on Buddhism in Vietnam from the sixth to the thirteenth century C.E. The Thien Uyen Tap Anh, commonly referred to as the Thien Uyen, is translated to literally mean "Outstanding Figures in the Vietnamese Zen Community" and is a collection of Vietnamese Buddhist monks' biographies and includes conversations, poems, and kes (a ke being the "the ultimate spiritual instruction a master can gave his disciplines before death"). Though the original author is unknown, many speculate it has been rewritten, added to, and taken away from during its compilation from the twelfth to fourteenth century, when it was finally put together as one work. Tran Van Giap, a scholar of Vietnamese Buddhism and discoverer of the Thien Uyen after almost five-hundred years of its absence, translated and chose the work as his new study. The Thien Uyen claims that during this time period three distinct schools of Zen were developed: the Vinitaruci, the Vo Ngon Thong, and Thao Duong; thus making Zen (Thien in Vietnamese) Buddhism the preeminent form of Buddhism throughout medieval Vietnam. However, though the Thien Uyen is brought together from multiple sources and is not thought of as a work of fiction, the credibility of the Zen aspect has come in to question.
The problem is with the lack of other materials and sources of Vietnamese Buddhism during the period of the Thien Uyen, Giap and interpreters of the work have accepted its literal translation without a critical evaluation of historical information pertaining to Buddhism in Vietnam during the sixth to thirteenth century. The publishing of Zen in Medieval Vietnam by Cuong Tu Nguyen is a direct contradiction of most, if not all, Zen existence in Vietnamese Buddhism throughout the years of the Thien Uyen. Nguyen's argument is that the stories of these schools and monks are not actually Zen in any way, claiming "the Zen tradition or school in medieval Vietnam was, more than anything, an imagined community." Zen in Medieval Vietnam begins with the Thien Uyen Tap Anh's place in Vietnamese Buddhist history. Nguyen discusses its compilation problems, as it seemed to be edited to fit the circumstances necessary to seem Zen in its work. Nguyen states Buddhism entered Vietnam, what was then Jiazhou, about the second century CE by way of traveling monks, though it was not able to gain a foothold until Vietnam established freedom from China during the tenth century. Without any other historical documents discussing the history of Buddhism or religion in general at this time, it is apparent why the Thien Uyen is the main source of historical and religious knowledge for this time period.

The book then takes a turn to the historical analysis of the Zen tradition in China and how it relates to that of Vietnam. Its concluded that the known history does not allow for the arrival of a Zen tradition prior to the time of the Thien Uyen. Nguyen cites events that are overlooked, such as the sudden conversion in China of Buddhist temples to Zen monasteries when the new school escalated. It is likely many Vietnamese Zen monasteries the monks from the Thien Uyen practiced at would have undergone a similar, almost instantaneous change some time after the lives of these monks. The inconsistencies of the three Zen lineages, especially in relation to each other, plays a major role in Nguyen's belief that they never even existed. To bring together his accusations against what probably didn't happen, the author turns to how Buddhism most likely existed in medieval Vietnam, working to show why Zen was not a part of it.

Readers are then given a complete translation of the Thein Uyen Tap Anh as to make the discussion more understandable to the audience, as well as let them build their own opinions. Nguyen then provides two full appendixes of supporting data for his earlier arguments, which after reading the actual translation, are very convincing. A final appendix gives us biographies and stories of some of the monks' in the Thien Uyen but from other sources for comparison. A strong ending for the book, which until reading through, seems very strangely put together. The author concludes with the original Chinese character version of the text for those whom wish to have it.

Overall, the author provides a very convincing argument, though proves not, that the Zen lineage of medieval Vietnam was probably not much more than elaborations of actual Buddhist monks' lives in order to better fit the times and give the Zen followers a tradition with which to relate. Zen in Medieval Vietnam should lead to a very critical evaluation of the Thien Uyen by scholars and religious elite alike, and in the future possibly establishing a history of Vietnamese Buddhism during this time without the inconsistincies and unlikely events, therefore increasing our knowledge of this vague period of the Vietnamese past.

Subtext

Mitchell, Donald. Buddhism: Introducing the Buddhist Experience. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008.
Here is the book to start with if you want to know anything about Buddhism. It starts with a biography of Gautama, then discusses in-depth all of his teachings. It explains the spread of Buddhism by the original followers, and has a complete section on Mahayana Buddhism, and we’re just getting started. The different schools of Buddhism are discussed in a complete chapter for each India, Tibet, China, Korea, and Japan. The chapter on modern Buddhism, as the book was just written, provides current happenings with the religion in all parts of Asia as well as a chapter on Buddhism in the West. Mitchell uses the Vietnam section of his Modern Buddhism chapter to briefly examine the beliefs and works of the Vietnamese Zen monk Thich Nhat Hanh. Vietnamese influence in Buddhism in the United States is also presented in the chapter about the West where Mitchell mentions things such as the ever growing influence of Nhat Hanh and how the move of Vietnamese to America after the war led to the construction of over 160 Buddhist temples in the U.S.

Stevenson, Daniel B. "Reviews." Journal of the Economic and Social
History of the Orient 43.2 (2000): 211-213
A direct review of the book “Zen in Medieval Vietnam”, Stevenson, a University of Kansas associate professor who specializes in Buddhism in China and religion of southeast Asia, presents his opinion of Nguyen's work. Stevenson praises the idea of examining an unquestioned text as important as the Thien Uyen, especially through the critical, yet scholarly approach Nguyen takes. He discusses how little is known about medieval Vietnamese Buddhism, and applauds the evaluations of the Thien Uyen.
However, Stevenson stresses that it is not so simple to decide what is actually fact and what is fiction. Considering the ruling state of Vietnam homogenous while discrediting the homogeneity of the Zen clerics’ is not as easy as Nguyen makes it out to be. Also, the review discusses the unclear terminology of the definition of Vietnam and Zen at the time, something Nguyen tries to explain in the introduction. He concludes that these should not be taken as criticism, but rather open the door for future discussion of Zen in Medieval Vietnam's subject matter.

Nguỹên, Long Thành Nam. Hoa Hao Buddhism in the Course of Vietnam’s History. New York City: Nova Science Publishers, 2003.
Hoa Hao is a religion based on Buddhism which was founded by Huynh Phu So in 1939 in southern Vietnam. It quickly gained a following due to its Vietnamese nationalism idea under the colonial rule of France. The author discusses the rise of the Hoa Hao, its influence in French colonial policies, and its rise to prepare for an armed struggle against the French and later the communist party. The founder of Hoa Hao also founded the Vietnamese Social-Democratic party, and shortly after was assassinated. The book gives an interesting look at this branch of Buddhism, which played a huge part, especially with the rise of their own army, in Vietnamese politics for a brief period of time. Nguỹên writes about the continued, though lessened, influence of this religion of about one million after the integration of its army in to the national army and up to the present.

http://www.woodmoorvillage.org/2005/08/the_tu_hieu_lin.html. 08-07-2007
This Woodmoor Village webpage provides a summarized version of the debate about the introduction of Zen Buddhism to medieval Vietnam. It gives an overview of Tran Van Giap's interpretation of the Thien Uyen Tap Anh, as well as the argument of Nguyen. It also provides other sources on the topic, and a review of Zen in Medieval Vietnam. Finally, and most unique, it has a brief history of Thein (Zen) Buddhism's lineage through ancestral teachers in Vietnam.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/buddhism.htm%2005-08-08
Religioustolerance.org is an excellent site for an objective look at views and practices of any religion. The Buddhism page allows for a quick reference to the basic belief of the religion as a whole, the beginning of Buddhism, and specifics of the main traditions. It also questions whether Buddhism is actually a religion, which is not an uncommon discussion on the topic. Something that sets this site apart from most generic sites is a comparison of Buddhism to Christianity – a unique attribute that is very helpful for those trying to understand Buddhism without dealing with all the difficult terminology.

Phan, Peter C. "A Review of Zen in Medieval Vietnam: A Study and Translation of the Thien Uyen Tap Anh." Journal of Buddhist Ethics 5 (1998)
The Warren-Blanding professor of religion and culture, Peter C. Phan gives us an overview of Nguyen's work, as expected with any review. Phan provides some background to Giap's discovery of the Thien Uyen Tap Anh and decides "The key issue at stake is then to determine the exact literary genre of the Thien Uyen." He also presents a view that if Buddhists take a historical-critical view it could easily strengthen the faith as opposed to destroying it as could easily be interpreted from reading Zen in Medieval Vietnam.

Schwamm, Jennifer, ed. A Lifetime of Peace: Essential Writings By and About Thich Nhat Hanh. New York, NY : Marlowe & Co., 2003.
The author and editor of A Lifetime of Peace puts together biographical data, interviews, and Nhat Hanh’s poetry to give us a look at the modern embodiment of a Zen monk. Banned from Vietnam in 1966 due to his being an activist for global peace, and nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by Martin Luther King, Jr. for his stand against the Vietnam War, he has become the most recognizable Vietnamese Buddhist of this time. Schwamm shows us Buddhism is still very much a part of Vietnam, and will continue to be just that. The book is also a great way to see what Zen Buddhism strives for in our time, and provides a basis for comparison to monks of the Thien Uyen Tap Anh as to help form your own opinion on the legitimateness of the claimed Zen lineage.