Vietnamese Zen from the late twentieth century is the meditation tradition which was introduced and practiced in Chon Khong Monastery (1970-1986) in Vung Tau, and which, since 1974, has been taught and praticed in Thuong Chieu Zen Monastery in Ba Ria, Long Thanh (near Vung Tau), and other Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen monasteries in Vietnam. Founded by Most Venerable Thích Thanh Từ, this tradition unites three Chinese and Vietnamese Zen traditions : the first tradition is by Dazu Huike (487–593;494-601?) --the Second Patriarch of Chinese Chán/Zen and the twenty-ninth since Gautama Buddha; the second is by Dajian Huineng (638–713) --the Sixth and Last Patriarch of Chinese Chán/Zen Buddhism; and the third is by a Vietnamese king who was also the Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen Founder, King Tran Nhan Tong (1258-1308). King Tran Nhan Tong was the third emperor of the Trần Dynasty, reigning over Đại Việt (Vietnam nowadays)from 1278 to 1293.
Sources:
Thich Thanh Tu, Thien Tong Vietnam Cuoi The Ky 20. Written in Thuong Chieu Zen Monastery (1991). Circulated by Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen monasteries in Vietnam and abroad.
http://www.truclamvietzen.net/MasterTTT.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thich_Thanh_Tu
Philip Taylor,Modernity and Re-enchantment: Religion in Post-Revolutionary Vietnam (Maryland, USA, 2008).
http://www.daophatngaynay.com/vn/phatgiao-vn/con-nguoi-vn/9709-Triet-hoc-Tran-Thai-Tong.html
http://www.daophatngaynay.com/vn/phatgiao-vn/con-nguoi-vn/3604-Phat-hoang-Tran-Nhan-Tong.html
http://www.daophatngaynay.com/vn/phatgiao-vn/con-nguoi-vn/4245-Phat-hoang-Tran-Nhan-Tong-viet-ve-Thay.html
http://www.daophatngaynay.com/vn/tu-sach-dao-phat-ngay-nay/6103-Chuong-12-Gioi-thieu-Mot-so-trung-tam-tu-hoc-tai-Viet-Nam.html
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Monday, December 26, 2011
Freedom
We all want freedom, but there is no absolute or limitless freedom. We have freedom of speech, but we cannot say whatever we want wherever we are whenever we like. As adults we may have to select words before we utter, so that our utterances are appropriate and effective in conveying our meaning in a certain context or situation. We have freedom of press, but we are still under the control of the media with their various socio-political views and biases. The media have shaped our thinking, and manipulated our opinions without our knowing it. We are supposed to be free to travel wherever we want, and to carry along what we need during our trip, but before boarding the airplane, we have to go through security check, and we cannot have a bottle of water to sip when we are thirsty.
Some think freedom means we are able to govern ourselves, to behave according to our own free will, and to take responsibility for our actions. It defines the relationship of individuals to society in different ways, including what is called "social contract." Anyway there always seems to be some restriction. No absolute free will.
One thing is true: the more freedom one has, the more self discipline one needs. Otherwise one would be a victim of one's own freedom, and a disaster to others. True freedom is attained when one is responsible for one's own words, deeds, and thoughts.
Nobody else can grant or bring freedom to you. You have to strive hard to earn your freedom. Freedom is a personal choice to live in harmony with yourself and others in a certain environment and cultural context. Freedom implies happiness and harmlessness, peace and joy for all, including yourself.
Some think freedom means we are able to govern ourselves, to behave according to our own free will, and to take responsibility for our actions. It defines the relationship of individuals to society in different ways, including what is called "social contract." Anyway there always seems to be some restriction. No absolute free will.
One thing is true: the more freedom one has, the more self discipline one needs. Otherwise one would be a victim of one's own freedom, and a disaster to others. True freedom is attained when one is responsible for one's own words, deeds, and thoughts.
Nobody else can grant or bring freedom to you. You have to strive hard to earn your freedom. Freedom is a personal choice to live in harmony with yourself and others in a certain environment and cultural context. Freedom implies happiness and harmlessness, peace and joy for all, including yourself.
Friday, December 16, 2011
An Empty House
The wind blows through an empty house
The virtual blinds flutter
Everything collapses
Leaving nothing behind.
The virtual blinds flutter
Everything collapses
Leaving nothing behind.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
A Theorist versus a Practitioner
There is usually a vast distance between theory and practice or application, between having a knowledge about something and having actual experiences with it, and between preaching (words) and doing what one is preaching (deeds). An example of uniting theory and practice in Buddhism could be found from a short Nikaya sutra in which the Buddha taught ten ways Buddhist monks/nuns or followers need to observe rigorously in their training to attain liberation and enlightenment. These ten ways present what a true Buddhist follower must be like and how s/he must live as one who denounces worldy pleasures in seeking the ultimate truth.
Following are the ten ways a Buddhist monk/nun/follower must observe:
1. I am under training to become one who does not belong to any social class.
2. My life depends on others' alms giving/donation.
3. My postures and behaviors need to be changed accordingly and appropriately.
4. Does this self (that I have)have to be criticized regarding its precept observation?
5. Do other Buddhist followers have to criticize this self (that I have) after they have observed and learned about it?
6. All things and phenomena that are attractive and pleasing to this self (that I have) are subject to impermanence and perishableness.
7. I am the owner of my karma, the heir of my karma, the embryo of my karma (the source from which my karma was born), the relative of my karma, the destination of my karma; hence, whatever karma I have committed, good or bad, skillful or unskillful, I will inevitably have to inherit it.
8. Time has gone by, and what have I become/attained up to this point?
9. Do I feel happy/joyful in an empty house/shelter?
10. Have I attained any level on the Noble Path which other respected Buddhist monks/nuns/ followers have learned and attained, so that near the end of my life journey, when they ask about it, I would not feel shameful of myself?
These are the ten ways that guide the spiritual life of a true Buddhist follower like a compass.
Discussion
1. This refers to the ideal of equality which a Buddhist follows. As one who leaves the mundane world behind with all its dual characteristics, social classes, secular parties and partisanship, and/or any diversity discrimination, the monk/nun is free from worldly fetters. S/he thus has a mind of equanimity, seeing no self, and no subject-object discrimination.
2. The second refers to how the Buddhist monk/nun maintains his/her life. S/he is a mendicant, living by others' compassion and alms giving/donation while keeping their faith and persevere on their Path to Liberation and Enlightenment. This also implies a life of very few necessities, only the essentials to maintain life (food, clothing, medication when needed, and a shelter). It also emphasizes an ascetic life of one who is practicing compassion, gratefulness, tolerance, and responsibilities toward others.
3. The postures and behaviors of a Buddhist followers must be appropriate in their daily activities, for they are on their Path to Liberation and Enlightenment. They are mindful and focusing on training body (verbal and non verbal language, gestures, behaviors); heart (feelings); and mind (perceptions, conscious and subconscious levels).
4. A Buddhist follower must be mindful about his/her moral life and precept observation. If s/he makes a mistake related to body, heart and mind training, or if s/he fails to observe any precept, then s/he must feel shameful and has to express repentance to other monks and nuns and the Teacher or Master, and the Buddha. This requires the follower to have high levels of self criticism and self discipline.
5. Besides self disciplines and self criticism, the Buddhist follower also has to be aware of other monks and nuns' observations and criticism about his/her own moral life and precept observation. S/he must feel shameful if criticized by other monks and nuns or the Teacher/Master. With this apprehension or fear of failure in precept observation, the monk/nun will try harder on the Path of training.
6. This emphasis on impermanence helps the Buddhist follower to remain mindful and detached from worldly pleasures, and to cultivate a strong will to attain their vow to Liberation and Enlightenment.
7. This emphasizes intentional actions (karma) which bring about either suffering or happiness to beings. Understanding the law of karma, the Buddhist monk/nun will take full responsibility in his or her own actions on the Path to Liberation and Enlightenment. S/he is mindful in every action to avoid unskillful or bad karma and its consequences. At the same time, s/he cultivates a strong will to accomplish good karma, and takes full responsibility to attain the ultimate goal in this life --Liberation and Enlightenment.
8. This reminds the Buddhist monk/nun of the steadfast diligence, continuous perseverance and rigorous observance that is very necessary in his/her lifetime contemplative training. There are various steps or spiritual levels the monk/nun/follower must try to attain gradually with his/her own practice and experiences along the Path.
9. This refers to the gist of the mind training, and the only goal in life of a Buddhist mendicant. It is the eradication of all aggregates and attachments from the mind, and the attainment of the ultimate liberation through precept observation, meditation practice, and wisdom development. Therefore, the Buddhist follower must devote his/her life to meditation practice, and find joy in it. The empty house/shelter (sunnagara) in this sutra refers to this practice (in order to dwell in the vast space of Buddha Nature). The Buddhist follower must dedicate his/her life to this practice, day and night, so as not to feel repentant afterwards.
10. This refers to the results the Buddhist follower gets from his/her practice of meditation. It also implies all the spiritual levels one may attain in one's lifetime if one practices meditation diligently and appropriately. The ultimate goal is to liberate oneself from all suffering/the Samsara and to return to the Buddha Nature/Nirvana.
In short, learning from the Dhamma and applying what one learns to one's daily activities is the core of the contemplative training in Buddhism.
Source:
Original source: Journal of Buddhist Culture
Posted online at http://www.daophatngaynay.com/vn/phat-phap/giao-phap/giac-ngo-giai-thoat/9539-Muoi-dieu-tam-niem-cua-nguoi-xuat-gia.html
Following are the ten ways a Buddhist monk/nun/follower must observe:
1. I am under training to become one who does not belong to any social class.
2. My life depends on others' alms giving/donation.
3. My postures and behaviors need to be changed accordingly and appropriately.
4. Does this self (that I have)have to be criticized regarding its precept observation?
5. Do other Buddhist followers have to criticize this self (that I have) after they have observed and learned about it?
6. All things and phenomena that are attractive and pleasing to this self (that I have) are subject to impermanence and perishableness.
7. I am the owner of my karma, the heir of my karma, the embryo of my karma (the source from which my karma was born), the relative of my karma, the destination of my karma; hence, whatever karma I have committed, good or bad, skillful or unskillful, I will inevitably have to inherit it.
8. Time has gone by, and what have I become/attained up to this point?
9. Do I feel happy/joyful in an empty house/shelter?
10. Have I attained any level on the Noble Path which other respected Buddhist monks/nuns/ followers have learned and attained, so that near the end of my life journey, when they ask about it, I would not feel shameful of myself?
These are the ten ways that guide the spiritual life of a true Buddhist follower like a compass.
Discussion
1. This refers to the ideal of equality which a Buddhist follows. As one who leaves the mundane world behind with all its dual characteristics, social classes, secular parties and partisanship, and/or any diversity discrimination, the monk/nun is free from worldly fetters. S/he thus has a mind of equanimity, seeing no self, and no subject-object discrimination.
2. The second refers to how the Buddhist monk/nun maintains his/her life. S/he is a mendicant, living by others' compassion and alms giving/donation while keeping their faith and persevere on their Path to Liberation and Enlightenment. This also implies a life of very few necessities, only the essentials to maintain life (food, clothing, medication when needed, and a shelter). It also emphasizes an ascetic life of one who is practicing compassion, gratefulness, tolerance, and responsibilities toward others.
3. The postures and behaviors of a Buddhist followers must be appropriate in their daily activities, for they are on their Path to Liberation and Enlightenment. They are mindful and focusing on training body (verbal and non verbal language, gestures, behaviors); heart (feelings); and mind (perceptions, conscious and subconscious levels).
4. A Buddhist follower must be mindful about his/her moral life and precept observation. If s/he makes a mistake related to body, heart and mind training, or if s/he fails to observe any precept, then s/he must feel shameful and has to express repentance to other monks and nuns and the Teacher or Master, and the Buddha. This requires the follower to have high levels of self criticism and self discipline.
5. Besides self disciplines and self criticism, the Buddhist follower also has to be aware of other monks and nuns' observations and criticism about his/her own moral life and precept observation. S/he must feel shameful if criticized by other monks and nuns or the Teacher/Master. With this apprehension or fear of failure in precept observation, the monk/nun will try harder on the Path of training.
6. This emphasis on impermanence helps the Buddhist follower to remain mindful and detached from worldly pleasures, and to cultivate a strong will to attain their vow to Liberation and Enlightenment.
7. This emphasizes intentional actions (karma) which bring about either suffering or happiness to beings. Understanding the law of karma, the Buddhist monk/nun will take full responsibility in his or her own actions on the Path to Liberation and Enlightenment. S/he is mindful in every action to avoid unskillful or bad karma and its consequences. At the same time, s/he cultivates a strong will to accomplish good karma, and takes full responsibility to attain the ultimate goal in this life --Liberation and Enlightenment.
8. This reminds the Buddhist monk/nun of the steadfast diligence, continuous perseverance and rigorous observance that is very necessary in his/her lifetime contemplative training. There are various steps or spiritual levels the monk/nun/follower must try to attain gradually with his/her own practice and experiences along the Path.
9. This refers to the gist of the mind training, and the only goal in life of a Buddhist mendicant. It is the eradication of all aggregates and attachments from the mind, and the attainment of the ultimate liberation through precept observation, meditation practice, and wisdom development. Therefore, the Buddhist follower must devote his/her life to meditation practice, and find joy in it. The empty house/shelter (sunnagara) in this sutra refers to this practice (in order to dwell in the vast space of Buddha Nature). The Buddhist follower must dedicate his/her life to this practice, day and night, so as not to feel repentant afterwards.
10. This refers to the results the Buddhist follower gets from his/her practice of meditation. It also implies all the spiritual levels one may attain in one's lifetime if one practices meditation diligently and appropriately. The ultimate goal is to liberate oneself from all suffering/the Samsara and to return to the Buddha Nature/Nirvana.
In short, learning from the Dhamma and applying what one learns to one's daily activities is the core of the contemplative training in Buddhism.
Source:
Original source: Journal of Buddhist Culture
Posted online at http://www.daophatngaynay.com/vn/phat-phap/giao-phap/giac-ngo-giai-thoat/9539-Muoi-dieu-tam-niem-cua-nguoi-xuat-gia.html
Friday, December 2, 2011
Three Paths to Follow
There are three paths you may choose to follow in your lifetime: the first two lead to Enlightenment and Liberation, and the third to the circle of life and death or Samsara.
The first path is the most direct, but very few could follow. It is the Buddha's comtemplative path, which serious Buddhist followers and meditators have been practicing rigorously. Through mind training, the meditator gradually recognizes the ultimate truth of emptiness while observing the body, the feeling, the mind and all other phenomena. Seeing no self, no subject-object distinction, and no duality, the meditator dwells in the Buddha nature, or the vast space that embraces and unites everything. Having unveiled his/her ignorance, the meditator now can see all phenomena as they really are --having no substance, interdependent, just like a mirage or a rainbow. At the end of his/her life journey, s/he leaves the body behind calmly, and arrives home in the vast space, from which the meditator is free to leave, and to enter any realm s/he wants to in order to help other beings, or to carry out his/her vows.
The second path also leads to liberation from Samsara or suffering, but it could take a practitioner's many many lives of hard practice in order to get to the destination. The practitioner could use other methods the Buddha taught for self liberation and for accomplishing his or her vows. Depending on the individual's spiritual level, s/he could benefit from listening to the Dhamma (the Four Noble Truth, the Law of Dependent Origination....), or from following precepts, and developing wisdom through comtemplating on the Buddha's teachings. This second path differs from the first, because in the second path the practitioner is not quite able to stop his or her conventional dual way of perceiving phenomena. Hence, for a long time the practitioner remains attached to the self, the distinction between subjects and objects, and the familiar way of perceiving reality.
The third path is the path the multitude follow. It is the circle of life and death, or Samsara. One lives with one's false perceptions about oneself and others. One is driven by ignorance, or sensual pleasures, taking forms and designations as real, not knowing that none has any substance in itself.
In your own lifetime, the choice is yours. Whether you want to continue to dwell in Samsara, and to be trapped in the perpetual circle of life and death and sufferings life after life, or you want to be liberated and attain enlightenment to fulfill noble goals of serving others, and helping to stop their sufferings, it is a matter of your decision and resolution. One thing is sure, liberation and enlightenment can be accomplished right within your own lifetime as proved by the Buddhas and true Zen masters.
The first path is the most direct, but very few could follow. It is the Buddha's comtemplative path, which serious Buddhist followers and meditators have been practicing rigorously. Through mind training, the meditator gradually recognizes the ultimate truth of emptiness while observing the body, the feeling, the mind and all other phenomena. Seeing no self, no subject-object distinction, and no duality, the meditator dwells in the Buddha nature, or the vast space that embraces and unites everything. Having unveiled his/her ignorance, the meditator now can see all phenomena as they really are --having no substance, interdependent, just like a mirage or a rainbow. At the end of his/her life journey, s/he leaves the body behind calmly, and arrives home in the vast space, from which the meditator is free to leave, and to enter any realm s/he wants to in order to help other beings, or to carry out his/her vows.
The second path also leads to liberation from Samsara or suffering, but it could take a practitioner's many many lives of hard practice in order to get to the destination. The practitioner could use other methods the Buddha taught for self liberation and for accomplishing his or her vows. Depending on the individual's spiritual level, s/he could benefit from listening to the Dhamma (the Four Noble Truth, the Law of Dependent Origination....), or from following precepts, and developing wisdom through comtemplating on the Buddha's teachings. This second path differs from the first, because in the second path the practitioner is not quite able to stop his or her conventional dual way of perceiving phenomena. Hence, for a long time the practitioner remains attached to the self, the distinction between subjects and objects, and the familiar way of perceiving reality.
The third path is the path the multitude follow. It is the circle of life and death, or Samsara. One lives with one's false perceptions about oneself and others. One is driven by ignorance, or sensual pleasures, taking forms and designations as real, not knowing that none has any substance in itself.
In your own lifetime, the choice is yours. Whether you want to continue to dwell in Samsara, and to be trapped in the perpetual circle of life and death and sufferings life after life, or you want to be liberated and attain enlightenment to fulfill noble goals of serving others, and helping to stop their sufferings, it is a matter of your decision and resolution. One thing is sure, liberation and enlightenment can be accomplished right within your own lifetime as proved by the Buddhas and true Zen masters.
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