Tuệ Trung Thượng Sĩ Trần Tung
(1230-1291) was an excellent disciple of Thiền Master Tiêu Dao, who was
well-known at the end of the Lý
Dynasty. Tuệ Trung was not only King
Trần Nhân Tông’s teacher, but also a giant figure of the Trúc Lâm School, and a
great thinker of Đại Việt (Vietnam nowadays).
His life and accomplishments were good examples for Buddhism during the
Trần Dynasty and for academic life at that time. As a thiền scholar and master, he had made fundamental
contributions to the philosophy of Trúc Lâm Thiền School in Việt Nam, particularly his freedom of thinking and
non-attachment.
In Buddhism, freedom of thinking
and non-attachment is expressed in the ways of thinking and living that go
beyond the language in scriptures and Dharma teachings. It is a renewal, or a revolution, in
perception and action. It implies
learning the tradition with a critical mind.
Freedom of thinking and
non-attachment appeared very early in the history of Buddhism. The Buddha said, “ For 49 years of Dharma teaching,
I haven’t said a word.” He meant that
His followers should recognize the essence of His teachings, not relying on the language He used. In Viên giác Sutra we
learn that the Buddha’s teachings are like a finger pointing to the moon. One must see the moon, and forget the
finger. All Buddhas’ and Boddhisattvas’
teachings are like moon-pointing fingers.
When Buddhism was introduced to
Vietnam, Vietnamese Thiền masters welcomed this spirit of free thinking and
non-attachment. Learning it from his
Thiền predecessors, Tuệ Trung was especially interested in thinking beyond
doctrines, which led to direct enlightenment through abandoning dualistic
thinking, and dwelling in the True Mind or True Nature. According to Tuệ Trung, in order to get
enlightened, the Buddhist practitioner needs to “break” not only the chain of
dualistic thinking, but also all concepts.
Hence, his methods helped to liberate the follower from attachment to
doctrine teachings. These
non-attachment methods were to be applied in all aspects in Dharma practice,
but they fundamentally focused on precepts, concentration, and wisdom, or the
three phases on the path to enlightenment (recognition of the True Mind).
In Buddhism precepts are usually
considered the basis for enlightenment.
To Tuệ Trung, precepts are only the means which the practitioner should
go beyond. He wanted Buddhist
followers to understand the implications of precept observance. Besides precepts, Tuệ Trung also explained
many other issues in scriptures in the same way. He taught his disciples through dialogues, and often used koans.
Once asked “What is the Purified Dharmakaya?”, Tuệ Trung answered:
Stepping in and out of a buffalo’s urine;
He advised us not to waste time
arguing about unsolvable things. He
wanted to move beyond any attempts to explain Buddhist teachings. When asked about “How to reach
enlightenment,” he said that when there was no dirty thought arising, one was
dwelling in the clear True Mind. Then
he read this poem:
There
has been nothing clean nor dirty,
The
Dharmakaya is not attached to anything
Whether
worldly or purified!
Clean or dirty are mere designations.
“Clean” or “dirty” are concepts
created by human minds to refer to spiritual purity or impurity. To Tuệ Trung, they were one. Because we are ignorant, we discriminate
“clean” from “dirty”, but everyone has Buddha Nature, and should embrace free
thinking in order to become non-attached to such discriminations, and to dwell
in the ultimate reality, free from such concepts.
Another time when asked about the
meaning of “Emptiness is form; form is
Emptiness” (Prajnaparamita Sutra), he answered, ”Do humans have body form? Then why do we say ‘Form is Emptiness?’ Do humans see Emptiness? Then why do we say, 'Emptiness is
form'?" Tuệ Trung then recited the
following gatha:
Form is not Emptiness.
Emptiness
is not Form.
The above gatha appears to be against what is in the scriptures. However, Tuệ Trung only wanted to criticize those who, because of ignorance, had strong attachment, and could not tell illusion from reality, and became so attached to concepts. Fundamentally, both form and Emptiness are illusory designations created by the discriminative and dualistic mind. Then he said,
Form is Emptiness; Emptiness is form,
Three
generations of Buddhas named these with wisdom flexibility
Emptiness
itself has no form; Form is empty, too,
The
True Nature is eternally bright, never lost nor gained.
Tuệ Trung explained to Buddhist followers that
form is emptiness, and emptiness is form.
They are one, and both are empty by nature.
Because humans are ignorant, they separate form from emptiness, and
split one into two. Once they are
enlightened, they will see all is empty.
Buddhas of the past, the present, and the future consider the Buddha’s
teachings as the means or the method to teach how to attain enlightenment. By nature, emptiness does not contain any
form, and form does not contain any emptiness.
The True Nature is always bright and clear, never lost nor gained. If one realizes that implication, one
understands the Way.
(To be continued)
Source:
Nguyen Duc Dien. Quan diem pha chap trong thien hoc cua Tue Trung Thuong Si. 04/14/2012
http://www.daophatngaynay.com/vn/phap-mon/thien-dinh/to-su/10699-Quan-diem-Pha-chap-trong-thien-hoc-cua-Tue-Trung-Thuong-Si.html
