The name of Trúc Lâm Thiền School in Việt Nam has always been intertwined with that of King Trần Nhân Tông. This Thiền School is a great pride and a landmark in the history of Vietnam Buddhism..
Nguyễn Lang, in A Treatise on the History of Vietnam Buddhism, wrote:
Trúc Lâm School of Vietnam Buddhism was an independent Buddhist school. Its spiritual value and influence was that of the Đại Việt nation. It was the backbone for an independent Vietnamese culture, with its own unique characteristics even though it had been influenced by Buddhism from China, India and Tibet.It is worth noticing that the birth of Trúc Lâm Thiền School is a great national pride for the Vietnamese, for it confirms the nation's uniqueness, autonomy, and its people's strong determination to protect their national independence. It was the existence of the Trúc Lâm Thiền School that helped to mobilize all Vietnamese people's power against the Yuan and the Mongolian aggressors during that period, from the Buddhist kings, and court subjects to the poor Buddhist civilians, all of whom united in their fight against aggressors.
Trúc Lâm Thiền School and Vietnamese Culture
In the history of Vietnamese ideology, Buddhism plays an important role, not only because it appeared early, but also because it is considered a national religion which has had close relationship with national foundation and development. It is popular all over the country, and has become an inseparable part of national culture.
In the course of the history of Vietnam Buddhism, there are influences both from the South and from the North, foreign and native venerable monks, their intermingled residue, coexistence and development on the basis of Vietnamese traditional, and indigenous culture.
Trúc Lâm Yên Tử Thiền School has a special position in the bilateral relationship between Buddhism and national culture. First, we should pay tribute to the role of King Trần Nhân Tông (1258-1308), the Patriarch with his Buddhist name Trúc Lâm the Ascetic (Trúc Lâm Ðại Ðầu Ðà), and the founder of Trúc Lâm Thiền school.
(To be continued)
Source:
http://phatgiao.org.vn/tham-luan-sach/201312/Thien-phai-Truc-Lam-dinh-huong-va-phat-trien-12796/
