Hanoi commemorates King-Monk Tran Nhan Tong

The Hanoi Buddhist Sangha held an incense offering to King-Monk Tran Nhan Tong, the founder of Vietnam Zen Buddhism, in commemoration of his 702nd death anniversary at Ba Da pagoda on Dec. 5 (the 30th day of the tenth lunar month).

Most Venerable Thich Bao Nghiem, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha’s Executive Committee, stated that King-Monk Tran Nhan Tong and his merit and religious career have gone down in the nation’s history and Vietnamese Buddhism in the cause of “defending the country and ensuring peace for the people”, uniting the entire people and promoting Buddhism in the modern era and the future.

Tran Nhan Tong (1258-1308), the third king of the Tran dynasty, ascended the throne when he was just 21. He was famed for defeating Mongol invaders twice during 15 years of his reign.

The king abdicated his throne at the age of 35 and spent the rest of his life on the Yen Tu Mountain practising and propagating Buddhism, and founding the Truc Lam School of Zen (the Bamboo Forest School ).

During that time, the King-Monk worked to unify different sects of Vietnamese Buddhism into Vietnamese Zen Buddhism.

The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha Central Committee has long observed the day King Tran Nhan Tong attained Nirvana (the first day of the eleventh lunar month) as the national anniversary of Vietnamese Buddhism.

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Buddhism, literature with Hanoi’s millennial growth

A recent symposium has provided an insight into Buddhism and literature’s immense contributions and their connection with the capital city of Hanoi over its 1,000-year development course.

The symposium “Literature and Buddhism with the 1,000 th founding anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi” took place in the southern province of Binh Duong last weekend. It brought together 300 religious and non-religious researchers of Buddhism and literature, and Buddhist dignitaries in Ho Chi Minh City and southern localities.

Close to 100 presentations focused on Buddhism’s role in the founding and development of the former Thang Long capital city and Dai Viet under the Ly dynasties (1009-1226) and the Tran dynasty (1226-1400), Buddhist literature, literature under the Ly and Tran dynasties and the later dynasties, and contemporary literature and southern literature as seen in relation with 1,000 years of Thang Long-Hanoi.

They helped highlight lessons on national development and defence, international diplomacy, religious tolerance, democracy, politics and Buddhism’s company with the nation, said Most Venerable Thich Giac Toan, Vice President of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha’s Executive Council, who is also head of the symposium organising board./.

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