Tue Trung
Encyclopedia
Tue Trung Thuong Si (1230–1291) is recognized as one of the most significant Buddhist
masters of medieval Vietnam
, a Thiền (Zen) teacher and a poet.
and mother of King Trần Nhân Tông), and of Tran Hung Dao who was to distinguish himself as the victorious commander of Vietnamese forces that successfully confronted the Sino-Mongolian invasion
of Kublai Khan
.
In these campaigns, in 1285 and 1288, Tran Tung was among the generals.
After that, he retreated from worldly activities and became a Buddhist practitioner.
His teacher was a monk named Tieu Dao, a representative of the Wu Yantong lineage of Buddhism, named for its founder, a student of Baizhang Huaihai who had come to Vietnam. Tue Trung is considered Tieu Dao's best pupil. He would not leave home for monastery, but his vast education and his ability to explain the Buddhist doctrine made him the most famous Buddhist teacher of his time.
In his turn, Tue Trung made his spiritual heir Trần Nhân Tông, the king who after abdication founded the first Vietnamese tradition of Buddhism, called the Trúc Lâm (Bamboo Grove) school.
Via Trần Nhân Tông, Tue Trung is part of the lineage of such modern Buddhist masters as Thích Nhất Hạnh.
The main written heritage of Tue Trung, «Analects of Tue Trung Thuong Si» where Buddhist truths are taught in form of dialogue, survived to our days. Several of Tue Trung's poems are still cited.
Tue Trung became a legendary master often referred to in Buddhist lectures and literature. The most popular is the example of him stepping on horse's manure in silent reply to the question of the nature of Buddhism. He is being actively referred to as a central Vietnamese Buddhist image to this day.
Buddhism in Vietnam
Buddhism in Vietnam as practiced by the ethnic Vietnamese is mainly of the Mahāyāna tradition. Buddhism came to Vietnam as early as the 2nd century CE through the North from Central Asia and via Southern routes from India...
masters of medieval Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, a Thiền (Zen) teacher and a poet.
Biography
Tran Tung by his lay name , master Tue Trung was the eldest son in a branch of the royal clan of Tran. He was the elder brother of the Queen of Vietnam, Nguyên Thánh Thiên Cảm (wife of King Tran Thanh TongTran Thanh Tong
Trần Thánh Tông , given name Trần Hoảng , was the second emperor of the Trần Dynasty, reigning over Đại Việt from 1258 to 1278. After ceding the throne to his son Trần Nhân Tông, Thánh Tông held the title Thái thượng hoàng from 1279 to his death in 1290...
and mother of King Trần Nhân Tông), and of Tran Hung Dao who was to distinguish himself as the victorious commander of Vietnamese forces that successfully confronted the Sino-Mongolian invasion
Mongol invasions of Vietnam
Mongol invasions of Vietnam or Mongol-Vietnamese War refer to the three times that the Mongol Empire and its chief khanate the Yuan Dynasty invaded Đại Việt during the Trần Dynasty and the Kingdom of Champa: in 1257–1258, 1284–1285, and 1287–1288. The Mongols were defeated by Đại...
of Kublai Khan
Kublai Khan
Kublai Khan , born Kublai and also known by the temple name Shizu , was the fifth Great Khan of the Mongol Empire from 1260 to 1294 and the founder of the Yuan Dynasty in China...
.
In these campaigns, in 1285 and 1288, Tran Tung was among the generals.
After that, he retreated from worldly activities and became a Buddhist practitioner.
His teacher was a monk named Tieu Dao, a representative of the Wu Yantong lineage of Buddhism, named for its founder, a student of Baizhang Huaihai who had come to Vietnam. Tue Trung is considered Tieu Dao's best pupil. He would not leave home for monastery, but his vast education and his ability to explain the Buddhist doctrine made him the most famous Buddhist teacher of his time.
In his turn, Tue Trung made his spiritual heir Trần Nhân Tông, the king who after abdication founded the first Vietnamese tradition of Buddhism, called the Trúc Lâm (Bamboo Grove) school.
Via Trần Nhân Tông, Tue Trung is part of the lineage of such modern Buddhist masters as Thích Nhất Hạnh.
Teaching and heritage
Being essentially a Chan Buddhist tradition, the teaching of Tue Trung emphasized non-duality up to demonstrative negation of the value of formal meditation and rituals.The main written heritage of Tue Trung, «Analects of Tue Trung Thuong Si» where Buddhist truths are taught in form of dialogue, survived to our days. Several of Tue Trung's poems are still cited.
Tue Trung became a legendary master often referred to in Buddhist lectures and literature. The most popular is the example of him stepping on horse's manure in silent reply to the question of the nature of Buddhism. He is being actively referred to as a central Vietnamese Buddhist image to this day.