THE BUDDHA’S TEACHING AS APPLIED BY TUE TRUNG THUONG SI AND HIS INFLUENCE ON VIETNAMESE BUDDHISM

Abstract

Buddhism in Vietnam was directly brought from India by a monk named Su Phat Quang in 257 BCE.1 Later Vietnamese Buddhism has developed into different sects, but Zen schools have been the most predominant. Especially prominent was a well-known Buddhist named Tue Trung Thuong Si whose lifestyle was seemingly similar to that of a to a Bodhisattva; he applied the Buddha’s teaching to the cultivation of morality, concentration, and wisdom. Also, he helped learners to comprehend the Buddha’s teachings. His point of view about the teaching “entered the world” is imbued with the personality of a Bodhisattva who embarks in a life to save all beings. Therefore, this paper attempts to discuss how he applied the Buddha’s Teaching with this method of Zen i d his infl uence on Vietnamese Buddhism. The great contribution of him was that people practiced his teachings and achieved fi nal enlightenment and liberation.