Earliest Form of Buddhist Education to Be Found In Vietnam

Buddhism entered Vietnam during the beginning of first century CE. By the second century Buddhist visited a central region in Vietnam known as the Luy-Lau centre. This centre is now in the Bac-Ninh province. Luy-Lau was the capital of Vietnam and this is the reason it was an important place for the Buddhists to visit. On their way to china monks stopped at this central region and taught people about Buddhism. Many teachings were translated in this central region such as Mahayana sutras and the Agamas. These were translated into Chinese as Vietnamese culture and religion is influenced a lot by the Chinese culture .

Vietnam is influenced by Chinese culture because Vietnam was occupied by Chinese during the 111 BCE and 939 CE . GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION OF VIETNAM Vietnam has Cambodia and Laos to the west and Chinese colossus, Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Thailand and Burma to the east and south. The eastern most part of Vietnam reaches India. The coastline is almost 2,500 kilometers. This coastline spreads from Mong-Cay, which is in the north to Cambodia. In early days Vietnam was the region between India and China which is actually a peninsula. This was formerly known as Funan and Campa.

Being so near the two most densely populated countries, Vietnam had a lot of influence from their culture, politic and religion . BUDDHIST INFLUENCE Vietnamese are very religious. They practice quite a number of religions like, Buddhism, Christianity, Taoism etc. Buddhism first came in North Vietnam . It was then known as Giao-Chi. These were Indian or Chinese Buddhists who came here from either land or sea routes and started influencing people. Giao-Chi became the centre of everything by the end of second century as the Indian merchants started doing trade there, and with them they brought monks also.
Buddhism was very influential at that time, as we can see that these traders brought monks with them because they were called the “calmer of the sea” . These monks were priests who later started preaching their religion in Vietnam. It became easier for them, because Giao-Ching was the central place where every traders and foreign travelers, Chinese and Indians met. Moreover the merchants rested here also if they were travelling between India and China. Thus monks and priests had one central place to preach their religion. They started missionary activities and as a result monasteries were built.
This was the first time that monasteries were built in Vietnam during the reign of Si-Nhiep. The very first few monasteries were built in a province of North Vietnam which is now known as Ha-Bac. This was formerly known as Luy-Lau, as mentioned in the Introduction that it was the centre of missionary activities . THE FIRST BUDDHISTS IN VIETNAM The earliest form of Buddhist education was found to be given by a Taoist who later became a Buddhist. Before him, it is said, that several missionaries from China came to preach Buddhism . During the rule of Si-Nhiep, two monks named Ma Ha Ky Vuc and Khau Da La came to Vietnam.
These were Indian monks. Tu-Dinh from Khmer kingdom requested them to stay there in Vietnam. The second monk however refused and went back where as Ma Ha Ky Vuc stayed. Tu-Dinh was a very religious man himself and used to fast for several days. This he said helped purify his body and soul. These two were the first monks to reach Giao-Chi. After them a Chinese Buddhist preacher named Mau-Bac came to Giao-Chi. During the time when Mau-Bac came to Giao-Chi, China was in serious political chaos. Due to this several monks and scholars came to Vietnam. Giao-Chi was under the rule of Si-Nhiep back then and was considered a safe place.
Mau-Bac after coming to Vietnam studied Buddhism from an Indian monk named Ksudra. Ma Ha Ky Vuc, who had come to Vietnam before any of these, with the help of Ksudra and Mau-Bac started promoting Buddhism in Vietnam. These were the first people who started to promote Buddhism and their teaching is the very early form of Buddhist study to be found in Vietnam. After Mau-Bac many monks started to propagate Buddhism. Khang Tang Hoi and Cuong Luong Lau also came to Giao-Chi during the third century. Khang Tang Hoi entered a monastery when he was ten and from there started studying and practicing Buddhism.
Apart from Buddhism he also studied literature, astronomy and other subjects. He translated many books relating Buddhism into Chinese. Though he was Indian born but is considered as a Vietnamese Buddhist. Cuong Luong Lau like Khang Tang Hoi also translated many Buddhist books in Chinese . The main Buddhist centre was Luy-Lau at that time; it is now known as Ha Bac and is situated in North Vietnam. Phap Van was a famous monastery in Luy-Lau and during the second and third century was famously known as “the school of doctrine” and “the lotus school”. In 968 A.
D, when King Dinh Tien Hoang came in to power, Buddhism in Vietnam changed. It entered a new era. Buddhism now had a hierarchy of monks and priests and it was now accepted by the court. As Buddhism was now supported by the royal court many changes took place. Buddhists were respected and were asked advice before taking decisions. Buddhists were involved in many political and religious decisions. During this period Buddhism was at its best. It was the most predominant religion. Many kings and emperors after this period were Buddhists. Many laws came into practice in this era, which were influenced by Buddhism.
Van Hanh, who is also known as the meditation master is of this era. Any ruler who was not Buddhists was at least the supporter of Buddhism. In 1010 A. D, almost eight monasteries were built in Ha Bac. All other monasteries and Buddhist temples were also repaired. Tripitaka texts, which were in China initially, were brought in Vietnam. Thousands of Buddha statues and paintings were made and set up. Festivals were set up. Many new monasteries such as Sung Kharh monastery and monastery at Mount Ba were built. In 1086 A. d Dai Lam monastery was built in Ha Bac.
Later in 1118 A. D Thien Phat was built which had almost 1,000 Buddha statues . BUDDHIST STUDIES IN VIETNAM Buddhist studies in Vietnam can be divided in to four eras. 1. From the entrance in Vietnam to the first century 2. From 11th century to 14th century, which was the best era of Buddhist studies 3. After 25th century, which was the time of declination of Buddhism 4. Present Buddhist studies in Vietnam People have different opinions about the exact date on which Buddhism entered Vietnam. It is believed that Buddhism entered Vietnam in first century A.
D; some people believe it was the year 189 of the Christian era. Historians say that Meou-Po, who was a Taoist before he became a Buddhist, was the first person to make any Buddhist teaching in Vietnam. Though many missionaries came before him, but they only laid grounds on which it became possible for Meou-Po to enter and teach Buddhism. It was very difficult to teach Buddhism at that time as very little literature was available. Vietnamese had no written script; hence a few translations were made in Chinese. The era between 544 and 602 was an independent era and was helpful in spreading Buddhism.
Though there was some progress, in this era but the real progress was made during 603 to 939. During these years two major missionaries entered Vietnam. Vinitaruci and Vo-Ngon-Thong led these two missions separately. Almost 20 shrines were built at that time and there were about 500 monks preaching Buddhism day and night. These shrines were a gift from the Chinese government. During 939 and 968 there was not much development in case of Buddhist studies. In 939 Chinese reign in Vietnam ended. Buddhist teachings paused during these years, but only in Vietnam, in China Buddhism went under a lot of scrutiny.
When Dinh-Bo-Linh came in to power, Buddhism started to prosper. He acted as a protector of the religion and Buddhism was studied and adopted by many people till Dinf-Bo-Linh’s reign till 1009. The emperor made Ngo-Chan-Luu the head of Sangha (Community of Buddhist monks). Ngo-Chan-Luu was a monk, scholar and a poet. The emperor was very much impressed by this monk who was good at Zen meditation. The emperor used to take advice from Ngo-Chan-Luu in matters of politics and military. Due to his good advices and performance he was made Imperial Councillor. He got the title of Khuong Viet which means servant of Vietnam.
Ngo-Chan-Luu proved to be a very good monk and helped in spreading Buddhism. During this time Tripitaka was brought from china for the first time with the help of Vietnamese missions. People in Vietnam were taught how to read and write in Chinese characters, as Vietnamese lacked written script. This helped the scholars learn more by reading more books on Buddhism and translating others into their language. Hence the monks of those times were much learned and were respected a lot all over the country as there were very few people who could read and write.
A scholar at that time was respected a lot and as most of the scholars were Buddhists, people started to go to them in order to learn. This helped spread Buddhist teachings . Buddhism expanded a lot during 1031 as almost a hundred temples were built during this era. A lot of Buddhist ceremonies were held and they were exempt from taxes. In 1049, the emperor built the Dien-Huu temple which was actually what he saw in his dream. He later ordered it to be constructed the way he saw it in between an artificial lake. It is one of the most famous monuments in Hanoi and is known as Temple of single column.
Ly-Thanh-Ton, who reined Vietnam in 1054, was a true Buddhist. During his time food and clothing were distributed among the poor. He used to reduce the punishment of prisoners also. Hence Ly-Thanh-Ton, who tried to follow the steps of Asoka, was a very great Buddhist. In 1069, when Vietnam was at war with Champa, the emperor brought back a few prisoners. What he did not know was that one of these prisoners was a Buddhist monk. When the emperor found out about him he inquired him and discovered that he had a great knowledge of Dharma. The emperor got very impressed and allowed him to preach his religion in the Khai-Quoc temple.
It was also found out that he was a Chinese monk who was actually trying to preach and practice Buddhism when he was caught. The emperor was a true Buddhist and praised scholars, and hence allowed this Chinese monk to stay in the temple. Now Buddhism was under official protection and could be spread more easily and therefore Buddhism continued to be taught among all the Vietnamese. Many writings of that time show the studies of Buddhist scholars . After this emperor all the other emperors also got interested in Buddhism. Most of them followed Zen meditation and practice. One of them became a monk and abdicated from his post of emperor.
The Ly Dynasty was spread over a period of 215 years. This was the only dynasty during which the religion of Buddhism was at its climax . After this came the Tran Dynasty, during the early years of which the spread of Buddhism slowed down. Though the emperors of this dynasty were more inclined towards Buddhism, but none the less during the first seventy years of this dynasty the Buddhist studies did not prosper as it did before. One of the emperors became a monk and started practicing Zen. The last dynasty definitely proved to be the climax of Buddhism, as it was now declining.
China started to reign again and due to this Confucianism started to prosper and made developments in various aspects such as philosophy and literature. Taoism grew and prospered, whereas Buddhists were stopped from preaching and practicing their religion. Buddhists books were burned and temples destroyed. This dropped the level of Buddhists studies in the country. When Vietnam got independent in 1428, it was thought that now it will be easier to renew Buddhism and spread its studies from the beginning. However, this proved wrong and Buddhists studies did not budge.
Buddhism lost its original touch and purity and people started mixing it with different ideas. No new temples were allowed to be built at that time and this also hindered the prosperity of the religion. Many monks were sent back to their lay lives and were stopped from preaching Buddhism saying that they were incompetent to do so . During 1528 and 1802 new Zen sects were developed. Temples were built and Buddhism was supported a lot. Lord Tr? nh Giang ordered rebuilding of temples. Almost 6,000 workers worked day and night to build temples of Quynh Lam and Sung nghiem. In South of Vietnam Thien Temple was built which still stands.
This Temple is equipped with its famous bell which is very resonant. Chinese monks were allowed to preach their religion and therefore they moved around whole of the country teaching and preaching Buddhism. Though many efforts were taken, yet Buddhism had such distorted form that monks were made to reside over ceremonies, Buddha was taken as a god and gifts were presented to his statue. This shows that the actual Buddhist religion had changed a lot and almost nobody knew and practiced the actual teachings of Buddha. THE IMPACT OF BUDDHIST EDUCATION The impact of Buddhist education was very great.
It not only effected the religious beliefs but also had a great impact on every other day to day activity. Music, which was influenced by Indian music because of the monks coming from India, was used in religious ceremonies. Today out of eight musical instruments almost six are Indian. These instruments were taken by Indian monks, first to China and then to Vietnam. It will not be false if we say that India and China are solely responsible for spreading Buddhism in Vietnam. Though China influenced mainly the northern areas whereas, India influenced the south; China had more impact on Buddhism in Vietnam than India had.
The reason is that China was in contact with Vietnam for thousands of years and had an influence on the politics and culture of the country. India had a lesser impact as Indian merchants went to Vietnam solely for business purposes. They sometimes took it as a resting place on their way to China. Hence they had no interest what so ever in the religion in Vietnam. However, there is certainly some influence on their religion and culture by the Indians, as the first monks to enter Vietnam for the purpose of preaching their religion were Indians. Buddhism gradually spread all over Vietnam.
Though there are quite a few religions practiced in Vietnam, but almost two thirds of the population practices Buddhism. People sometimes do not have clear vision for example today a Buddhist may visit Taoist temple. These sometimes lead to superstitions and practices which show their ignorance towards the religion. Sometimes even monks do not have clear concepts about Buddhism. Buddhism really had a very strong impact on the culture and behavior of common man. People have better morals due to Buddhism. Even people who are not educated know that bad deeds will result in bad results.
They know that they should be kind towards the people. Buddhists teachings are ordinary things which everybody should know. The motif of Buddhism is Lotus Flower. Monks are vegetarians and their teachings are based on purity and compassion. BUDDHISM CONCEPT IN VIETNAM Buddhism in Vietnam is mainly Mahayana. This Mahayana tradition has compassion as main entity. They take main words or buzzwords from Buddha like, Enlightenment, Delivered etc. The monks of Mahayana tradition try and improve their spiritual life. This spiritual life is then translated into action which is based on truth.
During the decline of Buddhism in Vietnam, the monks were just an entity to receive gifts in the ceremonies. Today due to the movement in 1920, they know what ceremonies are actually for. They now have clear concept. They have texts and books to refer to and find meditation as the best tool. The General Buddhist Association in Vietnam is a very dynamic organization representing Buddhism in the country. It represents the true picture of Buddhism in the country. They have done efforts, held conferences in order to not only promote Buddhism but paint a clear picture about the fundamentals of Buddhism.
Buddhism has prospered leaps and bounds in the country. Though there are many rival religions in the country, Buddhism is by far the most popular one. As mentioned earlier, almost two thirds of the population practices Buddhism. During 968 it was made the state religion. Buddhism in Vietnam is no wonder superior than any other religion there, as it is not only accepted publicly but also helped in the moral and spiritual training of the general public. People believe it and accept it by heart. They call it the religion of compassion. The imprint of Buddhism can be seen in art and literature as well.
Music has also been inspired from it. A European author writes: “Buddhism was the first foreign influence which had a powerful bearing on the evolution of Chinese thought; and the effect of such an influence was to rekindle, stimulate and develop to the highest pitch not only the religion but also all the other spheres of its civilization A casual glance, even by one who is almost completely unaware of the spiritual world of China, at the plastic arts of China shows how completely they stem from the spirit of Buddhism and how wonderfully they blossomed forth during the Buddhist period”
As Buddhism in Vietnam is influenced a lot from China and India, hence it can be said that the Chinese really had an impact on Vietnamese paintings, culture, literature and art.