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When the Song emperor came to
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court to discuss issues with his civil and military officers, seeing the old monk, he called him and asked: "Old man, of what country are you a native?

The flourishing and decline of the Zen School is beyond words.
Now I am briefly enumerating the lineages of the Zen School [in our country] to leave [an account] to posterity, so that the generations of scholars to come will know that Zen has a source that can be traced. This is not just my own fabrication.
In this text, the author describes the origin and the situation of Buddhism in Vietnam during his time as follows:
1. The "True Dharma" (Buddhism) first came to Vietnam at the time of Shenhui (684–758). However, the author of the Lu'o'c * Dan* Thien* Phái Do* was quick to note that it was not known "who was the first to receive [the Dharma] in our country," and that the record only starts with Chanyue (Thien* Nguyet*),20 who transmitted the Dharma to Lý Thái Tông (r. 1029–1054), then to Dinh* Hu'o'ng (? –1051), to Viên Chieu* (999–1090), to Dao* Hue* (? –1073), and others. 21
2. By the early fourteenth century when the Lu'o'c Dân Thiên Phái Ðô was written, there were four Zen lineages in Vietnam: The first lineage started with Thông Thiên (? –1228),22 who transmitted the Dharma to Tú'c Lu*, to Ú'ng Thuan*, to Xiaoyao (Tiêu Diêu), and to Huizhong (Huê Trung). Huê Trung then transmitted the Dharma to Trúc Lâm, i. e. , Emperor Tran* Nhân Tông (r. 1279–1293), who founded the Trúc Lâm Zen sect. The second lineage was transmitted by Zen Master Vu'o'ng Chí Nhàn; the third by Zen Master Nhat* Thien*; and the fourth by Layman Tianfeng, a contemporary of Ú'ng Thuân, who claimed to belong to the Linji school. According to the author of the Lu'o'c Dân Thiên Phái Ðô, these three lineages were already fading at his time and not much was known about them.
As we review this account of Buddhist history, a few things deserve consideration.
First, the author of the Lu'o'c Dân Thiên Phái Ðô remarks that "the True Dharma" (zhengfa) came to Vietnam at the time of Shenhui. " Whether by "True Dharma" he meant either Zen Buddhism or simply Buddhism, this statement does not seem to be correct, since we have archeological and historical evidence of the presence of Buddhism in Vietnam prior to the time of Shenhui and very little evidence of the introduction of Zen to Vietnam at the time of Shenhui. 2 3 Still, the connection the author makes between Shenhui and the origin of Zen Buddhism in Vietnam might be more than a chance conjecture: There might have been Chinese monks of Shenhui's lineage who came to Vietnam to spread Zen Buddhism and whose Vietnamese disciples strove to establish some sort of a Zen school in Vietnam.
Second, note that the Lu'o'c Dân Thiên Phái Ðô was probably written less than thirty years before the Thiên Uyen*, yet the author of the Lu'o'c Dân Thiên Phái
Ðô seems to know nothing of either Vinitaruci* or Vô Ngôn Thông. In fact, he did not know of any teachers before Thiên Lão. 24 Some modern scholars like Lê Manh* Thát have argued that this is because these authors did not have access to the materials used by the author of Thiên Uyên. But then again, the author of the Thiên Uyên did not seem to know of some of the "lineages" mentioned by the author of
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the Lu'o'c * Dan* Thien* Phái Do*, for instance. This suggests that there were various alternative versions of the history and contemporary situation of Buddhism in Vietnam current at that time.
While the Lu'o'c Dân Thiên Phái Ðô might tell us something about the genealogy of the Trúc Lâm school, its author seems surprisingly nebulous about the transmission of Zen Buddhism in Vietnam in general. Nevertheless, the author of the Lu'o'c Dân Thiên Phái Ðô seems to have recorded only what he actually knew, unlike other authors who tried to portray an unbroken line of succession connecting Vietnamese Zen to the Southern School of Chinese Zen (an aspiration that lasts even to the present time). In fact, although the Lu'o'c Dân Thiên Phái Ðô is not extremely informative about the transmission of Zen in Vietnam, it does give us a realistic impression of the historical situation. During the period of more than ten centuries before its author's time, there were records of émigré foreign monks of Cham, Indian, and Chinese provenance coming to Vietnam to teach Buddhism. Among them, there must have been some Chinese Zen masters who transmitted their teachings to Vietnamese disciples. Some of these Vietnamese Zen adepts in turn might have made efforts to establish Vietnamese lineages. But there is no documentary record to indicate whether these "lineages" were consistent and lasting enough to become legitimate "sects" or "schools. "
By the middle of the eleventh century, under the Lý dynasty, efforts were underway to construct a "history" of the transmission of Vietnamese Buddhism. The Vietnamese Buddhist elite in the Lý dynasty capital must have come under the spell of Zen literature, which enjoyed high prestige among cultured circles in China at the time, and been familiar with the "transmission of the lamp" genre, and especially the Chuandeng lu. Although we know that Buddhism came to Vietnam before the Zen school arose in China (and before the formation of the concept of "schools" in the Zen sense), for the Lý dynasty Buddhist elite, it was natural to portray Vietnamese Buddhist history as part of the history of the transmission of Zen, which was the form of Buddhism both intellectually paramount and socially most prestigious in their cultural horizon. Since the Chinese Buddhist intellectuals composed "lamp history" texts to rewrite the history of Buddhism according to the Zen school, the Vietnamese Buddhist leaders likewise composed ''lamp history" texts to assert Vietnamese Buddhism as the legitimate outgrowth of Chinese Zen.
Unfortunately, except for the Thiên Uyen*, none of the other Vietnamese "lamp history" texts is extant except in fragments or in brief references in other literary works.
The fact that the authors of the various "lamp history" texts did not offer compatible accounts of Vietnamese Zen, and apparently did not
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even know of each other, demonstrates that in reality Vietnamese Buddhism at that time was not at all what these authors made it out to be: a coherent, unified transmission derived from some Chinese Zen lineages. Rather, Vietnamese Buddhism consisted of different groups, stationed at different temples, under the influence of émigré monks belonging to different traditions of Chinese, Indian, or Central Asian Buddhism. When the Vietnamese authors recorded what they observed (or heard), they structured their accounts to conform to the Zen lineage model that they believed to be orthodox.
A critical reading of the Thien * Uyen* shows us that its model of Vietnamese Buddhist history is based on interpretations derived from the Chieu* Doi* Luc*, a text of the "lamp history" genre composed by Thông Bien*, now lost. Although at present the viewpoint of the Thiên Uyên is accepted by the Vietnamese Buddhist community as the "official view," the writings of Phúc Dien* show that up to the middle of the nineteenth century the Thiên Uyens* account of Vietnamese Buddhist history was not accepted unquestioningly as it is nowadays.
Thông Bien's* Model of Vietnamese Buddhist History
Thông Biên was the first Vietnamese Buddhist author to establish a history of Buddhism in Vietnam based on the paradigms of Chinese Zen: the Zen school versus the scriptural school, the direct transmissions from one patriarch to another in successive lineages. In other words, Thông Biên was the first Vietnamese who endeavored to interpret the development of Vietnamese Buddhism in the form of transmission of the mind of enlightenment based on the model of Chinese Zen's "lamp history. "
Thông Biên's biography relates an incident that took place at a vegetarian feast held at the National Temple in 1096, where he gave this explanation on the origin of Buddhism in India and its transmission to Vietnam:
Out of compassion, the Buddha appeared to be born in India. This is because India is the center of the world. At nineteen he left home. At thirty he achieved enlightenment. He stayed in the world preaching the Dharma for fortynine years, setting forth all sorts of provisional teachings to enable sentient beings to awaken to the Path. This is what is called creating teachings for a certain period.
When he was about to enter final nirvana, he was afraid that people attached to delusion would get stuck on his words, so he told Manjusri*, "In fortynine years I have not spoken a single word. Will they think something was said? " So he held up a flower [in front of the assembly on Vulture Peak]. No one in the assembly knew what to say, except
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Later Moteng (Kasyapa* Matanga*) brought this teaching to Han China [ca. first century C. E. ] and Bodhidharma travelled to [the Chinese kingdoms] of Liang and Wei [ca. sixth century C. E. ] with this message. The transmission of the teaching flourished with Tiantai: it is called the school of the scriptural teachings. The gist of the teaching became clear with [the Sixth Patriarch of Zen] Caoqi: this is called the Zen school. Both these schools reached our country [Vietnam] many years ago. The scriptural teachings began with Mou Bo and Kang Senghui. The first stream of the Zen school began with Vinitaruci* (Ty* Ni Ða Lu'u Chi); the second with Vô Ngôn Thông. Vinitaruci and Vô Ngôn Thông are the ancestral teachers of these two streams [of Zen].
. . . The present representatives of the Vinitaruci stream are Lâm Hue* Sinh and Vu'o'ng Chân Không. For the Vô Ngôn Thông stream, they are Mai Viên Chieu* and Nhan Quang* Trí. [The successor of Kang Senghui] is Lôi Hà Trach*. The other side branches [of these two streams] are too numerous to mention them all. 25
Thông Bien's* remarks simply reiterated the typical traditional Zen model of Buddhist history. His concept of Buddhist history can be summarized as follows: (1) Both the "scriptural school" and "mind school" or Zen derived directly from the Buddha. (2) The scriptural school culminated in China with the Tiantai school, whereas the Zen school was transmitted by Bodhidharma from India to successive generations of Chinese patriarchs until it reached its zenith with Huineng. (3) Both of these schools, however, had come to Vietnam quite early: the scriptural school began with Mou Bo and Kang Senghui, the Zen school with Vinitaruci and Vô Ngôn Thông.
Note that although Thông Bien* obviously based himself on some of the ideas circulating in Zen circles in Song China, he did not seem to rate the Zen school as superior to the scriptural school as most of his Chinese Zen predecessors and contemporaries did. In fact, according to his biography Thông Biên attained enlightenment by meditating on the Lotus Sutra* and became known as "Ngo* Pháp Hoa" or "Awakened to the Lotus. "
Thông Biên's model of Vietnamese Buddhist history—although not known to or approved by some authors of the Tran* dynasty—was subsequently adopted by the compiler of the Thien* Uyen* and thus exercised lasting influence on the traditional understanding of Vietnamese Buddhist history.
the Venerable Mahakasyapa *, who cracked a slight smile. Buddha knew he had meshed [with truth], so he entrusted the treasury of the eye of the true Dharma to him, and he became the first patriarch [of Zen]. This is what is called the separate transmission of the mindsource outside the scriptural teachings.
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We have evidence that the author of the Thien * Uyen* derived his overall outline of Vietnamese Buddhist history from the Chieu* Doi* Luc*, a work composed by Thông Bien* himself. We learn from Than* Nghi's biography that when he enquired about the Zen transmission and lineages in Vietnam, his teacher, Thu'ò'ng Chieu*, showed him Thông Bien's* Chiêu Ðôi Luc in which was recorded the transmission of both the scriptural school and particularly the Zen school in Vietnam with the lineages of Vinitaruci* and Vô Ngôn Thông and other minor branches.
Phúc Dien's* Model of Vietnamese Buddhist History
I have pointed out that from the middle of the Lý dynasty there were sporadic efforts by selfconscious Vietnamese Buddhist leaders to compose texts recording or interpreting the transmission of Buddhism in Vietnam. The Thiên Uyên itself is one important milestone in this ongoing enterprise of constructing history.
Nhu' So'n, an eminent monk of the [Later] Lê dynasty, composed the Ke* Dang* Luc, intending to trace Vietnamese Buddhism back to the time of the ancient, mythical Bhismagarjitasvararaja* Buddha, the paradigmatic symbol of the mind of enlightenment. But Nhu' So'n's work turns out to be nothing but a summary of the Wudeng huiyuan chronicle of Chinese Zen and is almost useless for the study of Vietnamese Buddhist history.
It was not until the middle of the nineteenth century, during the Nguyen* dynasty, that there appeared, in the writings of Phúc Dien*, another sustained effort at understanding the transmission of Zen in Vietnam. Phúc Ðiên's writings inform us of the transmission of Linji and Caodong Zen in medieval Vietnam and shed some light on a few historical issues in the Thiên Uyên.
Through Phúc Ðiên's biography in the Kê Ðang Lu'o'c* Luc, we learn that one of his main concerns is to collect materials for a complete history of the origin and transmission of Vietnamese Buddhism (which he understood to mean Zen Buddhism). 2 6 This is the reason why Phúc Ðiên reprinted and edited writings and materials that he thought related to this issue. Phúc Ðiên stated in his "New Preface to the FiveFascicle Transmission of the Lamp" that he composed the Kê Ðang Lu'o'c Luc as a supplement to the Thiên Uyên, yet we notice that he did not seem to believe completely in the model of Vietnamese Buddhist history set forth by the Thiên Uyên. Phúc Ðiên wrote:
The successions from generation to generation among monks of various schools in the Zen community of Vietnam from the Ðinh, [Former] Lê, Lý and Tran* to the [Later] Lê, could not be recorded. [Concerning the transmission] from the Trân up to the present time (Nguyên), I have many times searched among the adepts, records,
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and legends, without much success, and I have not been able to do a thorough study of the lineages of dharmaheirs. Therefore, I do not dare to compose anything but only record briefly [information] on the Tran * dynasty about the adepts, Buddhist sites, eminent monks, together with famous mountains, monasteries, renowned monks, transmissions from teachers to students, and the patronage by the aristocrats. 27
Thus, instead of continuing the Thien* Uyen*, Phúc Dien's* Ke* Dang* Lu'o'c* Luc* becomes an effort to investigate the complete history of "the transmission of the lamp" in Vietnam.
Another point worth noticing is that Phúc Dien* did not discuss extensively Vô Ngôn Thông. In his "New Preface to the FiveFascicle Transmission of the Lamp" he only mentioned the name of Vô Ngôn Thông as the founder of Zen in Vietnam (actually, he seems to reiterate the viewpoint of the Thiên Uyên). In his Kê Ðang Lu'o'c Luc, Phúc Ðiên presents a picture of Vietnamese Zen in which Vô Ngôn Thông does not appear to play any role. It is the same with Vinitaruci*. Phúc Ðiên only refers to Vinitaruci in passing in the story of Khâu Ðà La,28 merely as a monk who dwelt at Co* Châu Temple.
Phúc Ðiên stated that his intention was to compose a supplement to the Thiên Uyên. As a result we have the Kê Ðang Lu'o'c Luc. Phúc Ðiên himself seems to have been of the opinion that the value of Nhu' So'n's Kê Ðang Luc consists in connecting the patriarchs of the two schools of Linji and Caodong—in both China and Vietnam—with the beginning of Zen since Bhismagarjitasvararaja* Buddha; therefore, in his Kê Ðang Lu'o'c Luc, he followed the example of Nhu' So'n and strove to
retrace the inception of Zen in Vietnam in ancient records. 2 9 Phúc Ðiên wrote as follows about the beginning of Zen in Vietnam:
The inception of Zen in Dai* Nam: During the reign of Hùng Vu'o'ng there was [a young man named] Dong* Tu'* who went up to the grass hermitage on Mount Quynh* Vi. In the hermitage dwelt a monk from India named Phat* Quang (*Buddhaprabha). When Ðông Tu' passed the age of forty, Phât Quang transmitted the Dharma to him, giving him a hat and a staff saying that they contained all his miraculous power. Ðông Tu' transmitted the Dharma to Tiên Dung (his wife) and together they cultivated the Dharma.
On their way home, they had to stay overnight at some place, taking shelter under the hat supported by the staff. At the third watch, there appeared citadels, palaces, boy and girl servants, armies, and a whole court. Next morning, the nearby people were amazed and referred to it as the celestial court. [Ðông Tu' and Tiên Dung] arranged them into ranks, and they became a separate country. When Hùng Vu'o'ng heard about this, he thought that his daughter (Tiên
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Dung) was rebelling, so he sent his troops to fight them but they did not succeed. One night, strong wind arose scattering the sand and shaking the trees. Tiên Dung, Dong * Tu'*, their subject, citadels, and palaces all rose to the sky. The empty lot was transformed into a swamp. The next day there was nothing to be seen. People then built a shrine to worship. The swamp was subsequently named Da* Trach*, the province Tu'* Nhiên, the town Hà Mau*. 30
This strongly mythical story does not seem to have anything to do with the transmission of Zen. Perhaps Phúc Dien's* intention was to say that Zen was as old as the country of Vietnam. Traditional history gives the date of Hùng Vu'o'ng—the mythical ancestor of the Vietnamese people—as 2879 B. C. E. 31 For Phúc Dien*, Zen had been transmitted by Bhismagarjitasvararaja* Buddha since the beginning of time. Obviously, from the viewpoint of critical history we cannot accept this position, because Zen did not really take shape in China until the middle of the seventh century. To interpret the unfolding of Buddhism in human history symbolically as the transmission of the enlightenment experience in the Zen fashion is one thing, but to regard this as actual history is another.
To sum up Phúc Ðiên's view, Zen had been present in Vietnam since the time of Hùng Vu'o'ng. Although this ancient transmission was not recorded clearly and there were not sufficient materials to restore a coherent history, the continuous transmission of Zen in Vietnam as a cohesive school was a reality beyond any doubt. In essence, then, Phúc Ðiên, like Thông Bien*, implicitly adopted the interpretive concepts of the Chinese Zen tradition to construct his view of Vietnamese Buddhist history.
The Linji School
Phúc Ðiên referred to a number of texts that purported to record Vietnamese Buddhist history from its inception through various dynasties, but he seemed most confident when writing about Buddhism in the Tran* dynasty. According to Phúc Ðiên, in the Trân dynasty there were already eminent Song monks coming to Vietnam to transmit "the true school of Linji. " He wrote:
Since the Trân dynasty, [eminent monks] from the Great Song such as National Master Dadeng, the Venerable Yingshun (Ú'ng Thuan*), the Venerable Tianfeng, the Eminent Yuanzheng, Patriarch Xiaoyao, and the Eminent Huizhong (Hue* Trung), came to our country and went into Mount Yên Tu', transmitting the [doctrine of the] true school of Linji to our Founder Patriarch Dieu* Ngu'*. Subsequently, Ðiêu Ngu' transmitted it to Pháp Loa, and Huyen* Quang, and the
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According to Phúc Dien*, the true school of Linji was transmitted into Vietnam twice: the first time in the Tran* dynasty beginning with Dadeng, the second time in the Lê dynasty with Yuangong. The founding patriarch of Linji Zen of Vietnam was Dieu* Ngu'* (i. e. , Trân Nhân Tông, the third emperor of the Trân dynasty, also considered the founder of the Vietnamese Zen sect Trúc Lâm), the Dharmaheir of the Linji lineage starting with Dadeng, Yuanzheng, and Tianfeng of the Song. The second Linji lineage was transmitted to Vietnam in the Lê dynasty with Yuangong (also called Zhuogong). This lineage lasted nine generations. According to Phúc Ðiên, all the Trân kings were adepts in Zen. Trân Thái Tông studied with Yuanzheng, Tianfeng, and Dadeng; Trân Thánh Tông studied with Dadeng; Trân Nhân Tông studied with Huizhong; Trân Anh Tông and Trân Minh Tông both studied with Puhui.
However, in his record of the Linji lineage at Mount Yên Tu'*, Phúc Ðiên reported that this lineage lasted twentythree generations. Its first patriarch was Hien* Quang, the second generation was Yuanzheng, the third was Dadeng, the fourth was Xiaoyao, the fifth was Huihui (probably a scribal error for Huizhong), the sixth was Ðiêu Ngu', the seventh was Pháp Loa, and the eighth was Huyen* Quang. This seems to accord with other sections of his Ke* Dang* Lu'o'c* Luc* and provides us with useful information.
There is one obscure point. In the above record of the Linji lineage in the Trân dynasty, Hiên Quang's name does not figure in the list of eminent monks from Song China. But here Phúc Ðiên records that Hiên Quang was the first patriarch of the Linji lineage in Vietnam with its headquarters on Mount Yên Tu', without giving us any additional information about Hiên Quang. According to the Thien* Uyen*, Hiên Quang (? –1221) of Mount Yên Tu' was a Vietnamese monk belonging to the fourteenth generation of the Vô Ngôn Thông school. 33
If Hiên Quang in Phúc Dien's* text was identical to Hiên Quang of the Thiên Uyên, the difficulty would be: why would those eminent monks of the Linji School from China have had to come to Vietnam to study Linji Zen with a Vietnamese monk? According to the Thiên Uyên, at first Hiên Quang studied with Thu'ò'ng Chieu*, but afterward he received the mindseal from Trí Thông and was ordained by Pháp Gió'i. Later in his life he went to Mount Tù' So'n and devoted himself to meditation and
patriarchate was handed down from generation to generation. During the Bao * Thái era of the [Later] Lê dynasty, the Venerable Yuangong, [an eminent monk] from the Great Ming again transmistted the Linji School in Vietnam. . . . [Subsequently], Venerable Yuangong went into Mount Tiên Du to repair the Phat* Tích Temple. 32
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asceticism. When he passed away, his disciple Dao * Viên took care of the funeral ceremony. If the records in the Thien* Uyen* were reliable, Hien* Quang was keen on practicing austerities and had the personality of a thaumaturge, with nothing about his Buddhism resembling Linji Zen.
According to tradition, Linji himself came from the same lineage as Vô Ngôn Thông. If Hiên Quang himself was a patriarch of the Vô Ngôn Thông School, why did he suddenly become the first patriarch of the Linji lineage in Vietnam? The only plausible answer, albeit still a surmise, is that Hiên Quang himself repaired the temple on Mount Yên Tu'*; afterward when Yuanzheng came to Vietnam and went into Mount Yên Tu' to transmit the Dharma, he might have honored Hiên Quang with the title of first patriarch of the (Linji) Zen lineage on Mount Yên Tu'. This explanation seems plausible because one of Phúc Dien's* methods was to record the transmission based on information gathered at the monasteries.
The Caodong School
According to Phúc Ðiên's records, Caodong Zen came to Vietnam after Linji Zen, was not as popular, and was not transmitted for as long. In his Ke* Dang* Lu'o'c* Luc*, perhaps from sectarian loyalties, Phúc Dien* does not seem to pay as much attention to Caodong Zen as he does to Linji Zen.
Phúc Ðiên reports as follows about the Caodong lineage in Vietnam:
The right branch of the Sixth Patriarch Huineng was the transmission to Venerable Qingyuan Xingsi. The eighteenth generation of the branch was Venerable Dongshan Liangjie who founded the Caodong School which was transmitted to Zen Master Yiju Zhijiao. . . . The Caodong School was transmitted to our country with Venerable Shuiyue, also known as Daonan, as the first patriarch. The second generation was Venerable Zhenrong Zongyan, who founded Hong* Phúc Temple at Hòe Village, Hà Noi* Province, and was granted the title of Dai* Thù'a BoTat* (Mahayana* Bodhisattva). 34
According to Phúc Ðiên, this Caodong lineage with Shuiyue as the first patriarch lasted nine generations with three different centers: Hông Phúc Temple in Hà Nôi (from the first to the fifth generation), Ðai Quang Thien* Tu'* Temple in Bac* Ninh (from the sixth to the seventh generation), and Bích Dong* So'n Temple (from the eighth to the ninth generation). Subsequently, three subschools developed: The first had its headquarters at Ðai Quang Thiên Temple (Bac Ninh) under the guidance of Ðao Nguyên Khoan Duc* and lasted four generations. The second, at Hàm Long (Hà Nôi), started with Zen Master Chiêm Giác and lasted three generations. The third subschool was at Pho* Giác (Hà Nôi); it started with Zen Master Khoan Hòa and lasted four generations. 35
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Although Phúc Dien's * records do not verify the traditional image of a "school" as a unified, unbroken lineage transmitting fixed doctrinal systems, they are evidence of the presence of Zen, Linji Zen, and Caodong Zen in Vietnam. In the centuries from the Tran* through the [Later] Lê to the Nguyen* dynasty, there had been a number of émigré Chinese monks with certain connections to Linji and Caodong Zen coming to different temples in Vietnam to spread their religion. Therefore, even though we do not accept the traditional understanding of the term "school," it would be wrong to deny the presence of these Zen "schools" (or rather, "lineages'') in Vietnam.
Appendix III—
Biographies of Eminent Monks from Other Sources
Không Los * Biography in the Dai* Nam Thien* Uyen* Truyen* Dang* Tap* Luc*
[20a6] Zen Master Không Lo*, whose personal name was Chí Thanh*, was a native of Lai* Trì, Chân Dinh* Prefecture, Nam Ðinh Province. His lay family name was Nguyen*. He was a spiritual companion of Giác Hai* and Tù' Dao* Hanh*. When he was twentynine, the three of them went to India together to study with a certain sramana* and attained the six supernatural powers. 1
When Không Lô returned to his native province, he built Diên Phúc Temple and devoted himself to the chanting of the Great Compassion Mantra. 2 At that time he wished to build the four great vessels of Dai* Nam,3 notwithstanding the fact that his family was poor and his strength was limited. One day, he had the thought that there must be plenty of good copper in the great land of Song that could be used to build them. He immediately traveled northward.
[20b] At first he stayed as a guest at the house of an elder. He asked the latter for a sixfoot square of land to build a temple. The elder laughed and said: "Formerly, when the Crown Prince of Liang built a temple, he needed a thousandsquaremile piece of land and covered it with gold. What can you do with a sixfoot square of land which is only enough for a hencoop? " That night Không Lô spread his monk's robe, and it covered ten miles of land. Witnessing his supernatural power, the elder and his family bowed down to thank him. Henceforth, the whole family took refuge in the Three Jewels (triratna).
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The next day, wearing his monk's robe and carrying his monk's staff, Không Lô came to pay a visit to the Song court and stood in reverent posture in front of the imperial palace.
When the Song emperor came to
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court to discuss political issues with his civil and military officers, seeing the old monk, he called him and asked: "Old man, of what country are you a native? What is your name? What is your reason to come here? " Không Lo * said: "I am a poor monk from a small country. I left home to become a monk years ago. My present wish is to build the four vessels of Viet* Nam, but my physical strength is not enough to carry out this intention; therefore I took the risk of traveling a thousand miles to come here. I humbly ask Your Sagely Majesty to show your compassion and provide me with a little good copper to facilitate the work of casting [the four vessels]. The Song emperor asked: "How many disciples did you bring with you? " Không Lô said: ''I came here alone. I am only asking for this bagful of copper, and that will be enough for me to carry home. " The Song emperor said: "It's a long way to the south, [21a] you are welcome to take as much as you can. It's a trifle not worth talking about. "
Không Lô took all the copper in the Song store, yet his bag was still not full. Some people gaped in amazement, some shook their heads. When they reported this to the emperor, he was stunned and regretted he had given his permission. But because he already promised Không Lô, he could not do anything about it. When the emperor wanted his officers to escort him back to his country, Không Lô declined, saying: "I can carry this one bag of copper myself, do not bother to escort me. " Then he went outside, and slipping his staff through the bag [to carry it on his shoulder] he gently walked away. He used his bamboo hat to cross the rivers on his way back, and reached the shore of the Yellow River in the twinkling of an eye.
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Không Lô then went to Quynh* Lâm Temple, Ðông Trieu* District, Hai* Du'o'ng Province, and cast a huge statue of Amitabha* Buddha. He also built the Báo Thiên Stupa in the capital, a big bell in Pho* Lai*, and a caldron at Minh Dinh*. He used the rest of the copper to build a big bell at the temple of his native village, which weighed 3,300 pounds. He also cast a big bell at Diên Phúc Temple, Giao Thuy* Prefecture, which weighed 3,000 pounds. After finishing his task, he wrote a eulogy:
Crossing the great ocean on my straw hat, A thousandmile journey in one breath. Filling my bag with all Song's copper,
My arms can heft ten tons.
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In the meantime, Emperor Lý Nhân Tông was building the Hu'ng Long Palace. It took him over a year to finish it. [21b] The palace was extremely
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grandiose and ornate. Suddenly two lizards appeared on the beams and raised a great cry: the sound was as a giant thunderstorm. The emperor was very unhappy about the event. The commander then reported: "Only Giác Hai * and Không Lo*4 can do away with this strange apparition. " [The emperor ordered the commander to go look for Không Lô,] and he immediately carried out the order. On the fifteenth day of the first month of that year, he arrived at Không Lo's* retreat. Không Lô said: "Why have you come so late, Commander? " The commander said: ''How do you already know my rank? " Không Lô said: "I often ride with the moon and clouds. Sometimes I inadvertently enter the emperor's palace. I already know everything. "
On the same day Không Lô came to the capital. The emperor had a big nail driven into one of the pillars in the palace and said: "Only the one who can pull this out is the Dharma King. " Không Lô easily pulled the nail out with his hand. He then quietly recited the mantras. The two lizards were choked and could not cry any more: in a minute they fell to the ground. The emperor then rewarded Không Lô with one thousand pounds of gold and five hundred acres of land as temple property, and also bestowed on him the title Quoc* Su' (National Preceptor).
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When Lý Than* Tông (r. 1128–1138) was twentyone years old (1136), he suddenly [contracted a strange malady and] changed into a tiger, crouching there and biting people, wild, fierce, and horrible. The emperor [Lý Nhân Tông] had to build a golden cage to keep him in. In the meantime the children at Chân Dinh* started to sing a ditty:
The country has Lý Thân Tông,
All court affairs are solved.
If we want to cure the country's5 illness, We need Nguyen* Minh Không.
Lý Nhân Tông ordered [22a] the commander to take the dragon boat to welcome Không Lô [to the capital]. When the commander arrived at his retreat, Không Lô smiled and said: "You want me to cure the tiger, don't you? " The commander said: "How did you know? " Không Lô said: "I knew about this thirty years ago. " When he came to the royal palace, Không Lô seated himself peacefully and in a stern voice said: "Let the court officials bring a caldron of oil here immediately. Place one hundred needles in it, and boil it over a great fire, and move the prince's cage next to it. " He then picked up the one hundred needles with his bare hand and stuck them into Lý Thân Tông's body, saying the spell: "It's a precious thing to be the Son of Heaven. " Immediately, all the tiger's
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hair, tail, claws, and teeth fell away and he changed back to his princely body. Lý Nhân Tông rewarded Không Lo * with a thousand pounds of gold, one thousand acres of fields, tax exempt, for the temple's permanent property.
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Không Lô left the world to become a monk on the fourteenth day of the eighth month of the year bính thìn. On the third day of the sixth month of the year giáp tu at* (1151),6 he returned to the Western Paradise. Nowadays in front of the shrine of Lý Quoc* Su' at Tho* Xu'o'ng District, Hà Noi* Province, there still exists a statue of Không Lô and a stone tablet. The people of Tiên [Du] Village have burned incense and worshipped him there for generations.
Biographies of Du'o'ng Không Lô and Nguyen* Giác Hai* in the Linh* Nam Chích Quái [From the Linh Nam Chích Quái Liet* Truyen*]
Biography of Zen Master Không Lô: Zen Master Không Lô of Nghiêm Quang Temple, Hai Thanh Village,7 whose family name was Du'o'ng. He hailed from Hai Thanh. For generations his family lived as fishermen. Later he abandoned the family occupation to become a monk. At the temple he practiced chanting the Dharani Sutra*. During the Chu'o'ng Thánh Gia Khánh era (1059–1065), he befriended Giác Hai and they became spiritual companions. Gradually, they made their way to Ton* Trach* Temple8 and made their abode there. He ate herbs and wore tree bark, totally oblivious of his body, outwardly cutting off seeking and inwardly practicing meditation. His mind, ears, and eyes grew more and more penetrating. He could fly in the air, walk on water, tame tigers, and subdue dragons. His supernatural powers were multifarious and unfathomable. Finally, he returned to his native village, set up a temple, and settled there.
One day his attendant asked him: "Since my coming here, I haven't received your instruction about the essence of the mind. May I present you with this verse:
Only by cultivating are body and mind purified, Growing luxuriantly the straight branch faces
the empty awareness.
Someone comes enquiring about EmptinessEmptiness,9 The body is next to the screen: its shadow forms an image.
Không Lô said understandingly: "You bring along your origin, you bring along the scriptures, I accept them for your sake, and for your sake
I am concerned. What does not agree with your wish? " And he burst into laughter. <><><><><><><><><><><><>
He spoke this verse:
I have found a site with dragons and snakes to settle down in,
The rustic feeling leaves me exceedingly happy all day long. At times I go up to the solitary mountaintop,
And utter a long whistle that chills the whole of heaven.
He passed away on the third day, the sixth month in the tenth year, ky * hoi*, of the Hoi* Tu'ò'ng Dai* Khánh era (1119). His disciples had his remains buried in front of the temple. By royal edict, the temple was enlarged and duties were levied on two thousand households for the expenses of its upkeep.
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Biography of Zen Master Giác Hai*: Zen Master Giác Hai was also a native of Hai Thanh Village. He dwelt in Diên Phúc Temple in his native prefecture. His family name was Nguyen*. He took up fishing and lived on his boat, sailing here and there. At twentyfive, he gave up fishing and shaved his head to become a monk. Together with Không Lo* he first lived at Ton* Trach* Temple but later moved back to Hai Thanh Village. Under Lý Nhân Tông's reign, along with Daoist adept Thông Huyen* he was often summoned into the Liên Ngõa Palace for audiences and given a seat on cool stone. Once there were two lizards whose cries were grating on everyone's ears. The emperor told Thông Huyên to use magic to silence them. Thông Huyên chanted an incantation and one of them fell to the ground. The emperor smiled and told Giác Hai: "Venerable One, the other is left for you. " Giác Hai immediately uttered his incantation and the other lizard immediately fell down. The emperor in amazement composed a eulogy:
Giác Hai's* mind is as vast as the ocean, Thông Huyen's* way is profound too. One has magic talent, the other the power
of transformation,
One is a Buddha and the other an immortal.
Giác Hai became famous throughout the land because of this and attracted disciples from all over the country. The emperor himself treated
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him with the deference accorded a teacher. Whenever he took up residence in the Hai * Thanh provincial palace, he would visit Giác Hai's* temple first. One day the emperor asked Giác Hai: "May I be instructed on the mind's concentration power in accordance with reality? " Giác Hai then composed the "Eight Change Mantra" and rose into the air some yards above the ground for a while and then descended. The emperor and his officials applauded in admiration. He then offered Giác Hai a Kiên Du' chariot and the liberty of the palaces.
Under his reign, Lý Than* Tông repeatedly sent emissaries to summon Giác Hai to the capital, but he often declined to come on the grounds of old age and illness. <><><><><><><><><><><><>
Someone asked him: "Between Buddha and sentient beings, who is the guest and who is the host? " Giác Hai answered with a verse:
I notice your hair is white,
So I tell you to be the old guest.
If you enquire about the Buddha's realm,
You [failed and] were marked on your forehead
at the dragon gate.
When he was about to pass away, Giác Hai spoke a verse:
Spring comes, flowers and butterflies know the season well,
Flowers and butterflies must respond to the season. But flowers and butterflies are originally illusions, Do not occupy your mind with flowers
and butterflies.
That night a meteor fell into the southeast corner of the Thái Không lodge. At dawn, Giác Hai sat in an upright position and passed away. The emperor issued a royal decree to collect duties from three thousand households for candles and incense to commemorate Giác Hai and, as a reward, appointed his two sons to positions at court.
[From the Linh* Nam Chích Quái Ngoai* Truyen*]:
Biography of Zen Master Du'o'ng Không Lo*: Zen Master Không Lô of Nghiêm Quang Temple, Hai Thanh. Village, whose family name was Du'o'ng, was a native of Hai Thanh. For generations his family lived as fishermen. Subsequently, he abandoned the family occupation to become a monk. At the temple he often chanted the DharaniSutra*. During the Chu'o'ng Thánh Gia Khánh era under the reign of Lý Thánh Tông (1059–
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1065), he befriended Giác Hai * and they came to dwell at Hà Trach* Temple. 10 He ate herbs and wore tree bark, totally oblivious of his body, outwardly cutting off agitation and fear, inwardly practicing meditation and concentration. His mind, ears, and eyes grew penetrating. He could fly in the air, float on earth, tame tigers, and subdue dragons. His supernatural powers were multifarious and unfathomable. Eventually, he attained the [samadhi*] of the True Seal of Great Mirror. Sometimes he was called an immortal; at other times he was named a fairy. Realizing that he still had to pay karmic debts from previous lifetimes, he eventually built a temple in his native district, settled down there, and took on the sobriquet Không Lo*.
One day his attendant asked him: "Since my coming here, I haven't received your instruction about the essence of the mind. May I present you with this verse:
Only by cultivating are body and mind purified, Growing luxuriantly the straight branch faces the
empty yard.
Someone comes enquiring about the King of Emptiness, The body sits next to the screen: its shadow forms
an image.
Không Lô said understandingly: "You bring the mountain, I accept it for you. You bring the water, I take it for you. Where have I failed to give you the essence of mind? " And he burst into laughter.
He spoke this verse:
I have found a site with dragons and snakes to settle down in,
The rustic feeling leaves me exceedingly happy all day long.
At times I go up to the solitary mountaintop, And utter a long whistle with the universe.
<><><><><><><><><><><><>
He passed away on the third day, the sixth month in the tenth year, ky* hoi*, of the Hoi* Tu'ò'ng Dai* Khánh era (1119). His disciples gathered his relics and buried them in front of the temple. By royal edict, the temple was refurbished and duties were levied on two thousand households for the expenses of its upkeep. Legends have it that beyond the ocean at Hoành Giang there is a mountain wall that has the shape of a pillar; they are all old traces of the Zen Master.
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Biography of Zen Master Nguyen * Giác Hai*: Zen Master Giác Hai hailed from Hai Thanh Village. His family name was Nguyên. He dwelt at Diên Phúc Temple. When young he took up fishing and made his boat his home, sailing in rivers and oceans. At twentyfive, he gave up his trade and shaved his head to become a monk. In the Chu'o'ng Ðú'c Gia Khánh era under the reign of Lý Thánh Tông, he befriended Zen Master Không Lo*, and together they came to dwell at Hà Trach* Temple. Subsequently he became Không Lo's* Dharma heir. Later he returned to Diên Phúc Temple at his native village. He wandered about enjoying himself and did not trouble anybody. People could help themselves to whatever there was in the temple, since they were donations.
Once the emperor [Lý Nhân Tông] summoned him and the Daoist adept Thông Huyen* to the Liên Ngõa Palace for an audience. Suddenly there were two lizards calling one another whose cries grated on everyone's ears. The emperor told Thông Huyên to chant an incantation and one of them fell to the ground. The emperor smiled and told Giác Hai, "Venerable One, the other is left for your incantation. " Before long, the other lizard also fell to the ground. The emperor was pleased and composed a eulogy:
Giác Hai's* mind is as vast as the ocean,
Thông Huyen's* way is profound too.
One has magic talent, the other the power of transformation, One is a Buddha and the other an immortal.
Since then Giác Hai became famous throughout the land. Disciples came to him in droves. The emperor himself treated him with the deference accorded a teacher. Whenever he took up residence in the Hai Thanh provincial palace, he would visit Giác Hai's temple first.
One day the emperor asked Giác Hai: "May I be instructed in the mind's concentration power in accordance with reality? " Giác Hai then composed a verse called "Eight Change Mantra" and rose into the air some five yards above the ground for a while and then descended. The emperor and his officials applauded in admiration. He then offered Giác Hai a Kiên Du' chariot and the liberty of the palaces.
Under his reign, Lý Than* Tông repeatedly invited Giác Hai to the capital, but he often declined to come on the grounds of old age and illness. <><><><><><><><><><><><>
A monk asked him: "Between Buddha and sentient beings, who is the guest and who is the host? " Giác Hai answered with a verse:
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I notice your hair is white,
So I tell you for your information.
If you enquire about the monk's realm,
You [failed and] were marked on your forehead [at the dragon gate].
When he was about to pass away, Giác Hai * spoke a verse to his assembly:
Spring comes, flowers and butterflies know the season well,
Flowers and butterflies must respond to the season. But flowers and butterflies are originally illusions,
Do not occupy your mind with flowers and butterflies.
That night a meteor fell into the southeast corner of the Thái That* lodge. At dawn, Giác Hai sat in an upright position and passed away. The emperor issued a royal decree to collect duties from three thousand households for candles and incense as a reward.
Biographies of Khong* Lo* and Giác Hai in the Thiên Nam Vân Luc*
[Không Lo's* Biography]: In the Gia Khánh era of the Lý dynasty, there was a monk whose family name was Du'o'ng, sobriquet Không Lô, who was a native of Thanh Hai. For generations his family lived as fishermen. Không Lô abandoned his family profession and left home to become a monk. A man from his native village named Giác Hai became his good companion. They visited Hà Trach* Temple and dwelt there. He wore grass clothes and treebark shoes, devoting himself to chanting the sutras*, and mastered the meditation techniques of a bhiksu*. His mind became clear and he roughly attained the True Seal of Great Mirror. Sometimes he was an immortal, other times he was a fairy. Realizing that he had the retribution of previous karma, he erected a temple in his native district and lived there. A Champa monk named Bach* Vân (White Cloud) came to dwell there [and became his attendant]. Once Bach Vân asked him, "Since I came here, I haven't received your instruction on the essence of mind. " Then he respectfully presented a verse:
Only by cultivating are body and mind purified, Growing luxuriantly the straight branch faces
the empty yard.
Someone comes enquiring about the Emptiness
of Emptiness,
The body sits next to the screen: its shadow forms an image.
"What does that mean? " Không Lô reminded him, "You come from the mountain, I accept you; you come from the river, I take you in.
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Where did I fail to give you the essence of the mind? " Then he burst out laughing. He passed away on the fifth day of the third month of the tenth year, ky * hoi*, of the Hoi* Tu'ò'ng Dai* Khánh era. His disciples collected the relics and buried them in front of the temple.
[Biography of Giác Hai*]: Formerly Giác Hai loved fishing; he used to sail here and there. Not until he was twentyfive did he give up the [fishing] rod and enter the monastery. He came to dwell at Hà Trach* Temple and became a companion of Khong* Lo*. Subsequently, he became Không Lo's* Dharma heir. Later Giác Hai returned to Diên Phúc Temple, he wandered about enjoying himself, not relying on others. People were welcome to take whatever there was in the temple, since they were donations. Lý Nhân Tông, together with Thông Huyen* and Giác Hai, once went to Mount Liên Cot*, sitting in meditation on a cool boulder, when suddenly there were two lizards calling to one another with horrific cries.

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