| This dissertation aims for three kinds of authors of Zen poems during Vietnamese Ly and Tran’s dynasties, that are Zen Master, Emperor, and Literatus. According to substance and essence of poetry, they are divided into 15 th kinds of verses within a main collection from the Vietnamese poetries, Thi?n Uy?n T?p Anh( A quintessence collection from Zen garden) and Th? v?n Ly & Tr?n(Ly and Tran’s literature and poetry).This paper is centered around the spirit and essence of Zen verses by a creative topic and as an initiative art of research and study. The process is begun from Buddhism history and Literature chronicle as a basic step. Starting from the origin of Zen Buddhism and then is combined and united in harmony between koans, poetries,and zen verses following with a concept of poem’s contents and art techniques. In short,the main thought of Zen verses with social scene, valuable literature and relationship with Tang Dynasty’s Zen poetry.After analyzing, the conclusion of this paper is summarized into 5 following main points:1.Each Zen master composes about two Zen poems: Back to the current source of verse from “a disturbed heart/moving mind” to becoming poems. But before that time,‘moving mind/disturbed heart’ was a retreat of calm mind. Therefore, the calm mind is the origin of music and poetry. From this point, we can deduce if ones are in a peaceful mind, motionless, they would not compose any verses. If they do then their poems are only for enlighten others. From the study and examination the poems of those Zen Masters and Emperors during this period showed that, each sage composed about 2essential poems, one during living and last one immediately prior their death. This is similar with Tang’s period with 98% Zen masters only composed 2 poems per their life time.2.There is only two objects of composition, that are the “awakening” and“unenlightened one”: This thesis intends to select 3 kinds of authors of Zen poems, thatare Zen Master, Emperor, and Literatus as the subjects of study. However, this categorization is only a beginning of analysis, the truth is only 2 kinds of author, that is“enlightened one” and “unenlightened one” within the Buddhism concepts of“Impermanent, Suffering and No-self”, where ‘self’ is neither permanent nor immortal.In another word, it is either “Emptiness” or “Buddha in nature”, which Hui Neng said:“No-thought as its doctrine, no-mark as its substance, and no-dwelling as its basis.”No-dwelling is the basic nature of human beings. No-mark means to be apart from marks while in the midst of marks. No-thought means to be without thought while in the midst of thought. Hui Neng used these concepts as a compass for his Zen doctrine.Because life is naturally impermanent, suffering and no-self, therefore “participate in life” for rich and power or “retreat from life” with emptiness jungle are always a concern of people. If mountains and forests are the distinct of being officials or hermits,which mean that Craving is a line between ordinary sentient being and awaken ones.Craving and Impermanent, Suffering and No-self are vital points of this discussion that lead to the conclusion of this thesis.3.“Mind is like an artist”:Each verse is neither outside product of conscious nor of human conscience after a sensation for poetry composition.Within it,in each symbol,there is hidden in poem is a product of internal world becoming being.This implicit moment can be described in one of a Koan:“Mind is like an artist,paints five Aggregates(五蕴)(the collection of the compositional elements of our existence:Form(色),Feeling(受),Perception(想),Impulse(行),Consciousness(识)).Everything in the world are created by our mind”.4.There is no boundary between Li(Ly) Chen(Tran)’s poetries and Tang’s poetries:If a verse have its merit, which can transform to a calm heart and peaceful mind, then it is Zen verse, regardless it is Tang, Ly or Tran’s zen poems. If the purpose of the Zen is helping people attaining “no though” calm mind, less worry inside, and being peaceful,then it does not matter when, where, what condition, any race, and also if each poet composing a verse that serves those purposes then it is a true Zen. Right here, the territory of Zen poetry and Confucian’s poem regulation as “Poetry, real but misconduct” is no longer existed. The Zen poetry is no longer private but it is a promise of poem.5. Buddhism’s dependent origination vehicle: From the Buddha’s teaching of“Impermanent, Suffering, and No-self” to “the mind is fundamentally pure by nature,and it advocates the twin methods of meditation and insight as the means to attain enlightenment” by Huineng as Immediate, or sudden, attainment of southern Chinese sect. However, Tr?n Nhan T?ng’s emperors attempted to integrate their realm morestrongly by means of “active zen in life” with their Trúc Lam( "Bamboo Grove") as a Vietnamese Zen sect. Following the recent Master Taixu(Thái H?)’s doctrine with “the participation of Buddhism in daily life.” These concepts seems not following exactly the original Buddha’s teaching but the truth is they are all just another way to cope with the today sentient being’s demands in this world and a feasible solution for an advanced civilization’s mission, and complex society’s needs. |
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