In Nanhe Area Of Vietnam In16-19Century The Spread And Development Of Chinese Zen And Investigation Of Related Literature

Buddhism, which has the longest history in Vietnam history, has the most important influence in Vietnamese life until now. Early in the third Century BC, with the assistance and support of the rulers in most periods, Buddhism began to spread into Vietnam, not only becoming the spiritual pillar for sustaining rule, but also coming to the aspects of people’s psychological and social culture because of its many followers.The School of Zen is most powerful in Vietnamese Buddhism. Back to many Master founder s’practice course in Vietnam Buddhist history, we can find that they have such a close relationship with Zen that when people want to summarize the characteristics of Vietnamese Buddhism,"Zen Buddhism" is often used. However, in Ancient Vietnamese history, Zen experienced so many ups and downs after long development, finally got its center position in Buddhism in Vietnam. So, how long did this process last? In the process of development, what major School Buddhism and Zen master have existed? What impacts had Zen Buddhism had in the development of Vietnam’s social history beyond Buddhism?The development of Buddhism in Vietnam was closely linked with Chinese Buddhism, especially Zen. After the15th Century, with the advocating of the Confucian culture by Ming government and the influences of others religions such as Taoism, the development of Buddhism became restricted. From the beginning of the16th Century, many Chinese masters of Zen went to Vietnam Beihe and Nanhe areas to promote the Buddha and the Vietnamese Buddhism development greatly. Taking Nanhe area as an example, Zen Buddhism is not only rooted in all classes of society, but also entered a new period of development. Zen masters of Lin Ji Sect and Cao Dong Sect from China crossed the sea to reach Vietnam and spread Buddism for many years in various provinces and cities, most of whom not only refreshed Nanhe Buddism development, but also cultivated many excellent Zen masters in Nanhe. Through the efforts and innovation of many Zen master of Nanhe, a new Zen Buddhism gradually formed, such as Yuan Shao Zen school, Liao Guan Zen school, Zhu Sheng Zen school, etc.. The development of Buddhism in this period was characterized by the fact that Zen theories were further developed, lay Buddhists sincerely devote themselves to learning Buddhism, and with their efforts, people of all ranks from the emperor and the nobility to the lower class warmly believed Buddism doctrine. At the same time, Buddhist philosophy, which is widely spread in every social status, deeply affected the view of life of Nanhe people, becoming one of the basic elements rooted in Nanhe social culture.This paper selects Nanhe Zen as the research object in the backgroud that from the16th century to the19th Century at the time of Western colonial invasion and the dispute between The Zheng and The Ruan to discuss the spread and development of Chinese Zen after the16th. At the same time, the literature of Zen Masters to South and Zen doctrine is presented while the development process of Zen in Vietnam is seeked and the influences on Vietnamese society is analyzed.This thesis mainly includes the following5parts:1. The significance of this topic as well as the research methods of this paper.2. The facts about Ancient Vietnamese Buddhism and the history of the spreading of Chinese Zen by Chinese masters in Ming and Qing Dynasties.3. The development of Zen in Beihe and Nanhe areas in the16th century with the major Zen sects(such as Linji and Caodong) as examples.4. Taking the life and the thoughts of Master Liao Guan and Master Ming Hai as a case to research the characteristics of the development of Nanhe Zen Buddhism, including the effects in Shunhua Period, as well as the influences.5. This paper also discusses the influences of Buddishim on aspects such as folklore, which both helped to make the society more friendly and harmonious and made contributions to build a healthy morality.With my limited knowledge of social background and Buddism Ideals, the selection of literatures are not remarkably comprehensive and sound.Morever,my language capability needs to be further improved. Consequently, there exist some defects in this thesis,such as the failed efforts to narrate or demonstrate opinions accurately. In order to better modify the theis, any comments and criticisms will be highly appreciated.