The poetry collection Autumn Evening Flute (Tiếng Địch Chiều Thu), published in 1949 in Saigon, marks the meeting between the Way and poetry. There is no distance between the Way and poetry; they are one. Wherever there is the Way, there is poetry; wherever there is true poetry, there is the Way of poetry. The same is true for tea; drinking tea in tranquility, tea itself is the Way. Through poems such as Poetic Inspiration (Thi Tứ) by Trụ Vũ or Peony (Thược Dược) by Quách Thoại, the Zen quality manifests when the human mind has freedom, not caught up in afflictions or anger, and from there, can touch the wonders of the ultimate dimension and the Pure Land.

Sutras in the temple carry the deep, resonant tones of sutra music, helping to uplift or settle the mind and heart. Before sitting meditation, the hô canh (announcing the watch) gathas are chanted to help the sangha gather and settle the three karmas of body, speech, and mind, and enter into mindfulness:

1. Morning gatha: The Dharma body shines in the early morning / Sitting still, heart at peace, a smile on the lips / A new day, vowing to walk in awakening / The sun of wisdom shines everywhere.
2. Evening gatha: Sitting firmly under the Bodhi tree / The three karmas settled, all right and wrong are gone / Gathering body and mind into mindfulness / Clearly illuminating the original face, escaping the shore of delusion.

Music in the Zen tradition plays a role as a form of music therapy helping to transform sorrow and pain, bringing ease and joy to body and mind. Many sutras and poems have been set to music, typically the repentance chant: I have made so many mistakes / When speaking, when acting, when thinking / Out of passion, anger, and ignorance / Now I bow my head in repentance… When the mind is renewed and becomes pure, the traces of mistakes will be eradicated, helping the human heart become as light as a white cloud leisurely drifting over the ancient forest.