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Tran Thai Tong
Today at Upper Hamlet during the winter retreat, Tran Thai Tong – born in 1218, passed away in 1277 (at the age of 60) – is introduced as one of the important roots of the Truc Lam Zen lineage. Although he did not ordain from the beginning, the king abdicated the throne to his son, Tran Thanh Tong, at the age of 20 in order to devote himself to meditation practice. From the age of 20, alongside his political responsibilities, Tran Thai Tong diligently practiced and studied Buddhism, becoming a model for politicians: governing the people while also practicing and guiding meditation for many princes.
After once escaping to Yen Tu Mountain to seek ordination, the king was taught by the Great Master of Truc Lam that having become king, one must “take the will of the people as one’s own will,” but can still practice without interruption. From then on, Tran Thai Tong maintained a strict daily schedule of study and practice, recording and composing many Buddhist works, among which, at the age of 31, he published the “Zen Guide” – a guide to meditation, about which the Zen master remarked, “the heart of all Buddhas lies in this book.”
The daily practice initiated by the king is clearly expressed through the ritual of “Six Times Repentance Ceremony” – every four hours, six times a day, each session about 15 minutes, repenting for mistakes arising from the six sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, mind). The king also advocated combining eating slowly and chewing thoroughly with meditation phrases and gathas to enhance mindfulness, including the secret:
- chew 50 times for each bite of food
- breathing in – “I have arrived” / breathing out – “I am home”
-
mindful smiling, dwelling happily in the present moment
This teaching has been handed down to this day, becoming the foundation of meditation practice and the Truc Lam Sangha.
Zen Master Thao Duong and the Ancestral Teachers Who Transmitted the Dharma to Vietnam