Teachings from Ancient Vietnamese Zen Masters

Translated and Commented by Nguyen Giac
This book is dedicated to my three teachers: The Zen Master Thich Tich Chieu, and the late Dharma Masters Thich Thien Tam and Thich Tai Quang; to all my parents in this life and other lives; to a very special layperson who is urgently needing help from Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva; and to all sentient beings. I am grateful to a lot of Zen monks and laypersons who translated the verses composed by ancient Vietnamese Zen Masters into the modern Vietnamese language, and made reference easy for later generations. Specifically, I am indebted to the Zen Masters Thich Thanh Tu, Tri Sieu Le Manh That and to layperson Tran Dinh Son, whose works I relied on while working on this book. (Extracted from a book in progress. This FIRST DRAFT will be edited later. Please feel free to use for reference purposes. All suggestions are welcome. Email: nguyengiac@yahoo.com -- California, 2006)

1 Sitting There are three ways of sitting in meditation. First, sit and keep your mind on breathing; Second, sit and chant the sutras; And third, sit and happily listen to the chanting of sutras. Sitting has three levels. First, sit in union; Second, sit in peacefulness; And third, sit without fetters. What does it mean to sit in union? That means your mind becomes one with your body. What does it mean to sit in peacefulness? That means your mind has no thought. What does it mean to sit without fetters? When all fetters are destroyed – that means to sit without fetters. KHUONG TANG HOI (? – 280) (COMMENT: When mindful of your breathing, you are also mindful of your mind. Later, you will see your mind becoming one with your breath. When mindful of your bodily movement, you are also mindful of your mind. Later, you will see your mind becoming one with your body. Looking at your mind, you see thoughts coming and going, just like waves rising and falling. When you see no thoughts occurring, your mind is peaceful just like a still lake.)	1 Sitting Có ba lối ngồi theo đạo. Một là ngồi sổ tức. Hai là ngồi tụng kinh. Ba là ngồi vui nghe kinh. Đó là ba. Ngồi có ba cấp. Một là ngồi hiệp vị. Hai là ngồi tịnh. Ba là ngồi không có kết. Ngồi hiệp vị là gì? Là ý bám lấy hạnh không rời, đó là ngồi hiệp vị. Ngồi tịnh là gì? Là không niệm nghĩ, đó là ngồi tịnh. Ngồi không có kết là gì? Là kết đã hết, đó là ngồi không có kết. KHUONG TANG HOI (Introduction to Kinh An Ban Thu Y)
2 learning Monks! Offering your best efforts to Buddha, all learners only need to quit bad conduct. Be mindful while you chant, understand what you believe, practice the teachings you hear, and live in a quiet place near Dharma friends. Speak peacefully, timely; have no fears. Understand the meaning of Dharma, and get enlightenment; quit the ignorance, and constantly be mindful; be calm, and live with your mind unmoved. See all things as impermanent, non-self, uncreated, unconditioned. Thus learners are those who have no discrimination. TINH LUC (1112 – 1175) (COMMENT: See for yourself all things are impermanent, and non-self. Looking at the person you are now, you see it is different to millions of persons you were yesterday, and you see you are just a stream running swiftly, manifesting endlessly in different forms as waves rising and falling, as bubbles forming and popping. The waves and bubbles continuously appear large or small, high or low, hot or cold, clean or unclean; but at all times, water has no form, being unmoved, staying unconditioned. Just live like water, and you will catch a glimpse of Nirvana – the state of uncreated, unconditioned peace. After that insight, you easily act, speak, and think mindfully, without discrimination. Just advance on the way to liberation; don’t cling to this suffering world again, in this life or after.)	2 Học Đạo Các ngươi! Tất cả các người học đạo lấy tâm siêng năng cúng dường Phật, không gì khác hơn chỉ cầu dứt được các nghiệp ác. Tâm miệng niệm tụng, tin hiểu nghe nhận, ở chỗ vắng vẻ yên lặng, gần thiện tri thức. Nói ra lời hòa nhã, nói phải thời đúng lúc, trong tâm không khiếp nhược. Liễu đạt nghĩa lý, xa lìa ngu mê, an trụ chỗ bất động. Quán tất cả pháp vô thường, vô ngã, vô tác (uncreated) vô vi. (unconditioned) Nơi nơi lìa phân biệt, ấy là người học đạo… Tịnh Lực (1112 – 1175)
3 Breathing Breathing in, you feel you are breathing in; breathing out, you feel you are breathing out. Breathing in, you know you are breathing in; breathing out, you know you are breathing out. While you breathe, you feel; then, you know. Feeling – that means you feel the breath long or short. Knowing – that means you are aware of the breath rising and falling, rough or smooth, slow or fast. KHUONG TANG HOI (COMMENT: Breathing meditation helps calm the mind easily; it is also a part of mindfulness meditation. There are many ways in breathing meditation. Some teachers prefer to count or follow the breaths. You should also try this way: With eyes half open, don’t count, don’t follow, just feel the breaths; Be alert, and feel the breathing. Just be like a baby, and feel the breathing. A baby can not think, can not count, can not put her mind on the breaths, but she lives mostly with a sense of feeling and she will cry when the room is too hot, or when she is hungry. Just feel the breaths, don’t count or follow it. Remember that all methods of breathing meditation are helpful, and you can try many different ones. The Buddha said that breathing meditation cured many illness too.)	3 Hơi thở Hơi thở ra, hơi thở vào tự hiểu, hơi thở ra, hơi thở vào tự biết. Đương lúc ấy là hiểu, về sau là biết. Hiểu là hiểu hơi thở dài ngắn. Biết là biết hơi thở sinh diệt thô tế chậm nhanh. KHUONG TANG HOI
4 Wisdom Learning the way of Buddha, you must have zeal; to become a Buddha, you need wisdom. Shooting an arrow to a target more than a hundred steps away, you must be strong; to hit the mark, you need more than strength. BAO GIAM (?-1173) (COMMENT: Wisdom, insight, right view... Just follow the Buddha’s teachings, meditate for many years, and you will understand the Way.)	4 Wisdom Muốn tiến đến tông thừa của Phật là phải siêng năng, song thành Phật chánh giác phải nhờ trí tuệ. Ví như nhắm bắn cái đích ngoài trăm bứơc, mũi tên đến được là nhờ sức mạnh, song trúng được đích không phải do sức. Bảo Giám (?-1173)
5 Taming the mind Outwardly, stop all involvement; inwardly, stop all fabrication. Be alert -- have a mind unmoved by the form you see, by the sound you hear, by the odor you smell, by the flavor you taste. … Constantly, watch the ox moving, listen to its hoofbeats. Constantly, in any movement, never keep your eyes away from the ox. Constantly, keep your mind on the ox while lying, sitting, standing and walking. Constantly, keep watching inwardly. It’s wrong to let it wander wildly. QUANG TRI (circa 18th century) (COMMENT: Meditation is like taming an ox. How can you have a mind unmoved while living in this world? Just be like the water, not like waves or bubbles; the water is unmoved, uncreated, unconditioned while the waves rise and fall, the bubbles form and pop endlessly. Look at your mind – an endless stream of thoughts. Keep watching the mind, and be like water, which equally flows all things thrown into that stream.)	5 Taming the mind Bên ngòai ngưng các duyên, bên trong dứt các vọng. Kiểm sóat cái nhìn của mắt, cái nghe của tai, cái ngửi của mũi, cái nếm của lưỡi. … Trong suốt ngày, lúc nào mắt cũng cần nội quán sự rong chạy của con trâu, tai lắng nghe tung tích của con trâu. Cho đến nhất cử nhất động, niệm niệm đều không tách xa con trâu. Nằm, ngồi, đi, đứng đều để tâm vào con trâu này. Không để cho một giây phút nào là không chiếu rọi vào. Hễ lơi lỏng là trái phạm. Quảng Trí
6 Watchful Watch yourself everyday, constantly. Watch yourself, be mindful, be alert. In this dream world, don’t search for Dharma counselor; Watch yourself, and see the Buddha’s face on your face. HUONG HAI (1628 – 1715) (COMMENT: Watch yourself, and see you are impermanent, non-self. Watch yourself, and see whether you are living in a dream. You are changing swiftly, endlessly. Yesterday, you had millions of different bodies, millions of different feelings, millions of different thoughts – just like a stream flowing swiftly. Look back and see all those bodies, feelings, and thoughts just like dreams, like echoes, like mirages. Then look at the day before yesterday. Do you feel just like millions of lives away? Are those dreams? Think nothing, just observe. Just be alert, feel the breath, observe the body breathing. And feel the life and death flowing swiftly, endlessly in your whole body.)	6 Watchful Hằng ngày quán lại chính nơi mình Xét nét kỹ càng chớ dễ khinh Trong mộng tìm chi người tri thức Mặt thầy sẽ thấy trên mặt mình. (Phản văn tự kỷ mỗi thường quan Thẩm sát tư duy tử tế khan Mạc giáo mộng trung tầm tri thức Tương lai diện thượng đổ sư nhan.) Huong Hai (1628 – 1715)
7 The Spring When spring goes, all flowers die. When spring comes, all flowers smile. Before the eyes, all things flow endlessly. Over the head, old age comes already. Don’t say that with the spring gone, all flowers fall. Last night, in the front yard, a branch of mai flower. MAN GIAC (1052 – 1096) (COMMENT: Mai is a kind of flower that blossoms in springtime in Vietnam. Notice the contrast between the first and last line; also, the last line of the poem is a fragment sentence, without a verb, showing the state of unborn, unmoving, undying. While the stream manifests as endless waves rising and falling, the nature of water stays unmoved, uncreated. Now look at your mind, and see thoughts coming and going, arising and vanishing. The mind is just like a mirror that shows you the images of all things reflected. All images come and go, but the reflectivity is still there, unmoving, undying. Now, listen to the sound of two hands clapping, then listen to the sound of one hand clapping. Do you hear the soundless? The sound comes and goes, but the nature of hearing ability is still there even in your sleep, unchanging, unmoving, undying.)	7 Hoa Mai Xuân đi trăm hoa rụng, Xuân đến trăm hoa cười. Trước mắt việc đi mãi, Trên đầu già đến rồi. Chớ bảo xuân tàn hoa rụng hết, Đêm qua, sân trước, một cành mai. (Xuân khứ bách hoa lạc, Xuân đáo bách hoa khai. Sự trục nhãn tiền quá, Lão tùng đầu thượng lai. Mạc vị xuân tàn hoa lạc tận, Đình tiền tạc dạ nhất chi mai.) Thiền Sư MÃN GIÁC (1052 - 1096)
8 Dharma Friends Practitioners need dharma friends, who help you distinguish clearly between the clean and the unclean. First, colleagues living at will in forests and mountains can help you wipe out the mind of anger. Second, colleagues keeping precepts seriously can help you fade away the five desires. Third, colleagues with profound wisdom can help you escape from the shore of delusion. Fourth, colleagues with vast knowledge can help you solve the hard and doubtful issues. Fifth, colleagues of peace and serenity can help you easily advance. Sixth, colleagues of patience and modesty can help you remove arrogance. Seventh, colleagues of sincerity and frankness can help you avoid mistakes. Eighth, colleagues of vigor and zeal can help you attain the fruits of the Way. Ninth, colleagues unattached to possessions, eager to donate can help you destroy miserliness. Tenth, colleagues merciful and caring for all beings can help you liberate from the clinging to self and other. QUANG TRI (COMMENT: Buddha, parents, teachers, dharma friends, books… We need so much help on the way to liberation, because we have to learn a lot, keep precepts strictly, find an environment adequate for learning and meditation. But only you can watch your mind, and only you can wipe out the three poisons – desire, hatred and ignorance -- binding you in the cycle of rebirth.)	8 Dharma Friends Vì vậy tu hành cần có bạn, mới phân biệt rõ ràng sạch và dơ. Một là bạn bè ở chốn rừng núi an nhàn thì có thể giúp làm ngưng cái tâm nóng nảy. Hai là bạn nghiêm trì giới luật thì có thể làm phai nhạt ngũ dục. Ba là bạn có trí tuệ rộng lớn mới có thể giúp ra khỏi bến mê. Bốn là học hành uyên bác mới có thể giải quyết những điều khó khăn nghi ngại. Năm là bạn trầm tĩnh, mặc nhiên mới giúp thanh thản, tiến thủ được. Sáu là hạng khiêm tốn, nhẫn nhục thì giúp tiêu trừ ngã mạn. Bảy là hạng bạn lòng thẳng, nói ngay mới có thể ức chế được các lỗi lầm. Tám là bạn đồng dũng mãnh, tinh tấn, mới giúp thành được đạo quả. Chín là hạng xem thường của cải, thích bố thí mới giúp phá được tính keo kiệt, bỏn xẻn. Mười là bạn nhân từ che chở cho muôn vật mới giúp đuổi trừ được sự chấp ta chấp người. Quảng Trí (Thập Mục Ngưu Đồ Tụng)
9 The Treasure Living in the world, happy with the Way, you should let all things take their course. When hungry, just eat; when tired, just sleep. The treasure is in your house; don’t search any more. Face the scenes, and have no thoughts; then you don’t need to ask for Zen. TRAN NHAN TONG (1258-1308) (COMMENT: Live with the water, not with the waves rising and falling; live with the nature of mirror to reflect, not with the images appearing and disappearing; and live with the essence of the mind, not with the thoughts arising and vanishing. When you see the essence of the mind, then you catch a glimpse of Nirvana – the state of unborn, uncreated, unconditioned peace. After that moment, you know how to live with the mind unmoved while walking, standing, lying and sitting. How can you see the essence of the mind? Please, remember: You are never away from it, just like the water holds all the waves and is never away from the waves, just like the emptiness of the mirror hold all the images and is never away from the images. The essence of the mind is non-self, so it manifest as a great magician: your mind has no form, so it takes all forms you see as its forms; your mind has no color, so it takes all colors you see as its colors… Now look out the window. When you see a bird, your mind now has the form of a bird; and when the bird flies, your mind flies too. Your mind is all things you see, all things you hear, all things you feel; the observer is all things observed. The Sixth Patriarch Hue Nang* told two monks arguing over the banner flying that that was not the banner moving, and also not the wind moving, but just their minds moving.) * Chinese: Hui Neng.	9 The Treasure Ở trần vui đạo hãy tùy duyên Đói đến thì ăn, mệt ngủ liền Trong nhà có báu thôi tìm kiếm Đối cảnh không tâm chớ hỏi thiền. TRAN NHAN TONG (1258-1308)
10 Emptiness Form is emptiness, and emptiness is form. Emptiness is form, and form is emptiness. Don’t cling to any form or emptiness -- That’s the true meditation. Y LAN (11th century) (COMMENT: Just look at your body, your feelings, your thoughts; they were changing swiftly since the day you were born. So you have had millions of bodies, millions of feelings, millions of thoughts -- which one is your true body, true feeling, true thought? Your body, your feelings, your thoughts can manifest as millions of forms, because forms are indeed emptiness just like illusions appearing in the mirror. If you cling to anything as form or emptiness, you are chasing the illusions.)	10 Emptiness Sắc là không, không tức sắc, Không là sắc, sắc tức không. Sắc không đều chẳng quản, Mới được hợp chân tông. (Sắc thị không, không tức sắc, Không thị sắc, sắc tức không. Sắc không câu bất quản, Phương đắc khế chân tông.) Y Lan (11th century)
(Còn Tiếp)	^^^^^

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