1. Full name of PhD student: Vu Tuyet Thanh 2. Gender: Female
3. Date of birth: April 3, 1979 4. Place of birth: Hanoi
5. Decision to recognize PhD students: Decision No. 2775/2020/QD-XHNV dated December 31, 2020 of the President of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities.
6. Changes in training process (if any): Extension from December 31, 2023 to December 31, 2024
7. Thesis topic: Buddhist Compassion Thought in the Lotus Sutra and its ethical value for the life of Vietnamese Buddhists today
8. Major: Religious Studies 9. Code: 9229009.01
10. Scientific advisor: Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Thi Kim Oanh
11. Summary of new results of the thesis:
- Thesis purpose: Based on the analysis of theoretical issues and the study of scriptures, the content and manifestation of the Buddhist compassion thought in the Lotus Sutra are pointed out. From there, its ethical values for the life of Buddhists in Vietnam today are pointed out.
- Thesis research object: Compassionate thought in the Lotus Sutra
- Research methods used:
The thesis uses interdisciplinary research methods of religious studies and some methods of other specific research fields:
+ Method of religious exegesis: The exegesis method is the starting point in theological research to interpret the Bible. So some people also call this method the hermeneutic method or explanation. It is used in the study of religious scriptures because it has provided some theories for the study of scriptures, in this case the study of Buddhist scriptures.
+ Sociological investigation method:
Using sociological surveys of Buddhists in Vietnam to obtain quantitative data on the impacts of Buddhist compassion ideology expressed in the Lotus Sutra on aspects of Buddhist life in Vietnam today.
+ In-depth interview method:
This method aims to collect practical information in research, to prove a hypothesis, an assumption made in the research or on the basis of the obtained results, the researcher will give a scientific argument. Specifically, this method is used with the subjects of Buddhist monks and nuns, Buddhist followers to see the role of the Lotus Sutra in the life of religious practice and practice in Vietnam.
+ Method of document synthesis, generalization and analysis:
This method is used in the process of searching and processing theoretical and practical documents in research.
In addition, the author also uses a number of other methods in the process of writing the thesis such as: deduction, induction, logic, etc.
- Main results achieved:
+ Based on the general overview of Buddhist thought and the Lotus Sutra, the author analyzed the content of Buddhist thought of compassion expressed in the Lotus Sutra from the following ideological perspectives: Compassion is Liberation - Nirvana; Compassion is equality of Buddha nature, Compassion is practice leading to Liberation - Nirvana and practice leading to Bodhisattva conduct.
+ The thesis analyzed the ethical value of the Buddhist compassion thought expressed through the Lotus Sutra for the life of Buddhists today. The thesis analyzed a number of issues and recommendations to promote the ethical value of the Buddhist compassion thought expressed through the Lotus Sutra for the life of Vietnamese Buddhists today.
- Conclude
Buddhism is not only a religion but also a philosophical and ethical system that was born more than 2,500 years ago, introduced to Vietnam in the first centuries AD, and has had a profound influence on all aspects of Vietnam's historical, economic, social and cultural life. Buddhist thought is vast and vast, Buddhist philosophy is extremely profound and profound, Buddhist Dharma has thousands of applications but ultimately aims to enlighten and liberate sentient beings. The starting point of Buddhism is that sentient beings are controlled by the karma of greed, anger, and delusion, leading to ignorance, not realizing the pure and perfect good nature (Buddha nature) inherent in every human being, so this must be enlightened and promoted. Because of ignorance, living beings are bound, suffering, and troubled by endless desires and cravings, and that is the source of all suffering, unhappiness, and crimes of humanity. Therefore, we must free ourselves from those bonds right here in this world, in this life. The idea of compassion is the overarching idea of Buddhism. Because of its limitless compassion, Buddhism always wishes for all living beings to be liberated. The Buddha and his disciples spent their entire lives educating living beings, showing them the path to escape suffering, the path to liberation.
Buddhist scriptures are extremely rich. Depending on the karmic foundation, moral level, and environmental conditions of each class of sentient beings, each Buddhist scripture has different content and teaching methods aimed at its own ultimate goal. In the Buddhist scripture system, there is a scripture considered the "king of scriptures" - that is the Lotus Sutra.
The Lotus Sutra has many profound meanings, containing the essence of Mahayana Buddhism, expressing the spirit of great compassion of Buddhism. The content of the sutra states the ultimate goal of Buddhism in general: to enlighten and enter the Buddha's knowledge, so that all living beings can be enlightened, liberated and progress to attain Buddhahood. The noble social and humanistic significance of Buddhism lies in affirming the ability of living beings to "become Buddhas"; wishing and practicing the education and enlightenment of living beings, awakening the "Buddha nature" in each person, making people consciously control all actions, control their own destiny, thereby contributing to making society peaceful and pure. The Lotus Sutra is the fundamental sutra of Mahayana Buddhist scriptures, containing the essence of Buddhism, researched and translated into many languages by many scholars and translators, and circulated all over the world. In Vietnam, the Lotus Sutra holds an extremely important position in the study and practice of the Buddha's teachings, because the majority of Buddhists follow the Northern tradition. The sutra is received, read, recited, and practiced by the majority of Buddhists, intellectuals as well as ordinary people. The Lotus Sutra is recited daily as a study session by both monks and lay Buddhists. Western scholars consider the Lotus Sutra to be one of the 20 holy books of the East. The values contained in the sutra remain valid today.
The Buddhist idea of compassion is expressed in the Lotus Sutra very deeply. Compassion is liberation, the desire to be liberated and wholeheartedly trying to help all sentient beings to be liberated. Compassion is entering the world for the benefit of people and sentient beings, striving to bring good things to the lives of people and sentient beings. Compassion is also pity for all sentient beings. The Buddhist idea of compassion clearly influences the ethics of Buddhists in Vietnam, expressed in the thoughts of followers and concretized through meaningful, humane practical activities.
12. Further research directions:
- Buddhist thought
- Religious ethics and social ethics in Vietnam today.
13. Publications related to the thesis:
1. Vu Tuyet Thanh (2020), “Extensive practice of offerings – The third practice of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra and its current significance”, Journal of Religious Work (169), pp.39-42.
2. Ву Тует Тхань (2022), “Этические ценности вьетнамского общества монахинь сегодня”, медицина. социология философия прикладных исследований (6), pp. 134-137.
3. Ву Тует Тхань (Тхить Дам Тхань) (2021), “Идеология «освобождение» в «Сутре белого лотоса высшего учения» во Вьетнаме", Научный и общественно-политический журнА центр (53), pp.383-388
4. Vu Tuyet Thanh (2022), “Buddhist Compassionate Thought in the Lotus Sutra”, Journal of Religious Work (192), pp.37-39.
5. Vu Tuyet Thanh (2022), “Liberation thoughts in the Lotus Sutra and values in the current context”, Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (volume 8, number 1b), pp.14-22.
INFORMATION ON DOCTORAL THESIS
1. Full name: Vu Tuyet Thanh
2. Sex: Female
3. Date of birth: 03/4/1979
4. Place of birth: Ha Noi
5. Amission decision number 2775/2020/QD-XHNV dated December 31, 2020 by Rector of University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University Hanoi
6. Changes in academic progress: Extend training time from December 31, 2023 to December 31, 2024
7. Official thesis title: The Buddhist Thought of Compassion in the Lotus Sutra and its moral value to the life of Vietnamese Buddhists today
8. Major: Religious Studies
9. Code: 9229009.01
10. Supervisors: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Thi Kim Oanh
11. Summary of the new findings of the thesis:
- Thesis's purpose: Based on the analysis of theoretical issues and study of scriptures, it points out the contents and manifestations of Buddhist thoughts of compassion in the Lotus Sutra. From there, it presents its moral values for the life of Buddhists in Vietnam today.
- Research object of the thesis: Thoughts of Compassion in the Lotus Sutra
- Research methods used:
The thesis uses interdisciplinary research methods of religious studies and some methods of other specific research fields:
+ Religious exegetical method: The exegetical method is the starting point method in theological research to interpret the scriptures. Thus, some people also call this method hermeneutic or exegetical method. It is used in the study of religious scriptures because it has provided some arguments for the study of scriptures, in this case the study of Buddhist scriptures.
+ Sociological investigation method:
Using a sociological survey of Buddhists in Vietnam to obtain quantitative data on the impacts of Buddhist compassion ideas expressed in the Lotus Sutra on all aspects of Buddhist life in Vietnam today.
+ In-depth interview method:
This method is intended to collect practical information in research, to prove a hypothesis, an assumption made in the research or on the basis of the results obtained, the researcher will make a scientific argument. specifically, this method is used with monks and nuns, Buddhist followers to see the role of the Lotus Sutra in religious life and religious practice in Vietnam.
+ Method of synthesizing documents, generalizing and analyzing:
This method is used in the process of searching and processing theoretical and practical documents in research.
In addition, the author also uses a number of other methods in the process of writing the thesis such as: deduction, induction, logic,...
- Main results achieved:
+ Based on a general overview of Buddhist thought and the Lotus Sutra, the author has analyzed the content of Buddhist compassion thought expressed in the Lotus Sutra from the following ideological perspectives: Compassion is Liberation – Nirvana; Compassion is the equality of Buddha nature, Compassion is the practice towards Liberation - Nirvana and the practice towards Bodhisattva conduct.
+ The thesis has analyzed the moral value of Buddhist compassion thought expressed through the Lotus Sutra for Buddhist life today. The thesis analyzes a number of raised issues and recommendations to promote the moral value of the idea of Compassion in Buddhism is expressed through the Lotus Sutra for the lives of Vietnamese Buddhists today.
- Conclusion
Buddhism is not only a religion but also a philosophical and ethical system that was born more than 2,500 years ago, was introduced to Vietnam in the early centuries AD, and has a profound influence on all aspects of Vietnam's historical, economic, social and cultural life. Buddhist thought is vast, Buddhist philosophy is extremely miraculous and profound. Buddhist teachings have thousands of applications but ultimately aim to enlighten and liberate sentient beings. The starting point of Buddhism is that sentient beings are influenced by karma of greed, hatred and ignorance, leading to ignorance and not realizing the purity and charity (Buddha nature) that is inherent in every human being. Therefore, we must be enlightened and promote these thoughts. Because of ignorance, sentient beings are bound, suffering, afflicted, lingering endless desires and desires, and that is the source of all suffering, misfortune, and crime of humanity. Therefore, we must free ourselves from those bondages right in this world, in this life. The idea of compassion is the overarching idea of Buddhism. Because of unlimited compassion, Buddhism always wishes all sentient beings to be liberated. The Buddha and his disciples devoted their whole lives to educate sentient beings, showing them the path to escape suffering, the path to liberation.
Buddhist scriptures are extremely rich. Depending on the karma, level of virtue, and environmental conditions of each class of sentient beings, each set of Buddhist scriptures has different content and teaching methods aimed at its ultimate goal. In the Buddhist scripture system, there is a series of scriptures that is considered the “king of scriptures” - that is the Lotus Sutra.
The Lotus Sutra has many profound meanings, containing the essence of Mahayana Buddhism, expressing the spirit of generosity of Buddhism. The content of the sutra speaks of the supreme purpose of Buddhism in general: to enlighten and enter Buddha's knowledge, so that all sentient beings can become enlightened, liberated and progress towards achieving “qua vi Phat” (the ultimate enlightenment of the Bodhisattva path). The noble social and humanistic meaning of Buddhism lies in affirming the ability of sentient beings to “become Buddha”; desiring and practicing the teaching and enlightenment of sentient beings, arousing “Buddha nature” in each person, making people consciously control all actions, control their own destiny, thereby contributing to make society peaceful and pure. The Lotus Sutra is the basic sutra of the Mahayana teachings, containing the essence of Buddhism, studied and translated by many scholars and translators into many languages, circulating all over the world. In Vietnam, the Lotus Sutra has an extremely important position in learning and practicing Buddha's teachings, because the majority of Buddhists follow the Northern Buddhism tradition. The sutra is accepted, read, chanted, and practiced by the majority of Buddhists, intellectuals as well as people. The Lotus Sutra is chanted daily as a course of study by both monks and lay Buddhists. Western scholars consider the Lotus Sutra to be one of the 20 sacred scriptures of the East. The values contained in the sutra are still valid today. The Buddhist ideology of compassion expressed in the Lotus Sutra is very profound. Compassion is liberation, wishing for liberation and wholeheartedly trying to help all sentient beings be liberated. Compassion is entering into life for the benefit of people and sentient beings, trying to bring good things to the lives of people and sentient beings. Compassion is also compassion for all living beings. The compassionate ideology of Buddhism clearly influences the ethics of Buddhists in Vietnam, expressed in the thoughts of believers and concretized by meaningful, humane practical activities.
12. Future research directions
+ Buddhist thought
+ Religious ethics and social ethics in Vietnam today.
13. Thesis-related publications
1. Vu Tuyet Thanh (2020), “Broad cultivation and making abundant offerings - The third principle of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra and its current meaning”, Journal of Religious Work (169), pp. 39-42.
2. Vu Tuyet Thanh (2022), “Ethical Values of Bhikkhunis in Vietnamese Society Today”, медицина. социология философия прикладных исследований (6), pp. 134-137.
3. Vu Tuyet Thanh (Thich Dam Thanh) (2021), “Liberation ideology of “Sutra on the White Lotus of the Tru Dharma” in Vietnam”, More журнал Международный издательский центр (53), pp.383-388.
4. Vu Tuyet Thanh (2022), “Buddhist thoughts of compassion in the Lotus Sutra”, Journal of Religious Work (192), pp. 37-39.
5. Vu Tuyet Thanh (2022), “The thought of liberation in the Lotus Sutra and its values in the current context”, Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (vol. 8, no. 1b), pp. 14-22.
