National Master Khuong Viet and Vietnamese Buddhism

Commemorating the 1000th anniversary of the passing of National Master Khuong Viet, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, in collaboration with the Buddhist Academy and the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, organized a scientific conference “National Master Khuong Viet and Vietnamese Buddhism in the early era of independence”, opening on the morning of March 18, 2011.Attending the conference were Most Venerable Thich Thanh Tu - Permanent Vice President of the Central Executive Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, Prof. Dr. Vu Minh Giang - Vice President of Hanoi National University, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Van Khanh - Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, along with domestic and international scientists, venerable monks, senior monks, nuns... The conference focused on discussing and analyzing the political, economic, ideological, cultural and religious context of Vietnam in the early era of independence and the contributions of Buddhism in the cause of building the country and protecting national independence. The conference paid special attention to discussing the contributions of National Master Khuong Viet - a prime minister, a politician, military man, diplomat - to the growth of Buddhism and the country in the early period of independence. At the plenary session, Most Venerable Thich Duc Nghiep (Central Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha) presented a paper "Master Khuong Viet Zen with the nation and Buddhism of Vietnam", clearly stating the background of National Master Khuong Viet. According to the book Thien Uyen Tap Anh, he came from Cat Loi village, the Ngo family, a descendant of Ngo Thuan De (ie Ngo Quyen) and his name was Ngo Chan Luu. At the same time, his self-cultivated lifestyle and his career of building the country and his dharma were also clearly stated through documents and archives. Next, the paper of Associate Professor, Dr. Lam Ba Nam and Associate Professor, Dr. Vu Thi Phung (University of Social Sciences and Humanities) emphasized "Master Khuong Viet - a symbol of Buddhism entering the world and national affairs" showing that Ngo Chan Luu is a symbol of the process of Buddhism entering Vietnam and integrating into the flow of national culture. With a political perspective and profound knowledge, he absorbed Buddhist elements and participated in national affairs. After the plenary session, the conference was divided into two sub-committees: Sub-committee 1 with the theme: "National Master Khuong Viet: Era, life, career and contributions". The main content discussed was issues of history, culture, ideology, Buddhism, economics, politics, language, ethnicity... before the 10th century; the relationship between Buddhism, Buddhist ideology with other religions, religious ideologies; the life and contributions of Master Khuong Viet as the Supreme Patriarch, culturalist, politician, military man, diplomat under the two dynasties of Dinh and Le; the contributions of Zen masters and Buddhist forces, Buddhist ideology, Buddhist culture in the early days of consolidating the great national unity bloc, building and developing the feudal nation, creating the appearance and foundation of Thang Long Culture - Dai Viet Civilization during the Ly - Tran dynasties. Subcommittee 2 with the theme: "Vietnamese Buddhism: Tradition and Modernity" focused on discussing the main contents: The process of reception - transformation, accompanying the nation of Vietnamese Buddhism throughout history; the contributions of Vietnamese Buddhism in the fields of language, culture, ideology, philosophy, lifestyle... in the historical and modern developments; the role of Buddhist cultural heritage in preserving and promoting traditional cultural values ​​in the process of integration and development; Modern Vietnamese Buddhism: applying and promoting historical lessons in new conditions, contributing to strengthening the great national unity bloc, building a new culture, a new advanced lifestyle rich in national cultural identity. After the conference, the grand ceremony commemorating the 1,000th anniversary of the passing of National Master Khuong Viet was solemnly held on March 19 at the Vietnam Buddhist Academy (Soc Son, Hanoi).