Celebrities

Venerable Huyen Quang - poet monk

PV March 4, 2024 06:02

Not only was he the third Patriarch of the Truc Lam Zen sect, but Venerable Huyen Quang was also a great poet on the national poetry scene.

00:00

conson9(1).jpg
Statue of the Third Patriarch Huyen Quang

The Zen master of high morality and virtue

According to some recorded documents, the life of Huyen Quang Ton Gia is associated with mysterious halos, imbued with legends and folk myths when he was born.

Venerable Huyen Quang (1254-1334), real name Ly Dao Tai (from Gia Binh district, Bac Ninh province today). According to "To Gia Thuc Luc", since childhood he had a talent for literature, was intelligent and studious. At the age of twenty, he passed the regional exam and the following year he was the top candidate in the royal exam (1274); he was appointed to the Imperial Court's Institute of Internal Affairs, and received Northern envoys because he was well-versed in books, good at conversation and behavior...

Ly Dao Tai was an official for about 20 years, and at the age of 51, he asked to become a monk. Once, when he went with the king to Vinh Nghiem pagoda in Phung Nhan district (Bac Giang), he saw Zen master Phap Loa preaching. He immediately recalled his past and lamented: "As an official, I went to Bong island, attained enlightenment in Pho Da, on earth I am a fairy, the Western world is Buddha, wealth and glory are no different from autumn leaves, summer white clouds, why should I linger forever?". Therefore, he asked for permission to resign from office, become a monk, and took the Buddhist name Huyen Quang.

Although he became a monk at a middle age, he had the temperament of a true monk, a future leader of the church. Huyen Quang was chosen to be an assistant to Tran Nhan Tong, traveling everywhere with Tran Nhan Tong and Phap Loa to preach Buddhist scriptures. Tran Nhan Tong also gave Huyen Quang a sandalwood throne to preach to his disciples and entrusted him with the important responsibility of compiling books on Buddhism such as: Chu Pham Kinh, Cong Van Tap, Thich Khoa Giao... Tran Nhan Tong often said: "Any book that has been compiled by Huyen Quang cannot have a single word added or subtracted."

Monk Huyen Quang was ordered by the king to preside over Van Yen Pagoda on Yen Tu Mountain. Because he was well versed in the teachings, monks and nuns flocked to study with him. According to legend, there were about 1,000 monks and nuns who came to study with him.

In 1317, he received the Truc Lam robe and heart verses from Phap Loa. After Phap Loa passed away in 1330, he succeeded to become the third Patriarch of the Truc Lam Zen sect, but because of his old age, he handed over the responsibility to National Master An Tam. He came to preside over Thanh Mai for 6 years, then moved to Con Son to teach. Here, he contributed to the renovation and expansion of the pagoda with many famous architectural works such as the Nine-Plate Lotus Platform, Bach Van Hermitage, built monasteries, trained monks and nuns, preached sutras and preached the Dharma... making Con Son a great place of worship, a great forest. On January 23, the 6th year of Khai Huu (1334), the Third Patriarch Huyen Quang passed away at Con Son. The Supreme Emperor Tran Minh Tong bestowed the posthumous title of Truc Lam Zen Master Third Great, and specially bestowed the Dharma name Huyen Quang Venerable. The day of the Third Patriarch Huyen Quang's passing has become the annual anniversary of the founder of Con Son Pagoda.

dsc_0946.jpg
People from all over come to visit Con Son at the Con Son - Kiep Bac Spring Festival in 2024, commemorating the 690th anniversary of the passing of the Third Patriarch of Truc Lam Huyen Quang Venerable.

Great poet

Huyền Quang was both a Zen master and a great poet of the nation. Buddhist history records Huyền Quang as a Zen master of high morality, virtue, and erudition.

He left behind many Buddhist literary works including "Chu Pham Kinh", "Cong Van Tap", "Thich Khoa Giao"... contributing to the development of Buddhist literature during the Tran Dynasty.

He also left behind many famous poems such as the poem "Phu vinh canh pagoda Van Yen" and the poems "Cuc hoa", "Tao thu", "Nhan su de cuu Lan tu", "De o chua Dam Thuy", "Trong thuyen" ... contributing to enriching the country's literary treasure. His works are mainly recorded in the collection "Ngoc Tien tap" but are not preserved in their entirety and are scattered in many places. "Ngoc Tien tap" has 23 remaining poems recorded in "Toan Viet thi tap", "Toan Viet thi luc", "Hoang Viet thi tuyen" copied by later generations. Although few, Huyen Quang's poetry has "many meanings and a rich poetic soul".

His poetry clearly shows the style of "a Zen master who is peaceful and serene, a person in harmony with nature". Reading his poem "Dien Huu Pagoda", we recognize a leisurely, peaceful posture; the bright, clear soul of an enlightened Zen master. "The autumn night is quiet, the bell sounds/ The moonlight is flickering, the leaves are red/ The falcon sleeps on the cold glass frame/ The tower shines with two cold bamboo shoots/ Each fate is not busy, blocking the worldly heart/ Disturbance is relieved, eyes are wide open/ Understanding right and wrong, all are from the same root/ The palace of the Devil, the land of Buddha are also considered equally".

Venerable Huyen Quang's poetry also "reveals all the ranges of his mood. There is joy, there is sadness, there is torment and there is peace... but the most prominent is still sadness, a lonely mood". This is clearly shown in the poem "Chrysanthemum - poem 5": "Flowers in the middle of the courtyard upstairs/Burning incense, sitting quietly to end worries/The owner and all things are no different/A yellow flower suddenly blooms"...

In "Kien Van Tieu Luc", Le Quy Don wrote: "Master Huyen Quang, a man of the Tran Dynasty, was widely learned and had good poetry... In the Trich Diem Thi Tap, there was a five-word and 21 seven-word poems, so his poetry was very refined and had a sublime atmosphere". Some other documents recorded that Phan Huy Chu also praised his poetry as "flowing and free-spirited".

PV
(0) Comments
Latest News
Venerable Huyen Quang - poet monk