The Binh Dinh Buddhist Sangha’s Executive Committee hosted a solemn ceremony at the provincial Buddhist Sangha Church on December 16 to commemorate the 701st anniversary of the attainment of Nirvana of King-Monk Tran Nhan Tong.
Representatives of Binh Dinh Province Fatherland Front Committee, municipal People’s Committee, relevant bodies, and Buddhist dignitaries and followers attended the ceremony.
Tran Nhan Tong (1258-1308), the third emperor of the Tran dynasty, ascended to the throne when he was just 21. He is famed for defeating Mongol invaders.
He abdicated his throne at the age of 35 and spent the rest of his life on the Yen Tu Mountain practising and propagating Buddhism, and founded the Truc Lam School of Zen (the Bamboo Forest School).
During that time, the King-Monk worked to unify different sects of Vietnamese Buddhism into Vietnamese Zen Buddhism.
At the ceremony, participants offered incense to the King and recalled the lesson in how King-Monk Tran Nhan Tong brought compassion into society under his reign, hoping this valuable lesson would be studied and applied practically at present.
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