His family name was Wang, and he was from Shaozhou. When he was born, his left shoulder had a raised purple lump of flesh, while his right side was bare, like he was wearing a Sangha robe. When he grew up, he became a monk and went to Huanglong to see Zen Master Huitang. Huitang raised his fist and asked the Master: “Talking about fists is awkward, not talking about fists is wrong, what do you call it?” The Master was confused. After 20 years, the Master finally understood, but he was still in the process of speaking and arguing. One day, Huitang said: “Stop! Stop right now! Talking about eating cannot make people full.” The Master was shocked and said: “I came to this place, my arrows ran out and my bow broke. I hope the Venerable Master will be compassionate and show me a place of peace!” Huitang said: “A speck of dust flying up covers the sky, a mustard seed falling down covers the ground, a place of peace is most taboo to the Venerable Master’s many impurities, it is necessary to clean up the careless mind from countless lifetimes until now.” The Master left. The next day, hearing the Tri su beating the practitioner, the Master suddenly had a great awakening, ran to see Huitang, in such a hurry that he forgot to bring his sandals. The Master praised himself: “The Zen that people in the world crave, I have now realized!” Hui Tang laughed and said: “If you choose Buddha and win the First Class, who can compete with you?” Because of that, Hui Tang called the Master “Old Man Si Xin”.

The Master often advised people to practice Pure Land. Once, the Master said: “Amitabha is very easy to recite, Pure Land is very easy to be born. The best person to practice Zen is to recite Buddha’s name. If you are dull-minded and afraid that you will not be able to attain great enlightenment in this life, you must rely on the power of Amitabha’s vows to guide you to rebirth.” The Master continued: “If you recite Buddha’s name but are not born in Pure Land, I will ask you to fall into the Bat Thiet Hell (have your tongue pulled out for the buffalo to plow on).”

Zen Master Tue Hai Nghi in Dong Kinh

Someone asked: “Wishing to be born in Pure Land, but not sure if Pure Land is real?”

The Master replied: “The scriptures say: If you want to be born in the Pure Land, you must purify your mind. If your mind is pure, then the Buddha land is pure. If your mind is pure, then wherever you live is the Pure Land. For example, if you are born into a King's family, you will certainly continue the King's career. If you develop a mind toward the Buddha's path, you will be born into a pure Buddha land. If your mind is not pure, then wherever you live is a dirty land. Purity and impurity come from the mind, not from the country.”

His family name was Ung, and he was from An Xuong, Ta Mien, Tay Thuc. When he was still in the cradle, his parents carried him to the temple. When he saw Buddha, he blinked and smiled. At the age of 11, he followed Thanh Tuan Dao Nhan at Thanh Qua Temple to become a monk. Seven years later, he ascended the pulpit, then gave up preaching to focus on Zen. He boldly left. The monks and lay people tried to invite him, but he still ignored them. The Master went to Burma and Han and entered the Zen master Shi Zi Chun's room in Danxia, where he received the Dharma.

Later, the Master stayed at the Guangxiao Temple in Gao Tingshan, Hangzhou, and the Jiangxin Temple in Wenzhou, greatly promoting the Caodong sect. This Zen sect spread to half the country. The Master also propagated the practice of reciting the Buddha's name and composed the Pure Land theory. The Master said: “Later in the Cao Dong sect, everyone secretly practiced. Why is that? Because the Dharma door of reciting Buddha's name is the shortcut to cultivation, based on the Tripitaka, serving those of the highest capacity, leading those of middle and lower capacity. The sect's masters have realized the Dharma of "neither emptiness nor existence" and devoted themselves to the Pure Land. It is not through the Pure Land that they see Buddha. How could it be simpler than the sect? Whether Buddha, Patriarch, any Teaching, or Zen, all are Pure Lands, they all return to the same source. To realize this Dharma door, countless Dharma doors can be realized. One-pointed concentration includes both truth and reason. Everyone can achieve one-pointed concentration, because through reciting the name, the mind is undisturbed, like a dragon getting water, like a tiger leaning on a mountain. This is called in the Lankavatara Sutra, "Remembering Buddha and reciting Buddha's name, in this life and the next life, one will definitely see Buddha, not far from Buddha, without borrowing expedient means, the mind will open itself." As for the principle of one-pointed concentration, it is also not any other Dharma, it is just taking these four words Amitabha Buddha as the koan. In the 12 periods, right there and then Greed, not using thoughts with mind, not using thoughts without mind, not using thoughts with both mind and no mind, not using thoughts with neither mind nor no mind, the interval before and after are all ended, not a single thought is born, just through the stages, then go straight to Buddhahood.”

Someone asked: Mind-only Pure Land, everyone has it already, why not immediately take it and seek the Pure Land far away as far as 10 trillion worlds?

The Master replied: If you understand Mind-only Pure Land, then not only 10 trillion worlds but also the dust-like worlds are not far. Where can you not see Bodhisattva Samantabhadra taking one step in a hair, passing through incalculable dust-like worlds and Buddha lands! Elder Li said: The boundless seas, self and others do not leave the tip of a hair; ten lifetimes past and present, before and after do not leave the present thought. Therefore, Amitabha Buddha points directly to one thing in this mind. If you point to the whole, then not only Mind-only Pure Land, but hell and heaven are also all manifested by the mind. The scriptures say: the ten directions of space arise in your mind like clouds dotting the clear sky.

Zen Master Trung An Duc Thanh in Cao Khe

The Master said: “People only know that under the Patriarch's door, enlightenment comes first. The core of spiritual enlightenment is to transcend birth and death. Isn't reciting Buddha's name the method to transcend birth and death? Most people who practice Zen do not necessarily transcend, but those who recite Buddha's name transcend birth and death, without a doubt. Why? Because practicing Zen essentially requires leaving thoughts, reciting Buddha's name focuses on thoughts. Because living beings have long been immersed in delusions, wanting to leave is truly very difficult. If right at the place of contaminated thoughts, we transform them into pure forms, that is, using poison to fight poison, that is a mysterious way of exchange. Therefore, it is difficult to attain enlightenment while reciting Buddha's name is easy. If one is truly earnest about the mind of birth and death, and reciting Buddha's name with a mind of inquiry, then why worry about not being liberated from birth and death in this life!

“Like a rich man, earnest about life and death, each thought is like saving a fire If your head is on fire and you are afraid that once you lose your human body, it will be difficult to get it back in a hundred lifetimes, then bring this Buddha's name into your meditation. Meditation must overcome delusions in any situation, present moment by moment, not being dragged or hindered by delusions. Just like that, practice diligently, after a long time you will become proficient, naturally responding, not asking for success but it will happen on its own. This is the most correct path of cultivation. Recently, most of the people who practice Zen have been bewitched by evil teachers and led into the jungle of false views, heresy, and arrogance, which is truly worrying! Moreover, out of 10 people, not even one person is liberated. If you continue like this, not only will you be misled, but you will also cause many others to be misled, which is truly frightening! Therefore, the venerable ones strive to advocate the true practice of Pure Land, which is the most miraculous Dharma door. Although reciting Buddha's name is easy, people do not know, despise, and consider it trivial, not knowing that it is the important and true path to escape birth and death. Right when reciting Buddha's name, the first thing we must do is let go of all the troubles, delusions, greed, anger, ignorance, love, and countless chaotic thoughts in our mind. Let go of them right where they cannot be let go, just recite the phrase Amitabha Buddha, practice like that every day, recite until the time of death, when we reach single-minded concentration, that is the time we transcend birth and death, and are born in the Pure Land."

The master's family name is Tham, from Giang Am, wrote a note in the Truong Giang Tinh Do Do Trang saying: "The venerable elders of Thien Thai who studied Tri Gia's teachings and then passed them on to Truong Giang, have all passed away. Now I think about the gateways to save sentient beings in this life, which one is the most skillful, direct, and important? Only the Pure Land Dharma door has many people's hearts. So I rely on your Dharma offerings, respectfully and solemnly adorn the Holy images, build a Do Trang, and teach people to practice the Buddha Recitation Samadhi. The masses practice together and they asked me to write the article. I think, the Pure Land theory, the sutras and treatises have talked about it for a long time, the Patriarchs have taught it very clearly, the signs of response do not deceive us, but in this life there are still people who doubt, it is because ignorance covers them, the reason is not clear. The Lotus Sutra says, "Like a person with a scattered mind, going into a pagoda, just chanting Namo Buddha, all have already attained Buddhahood", let alone a person with a single-minded and undisturbed mind right here, seeking rebirth, why not! Moreover, if one does not see the good clearly, and does not use the mind single-mindedly, then even though it is all the ten thousand dharmas of the world, where will one go to be reborn, there is no doubt? What practice can one go to? Only the Buddha said so! In short, one only needs to believe and accept, one should not doubt whether it exists or not. But does the Pure Land really exist? Answer: No. Does it really not exist? Answer: No. Does it both exist and not exist? Answer: No. Does it neither exist nor not exist? Answer: No. So where is the Pure Land? When all this seeing is gone, that is the Pure Land, and one immediately sees the Tathagata. If one hears this and is not startled, afraid, or terrified, then one must know that this person will definitely be reborn, but there is no place for rebirth, because it is not solemn, yet it is solemn. The mind of faith is pure, a flower blooms in one thought, the whole body is present, and all forms are complete. This mind is the Buddha's land, so what more can one doubt? Having transcended birth and death, he has attained Infinite Life, or there are people who do not yet believe and understand, but in other means he has fulfilled the nine qualities.”

Zen Master Thien Y Nghia Hoai in Viet Chau

The Master was originally a fisherman. His mother dreamed of a star falling into the house, and because of that she became pregnant with the Master. When he was young, the Master often sat at the stern of the boat, and whatever fish his father caught, he would release back. His father scolded and beat him, but the Master still happily endured the beatings. When he grew up, the Master went to the capital, became a monk at Canh Duc Pagoda, and met with Zen Master Thien in Kim Loan but did not attain enlightenment. The Master went to see Zen Master Tinh in Diep Huyen but still did not attain enlightenment. The Master returned to the East, met with Zen Master Minh Giac in Thuy Phong and attained the Dharma there.

The Master practiced Pure Land and encouraged others to practice. In his room, the Master asked his students: If you say that you abandon impurity and keep purity, that you are bored with this world and like the other world, then that is the attachment to abandonment and delusion of living beings. If you say that there is no Pure Land is contrary to Buddha's words. How should a Pure Land practitioner practice? The public did not answer. The Master answered himself: To be born is to decide to be born, to go is to decide to go. It is like a swallow flying in the sky, its shadow sinks to the bottom of the water. The swallow has no intention to leave a trace, the water has no intention to leave a shadow!

The Master's family name is Vuong, from Du Hang, he has an extraordinary nature, with both blessings and wisdom, he practiced both Zen and Pure Land, he collected the profound principles of Buddha and Patriarch into 100 volumes of the Pure Land Sect's Scenery Record. Among them is the Four Materials Simplified.

1. "If there is Zen but no Pure Land, nine out of ten will lose their way, if the skandhas appear, immediately follow them and go." This means that if you only understand the nature of reason, do not wish to be reborn, and circulate in Saha, then there is the suffering of falling. The skandhas here are in meditation, the demons of the five skandhas arise, as the Lankavatara Sutra says very much. clearly. In the scene of the five aggregates, 50 kinds of demonic things arise, this person did not know the scene of demons at the beginning, and said that he had attained the Supreme Nirvana, but was deluded and did not know, and fell into the Avici Hell.

2. “Without Zen there is the Pure Land, ten thousand people practice and attain, once they see Amitabha, what is there to worry about not being enlightened?” This means, not yet understanding the nature of reason, only vowing to be reborn, thanks to the power of Buddha, he immediately ascended to the throne of non-retrogression.

3. “With Zen there is the Pure Land, like a tiger growing horns, this life being a teacher of people, the next life being a Buddha, a Patriarch”. Having deeply understood the Buddha Dharma, he is worthy of being a teacher of gods and humans, and again vowing to be reborn, he immediately ascended to the throne of non-retrogression, his back wrapped in one hundred thousand strings, riding a crane to Yangzhou.

4. “Without Zen there is no Pure Land, iron bed and copper pillars, for thousands of lives and millions of eons, there is no one to rely on”. Not understanding the Buddha nature, and not wishing to be reborn, for thousands of eons of suffering, Where to leave. Those who want to escape birth and death quickly and attain the throne of non-retrogression must immediately choose and practice from these four categories.

Throughout his life, the Master relied on the boat of great vows to save all living beings. People respectfully called him "the red flag of the sect, the white eyebrows of the Pure Land". The Master once recited the Lotus Sutra 13,000 times, composed poems, verses, and prose up to 97 volumes, ordained 1,700 disciples, about more than ten thousand people followed him to receive precepts, printed and donated 400,000 copies of Amitabha stupa, advised people to bow and recite, and released countless birds and animals. The Master's reputation spread to other countries. The King of Goryeo sent monks with letters to ask the Master to be his teacher to learn the Dharma, and 36 people received the Master's prophecy. When the time came for him to die, the Master knew the time of his death. Early in the morning, he got up to burn incense, bid farewell to the congregation, then sat cross-legged and passed away. After cremation, there were countless relics, and his disciples built a stupa for him in Tinh Tu mountain. Later, a monk from Lam Xuyen came to circumambulate the Master's stupa for a whole year. People asked him the reason, and the monk replied: "I was seriously ill, and my consciousness entered the underworld. I saw a statue of a monk on the left side of the temple, and the King of Hell respected him very much. I asked who it was, and they replied: It was Zen Master Vinh Minh Dien Tho. All dead people must go to the underworld, but this one has already been reborn in the Upper Grade in the West. The King of Hell respected his virtue, so he respected him like this." The Master was 72 years old, and had been a monk for 42 years. In his life, the Master once wrote a poem on the An Duong God's Wife: "Amitabha, An Duong is a good name, in Bao Do but in Cuc Lac, in the ten directions but the purest. Sixteen Contemplation Gates, cultivate concentration and secretly arrive; forty great vows, use the scattered mind to transform and be born. If one upholds it for a lifetime, one takes refuge in it for a lifetime, the immortals ride the clouds to listen to the Dharma, the void plays music to hum. The body is on a purple-gold platform but the original vow is not empty, the spirit transforms in white jade feathers but one mind is naturally joyful. How clear! The long and wide tongue praises, the ten realms declare together, only stating the mind but in accord with all, not leading the intention but spreading falsely. The earth rotates, heavenly flowers scatter everywhere, one thought of flowers blooms, seeing the Buddha all attain wonderful results. The light shines in a thousand layers, realizing the Dharma all are immortals, examining the past and present, rebirths are countless. When the time comes, heavenly music fills the void, when the time comes, a strange fragrance fills the room. In the scene of the one true manifestation, one immediately relies on the Buddha's power, in the pond of seven treasures, the scene appears, all from the mind and mind flow." emerge. One should know that the wonderful principle is difficult to fathom, the response is even further, the transformation of ordinary people into saints in a moment, the transformation of delusion into enlightenment is immediately clear. Examining the secret scriptures, it is truly the art of immortality, only returning to the Pure Land is completely in the land of immortality. There are also the highest levels of transcendence, the superior men leave the world, burn their bodies and hands to make a vow, the music of immortals comes to welcome them, but they do not follow, the celestial servants ask for orders but do not like. Even though the fire is small on the mountain top, in the bright scene, one does not hear the name of the evil path, completely discarding the filth of the womb. Opening eyes, tongue-tied, standing still, buffaloes and fighting chickens suddenly stop, in the iron wall, to defy the King of Hell, one must have a sincere heart; sitting on a lotus platform, relying on the Buddha's grace, it is difficult to abandon the wonderful principle. Or there are those who slander the Three Jewels, destroy the rules and rituals, are forced to the place where the wind and knives cut their bodies, right when the mirror of karma reflects on their bodies, suddenly encounter good deeds, their consciousness manifests without hesitation, the sword forest turns into a row of seven-treasure trees, the train of fire turns into a lotus pond of eight virtues. Hell freezes, when there is silence, the mind is free from fear; heavenly flowers scatter everywhere, suddenly attaining Buddha. come and take him away. Eyes of wisdom and mind are bright, incense burner in hand, if in accord, the lotus flower will not wither, if prophesied, the treasure forest will not be far away. Strange! Buddha's power is immeasurable, rare in the past and present.

His family name is Chu, from Ngu Khe, Gia Hoa, born with a different will from the world. At the age of 7, he became a monk, often studied the Law, and listened to lectures. Later, he visited Zen Master Tinh Khong at Dai Tu mountain. Tinh Khong said: "Why don't you go and explore everywhere?". The Master went straight to the Kim Cang cave at Hoa Nghiem temple on Ngu Dai mountain to consult, and was enlightened by Bodhisattva Manjushri.

One day, a strange monk came to beg for food, the Master reduced his portion of rice to offer. Nguong Son knew in advance, asked the Master: Just now someone came, did you give them rice? The Master replied: Just finished giving! Nguong Son said: You have received great benefits!

The Master read Sutras and commentaries, like the vow verse of Manjushri: "I vow that when I die, I will destroy all obstacles, I vow to see Amitabha Buddha, and be born in the Pure Land." The Master devoted himself to Pure Land, and once taught the congregation: "Cultivating Zen is to clarify the mind. When our mind is clear, we will clearly see the Buddha's mind. That is, first we will realize Amitabha's mind, and then we must practice the various practices, pray to be born in the Pure Land, with all kinds of adornments, and fully enjoy them. That is called attaining Later Wisdom, and then we will become an Ancient Buddha. Because the truth is immediately realized, but when we stop deluded thoughts, it will gradually disappear. Sudden enlightenment is like a newborn baby, each day the body gradually becomes perfect, gradual cultivation is like raising a person, many years to establish the will. Therefore, in front of us, we should speak horizontally and vertically, stick, shout, draw circles, and freely argue. Or when we encounter favorable or unfavorable situations, we do not know or do not know, when faced with situations, our mind will be difficult to eliminate, and we will not escape, and leak out. As said: I have been diligent for 49 years and still have some concerns, that is the honest words of the ancients without deceiving myself or others. The high place is right here. If you want to go against the evil fate of birth and death, you must immediately accept the straight Bodhi path, concentrate on reciting Buddha's name, be an important bridge for the future, be a key for future generations. Here I will briefly outline:

1. One sound of reciting the name, as recorded in the Sutra of Contemplation on Buddha Samadhi: "Manjushri told Buddha: I remember in my past life I was often born in the Pure Land, and obtained hundreds of thousands of billions of doors of Buddha recitation samadhi." Furthermore, the Manjushri Prajnaparamita Sutra states: “If one wants to enter the Samadhi of One Action, one must be in a secluded place, abandon all distracting thoughts, not grasp at appearances, focus on one Buddha, and focus on his name. Depending on which direction the Buddha is, one should sit upright with one's face turned toward it, focus on the Buddha, and continuously recite him one after another. Then, right in the midst of recitation, one can see Buddhas of the past and present. Why? Because the merit of reciting one Buddha compared to the merit of reciting countless Buddhas is inherently not two, both become one, attain ultimate enlightenment. Thus, knowing all the dharma realms of countless Buddhas has no different appearances. Right in each thought, contemplate the appearance of white hair between the eyebrows, gracefully rotating to the right, like the autumn moon, bright inside and out, also like a lapis lazuli tube, like a bright star in a dark house. Whether one contemplates successfully or not, one eliminates 90 billion nayuta Ganges of heavy sins of birth and death in the dust particles of eons, and is always accepted by the Buddha, let alone each sentence clearly, reflecting mind to mind.

2. The True Aspect of Recitation Buddha: Bodhisattva Manjushri said: “No birth, no death, no coming, no going, no name, no form, that is called Buddha”. Just as contemplating the true nature of the body is like contemplating the Buddha. Contemplating the equal Dharma body of all Buddhas, among all good roots, karma is the most excellent. All bodies of Buddhas are just one Dharma body, when reciting the Buddha, that is reciting all Buddhas, there is no realm that is not pure.

The Master said: Those who have great roots and great enlightenment must still seek birth in the Pure Land, because they want to perfect the myriad practices of Samantabhadra and seek to attain Buddhahood soon. In the teachings it is recorded: first, they realize the Dharma realm of Vairocana, then they enter the practice gate of Samantabhadra. Like Sudhana asked Manjushri, Manjushri turned the elephant king to look back, Sudhana immediately realized. Finally, he met Samantabhadra and told him the 10 great vows to lead him to the Pure Land, perfecting the myriad practices. This is a great root. Therefore, those who attain enlightenment must also recite the Buddha's name to seek birth in the Pure Land, once they are born in the Pure Land, they will attain the state of immortality. backsliding, attained great samadhis, developed all kinds of supernatural powers, manifested countless bodies, held countless incense and flowers, went to countless worlds to make offerings to countless Buddhas, praised countless Buddhas, bowed before countless Buddhas to repent all karmic obstacles, rejoiced in all merits, requested to turn all Dharma wheels, advised all Buddhas to stay long in the world, always followed all Buddhas to learn profound Dharma, always followed all living beings to benefit them, dedicated all merits everywhere. All these practices of Samantabhadra were fulfilled, immediately built a Bodhimanda, subdued the demon army, became a great Dharma king to convert and save according to the type, just like the boy Sudhana who divided himself in countless hundreds of verses, his wisdom was vast throughout the ten directions, benefiting all living beings in the Dharma realm.

When about to pass away, the Master informed the assembly, then sat in the lotus position and passed away, light illuminated the entire room, the trees and grass also shone brightly. The disciples built the Master's stupa on the western hill of Linh An mountain. Later, robbers dug up The Master's stupa was erected, and his physical body did not decay, and his hair and nails grew longer. King Tien Vu Tuc was very surprised and respected him even more, and bestowed the name of this stupa.

Excerpt from Giac Ho Tap - Van, Tuc Tang, volume 62, number 1177)