A ceremony to commemorate the 704th anniversary of King-Monk Tran Nhan Tong’s death (1308 – 2012) was held by the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) Central Committee in Hanoi on December 13.

 

At the ceremony, the Most Venerable Buddhist monk Thich Bao Nghiem, Vice Chairman of the VBS Executive Committee, stated that the merit and religious career of the King-Monk Tran Nhan Tong, founder of Vietnam Zen Buddhism, have gone down in the history of the nation and of Vietnamese Buddhism, in defending the country and ensuring peace, uniting the entire people and promoting Buddhism in the future.

Tran Nhan Tong (1258 – 1308), the third king of the Tran Dynasty and one of the most illustrious kings in Vietnamese history ascended to the throne when he was just 21. He was famed for defeating Mongol invaders twice during his 15-year reign.

To follow Buddhism, King Tran Nhan Tong gave up his throne to reach the peak of the way, cementing the unity of Vietnamese Buddhism at that time.

On the same day, the VBS Central Committee commemorated the first anniversary of the death of the Great Senior, Most Venerable Thich Thanh Tu, former Vice President of the VBS Executive Council.

During his life, Most Venerable Thich Thanh Tu made a significant contribution to merging nine Buddhist sects and organisations into the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, and encouraged Buddhist monks, nuns and followers to practice the religion in line with Party guidelines and State policy, as well as participating in national emulation movements and humanitarian campaigns.

The Party and State awarded him noble distinctions, including the Resistance Order (first class), the Independence Order (second class), and the Great National Unity Order./.

CPV