The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha hosted a solemn ceremony at the Yen Tu Mountain on December 16 to commemorate the 701st anniversary of the attainment of Nirvana of King-Monk Tran Nhan Tong, the founder of Vietnamese Zen Buddhism.

Construction of a copper statute dedicated to the king also began at the An Ky Sinh area on the Yen Tu Mountain where the King-Monk’s passage to Nirvana took place. It is designed to be 9.9m high and weighing about 100 tonnes.

Localities nationwide simultaneously celebrated the 701st anniversary of the attainment of Nirvana of King-Monk Tran Nhan Tong.

At the Quang Duc Zen Monastery in Ho Chi Minh City, hundreds of Buddhist dignitaries and followers gathered to offer incense to the king.

Venerable Thich Tri Quang, Vice President of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha’s Executive Committee, 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.

A grand ceremony was held in the central province of Quang Nam to honor King-Monk Tran Nhan Tong, who was famed for twice defeating Mongol invaders under his reign.

The ceremony was a tribute to the king’s great services to the nation and Buddhism, said Venerable Thich Chi Dao, Vice President of the Quang Nam Buddhist Sangha’s Executive Committee.

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.

The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha Central Committee has long observed the day King Tran Nhan Tong attained Nirvana (the first day of the eleventh lunar month) as the national anniversary of Vietnamese Buddhism.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is working with relevant ministries and the Quang Ninh authorities to compile a record on King-Monk Tran Nhan Tong for submission to UNESCO to recognise him as a World Cultural Celebrity.