A ceremony was also held to commemorate the 707th death anniversary of King-Monk Tran Nhan Tong, the third King of the Tran Dynasty (1226-1400) and founder of the Truc Lam Zen Buddhist Sect, who attained Nirvana in 1308.
The events were organised by the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) Central Committee of Dharma Popularisation and Quang Ninh province’s VBS Executive Board.
The conference aimed to make a comprehensive assessment of the spreading of Buddhism by founders of Truc Lam Yen Tu Buddhist Sect throughout history and review the achievements of the VBS over the past years.
A road map for the dissemination of Buddha Dharma was also outlined for Vietnamese Buddhists to follow and uphold the spirit and good cause of Buddhism.
Duong Ngoc Tan, Deputy Head of the Government’s Committee for Religious Affairs, said the event is also a get-together for Buddhism followers to meet and pay tribute to ancestors and founders of Buddhism.
A series of events on the sidelines are scheduled during the two-day events, including a seminar on Truc Lam Zen Buddhist Sect, a requiem for heroes who died in the Bach Dang battle at Tran Hung Dao Temple, a prayer ceremony for national peace and happiness and the casting of 108 statues of King-Monk Tran Nhan Tong.
King-Monk Tran Nhan Tong was bestowed with the title of crown prince at the age of 16 by his father, King Tran Thanh Tong in 1274. He ascended to the throne five years later.
During his 15-year reign from 1279 to 1294, he defeated Mongol invaders twice.
After his abdication in 1299, the former king left his palace to become a monk. He spent the rest of his life on Yen Tu Mountain (Quang Ninh province) practicing and spreading Buddhism. He founded the Truc Lam School of Zen and worked to unify different Vietnamese Buddhist sects into Vietnamese Zen Buddhism.
