Buddha in Each Ordinary Act

Text

Trần Nhân Tông, founder of the Trúc Lâm school of Vietnamese Thiền, taught that practice is not separate from the duties of the householder, the farmer, or the king. Awakened mind is found in the carrying of water, the planting of rice, the bowing in the family shrine. 'In the home, be a filial child; in the world, a loyal subject; on the cushion, an upright sitter. Mind is Buddha — do not seek elsewhere.' His Trúc Lâm method joins zazen, sutra study, and mindful daily conduct into one continuous discipline, so that no moment falls outside of practice and no activity falls outside of awakening.

tr. Zen Lineage editorial paraphrase, after Cuong Tu Nguyen, 'Zen in Medieval Vietnam' (1997)

license: cc_by

Attribution

• Speaker
  Trần Nhân Tông

Lineage: Trúc Lâm

By Trần Nhân Tông

• Knowing the Mind, Seeing the Natureproverb
• Living Carefree According to Conditionsproverb
• Three Mountains, One Houseproverb
• King Today, Monk Tomorrowproverb
• Buddha in the Houseproverb

Sources

• contentRecorded Sayings of the Trúc Lâm Patriarchs

  Trần Nhân Tông; Pháp Loa; Huyền Quang

  Trúc Lâm patriarch records, dharma talks attributed to Trần Nhân Tông

  Recorded Sayings of the Trúc Lâm Patriarchs: Buddha in Each Ordinary Act