TL;DR: Trần Nhân Tông left behind Cư trần lạc đạo phú, a Nôm phú consisting of ten sections, associated with the Trúc Lâm Zen school, discussing the joy of living with the Way right in the midst of ordinary life. The ten sections discuss luminous nature, precepts and conduct, ways of learning and practicing the Way in the world; the closing verse section ends with four lines in Chinese characters reminding one to follow circumstances, to eat when hungry and sleep when tired, that the treasure is already in the house, and that facing realms with no mind, what need is there to ask about Zen. The work belongs to the Buddhist literature of the Trần dynasty.
What is Cư trần lạc đạo phú and when was it composed?
Cư trần lạc đạo phú is a rhapsody written in Nôm script, consisting of ten assemblies and a closing verse in Chinese characters, associated with Trần Nhân Tông (1258-1308)[2], the third king of the Trần dynasty and founder of the Trúc Lâm Zen school. The title can be understood as "living in the dust of the world while rejoicing in the Way," and that is also the spirit running through the work: not abandoning worldly life to seek the Way somewhere far away, but practicing the Way right in the midst of the world.
The text is currently transmitted through transcription and translation versions; Wikisource has the Nôm text with a modern Vietnamese transcription for each assembly[1]. It should be noted that this is the original text, not an academic study, so it can prove what the text says, but it does not by itself prove the historicity of every detail surrounding the work[1].
Tradition usually links the work to Trần Nhân Tông after he left home and founded the Trúc Lâm Zen school at Yên Tử; this is the traditional attribution, and modern research still relies largely on the text itself and later records to determine authorship and date.
What do the ten assemblies of Cư trần lạc đạo phú discuss?
The rhapsody is divided into ten assemblies, each a passage discussing an aspect of living the Way in the world. The Wikisource transcription presents them in order from the First Assembly to the Tenth Assembly, then the Verse section[1]. The content of each assembly, following the Nôm text and transcription on Wikisource, is as follows:
| Assembly | Main content in the text |
|---|---|
| First Assembly | Sitting in the city while living as in the mountain forest; ending craving, quieting right and wrong; not hoping for bodily transformation, ascension or longevity; loving the bright nature more than jewels |
| Second Assembly | Guarding the bright nature, cutting off self and other; "the Pure Land is a pure heart," "Amitabha is the bright nature," so there is no need to seek the Western Paradise; keeping the precepts, eating vegetables and wearing coarse cloth while delighting in virtue |
| Third Assembly | Guarding the bright nature, not straying into wrong paths; mentions of Mazu and Layman Pang; "if one succeeds in the dusty world, that blessing is all the more precious"; the wish to stay close to a clear teacher and meet good friends in the Way |
| Fourth Assembly | Turning the three poisons, cutting the six roots; no need for alchemy or bodily transformation; knowing suchness, trusting prajna, not seeking the Buddhas and patriarchs far away; keeping precepts, ending stinginess and greed |
| Fifth Assembly | "The Buddha is in the house, no need to seek afar," "the Buddha is simply me"; restraining the eight consciousnesses and eight winds; the stringless zither and the holeless flute |
| Sixth Assembly | Letting go, no-mind, naturally accord with the Way; ending the three karmas; questions on the leaking and non-leaking, Mahayana and Hinayana; a clean heart, loyalty to the ruler and filial duty to parents; seeking companions for meditation, serving a teacher |
| Seventh Assembly | "How weighty the Buddha's Dharma"; when ignorance ends, bodhi grows brighter; the fire of awakening and the sword of wisdom; serving the teacher, pitying one's parents, keeping precepts and a vegetarian diet; saying "I believe" with a faulty heart, even offerings of gold and jade fall short |
| Eighth Assembly | Do not abandon learning; do not cling rigidly; those absorbed in fame are naive children; building ferry bridges and stupas is outward adornment that one should still practice, while inwardly one always reads the sutra of the heart; sifting sand to find gold |
| Ninth Assembly | The patriarchs' teaching devices differ in path yet are not many handbreadths apart; anecdotes of Mazu, Xiaohuang, Old Wang cutting the cat, Linji, Daowu, Yan, Cun |
| Tenth Assembly | The Hinayana crowd and the superior person; wild mountains and quiet forests are where recluses roam, quiet hermitages are where practitioners play; prizing fame is the common person, delighting in virtue is sage wisdom; "the sage's face and the common heart are ten thousand miles apart" |
Each assembly consists of many parallel couplets, in the manner of the rhapsody form[1].
What does the text say about where to practice?
The Third Assembly says: "Trần tục mà nên, phúc ấy càng yêu hết tấc; Sơn lâm chẳng cốc, họa kia thực cả đồ công"[1]. The Tenth Assembly says: "Núi hoang rừng quạnh, ấy là nơi dật sĩ tiêu dao; Triền vắng am thanh, chỉn thực cảnh đạo nhân du hí"[1].
What does the closing verse of Cư trần lạc đạo phú say?
The closing verse is the ending section in four Chinese lines, with Hán-Việt transcription and translation on Wikisource[1]. The original Chinese text is:
居塵樂道且隨緣， 饑則飧兮困則眠。 家中有宝休尋覓， 對鏡無心莫問禪。
Hán-Việt transcription:
Cư trần lạc đạo thả tùy duyên, Cơ tắc xan hề khốn tắc miên. Gia trung hữu bảo hưu tầm mịch, Đối kính vô tâm mạc vấn thiền[1].
The translation on Wikisource interprets these four lines as follows: living in the ordinary world, just follow conditions and take the Way as joy; when hungry, eat, when tired, sleep; the treasure is already in the house, do not seek elsewhere; if facing all scenes the mind remains no-mind, then why ask about Zen[1].
These four lines are the closing words of the rhapsody, placed after the Tenth Assembly in the Verse section[1].
What does "đối kính vô tâm" mean?
The phrase "đối kính vô tâm" in the fourth line is usually understood as facing scenes, facing whatever happens, while the mind is not attached or disturbed. The Wikisource translation renders it as "facing all scenes while remaining no-mind, then what need to ask about Zen"[1]. This is the interpretation of that translation; detailed understandings of "no-mind" may differ among Zen traditions.
What should be noted when reading Cư trần lạc đạo phú today?
First, different translations may interpret differently, especially in condensed lines like the verse. The Wikisource version is a popular one, but readers should compare annotated editions if they want deeper understanding[1].
Second, one should distinguish between the original words and interpretation. The four verse lines are the original words; the translation and inferences about "no-mind" and "the treasure in the house" are interpretation.
In summary
Cư trần lạc đạo phú by Trần Nhân Tông consists of ten assemblies and a closing verse, expressing the spirit of living in the world while rejoicing in the Way of the Trúc Lâm Zen school. The ten assemblies discuss the bright nature, precepts, learning, and practicing the Way in the midst of life in turn; the closing verse condenses into four lines on following conditions, eating and sleeping naturally, the treasure already in the house, and facing scenes with no-mind. This is a 13th-century Vietnamese Buddhist text with intellectual and literary value, to be read in its proper context.
