Customer Reviews

Zen in Medieval Vietnam : A Study and Translation of Thien Uyen Tap Anh (Classics in East Asian Buddhism)

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Although this is an English translation of the Thien Uyen Tap Anh Luc, it hinted at various translations that had already been written in quoc ngu, such as that of Le Manh That (aka Thich Tri Sieu) and Nguyen Lang (aka Thich Nhat Hanh). Other than the translation, there is no commentary to this archaic scripture since the author believes that Vietnamese Buddhism contains outrageous spurious data to complete a noteworthy observation. Following the translation are paltry entries and laconic translation of other texts such as the Linh Nam chich quai and Viet dien u linh tap. The rest are the author's studies of the Thien Uyen Tap Anh and other antiquated texts of pre-modern era, which is a revision of his articles written during his doctoral years.

In order not to abase the important of this text, this is the first English translation to help students like myself clarify certain points in the quoc ngu translation. This is a good reference source but the data is not too helpful since the author oftentimes mortify the important of Vietnamese Buddhist scriptures. In addition, it felt that the author's pejorative observations distort the ostensible importance of Vietnamese Buddhist history and scriptures.