About Us

Life is filled with greed, violence, confusion and suffering, but it is also filled with many wonders. As Buddhists, we learn to be in touch with these wonders, and to transform the difficulties and limitations in our lives so that each day becomes an experience of peace, happiness, and freedom.

Buddhism was founded in India, 528 BC, by Siddhartha Gautama known as "Buddha" (the “Enlightened One” or the “Awakened One”). Gautama (563-483 B.C.) was a Prince born in Lumbini near Nepal to King Suddhodhana and Queen Maya. At the age of twenty-nine, he bade farewell to his family, the throne, and the kingdom to become an ascetic in search of truth and enlightenment. Six years after the Great Renunciation, Siddhartha became enlightened. The Dharma had been realized and the end of the search had been reached. He started to teach the Dharma to the world. The first discourse was delivered to a group of five ascetics, who became his followers. Soon, more people came to join him and helped spread the teachings.

Buddhism blossomed inVietnam around the 3rd century and reached the peak of its prosperity under the Tran Dynasty during the 12 th and 13 th centuries. The Kings showed their great compassion and tolerance towards their people, even criminals, prisoners and foreign enemies or rebels. Thousands of pagodas and stupas were built all around the country and Buddhism was officially recognized as the country’s religion. The first King of the Tran’s Dynasty, King Tran Thai Tong, resigned his power after a time of reigning to follow the Buddha’s path. He was followed by King Tran Nhan Tong who became the founder, and the first Patriarch, of the Truc Lam (Bamboo Grove) Zen sect at Mount Yen Tu.

By the end of the Tran Dynasty, as Confucianism scholars gained their monopoly at court, Buddhism gradually lost its influence especially after the invasion of the Ming in 1414. Most Buddhist textbooks were confiscated, a large number of pagodas were destroyed, and numerous talented monks were sent to China in exile. Buddhism was kept under strict control while Confucianism was the only dominating doctrine.

It has been the dream of our Zen master, the venerable Thich Thanh Tu, to regenerate Truc Lam Zen Buddhism. He faithfully follows the teachings of the Tran's patriarchs, and guides our walk in the footsteps of our ancestors. He is the founder of about 20 monasteries throughout Vietnam and hundreds of monks and nuns are practicing under his guidance. DaiDang (The Great Light, which dispels the darkness of ignorance which keeps humanity locked into a cycle of greed, anger and ignorance) is the first meditation center in the Truc Lam lineage established in the West. Its establishment has been followed by the construction of 16 new centers worldwide in the United States, Canada, France, and Australia.

When King Tran Nhan Tong was still a crown prince, he was placed by his father under the tutorship of Knight Tue Trung with whom he spent lots of time learning the Buddhist Dharma. One day, he asked his master about the duties and the goal of a Zen practitioner. Upon hearing the answer, he was awakened: “Practice introspection, observe yourself, you can't obtain it from outside.” Truc Lam Zen Buddhism emphasizes the cultivation of the mind in whatever condition one may live, for every Buddhist, be that a monk, a nun or a lay person. This way of practicing the Dharma is best expressed in a hymn entitled "Cu Tran Lac Dao Phu" (In Life, Be Happy with the Way) composed by Truc Lam First Patriarch, who concluded the hymn with the following reputable verse:

Let’s take delight in the way according to circumstances,
Let’s eat when hungry and sleep when tired,
Within ourselves lies the gem, let’s give up searching elsewhere,
When our mind is non-attached to the surroundings, there is no need for question of what Zen is.

Today, as we are practicing their methods, we revive the Zen spirit of the Tran's Dynasty. Some have said: “There is no way to happiness, happiness is the way.” We, at DaiDang, live it in our daily practice and wish to share the fruits of such way of life with everyone around us.