The Journal of International Association of Buddhist Universities (JIABU)

Yeshe Dorji: The Founder of Bhutan’s Dragon Tradition

Sat, 30 May 2020 00:00:00 +0700

Tsangpa Gyare or Yeshe Dorji (1161–1211) was the main disciple of Lingchen Repa Pema Dorji and the founder of the Bhutan’s Dragon Tradition – Drukpa Kagyu Lineage – the main or central branch of which was, until the 17^th Century, transmitted by his hereditary family lineage at Ralung in the Tsang region of western Tibet. He was one of the great teachers in Tibet. While he was alive, treasured by many others with his wisdom and compassion, he wrote many books and helped many people to practice for his entire life.

The Druk (Standard Tibetan: འབྲུག, Dzongkha: འབྲུག་) is the “Thunder Dragon” of Tibetan and Bhutanese mythology and a Bhutanese national symbol. Druk is highly regarded by the lineage of Drukpa Tsangpa Gyare/Yeshe Dorji. Not only, Druk became the name of the country after the arrival of respected Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel in 1616 and after the first monastic establishment in 1621 at Chagri Dorji Dhen, but also by the main instructions of Tendrel; the dependent and inter-dependent teachings to the followers which was received by Tsangpa Gyare from the seven Buddhas at Tsari.

Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel taught all the teachings of Tsangpa Gyare in Bhutan. He was the third incarnation of Tsangpa Gayre. The country of Bhutan is therefore called as ‘Druk’; the land is called as ‘Drukyul’; and the people are called as ‘Drukpa’. In the Bhutan’s Dragon tradition, people have their own unique way of transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation. These traditions in Bhutan are mostly learnt by the monastic schools, Buddhist colleges, and by the Buddhist University. The meditation courses of Tsangpa Gyare are taught in retreat areas throughout Bhutan.

Keywords: Tsangpa Gyare, Yeshe Dorji, Drukpa Kagyu Lineage, Druk, Bhutan

An Inquiry into Vietnam Buddhist Higher Education System with special reference to Vietnam Buddhist University in Hue

Lai Quoc Khanh — Mon, 22 Jun 2020 00:00:00 +0700

The young play a vital role in the development of each country in the world, so moral education for this group of people has been attracted great interest. There is a fact that the young’s ethics now show some negative points; hence, the study of Loving-kindness and Compassion in Buddhism has both theoretical and practical significance. This article is aimed to clearly present basic teachings about the Loving-kindness and Compassion in Buddhism and its implications into improving the ethical education for the young in Vietnam. The importance of ethical values in Buddhism to the full education for the young generation in modern society is also discussed.

A New Model of the Bodhisattva Ideal in Thich Nhat Hanh’s Socially Engaged Buddhism

Venerable Nguyen Van Nam — Sun, 15 Dec 2019 00:00:00 +0700

This research article attempts to find out a new model of bodhisattva ideal in Thich Nhat Hanh’s Socially Engaged Buddhism (SEB). The methodology of this paper is qualitative consisting of documentary and in-depth interview methods of four key informants who are the closest disciples of Thich Nhat Hanh. The data analysis involves both content and interview analyses. The findings show that the bodhisattva ideal in Mahāyāna scriptures is aimed to dissect the bodhisattva concept and the practices of two typical bodhisattvas – Mañjuśrī and Avalokiteśvara. Thich Nhat Hanh has revived the notion of typical bodhisattva through the spirit of Socially Engaged Buddhism which is manifesting in four fields: education, social services, peacemaking, and the building of Plum Villages. The new model of bodhisattva ideal in his SEB is called the SMS model – that is Śila – the mindfulness training, Maitri – loving-kindness and Smṛti (or Sati) – mindfulness meditation. This SMS model helps the Buddha’s teachings and the Buddhist practices lead all human beings to the happiness of this world and future lives.