Trương Hán Siêu’s Dualistic Thought toward Vietnamese Buddhism in Late Trần dynasty

Abstract

Trương Hán Siêu (?-1354), a native of Phuc Thanh village, Yen Ninh district, Truong Yen prefecture (present-day Hoa Lu ward, Ninh Binh province now), was a prominent scholar and major cultural figure of the Tran dynasty. Some researchers have argued that he espoused an ideology of “honoring Confucianism while rejecting Buddhism.” By contextualizing Vietnamese Buddhism under the Tran dynasty and analyzing two of his major inscriptions - Khai Nghiêm tự bi ký (currently preserved at Khai Nghiem Pagoda, Vong Nguyet village, Tam Giang commune, Yen Phong district, Bac Giang province, Tam Giang commune, Bac Ninh province now) and Dục Thúy sơn Linh Tế tháp ký [engraved on the cliffs of Mount Dục Thúy in Ninh Binh in 1343, during the reign of King Trần Dụ Tông (1341-1369)] - this study offers new insights into Trương Hán Siêu’s dualistic perspective on Buddhism in late Trần Vietnam.