Philosophy of life in Ly - Tran poetry

The relationship between people is the desire for happiness, for the right to life of people, is the passion to cultivate increasingly perfect human values.

According to Professor Nguyen Dinh, "Humanism is not only love for people, especially those who are suffering and disadvantaged in life, but also the discovery and appreciation of all the values that make up human beauty in the relationship with the universe, with nature, with society, with family, with itself in action and in spirituality ." [ 10, p.24 ]

Typical works expressing humanistic inspiration such as the poem Ai phu lo by Huyen Quang:

"The blood lock is like a sound of desire, the lonely bird flies in the cold clouds.

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The sorrow of the past lives against the setting moon,

Both places carry the same mind.” [5, p.692]

Poetry translation:

I pricked my blood to write a letter to send my message, The geese are alone and cold, the pass is dark and desolate.

How many people are sad about the moon tonight? Far apart, but our hearts are one.

(Hue Chi translation)

The poem is the deep sympathy of the Zen poet for the captured enemy. The poet put himself in the position of others to understand the prisoner's feelings of missing his homeland and loved ones and wrote down the emotional lines of poetry. Through that stanza, the author wants to tell everyone to have a tolerant attitude towards enemies and prisoners.

Compassion for the people, care for the people:

King Ly Thai Tong, the second founder of the Thien Thao Duong sect, reduced the punishment and burned the instruments of punishment. In the year Giap Than (1044), the king returned from the battle against Champa and issued an edict to forgive half of the people's taxes. The edict said: "The fight against the distant lands has damaged the work of farmers, but unexpectedly, this winter has a big harvest, so the people are all well fed, so I have nothing to worry about. So I will pardon half of this year's taxes...". "In the year Mau Dan, Thong Thuy era, the fifth year (1038), the king went to Bo Hai Khau (Thai Binh) to plow the fields. The king ordered his officials to sweep the ground, set up an altar, and personally worship the God of Agriculture. After that, he held the plow and prepared to perform the plowing ceremony himself. The left-hand man advised: "That is the work of farmers, why does Your Majesty do that?". The king said: "If I don't plow myself, there will be no rice to worship, how can I set an example for the people...". This is the responsibility of the leader to always set an example for the people to follow. Thanks to that, during the Ly - Tran period, the economy developed and people's lives were stable.

Tran Nhan Tong believed that living without contributing anything to life was a shameful thing for a man. In the poem "Painting Poetry of Kieu Nguyen Lang", he wrote:

The luggage drifts in the southern clouds, Spring comes and plum blossoms only touch two or three. One is the same as the virtue of the emperor,

Born in vain, a mediocre man. [5, p.477]

Therefore, Tran Nhan Tong's philosophy of life was always associated with the interests of the nation, with the view that as a man, one must repay the debt to the country, must leave something for the mountains and rivers, must contribute something to life. In his life, whether as a king or a Zen master, Tran Nhan Tong always cared for the people and the country.

And here is Tran Nguyen Dan's anxiety and torment when thinking about the people living in a state of crop failure and famine, while he could not help in any way, in the poem Nham Dan Luc Nguyet Tac:

"The year is coming, summer is coming, and autumn is coming,

The compassionate cat turned the manuscript deep. The thirty thousand volumes of books were useless.

White hair does not betray the love of the people." [6, p.208]

Poetry translation:

This year the drought is over and the rain is coming,

The pain of crop failures. Thirty thousand books filled with books had to be shelved.

Love the people still owe, hair is gray. (Translated by Tran Le Sang)

In another poem, Tran Nguyen Dan also mentioned white hair: “Three parts of white hair, red heart” (Tam phan dau bach thon tam dan) [6, p.209]. White hair for the people. A truly noble concern of leaders, just because they want people to live more fully and happily. Through those verses, officials are reminded to love and care for the people.

Or Nguyen Phi Khanh's concerns about the misery of the people due to oppression and exploitation by local officials:

"The way is as long as a thousand li, the farmer is not interested in me.

The mountains and rivers of the rear land are in conflict with each other, The road to the Yellow Heavens is full of rain. Thinking back to the many souls of the ancients,

The people's life is high and they sell it all.

Poetry translation:

The new poet is playing a solo,

"Only the sick can lie down and not be able to go to the court." [6, p.436]

The vast fields were red as fire, Outside the house people were crying out in sorrow.

The land is so dry,

The sky is deserted with dew and rain. The net of corrupt officials has exhausted all resources, The people's livelihood has run out of oil and fat. This new poem is a memorial, Because I am sick and have not returned to court.

King Ly Thanh Tong not only loved the people, but also cared about the criminals in prison. He pointed to Princess Dong Thien and told his officials: "My love for my daughter is like the love of a mother for her people. The people do not know and are caught in the law, I feel very sorry for them. From now on, I will not punish those who are serious or minor, but will always reduce their crimes...". In the second year of Long Thuy Thai Binh (1055), during an extremely cold winter, the king told his officials: "I am in the palace, without a fireplace, without a coat, but I am still so cold. Thinking about the prisoners in prison, not knowing who is right or wrong, not being able to eat enough, not being able to cover their bodies, suffering from the cold wind, or some dying without a place to stay, I feel very sorry. So I order the authorities to give them blankets and mats and two meals a day...". That was the altruistic and benevolent heart of the king and his officials, not only caring for the people but also for the criminals.

The poem "Quoc To" in which Zen master Do Phap Thuan answered Le Hoan about the country's fate in 981:

"The country is like a vine,

Poetry translation:

The southern sky is peaceful. Living in a palace of inaction,

"Where there is war, there is war." [4, p.204]

Answering the King's National Road Question - Do Phap Thuan

The country is like a series of coils, the South opens up to peace.

Inaction on the palace, Everywhere there is no war

The phrase “The fate of the country is like rolling clouds” expresses the idea that the fate of Vietnam is peaceful thanks to the solidarity and attachment of the people like rolling clouds. However, there needs to be a solid tree trunk as a support for the clouds to cling to, just as in the country there must be a king who truly knows how to forget himself for the people, take the people's hearts and will as himself, and be the center for the solidarity of the entire people.

Not only caring about the people but also taking care of the people's lives, paying attention to the people's aspirations, cultivating morality and strengthening the people's strength. The Ly and Tran kings were very concerned about this issue. With a heart of love for the people, not wanting war to destroy, so in foreign policy, the Ly and Tran dynasties repeatedly sent tributes and envoys to China to maintain peace, King Tran Nhan Tong even went to Champa to meet Che Man, promising to marry his daughter to the Champa king to maintain the close relationship between the two countries. When war broke out, the king and generals directly commanded the army, trained the army, encouraged the people to uphold the national spirit and spirit, and unite to fight the enemy. When the country was at peace, the king and the people built the country, reduced taxes for the people,... Besides caring for the people's lives, the Ly and Tran dynasties also cared about building morality for the people.

The king, generals, officials, and nobles themselves all cultivated and cultivated morality according to the ideals of loyalty, tolerance, living a virtuous life, practicing meditation, and setting a shining example for the people. They paid attention to developing talented people, building an ideology imbued with the cultural identity of the Vietnamese people. They created an independent Dai Viet culture, not succumbing to foreign cultures, creating internal strength to fight against the Song army and defeating the Yuan-Mongol army three times.

Having such a beautiful and warm philosophy of life is perhaps thanks to the encounter between patriotism, the spirit of independence and national self-reliance with the spirit of compassion and selflessness of Buddhism, the positive elements of Confucianism, of Lao-Trang ideology on the essence of the three religions having the same origin, influencing the culture, society and politics of the Ly-Tran period.

The Ly - Tran era was the most brilliant era in the history of the autonomous feudal nation of Dai Viet. People were the subject of history. It was a heroic era because there were heroic people. For a nation that had to constantly fight to survive, patriotism had become flesh and blood in the body. Taking people and human morality as the root on the basis of promoting people, caring about people and more broadly, the destiny of the nation. The people mentioned here are not abstract people but the people, the subject of the process of building and protecting the Dai Viet nation.

In the Middle Ages, including the Ly - Tran dynasties, patriotism was closely associated with the ideal of loyalty to the king. Patriotism and loyalty to the king are one. From a philosophical perspective, from a humanistic perspective, patriotism is a part of social consciousness, the spiritual aspect of real life, governed by social existence but still has relative independence.

Patriotism and national pride are expressed: deep hatred of the enemy, determination to fight the invaders; praise of the beauty of the country.

country and national cultural identity; the heroic tradition of our ancestors fighting against foreign invaders, promoting self-respect and self-reliance; the aspiration to build eternal peace.

On the basis of the consolidated and developed consciousness of national independence, combined with the resonance of the times, patriotism in Ly - Tran literature was expressed in many different aspects, nuances, levels, and tones at different historical times.

Patriotism is deep hatred of the enemy, determination to fight against the invaders.

comb:

When the Fatherland is invaded, patriotism is hatred for the enemy, is the spirit of patriotism.

God determined to defeat the enemy, protect the sovereignty of the nation to the end.

The divine poem (Nam quoc son ha) by Ly Thuong Kiet is both a proclamation and a declaration, because it encouraged and fueled the spirit of determination to fight and defeat the invading Song army, affirming the country's sovereignty. The poem is considered the nation's first declaration of independence:

“The mountains and rivers of the Southern Kingdom belong to the Southern Emperor, Their fate is clearly determined in the Book of Heaven. How could you, the rebellious ones, come to invade?”

You all should be careful of your own actions and failures.” [4, p.322] Poetry translation:

The mountains and rivers of Nam Viet are where the king of Nam resides. The book of heaven clearly divides the land. How could the evil enemy dare to come here?

You guys are destined to fail.

Or Tran Quoc Tuan's patriotism and hatred for the enemy, ready to sacrifice for the country. "I often forget to eat at mealtimes, pounding my pillow in the middle of the night, my stomach aches like it's being cut, tears streaming down my face; I only hate that I haven't been butchered, skinned, and had my liver eaten,

"Drink the blood of the enemy; even if a hundred of my bodies are exposed on the grass, a thousand of my bodies are wrapped in horse skin, I am willing to do it" [5, p.391]. Tran Quoc Tuan criticized the wrong actions of the generals and soldiers, and at the same time affirmed the actions that should be done to awaken self-awareness, responsibility, and self-reflection to adjust the thoughts and actions of the generals and soldiers. "Moreover, you and I were born in troubled times, and grew up in difficult times. Secretly watching the fake envoys walking around arrogantly on the streets, using their owl tongues to insult the court; using their goat and dog bodies to despise their ancestors. Relying on Kublai Khan's orders to demand jade and silk, to serve his insatiable greed; assuming the title of King of Yunnan to demand silver and gold, to drain the limited treasury. It is like throwing meat to a hungry tiger, how can we avoid future disasters" [5, p.391] The proclamation is full of humanity, expressing the great ideology of the era: the fate of the nation and the safety of the country are decided by each individual in the community.

In a peaceful country, patriotism expressed in poetry and literature is often a sense of self-reliance and national pride; a desire to build a peaceful and happy country; love for the race, language, landscape of the beautiful country and love for the culture of the nation. Patriotism is national pride.

Trust and be proud of our army's strength:

The verse of Do Phap Thuan “Vo vi cu dien cac, Xu xu tuc dao binh” [4, p. 204] when answering King Le Dai Hanh demonstrated his belief in the fate of the country. The Thien do chieu (Edict on the Transfer of the Capital) expressed Ly Thai To’s foresight into the future of the country, because Thang Long was not only beautiful in its “coiling dragon and sitting tiger” position but also a central place to “plan”

Philosophy of life in Ly - Tran poetry - 6

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