“The nation’s destiny knit as tightly as woven canes,
Today Peace takes root under the Southern sky.
When mindful wisdom tends the palace,
All warring stops, all strife is gone.”
Translated by Nguyễn Bá Chung and Kevin Bowen,
from Zen Master Pháp Thuận (915-990)’s “Quốc Tộ”
Inspired by the poem “Answering the King’s Question on the Fate of the Nation” (also known as “Quốc tộ” / “Vận nước”), the Vietnam Studies Center (Fulbright University Vietnam), with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is honored to host the conference titled “Peace for the People, Longevity for the Nation: Classical Vietnamese Zen Poetry in Contemporary Times” with the following objectives:
- To explore, honor, and introduce Vietnam’s cultural, philosophical, and ideological heritage, highlighting its universal human values to both domestic and international audiences, especially the younger generation.
- To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (1945-2025) and the 50th anniversary of national reunification (1975-2025).
- To mark the 30th anniversary of the normalization of Vietnam-U.S. diplomatic relations (1995-2025), by showcasing the efforts and contributions of Vietnamese and American poets and cultural activists in fostering reconciliation between the two nations, through the introduction of the Zen Poetry Collection of the Lý-Trần Dynasties (edited by Nguyễn Duy, translated by Kevin Bowen, Nguyễn Bá Chung, and Frank Gerke, 2005).
- To particularly celebrate the 1,110th birth anniversary of Zen Master Pháp Thuận (915-990), author of “Quốc tộ,” the earliest extant Vietnamese Zen poem.
The Organizing Committee (OC) cordially invites scholars to contribute papers for the conference. Based on poems composed in the spirit of Vietnamese Zen and Buddhist philosophy from before the 19th century, the papers can focus on (but are not limited to) the following topics:
- Identifying & Re-defining Zen Poetry: Zen Poetry in Vietnam and East Asia
- Studying Zen Poetry: Resources, Theories, and New Approaches
- Zen Poetry in Vietnam
- The Aesthetics of Vietnamese Zen Poetry
- Vietnamese Zen Poetry and Vietnamese Art
- Zen Poetry and National Culture
- Zen Poetry and Patriotism
- Zen Poetry and Social Ethics
- Zen Poetry and Conflict Resolution
- Zen Poetry and Building Harmonious Human Relationships with Community and Nature
- Vietnamese Zen Poetry and Contemporary Society
The languages for papers/presentations at the conference: Vietnamese / English
The OC will provide 1-night hotel accommodation on May 16 (for speakers from outside Ho Chi Minh City) and meals during the conference day for the presenters (whose papers are selected for presentation). Participants are responsible for their own transportation. However, the OC will do its best to support presenters facing financial difficulties on a case-by-case basis (please communicate with the OC directly).
The conference is scheduled as follows:
- Date: May 17, 2025 (morning & afternoon)
- Venue: Fulbright University Vietnam, Common Area, 2nd Floor
- The conference will have a small, in-depth format with approximately 20-25 papers presented by scholars from Vietnam and abroad. For papers not selected for presentation, the OC will communicate with the authors and, based on each paper’s specific content and quality, will consider appropriate ways to introduce them to the public.
- Presentation format: A hybrid of in-person and online presentations; translations will be projected live on two screens in the conference venue.
- Two plenary sessions (opening and closing) featuring four keynote speakers.
- Five (5) sub-panels (3 in the morning, 2 in the afternoon) with papers arranged by relevant themes.
- To promote knowledge-sharing and community building, the conference will be open to the public (online), with a limited number of attendees (registration required).
- In collaboration with Văn Lang University (VLU): A Zen poetry-themed music night and an exhibition will be held at VLU on the same day as the conference.
- A display of artistic works related to Zen poetry and the international journey of the Zen Poetry Collection of the Lý-Trần Dynasties will be held during the conference.
- Zen tea ceremonies will be introduced during breaks and lunch.
- Papers presented at the conference will be translated and published as a bilingual Vietnamese-English book after the conference.
Timeline:
- ⏰Paper abstract/ proposal submission timeline: December 12th, 2024.
- 📌For more information and abstract/ proposal guidelines, please refer to Call for Papers.
Please submit your Registration and Abstract via email to: vsc@fulbright.edu.vn, clearly stating ‘Conference on Vietnamese Zen Poetry’ in the subject line.
For any inquiries, please also send them to the above email address.
