Biography of
The Most Venerable Thích Nguyên Chứng
Dharma / Pen Name: Tuệ Sỹ

The Most Venerable Thích Tuệ Sỹ (TTS), birth name Phạm Văn Thương, was born on February 15, 1943, as per his birth certificate (his family increased his age for schooling). His real birth date was April 5, 1945 (February 23 of the Year of the Rooster) in Paksé province, Laos.
Father: Mr. Phạm Văn Phận, Dharma name Trung Thảo.
Mother: Mrs. Đặng Thị Chín, Dharma name Diệu Chánh.
Both parents were originally from Nghĩa Ninh, Đồng Hới, capital city of Quảng Bình province, Central Vietnam. 

When he was young he used to accompany his mother to the village Buddhist pagoda close to their house, which was what eventually led him to the point where he wanted to spend all of his time at the pagoda and not return home. During wartime in 1952, his parents sent him to the Trang Nghiêm pagoda in Tân An village, Pakse province, Laos, to assist the founding Venerable.  In 1954 he was ordained as a monk at this pagoda at the age of nine. At 12 years old he was encouraged to return to Vietnam to continue his studies when the pagoda’s Abbot recognized his special qualities and abilities. In 1960 he returned to Vietnam by himself and lived at Bồ đề Pagoda, close to the Gia Hội Bridge in Hue. His main possession at the time was the Diệu Pháp Lotus Sutra, written in Chinese. That Sutra was lost in the Từ Đàm Pagoda in Huế as a result of the 1968 Tết Offensive. His uncle was The Most Venerable Thích Trí Quang, a well-known Buddhist leader from the 1960s who lived in Huế at the time.

However, due to his independent nature, he traveled alone through places like Huế, Nha Trang, Saigon, Tiền Giang, and other southern provinces. He lived and studied in both big and small pagodas. In 1961, at 16, he was ordained as a novice monk with The Most Venerable Thích Hành Trụ in Saigon. Eventually, he was accepted by The Most Venerable Thích Trí Thủ into the Quảng Hương Già-lam Zen Monastery in Gò Vấp, Saigon. TTS graduated from the Saigon College of Buddhist Studies in 1964 and from the Faculty of Buddhist Studies at Vạn Hạnh University in 1965. After his research on Câu-xá luận, The Most Venerable Thích Mãn Giác, then the Vice-President, proposed to grant him a Master’s degree from Vạn Hạnh University, but he respectfully declined. 

In 1970, he was appointed as a professor at Vạn Hạnh University due to the excellence of his Buddhist research works and philosophical treatises. Among his contributions, the ‘Outline of Meditation’ (published by Liên Hoa in 1967) and the ‘Philosophy of Emptiness’ (published in Saigon by An Tiêm in 1970) stood out. From 1972-1973, he served as professor and head of the Buddhist Studies department at the same university. He was fluent in classical Chinese and also knew English, French, Lao, Thai, and Japanese. He was also fluent in Pali and Sanskrit, two ancient languages. In addition to reading and comprehending German, he meticulously studied the works of Heidegger and Hoelderlin. Before 1975, he translated, printed, and republished the second and third volumes of D.T. Suzuki’s famous ‘Essays in Zen Buddhism multiple times. 

In 1973, the Most Venerable Thích Trí Thủ noted that Tuệ Sỹ was deeply engrossed in research and teaching. He advised him to prepare for the Great Bhikkhu Ordination. Consequently, the novice monk Tuệ Sỹ officially received full ordination at the Phước Huệ Great Ordination Platform held at the Buddhist Academy in Central Vietnam in Nha Trang in 1973, led by The Most Venerable Thích Phúc Hộ. Other prominent figures at the ceremony included The Most Venerable Karmadana (Yết Ma) Thích Giác Tánh, The Most Venerable Thích Trí Nghiêm, and The Most Venerable Thích Huệ Hưng.

The Most Venerable Thích Tuệ Sỹ was well-versed not only in Theravāda Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism but also in Western philosophy, literature, poetry and music. TTS conducted his research and studies from the original works of renowned Chinese authors and poets, including Su Dongpo (Tô Đông Pha), Li He (Lý Hạ), Du Fu (Đỗ Phủ), and others. Beyond philosophical and Buddhist discourses, TTS authored the intriguing work ‘Tô Đông Pha, The Distant Dreamy Skies’ (1973, Ca Dao, Saigon). TTS was also a musician who played the guitar, violin, piano, and flute. He was well-versed in both traditional Vietnamese music and Western classical. A large volume of his works, poetries, short stories, philosophical essays, and outstanding literary critiques appeared in the Saigon-based magazines “Khởi Hành” (1969-1972) and “Thời Tập” (1973-1975). TTS was the editor-in-chief of Vạn Hạnh University’s “Tư Tưởng—Thought” magazine. His extraordinary poetry publication, written in Chinese, ‘Ngục Trung Mỵ Ngữ,’ was composed during his imprisonment after 1975. His poetry collections ‘Giấc mơ Trường sơn’ (the Trường Sơn Dream [Annamite Mountain Range Dream]), ‘Những điệp khúc cho dương cầm (Refrains for Piano), and Thiên lý độc hành’ (Odyssey Unto Self)  were later translated and extensively published internationally in English, French, and Japanese.

At an early age, TTS memorized the Lotus Sutra, Vajracchedika, Śrīmālā-siṃhanāda-sūtra (The Sutra of Queen Śrīmālā of the Lion’s Roar), and Vimalakirti Sutra, which are filled with tales of Bodhisattvas who self-sacrificed to save suffering sentient beings. The Vimalakirti Sutra emphasizes the spirit of living the path without monk’s robes or other overt religious manifestations. A lay Bodhisattva named Vimalakirti once profoundly stated, “My malady is the ailment of sentient beings. So long as any sentient being suffers, I will continue to suffer to serve them.” Inspired by this ideal, The Most Venerable Thích Tuệ Sỹ composed the discourse “The Legend of Vimalakirti” using his extensive Buddhist knowledge. TTS devoted himself wholeheartedly to becoming a symbol of the non-violent fight for human rights and religious liberty in Vietnam. 

In 1973, he moved to Nha Trang to take the position of director of the Hải Đức College of Buddhist Studies. 

After the events of 30 April 1975, this institution was shut down. TTS retreated to a monastery plot on the fringes of Vạn Giã forest, approximately 60 kilometers from Nha Trang. 

By 1977, he relocated to Saigon and resided in the Gò Vấp district at Già Lam Temple. Beginning in 1978, the government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam imprisoned him without trial for three years for departing his residence without permission. His release occurred in early 1981.

Due to the circumstances of several years of wandering and being in prison, realizing that his precepts were affected and possibly impure (*), he was re-ordained a full monk in Quảng Hương Già-lam in 1982 by the Most Venerable Thích Trí Thủ, who led the ceremony, the Most Venerable Thích Trí Quang as Venerable Witness, and the Most Venerable. Thích Trí Tịnh delivered the Upasampadā Precepts.

The Most Venerable Thích Tuệ Sỹ was a Dharma instructor for a special training course at Quảng Hương Già Lam Monastery from 1981 to 1984, under the Director of Institute, named The Most Venerable Thích Trí Thủ. 

In April 1984, TTS was detained along with Professor Trí Siêu Lê Mạnh Thát and 17 monks and Buddhist laymen. The Most Venerable Thích Tuệ Sỹ and Professor Trí Siêu Lê Mạnh Thát were sentenced to DEATH for “conspiring to overthrow the government” after a multi-day trial held at the end of September 1988. The Most Venerable Thích Tuệ Sỹ and Professor Trí Siêu chose to represent themselves and did not take state-appointed defense attorneys. Due to the active intervention of domestic and foreign intellectuals and activists, as well as international human rights organizations, Hanoi swiftly reduced the sentence to 20 years of hard labor, imprisoning TTS in Xuân Lộc, Đồng Nai, and later transferring him to camp A-20 in Phu Yen province. Because of his resistance in prison, TTS was isolated and transferred to the North in October 1994. Human Rights Watch presented the Hellman-Hammett Awards for human rights activism to The Most Venerable Thích Tuệ Sỹ and seven other activists on August 3, 1998. 

In 1998 Hanoi released TTS along with several others. Before his discharge from prison, TTS had been on a hunger strike. Before releasing him the authorities compelled TTS to submit a petition to the president “requesting amnesty.” “We do not recognize the validity of this trial or the legality of this verdict.” TTS responded: “If you have no right to detain us, how can you have the right to absolve or grant us amnesty?” Without the petition, there would be no grounds for release, according to the police. TTS replied firmly, “That’s your problem, but if you keep pressuring us to sign the petition, I will go on hunger strike in protest.” TTS was released by Hanoi on September 1, 1998, after he had gone ten days without sustenance and four days without water, for a total of fourteen days. The hunger strike of The Most Venerable Thích Tuệ Sỹ was a solitary act that was unseen by any organization or the outside world.

Seeing TTS’s swift deterioration in health, the authorities immediately dispatched a doctor and released him from prison. 

At 10:45 a.m. on September 2, 1998, The Most Venerable Thích Tuệ Sỹ was placed on a train bound for the South. After 36 hours of train travel, and with his health severely compromised by the hunger strike, TTS was unable to continue. He was dropped off at the Nha Trang station before lodging temporarily at the Hải Đức Buddhist Institute. In short order, the authorities ordered him to return to Già Lam Temple in Saigon and to not remain near Nha Trang. He refused, stating in a letter to the authorities, “You cannot release me from a small prison only to confine me to a larger prison, which is this entire country.” The international press promptly reported this news at the time.

The author of Những Phương Trời Viễn Mộng (“Distant Dreaming Horizons”) confronted the death penalty, 17 years of imprisonment, house arrest three times, and harsh prisons in the country’s South, Center and North. However, such adversity could not deter a person who chose to live in complete accordance with their values.

In April 1999, The Most Venerable Thích Quảng Độ nominated The Most Venerable Thích Tuệ Sỹ for the position of Secretary-General of the Viện Hóa Đạo of GHPGVNTN (The Institute for the Dissemination of Dharma of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam).

In 2002, as the First Deputy Head of the Institute for the Dissemination of Dharma, The Most Venerable Thích Tuệ Sỹ assumed a prominent position within the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam. Together with the revered monks The Most Venerable Thích Huyền Quang and The Most Venerable Thích Quảng Độ, he made significant contributions to the promotion of religious freedom in Vietnam, particularly the right to reactivate the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam.

The statements of the religious prisoner of conscience The Most Venerable Thích Tuệ Sỹ in court and his resolute spirit while incarcerated serve as a shining example and a source of national pride for Buddhism and the nation: “Our stance is the stance of Buddhism and the stance of the entire national bloc.” Buddhism’s strength, according to The Most Venerable Thích Tuệ Sỹ, lies not in politics but in culture and society, where education plays a crucial role. However, this educational endeavor must be initiated by a religious organization that is free from external control or imposition. Only then can they hope to raise generations of monks and nuns endowed with the virtue and talent required to serve society and legitimately belong to the Sangha.

Subsequently, in early March 2003, The Most Venerable Thích Tuệ Sỹ accompanied senior monk The Most Venerable Thích Huyền Quang from his house arrest location at Quảng Hương Già-Lam to Hanoi for medical treatment and to prepare for a meeting with Mr. Phan Văn Khải, the then Prime Minister of Vietnam. The purpose of this meeting was to request that the Prime Minister address the suspension of the activities of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam since 1975 and the unjust prohibition and control over The Most Venerable Thích Huyền Quang, The Most Venerable Thích Quang Độ, and several other monks and adherents. On this occasion, diplomatic representatives from six member nations of the European Union and the United States met the Venerable and invited him to visit the diplomatic offices of the European Union in Hanoi. They requested that the Venerable travel alone, without a companion or translator.

On October 1, 2003, The Most Venerable Thích Tuệ Sỹ, together with the most venerable monks Thích Huyền Quang and Thích Quảng Độ, convened an extraordinary congress of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (GHPGVNTN) at Nguyên Thiều Monastery, Bình Định. Following this congress, the two most senior monks, The Most Venerable Thích Tuệ Sỹ, and several participating monks were placed under house arrest and subjected to strict government surveillance. However, with an undeterred spirit, The Most Venerable stood with his two most senior leaders, The Most Venerable Thích Huyền Quang and The Most Venerable Thích Quảng Độ, entrusting overseas branches of GHPGVNTN to convene a congress abroad at Quảng Đức Monastery in Melbourne, Australia, in the same year, 2003.  This congress formally proclaimed the Church’s domestic and international leadership. The most Senior Monk, Thích Huyền Quang was elevated to the Fourth Supreme Patriarch of the GHPGVNTN by the congregation.

In 2008, The Most Venerable Thích Huyền Quang, the fourth supreme patriarch of GHPGVNTN, passed away. Senior Monk Thích Quảng Độ, who became the Fifth Supreme Patriarch of GHPGVNTN, assumed his position.

The Most Venerable Thích Tuệ Sỹ subsequently devoted his time and energy to literary labor, the translation of Buddhist scriptures, and the instruction of monks in the study and translation of Buddhist classics. During this time, he completed translations and revisions of four sets of scriptures: Āgama (A-hàm), Vimalakirti Sutra, the Four-Part Vinaya, and numerous other works, including Discourse on the Perfection of Consciousness-only and Abhidharmakośa (A-tì-đạt-ma Câu-xá) and other verses.

In March 2019, the Fifth Supreme Patriarch of GHPGVNTN invited The Most Venerable Thích Tuệ Sỹ to meet him at the Từ Hiếu temple in District 8, Saigon, to confer the final words and seal of the Supreme Central Council Sangha (Sangharaja Institute) of GHPGVNTN, entrusting The Most Venerable Thích Tuệ Sỹ with the leadership and daily operations of the Sangharaja Institute after his passing.

In February 2020, the Fifth Supreme Patriarch of the GHPGVNTN passed away peacefully at the Từ Hiếu Temple. At the time, The Most Venerable Thích Tuệ Sỹ was receiving intensive medical treatment in Japan and was unable to return home due to the COVID pandemic.

As soon as commercial flights resumed in October 2020, TTS was among the first to return to Vietnam, despite doctors in Japan advising him to remain for treatment and warning that he might not live beyond six months if he left.

The COVID-19 pandemic reemerged in 2021 in Asia, including Vietnam, with the most severe outbreak occurring in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). Due to the authorities’ stringent lockdowns, almost all medical services were suspended, except for COVID-19 treatment. Despite these obstacles and his health condition, the Venerable battled his grievous illness with fortitude and resolve. Every day, he sat at his desk translating scriptures, revising works, and organizing the catalog for the translation project of the Vietnamese Buddhist Canon to meet international academic standards.

In November 2021, The Most Venerable Thích Tuệ Sỹ presided over the first meeting of the Dharma Council and decided to form a Provisional Tripitaka Translation Council. This council would replace the Tripitaka Translation Council, which was established in 1973 by senior monks of the Central Religious Council – the Supreme Central Council Sangha (Sangharaja Institute) of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam. However, the original council’s meetings were interrupted by the conflict and other obstacles.

According to Order No. 11/VTT/VP, the Provisional Tripitaka Translation Council was formally constituted on 3 December 2021. Translation, revision, textual verification, and printing duties were subsequently expedited per established procedures. Ultimately, 29 volumes were scheduled for publication in 2022. This endeavor received contributions and support from senior monks to ordinary monks and Buddhists domestically and internationally, laying the groundwork for the Tripitaka Translation Council General Assembly in October 1973 to continue the Vietnamese Buddhist Canon project.

On August 21, at Phật Ân Temple in Long Thành, Đồng Nai, the Central Religious Affairs Council of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam (UBCV) elected Venerable Thích Tuệ Sỹ to assume the responsibilities of the Chief Secretary and handle the regular duties of the Supreme Central Council Sangha (Sangharaja Institute).

On August 22 at Từ Hiếu Temple in District 8, Saigon, a ceremony was held to confer the seal and inaugurate the Supreme Central Council Sangha to the Venerable.

Since then, the Venerable devoted all his remaining time and energy to focusing on translating Buddhist scriptures, editing, and validating the translations of works by younger generations.

In his final days, from his sickbed, the Venerable meticulously arranged and instructed the necessary tasks for the UBCV and the Vietnamese Buddhist Canon translation project for the Councils. He serenely passed away at Phật Ân Temple, Long Thanh district, Đồng Nai province, Vietnam, at 16:00 on November 24, 2023, corresponding to the 12th day of the 10th month in the Year of the Cat, at the age of 79, having devoted 46 years to monastic life.

The departure of the Venerable is not only a great loss for the UBCV but also a shared sorrow for Vietnamese Buddhism, as well as the regrettable loss of a national intellectual and cultural treasure. However, the enormous cultural and educational legacy left by the Venerable rightfully serves as essential nourishment for current and future practitioners and scholars.

Homage to the 44th generation of the True Lam Te Sect, the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, the Chief Secretary of the Supreme Central Council Sangha (Sangharaja Institute), ordained under Dharma name NGUYÊN, ordained name CHỨNG, and titled TUỆ SỸ, The Most Venerable Elder.

Saigon, November 24, 2023

Compiled by the Dharma disciples and relatives.

(*) In Buddhist monastic tradition, the seniority of a monk, often referred to in terms of ‘precepts’ (Giới lạp), is determined by the number of years since their complete ordination. On the other hand, ‘Hạ Lạp’ refers to the number of summer retreats a monk has completed. The Most Venerable Thích Tuệ Sỹ, who was fully ordained in 1973, has accumulated fifty years of precepts by the time of his passing in 2023. However, during his youth, The Most Venerable  Thích Tuệ Sỹ chose to reduce the four years he spent wandering and in imprisonment. He believed these years did not contribute to his spiritual purity and monastic discipline, as he felt that “the world can be affected and not pure” during such times. Respecting their teacher’s perspective, his Dharma disciples officially recorded forty-six precepts for The Most Venerable Thích Tuệ Sỹ, aligning with his expressed intentions.

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Vietnamese version