Master Tang Hoi: First Zen Teacher in Vietnam and China

“Touching the Earth, I connect with ancestors and descendants of both my spiritual and my blood families.”

— Plum Village

Every practice has ancestors, and the meditation we do today reached us through teachers whose names many of us have never heard. Master Tang Hoi is Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s account of one of the earliest of them. Thich Nhat Hanh (or “Thay,” which means “teacher” in Vietnamese) looks at the life, work and thought of Tang Hoi, the first Buddhist meditation master known to us from the land that is now Vietnam. Tang Hoi was born there three hundred years before the Indian monk Bodhidharma travelled to China, and his story shows how Buddhism first took root in Vietnam and southern China.

The Roots of Vietnamese Zen Buddhism

Vietnamese Buddhists honour Tang Hoi as the first patriarch of their meditation school. Known in Vietnamese as Khuong Tang Hoi and in Chinese as Kang Senghui, he stands near the start of a history that spans some two thousand years, almost as long as Buddhism itself. Thay shows how the early Theravada teachings and the later Mahayana came together in Vietnam into one living tradition. Reading Tang Hoi’s life, we can see the practice many of us follow today growing from roots that teachers like him planted long ago.

A Practice: Touching the Earth for Our Spiritual Ancestors

• Stand quietly and follow three breaths, in and out.
• Bring to mind your spiritual ancestors: the Buddha, the teachers of your tradition, and the people who taught you, known and unknown.
• Kneel and touch the earth, or bow from where you sit, and stay there for three breaths.
• Feel the seeds of peace, understanding and love they have passed on to you.
• Stand up with a half-smile, knowing that your practice continues theirs.

About This Book

• Author: Thich Nhat Hanh.
• Subtitle: First Zen Teacher in Vietnam and China.
• Subject: the life, work and thought of Master Tang Hoi, and the early history of Buddhism in Vietnam.
• Language: English.
• Reading as practice: before you open the book, take a breath for the teachers who carried the practice this far.

Two more of Thay’s books walk the same lineage: Old Path White Clouds, which follows the footsteps of the Buddha, and My Master’s Robe, his memories of life as a novice monk.

Going as a River: Why the Official Source Matters

In the Plum Village tradition, we know that a single drop of water evaporates, but as a river, it reaches the sea. When you choose to support your practice through the Plum Village Official Shop, your purchase is more than a transaction. It is an act of Dana (generosity). Every purchase directly supports the Plum Village monastic community and its mission to share the practice of mindfulness with the world. Thank you for going as a river with us.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who was Master Tang Hoi?

A: Master Tang Hoi was the earliest known Buddhist meditation master of Vietnam. He was born in the land that is now Vietnam, three hundred years before Bodhidharma reached China, and Vietnamese Buddhists honour him as the first patriarch of their meditation school. He is also known as Khuong Tang Hoi in Vietnamese and Kang Senghui in Chinese. Thich Nhat Hanh tells his story in Master Tang Hoi.

Q: What is Vietnamese Zen Buddhism?

A: Vietnamese Zen Buddhism is the meditation tradition of Vietnam, which Vietnamese Buddhists trace back to Master Tang Hoi. Over some two thousand years it brought together the early Theravada teachings and the later Mahayana. Thich Nhat Hanh was a Vietnamese Zen monk, and the Plum Village tradition he founded grew from these roots.

Q: Who was the first Zen teacher in Vietnam?

A: Vietnamese Buddhists regard Master Tang Hoi as the first Zen teacher in Vietnam and the first patriarch of its meditation school. He taught three centuries before Bodhidharma, often called the founder of Zen in China. Thich Nhat Hanh’s book Master Tang Hoi presents his life, work and thought for readers today.