agape in the selected works of thich nhat hanh - implications on vietnamese students’ values

NHỮNG KẾT QUẢ MỚI CỦA LUẬN ÁN 1. Ngọn nguồn triết luận về lòng từ bi, bác ác xuất hiện từ giai đoạn khởi nguyên của lịch sử Phật giáo và có mặt trong hầu hết các giáo lý nhà Phật.2. Nghiên cứu những tác phẩm tuyển chọn của Thích Nhất Hạnh, ta nhận thấy bốn thiên tính cao cả nhất trong con người được tác giả đề cao đó là tâm vô lượng: từ, bi, hỷ và xả. 3. Nhất Hạnh nhấn mạnh rằng, sự nhu hòa, tôn trọng và chăm sóc cho nhau tạo ra bầu không khí hòa bình và ấm áp. Ngược lại, tất cả những thói xấu cùng hành động bỉ ổi sẽ mang lại những hậu họa khôn lường cho cá nhân và xã hội.4. Kết quả nghiên cứu cũng chỉ ra những vấn đề xã hội đặc biệt quan trọng và có tác động mạnh mẽ đối với con người, nhất là giới trẻ. Đó là sự nghèo đói, suy thoái môi trường, chiến tranh, bạo lực, bất công xã hội và đàn áp nhân quyền. Giác ngộ Phật giáo, tiếp thu giáo lí nhà Phật là một cách để giới trẻ thanh lọc tâm hồn, tránh xa tạp niệm ô trọc xô bồ và những hệ lụy nói trên để giữ trọn thiên tính bản năng cùng những giá trị đạo đức truyền thống của người Việt.5. Nghiên cứu cũng chỉ ra rằng rèn luyện tứ tâm vô lượng hằng ngày giúp con người kiềm chế lòng tham, sân, si để để cho tâm được an vui và thanh tịnh. KHẢ NĂNG ỨNG DỤNG TRONG THỰC TIỄN VÀ NHỮNG VẪN ĐỀ CẦN TIẾP TỤC NGHIÊN CỨU Khả năng ứng dụng trong thực tiễn: 1. Bộ Giáo dục và Đào tạo và các cơ sở giáo dục có thể đưa nội dung giáo dục về lòng từ bi, bác ái vào chương trình giảng dạy. Thiết kế các hoạt động trong chương trình chính khóa để giáo dục cho học sinh, sinh viên những giá trị đạo đức truyền thống của người Việt để tránh xa các tệ nạn xã hội, suy thoái môi trường, chiến tranh, bạo lực, bất công xã hội và đàn áp nhân quyền.2. Kết quả nghiên cứu của luận án có thể làm nguồn tài liệu tham khảo cho sinh viên Việt Nam, giúp người học nhận ra lòng từ bi, bác ái là vô cùng quan trọng trong cuộc sống. Nghiên cứu cũng giúp cho sinh viên nhận ra giá trị của tình yêu đích thực, sự nhu hòa, tôn trọng và chăm sóc cho nhau tạo ra bầu không khí hòa bình và ấm áp cho bản thân mình và cho xã hội. 3. Độc giả có thể nhận ra giá trị của lòng từ bi, bác ái khi sống, học tập và làm việc mọi môi trường xã hội, ở mọi quốc gia và nền văn hóa, và thực hành tứ tâm vô lượng mang lại cuộc sống bình an, hạnh phúc cho con người. Những vấn đề cần tiếp tục nghiên cứu: - Nghiên cứu sâu hơn hoặc mở rộng phạm vi nghiên cứu để có cái nhìn toàn diện và triệt để những triết lí đạo đức Phật giáo, hướng đến mục đích khai tâm, hướng thiện con người.- Nghiên cứu chuyên sâu hơn về Phật giáo để có những giải pháp loại trừ các vấn nạn xã hội, đặc biệt trong giới trẻ.

AGAPE IN THE SELECTED WORKS OF THICH NHAT HANH:

IMPLICATIONS ON VIETNAMESE STUDENTS’ VALUES

A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School Batangas State University Batangas City, Philippines

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in English

By Nguyen Thuy Linh (Link) December, 2014

APPROVAL SHEET

This dissertation entitled AGAPE IN THE SELECTED WORKS

OF THICH NHAT HANH: IMPLICATIONS ON VIETNAMESE STUDENTS’ VALUES prepared and submitted by MA NGUYEN THUY LINH in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree doctor of Philosophy in English has been examined and is recommended for oral Examination

LUISA A VALDEZ

Adviser

PANEL OF EXAMINERS

Approved by the Committee on Oral Examination with a grade of _

Accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements

for the degree doctor of Philosophy in English Language and Literature

ABSTRACT

Title : Agape in the Selected Works of Thich Nhat Hanh:

Implications on Vietnamese Students’ Values

Author : MA Nguyen Thuy Linh

Degree : Doctor of Philosophy

Major : English Language and Literature

in these works Likewise, this study tries to present how the selected works of Thich Nhat Hanh manifest the meaning of respect, peace, and service; and to show the social issues particularly focused on the youth; and to bring about from these works the implications of agape on Vietnamese students’ values This dissertation was guided by the idea that literature can be a writer’s channel for conveying the philosophical dimension of agape

This study employed the qualitative method of research in analyzing the tenets of agape in the representative literary works chosen This study also involved content analysis, which is a systematic technique in analyzing message content and message handling

The data analysis in this research centered on pattern seeking and the extraction of meaning from Thich Nhat Hanh’s selected literary narrative or image data Much effort was focused on the task of recording data or making notes through concepts and categories; altering or creating new codes or more subtle categories; linking and combining abstract concepts; extracting the essence; organizing meaning; creating theory from emerging themes; writing an understanding; and drawing conclusions

The essential features in the treatment of materials were considered by the researcher in the conduct of this study The general rules cited by Stott (2014) as regards the seven standards a piece of literature should abide to in order to be considered literary guided in the selection of works under study

For the purpose of this study and to give philosophical credibility,

the representative literary works were analyzed: Love Is Being There, Overcoming Pride, Interbeing, Meditation in Daily Life, Feelings and Perceptions, Working for Peace, Telephone Meditation, Everybody

Should Practice Mindfulness, The Heart of Practice, and The Three Gems, which are all found in his masterpieces entitled True Love: A Practice of Awakening the Heart, and Being Peace

In subjecting the materials to internal and external criticism and analysis, the meaning and trustworthiness of the statements in the aforecited primary and secondary sources were carefully chartered and analyzed

Likewise, to attain congruency between the theories used in

explaining the concept of agape, coding and categorization were

conducted Direct lines were lifted from the selections served as the primary and juxtaposed with the theoretical statements discussed These passages from the chosen prose and poetry substantiated the theoretical basis of the study

Findings

The study yielded the following findings:

1 The Historical Root of Agape in the Buddhist Tradition

The root of agape in the Buddhist religion started with the birth of Buddha Shakyamuni as a royal prince in 624 BC in a place called Lumbini, which was originally in Northern India but is now part of Nepal

“Shakya” is the name of the royal family into which he was born, and

“Muni” means “Able One.” His parents gave him the name Siddharta and there were many wonderful predictions about his future In his early years, he lived as a prince in his royal palace but when he was 29 years old, he retired to a forest where he followed a life of spiritual meditation

His intention in founding Buddhism was to lead living beings to permanent liberation from suffering because he realized that temporary liberation from suffering and difficulties is not enough Motivated by love and compassion, his aim was to help living beings find lasting love or nirvana

Historically, agape is one of the basic founding principles of Buddhism Motivated by love and compassion, the founder of Buddhism strived to help others find love This clearly states the early stint of unselfish, unrequited love, agape love, in the early days of Buddhism

Buddhism, formed from the very beginning, has expressed relief

of suffering and mental distress for men In the teachings of the Buddha, people need to have agape - compassion and loving-kindness This is a fundamental factor to help develop agape or compassion and relieve happiness suffering, leading to the orientation of Buddhist activities for people Thus, one can already see the emergence of this virtue in the historical pages of Buddhism

2 The Manifestations of Agape in the Following Works of Thich

Nhat Hanh

In the Buddhist tradition, the teachings on agape or true love

offered by the Buddha are called the four Brahmaviharas The word

“vihara” is used to refer to an abode or a dwelling place and the word

“brahmavihara” means dwelling place of the God Brahma Thich Nhat

Hanh (2011) and Ward and Ward (2008), called these teachings the

four immeasurable namely: loving-kindness (maitri), compassion (karuna), joy (mudita), and equanimity (upeksha) They are said to be

the four aspects of true love within every man and everything They are referred to as “immeasurable” because of the belief that if men practice these virtues, the love in their hearts will grow so much that it cannot be measured

From the selected literary pieces, readers can glean Thich Nhat Hanh’s portrayal of how the practice of the immeasurable mind of loving-kindness extinguishes anger in the hearts of living beings; the practice of the immeasurable mind of compassion eliminates all sorrows and anxieties in the hearts of living-beings; the practice of immeasurable mind of joy removes sadness and joylessness in the hearts of living beings; and the practice of immeasurable mind of

equanimity puts an end to hatred, aversion, and attachment in the heart

knowing what is going on Nhat Hanh emphasized that when a group of people manifest the virtues of peace, respect and perform a kind of service as a practice, it creates an ecosystem that holds a space, allowing value to emerge organically All of these indirect values, the ripple effect, have space and time to add up, synergize with other ripples, and multiply into something completely unexpected

4 The social issues particularly focusing on the youth are gleaned from the selections

In the context of this study, the term social issues are referred to

as social problems or societal induced conditions that harm segments of the Vietnamese populace particularly the youth These problems are also related to acts and conditions that violate the norms and values found in the society Some of these common social issues particularly focused and have affected the youth which can be gleaned from the selected works of Nhat Hanh include poverty, environmental degradation, war, violence, equality or discrimination, social injustice, and suppression of human rights

5 The Implications of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Agape on Noted Vietnamese Values

The gentle and simple tone of Thich Nhat Hanh’s literature is an embodiment of the Vietnamese culture and way of life as well In the

analysis of his writings, it can be gleaned that the central theme of agape, its facets, principles and related concepts, bore relation to noted Vietnamese values and customs as well Nhat Hanh captured the true essence of agape in his selected works The context of his works analyzed all showed the search of man for peace, compassion and love

in a world where great changes are happening In the same way, the world of Vietnamese people and their society is undergoing drastic changes too

Nhat Hanh’s agape, comprised of respect and peace, and service reflect the heart and soul of the Vietnamese people’s spirit The unyielding attitude of these people against major challenges characterizes the compassion of the people for each other, concerned for the welfare of their kinsmen

Thus, through the selected works, the Vietnamese people, especially teenagers realize that agape or compassion plays an important role in life because it has left the depth of thought and become really ingrained moral lifestyle of the Vietnamese people Concurrently, the practice of four immeasurable minds help men perfect moral personality, give them to altruism lifestyle, equality, charity

Conclusions

Based on the findings and interpretations of the study, the following conclusions are drawn:

1 The historical root of agape can be traced back to the early days

of Buddhism and is manifested in many teachings of the said religion

2 From the selected literary pieces, Thich Nhat Hanh elaborated

on the Four Immeasurable Minds known as loving-kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity as concrete expressions of man’s deepest love

3 Nhat Hanh emphasized that when a group of people manifest the virtues of peace, respect and perform a kind of service as a practice, it creates an ecosystem that holds a space, allowing value to emerge organically All of these indirect values, the ripple effect, have space and time to add up, synergize with other ripples, and multiply into something completely unexpected

4 There are social issues particularly focused and have affected the youth These include poverty, environmental degradation, war, violence, equality or discrimination, social injustice, and suppression of human rights It is very important for the youth to take part in engaged Buddhism to avoid social problems that violate the norms and values of the Vietnam society

5 Research has also shown that practicing four immeasurable minds daily to help people curb greed, hatred and delusion to have the peaceful mind

Recommendations further studies

From the foregoing findings and conclusions, the researcher offers the following recommendations:

- Further and wider research or expanding the scope of the study order to look at the philosophy comprehensively and the radical Buddhist ethics aim to initiate, user-friendly human

- The further development of this study about Buddhism is to propose solutions to eliminate social evils in society, especially the youth

I am also grateful to the other members of my doctoral committees from the Batagas State University, Philippines, Prof Matilda H.Dimaano, Prof Amada Banaag, Prof.Lavage B Labura for their valuable comments and suggestions

I would like to thank to Dr Prof Dang Kim Vui, the President of TNU, for the linkage between the Thai Nguyen University and the Batangas State University and Dr Prof Nguyen The Hung, Director for

International Training Centre for his help so that the learners complete this course

Many thanks should also go to other related people for their academic supports towards the end of this research, Ms Le Quynh Anh

in International Training Center, College of Agriculture and Forestry, Thai Nguyen University

I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to my family who are always there to cheer me up and stand by my side with the unquestioned support

Last, but not least, I am deeply indebted to my husband, for his patience and for his unlimited support and love Without him, I would not have been able to complete this long journey

The Researcher

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

TITLE PAGE ……… i

Table of Contents ……….…… …… ii

CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM Introduction ……….…… 1

Statement of the Problem ……….… 4

Scope,Delimitation and Limitation of the Study 5 Significance of the Study ……… … 7

CHAPTER II REVIEW OF LITERATURE Conceptual Literature ……… 9

Research Literature ……… 35

Synthesis ……….……… 40

Theoretical Framework ……… 44

Conceptual Framework ……… 49

Definition of Terms ……… 52

CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Research Method ……… 52

Treatment of Materials ……… 56

CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

Analysis and Interpretation……… 62

CHAPTER V SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND

RECOMMENDATIONS Summary……….… 138

Findings ……… 141

Conclusions ……… 146

Recommendations ……….…… 147

BIBLIOGRAPHY

CURRICULUM VITAE

CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM Introduction

Nowadays, while the human being strides on the path of development towards the knowledge society, opened society, the more

"great risk" posed for the whole society, including the degradation of ethics, lifestyle becoming a global problem Sadly, this situation occurs more frequently in young people, especially, in pupils, and students - the future owners of the country And Vietnam is one of the countries which need to give the alarm about morality and lifestyle Facing requirements for sustainable development of the country, Vietnam is necessary to build a new moral foundation in order to be suitable for ages on the basis of inheriting the moral values, the good traditional of the nation

Born in India, spent nearly 20 centuries existence and development of the nation, Buddhism has left a deep commitment of thought and become really ingrained moral lifestyle of Vietnam people because Buddhism is always appreciated as compassion, charity Since the transmission of Buddhism into Vietnam, the helping rescue the spirit

of Buddha is widely promoted in a country where were affected by many war-torn, disasters It is the important reasons to tie to Buddhism and be accompanied with the Vietnamese people through the long year

The philosophy of loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity encouraging human to live in a friendly and good way, it is easy for Buddhism to take part in the heart of human beings in order to perfect ethic personality, and create men to have lifestyle of altruism, equality, charity It also has proved that Buddhism is in accordance with the ethics of Vietnamese people, and it has made a positive contribution

for the construction and defense of the homeland Today in the complex context of the political situation - the world cultural, the positive values

of Buddhism are proven again

Men have made significant progress in science and technology, but it is likely that people never feel miserable and anxious as today A series of complicated political situation of the world and the dark side of the industry make the natural ecological environment and humanistic environment be seriously polluted Among these challenges, increasing income gap, poverty reduction, rampant corruption, and ethnic conflicts and growing religion have appeared In addition, natural disasters and climate change, the inequality of women, and poor understanding of the law, and the potential threat to growth and development of Asia countries in the future more and more, and Vietnam also suffer more from these hazards Thus, before this situation, Buddhism has an important role to contribute to support our country's security and to ensure social justice

Buddhism, formed from the very beginning, has expressed relief

of suffering and mental distress for men In the teachings of the Buddha, people need to have agape - compassion and loving-kindness This is a fundamental factor to help develop agape or compassion and relieve happiness suffering, leading to the orientation of Buddhist activities for people Thus, in the literature, there are many works born and honestly reflect these phenomena And the writer named as Thich Nhat Hanh is mentioned He has considered as the one who was enlightening for people to enjoy the pure life Agape is valuable quality required of every man that Nhat Hanh mentioned in the typical work of this study

Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, teacher, author, poet and peace activist who now lives in France Born Nguyễn Xuân Bảo, Nhat Hanh joined a Zen monastery at the age of 16, and studied Buddhism as a novitiate Upon his ordination as a monk in

1949, he assumed the Dharma name Thich Nhat Hanh Thích is an honorary family name used by all Vietnamese monks and nuns, meaning that they are part of the Shakya or the Shakyamuni Buddha clan He is the leader of Buddhism influenced the second largest in the West only after the Dalai Lama (http://thichgvdevindia.blogspot.com/)

He has left men the famous literature works and teachings all over the world

His literature works about the ways of life and principles of the Buddhist teachings to bring people living in peace and happiness Agape was presented very clearly in prose and poetry of Thich Nhat hanh With a gentle melody is reflected in the work, agape has affected

to human beings in life

Moreover, Nhat Hanh’s works such as True Love: A Practical of Awakening the Heart, and Being Peace have reflected more clearly the concept of agape Concurrently, these works help men recognize the valuable living principles, and the ways to solve the social problems and especially these focused on the youth all over the world in general and

in Vietnam in particular

One of the most important teachings of Nhat Hanh is to emphasize respect, peace and service, combined with the practice of mindfulness in daily life He said that the school directors help mankind

to live deeply each moment of daily life, and treat the sadness and pain, and concurrently, men also know how to manipulate joy, happiness, and peace in their daily lives when going, standing, talking,

laughing, working From the perspective of the Bodhisattva practice, as often said in Beijing: "The ball is headed"; "Great compassion is fundamental Without compassion, there is no Dharma because of Dharma developed on the basis of compassion

Through the teachings of Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese students will be able to contact their own values with the values shown in the Buddhist his work Love, peace, respect, and service and the other values are defined as the core values of the Vietnamese people While reading and analyzing of representative works of Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese people realize agape, is the origin of morality Agape is nothing beyond human beings, not outside man Each one cultivate his moral to improve human personality in order to contribute to building a civilized, good, peace and happiness society

With these thoughts in mind, the researcher who is an English teacher from the Thai Nguyen University of Information and Communication Technology deemed the necessary to analyze the literary works of Thich Nhat Hanh to gain honest implications of his virtue of agape on Vietnamese students’ values

Statement of the Problem

The study primarily aims to identify manifestations of agape in

selected works of Thich Nhat Hanh and their implications on Vietnamese student values

Specifically, this study seeks answers to the following questions:

1 What is the historical root of agape in the Buddhist Tradition?

2 How is the agape in the following works of Thich Nhat Hanh

manifested:

2.1 True Love: A Practical of Awakening the Heart; and

5 What are the implications of Thich Nhat Hanh’s agape on noted

Vietnamese students’ values indented?

Scope, Delimitation and Limitation of the Study

This study analyzes of agape as embodied in the selected literary pieces of Thich Nhat Hanh pointing out the events and situations which

show the implications of the writer’s agape on noted Vietnamese

students’ values Likewise, this paper tries to present how the historical

beginnings of agape in the Buddhist tradition; the virtues of kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity as the essence of agape; the

loving-virtues of peace, respect and service portrayed in the selected works; the social issues particularly focused on the youth gleaned from the

selections; and the implications of the writer’s agape on noted

Vietnamese students’ values

This study employed the qualitative method of research in

analyzing the Thich Nhat Hanh’s concept of agape in the representative

literary works chosen Likewise, this analysis made use of the sociological, philosophical and historical approaches as the bases for analysis In particular, the Sociological and Philosophical Approaches are supported by Goseph Fletcher’s Situational Ethics and Peter Alber David Singer’s Utilitarian ethics Theories Other approaches in literary criticism that may be employed in the analysis like the Formalist Criticism, Biographical Criticism, Historical Criticism, and Psychological Criticism are not part of this study

This paper also involved content analysis, which is a systematic technique in analyzing message content and message handling The data analysis in this research centered on pattern seeking and the extraction of meaning from Thich Nhat Hanh’s selected literary narrative

or image data Much effort was focused on the task of recording data or making notes through concepts and categories; altering or creating new codes or more subtle categories; linking and combining abstract concepts; extracting the essence; organizing meaning; creating theory from emerging themes; writing an understanding; and drawing conclusions

The essential features in the treatment of materials were considered by the researcher in the conduct of this study The general rules cited by Stott (2014) as regards the seven standards a piece of

literature should abide to in order to be considered literary guided in the selection of works under study

The representative literary works were analyzed: Love Is Being There, Overcoming Pride, Interbeing, Meditation in Daily Life, Feelings and Perceptions, Working for Peace, Telephone Meditation, Everybody Should Practice Mindfulness, The Heart of Practice, and The Three Gems, which are all found in his masterpieces entitled True Love: A Practice of Awakening the Heart, and Being Peace The said selections

were chosen because of the correlation between the afforecited themes, literary devices, the social issues particularly focused on the youth gleaned from the selections, which helped in unveiling the

implications of the writer’s agape on noted Vietnamese students’

values

Significance of the Study

The germaneness of literary analysis as an essential part of a research study is highlighted in terms of its significance to a number of individuals Therefore, it is vital to expound how this study is beneficial

to Viet Nam’s Ministry of Education and Training and Educational Institutions, Vietnamese teachers and students, and the members of the community

Viet Nam’s Ministry of Education and Training and Educational Institutions: employ this study to ensure that the practice

of agape can access the academe and spawn activities in the curricula

that will educate pupils, students the traditional moral values of the Vietnamese people from social evils, environmental degradation, war, violence, social injustice and human rights abuses

Vietnamese teachers and students: can utilize as the reference

source, and to help students to realize agape which is always seen as the very important factor in life The value of true love, peace, respect and service for each other to create the atmosphere of peace and warmth for themselves and for society are performed by learners

The members of the community: can realize the value of agape

or compassion while living, learning and working in every society or nation The results of the study also shows that practicing four immeasurable minds brings a peace and happiness life for man

CHAPTER II REVIEW OF LITERATURE

The following review of literature is presented with the end view of identifying the constructs of the study

Conceptual Literature

The review of conceptual literature yields five types of constructs, which are used in the analysis and interpretation of the prose and poems dissected These constructs include: Literature and Philosophy; Thich Nhat Hanh, his Significant Works and Philosophy; Social Issues; Philosophical Human Transformation; and Sociological and Philosophical Approaches in Literary Criticism

Literature and Philosophy

Literature is the art of written work by writers Literature explores

or brings to people not only the real world but also reflects the people’s life in the true ways It reminds the past events happening for a long time and can continue at the moment

Moreover, Boris Pasternak (1998) regards literature as the art of discovering something extraordinary about ordinary people, and saying with ordinary words something extraordinary Literature also adds to

reality, it does not simply describe it It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become (C S Lewis,2002)

In Buddhist literature, John Whalen (2009) said that literature has been the movement of Buddhism into America by means of literary amplification Literature supplements social change by providing representations of the “private and the personal” that make people care about other people and causes, thereby motivating change Such a sharing of objects helps to develop a sense of Buddhist imagined community

According to Walig (2001), literature is divided into many kinds of categories such as: texts are about the factual information like journalistic, non-fiction, or texts based on imagination such as fiction, poetry, or drama Another type of literature is a category which includes polemical works, biography, and reflective essays

Henry Van Dyke’s definition, cited by Garcia (2000) states that literature are those writings which interpret the meanings of nature and life, in words of charm and power, touched with the personality of the author, in artistic forms of permanent interest

Garcia (1988) points that man’s capacity for feeling and thinking nobly can be evoked by literature at its best All catergories such as poetry, essay, fiction and drama etc can call the worthy emotion, ideals that lies directly in ordinary life Luisia A Valdez (2006) cited that life may not supply an individual with suitable emotion or expression, while,

on the other hand, lines in poetry and essay, situation in fiction, dialogues in a drama may echo an emotional and intellectual response, which but for the evocative power of literature could not be expressed or realized

Literature is about human beings because their daily lives as well

as their exceptional, towering experiences, which literary critics stress, are therefore a dissection of life This hold true particularly for poetry and prose, which treat life in a more pictures fashion than any form of arts

On the other hand, philosophy means to study a general knowedgement of values and reality by mainly thoughful rather than observation means It minifests a natural and necessary urge in human beings to know themselves and the world in which they live and move and have their being It is said that philosophy gives the ideas about human nature and the nature of the reality life It is seen as guides or rules for living, because all the aspects of human life are influenced by

the philosophical consideration.Ayn Rand (1974) noted that philosophy studies the fundamental nature of existence, of man, and of man's relationship to existence

In addition to this, philosophy is a study that seeks to understand the mysteries of existence and reality It tries to discover the nature of truth and knowledge and to find what is of basic value and importance

in life It also examines the relationships between humanity and nature

(http://www.unexplainable.net/info-theories/the_philosophy_in_human_life)

Moreover, philosophy is practical because it is seen as tools and opportunities in order to reflect on the basic values and concepts of a personal existence as well as to the relations with other

typically a philosophical subject since it is more abstract, integral and universal Educational values are determined by philosophical values It

is said that educational philosophy gives different views, but this situation is not harmful, rather it helps in providing education according

(file:///D:/LUAN%20AN/M.A.%20Edu.%20Philosophy.pdf)

Philosophy enlarges men’s understanding of the world, even intellectual horizons and freedom of thought of people It is said by Russell (1994) that philosophy may help develop the capacity to look at the world from the perspective of other individuals and cultures

Literature and philosophy are same in experience to the fullness

of life Johns Hopkins, (2002) said that philosophy and literature has explored the dialogue between literary and philosophical studies Jonathan Gilmore (2011) mentioned that the philosophy of literature addresses the most fundamental questions about the nature of literature

as an art, it has been profoundly shaped by work in other areas of philosophy

Teoxon (1990) worked on the hypothesis that philosophy and literature are dynamatically connected to each other He concluded that

it makes sense to look into the shape of philosophy brought forth imaginatively in the work of fiction if only to know the cast of thought, the climates of ideas, or the human values at work Thus, every literary piece reflects man’s thinking all on a day, his everyday world, which takes on a reality shaped

However, today, young philosophers working on ethics are likely

to be interested in works of literature not just as grab bags of examples, but as sources of ethical insight in their own right Meanwhile, writers

about literature are far more likely to discuss the ideas of moral

(http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/nlh/summary/v040/40.4.nussbaum.html accessed December 17, 2013)

Nussleaun (2012) refer to the fact that literature addresses the experience of being a moral agent by addressing the concrete features

of persons and circumstances, provoking the readers to respect on moral issues in a different and indirect way

Furthermore, Kleiman (1997) also said that philosophy and literature is considered as an area of study devoted to both written works of artistic creation and philosophical works, with a view to how both categories can illuminate experience and address human perplexities

Thich Nhat Hanh, his Significant Works and his Philosophy

Thich Nhat Hanh was one of the most famous and most respected Zen masters in the world today in the fields such as poet, peace and human rights activist He was born born in central Vietnam in

1926, he became a novice monk at the age of sixteen During the Vietnam War, monasteries were confronted with the question of whether to adhere to the contemplative life and remain meditating in the

monasteries, or to help the villagers suffering under the bombings and other facets of the war Thich Nhat Hanh was one of those who chose

to do both, helping to found the “engaged Buddhism” movement.(http://mindfulnesspracticecommunity.org/our-teacher/)

Thich Nhat Hanh has received recognition for his prolific writings

on meditation, mindfulness, and peace He has published over 85 titles

of accessible poems, prose, and prayers, with more than 40 of those works in English He has published more than 100 books on topics as diverse as ecology, politics, consumption, relationships, cultivating peace, community building, and global ethics (including Miracle of Mindfulness, The World We Have, Anger, Savor, and Creating True Peace) He has also published poetry, children’s stories, meditation manuals, and radically modern commentaries on ancient Buddhist teachings Most of his works have been geared toward the Buddhist reader, yet his teachings appeal to a wide audience His best-known

books include, Being Peace, True Love: A Practice for Awakening the Heart , Touching Peace, Call Me by My True Names, Living Buddha, Living Christ, Teachings on Love, and Anger

In True Love: A Practice for Awakening the Heart, with simplicity,

warmth, and directness, four critical aspects of love as described in the Buddhist tradition by Thich Nhat Hanh: loving-kindness, compassion,

joy, and freedom which explain how to experience them in men’s to-day lives He stated that true love that does not bring happiness to love is not love True love know to share soothe and relieve their suffering in life

Nhat Hanh also emphasizes that in Buddhism, compassion is associated with wisdom When having wisdom, we can understand each other it is impossible to understand deeply love if there is no true love Therefore, understanding is seen as the foundation of love In true love, with simple techniques from the Buddhist tradition, people must first learn how to be fully present in their lives It is difficult for everyone practice to have true love, and so Nhat Hanh begins with a short Buddhist explanation including mantras, deep listening and a variety of meditations Throughout, he skillfully weaves in Buddhist teachings about consciousness and nonduality whose complexity belies the simplicity of the author's words

In addition to this, in True love, it is said that Nhat Hanh is always

good, and poetic, at seeing the deep in the ordinary: how the ring of a telephone can be a call to awareness, how the waste material of human fear and pain can be composted and transformed into flowers of understanding and hope These teachings will all be familiar to the many students and admirers of the popular monk, but the

compassionate call to awareness and to everyday practice does not grow old (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/609614.True_Love)

An ideal starting-point for those interested in Buddhism, Being Peace contains Thich Nhat Hanh's teachings on peace and meditation

Using real examples from his own life, as well as poems and fables, Nhat Hanh explains his key practices for living "right in the moment we are alive." These lessons are taught with fine writing and sparkling

phrases that draw the reader in and make Being Peace a book that

encourages multiple readings, both alone and in groups (http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/books/excerpts.php?id=14346accessed December 16, 2013)

Moreover, Thich Nhat Hanh has helped men to see the depths of dependent origination in a flower In the midst of it all he has taught us

to breathe, to smile, to live with a free heart And most importantly, in our troubled world he makes no false division between inner awakening and engaged compassion To his eye, like his spiritual ancestor Mahatma Gandhi, every being matters, everything is sacred For well over half a century this revolutionary monk has spread the teachings of Being Peace This book is a treasure If you look deeply, you will see in

it the seeds of all Thich Nhat Hanh's most important teachings, and the seeds of your own awakening as well (Jack Kornfield, 2005)

Thich Nhat Hanh was seen as one of the great teachers In the midst of the society's emphasis on speed, efficiency, and material success, Thich Nhat Hanh's ability to walk calmly with peace and awareness and to teach men to do the same has led to his enthusiastic reception in the West Although his mode of expression is simple, his message reveals the quintessence of the deep understanding of reality that comes from his meditations, his Buddhist training, and his work in the world His philosophy is not limited to preexistent religious structures, but speaks to the individual's desire for wholeness and inner calm Clearly, Nhat Hanh is a human link with a prophetic past, a soft-spoken advocate of peace, Buddhist community, and the average American and Vietnamese citizen

Moreover, Darren Noy (2008) stated that Thich Nhat Hanh’s philosophy is itself already an expression of Buddhism in dialogue with modernity and seeking to address modern social goals An important first step of any sociological dialogue with Thich Nhat Hanh, therefore, must involve tracing his ideas to their pre-modern origin, to their original Buddhist roots

In Buddhist thought, individual liberation from suffering comes from experiencing the impermanence and empty nature of reality; and in doing so, purifying the heart of kammic formations based in greed and

aversion Mindfulness, meditation, compassion, generosity, tranquility, patience, joy, equanimity, and strong determination are all tools that help the individual to do this In cultivating these tools and in releasing greed and aversion, the individual naturally and inherently begins to extend positive energy and qualities to the surrounding society And through this act of extension, liberating social change is generated (Human Architecture: Journal of Sociology of self-knowledge, VI,3, summer 2008, 67-72)

Social Issues

Social issues affect every society which is great and small Even

in relatively isolated, sparsely populated areas, a group will encounter social problems This is due to the fact that any members of a society living close enough together will have conflicts It’s virtually impossible

to avoid them, and even people who live together in the same house don’t always get along seamlessly On the whole though, when social problems are mentioned they tend to refer to the problems that affect people living together in a society

Clearly, the list of social problems is huge and not identical from one area to another area Poverty is often common in rural areas Increasing urban affluence has stimulated migration from poor rural

provinces into the cities adding to the social problems there Wages for low-skill jobs are minimal and unemployment is high and increasing as the country progressively adapts to the world market economy Therefore, the issues of massive poverty, food shortages, lack of basic hygiene, spread of incurable diseases, ethnic cleansing, and lack of education inhibit the development of society Therefore, these problems are related to each other and it can seem hard to address one without addressing all of them.(http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-some-social-problems.htm)

Additionally, pollution is also known as the important factor affecting the society Obviously, most of the infrastructure in Vietnam was built during the colonial period, and is now in desperate need of replacement Some of the rivers and lakes in urban areas are little more than open sewers, and levels of heavy metal and other industrial pollutants are well above safe levels in some areas Flora and Fauna are not only threatened by pollution and habitat encroachment, but also

by poaching and illegal logging, particularly in poor rural areas National and local authorities are working hard to improve the situation, but the scale of investment required to solve such problems is currently beyond

http://www.haivenu-vietnam.com/vietnam-today-problems.html)

Besides, the Vietnam War had significant environmental impacts

by the use of chemical agents to destroy military significant vegetation, wildlife and natural ecosystems Concurrently, the progression of warfare and its effects on the environment continued with the invention

of weapons of mass destruction While today, weapons of mass destruction act as deterrents and the use of weapons of mass destruction during World War II created significant environmental destruction On top of the great loss in human life, “natural resources are usually the first to suffer: forests and wild life animals are wiped out.” Nuclear warfare imposes both direct and indirect effects on the environment The physical destruction due to the blast or by the biospheric damage due to ionizing radiation or radiotoxicity directly effect ecosystems within the blast radius.[ Also, the atmospheric or geospheric disturbances caused by the weapons can lead to weather

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_impact_of_war)

Violence, inequality, and oppression remain in our modern world despite - and often because of increased productive and technological capacities Humans are not necessarily happier or more fulfilled by life

in the modern world Moreover, even as the unfolding of modernity and modern social struggles has leveled many hierarchies and made

tremendous progress in areas such as increased empowerment and equality of women, there also have been many new hierarchies and divisions that have formed And many new problems have been created

by modern technologies - not the least of which is devastating ecological imbalance and toxification of our environment (Inglehart and Norris 2005; Sachs 1992)

Holtmann (2011) cautions that a reactive response to crime and violence in society does little to improve the quality of life of a country’s citizens, thus it is necessary to identify the system that makes up the solution because any action within those systems will work towards society She furthermore argues that even though not everything that happens in society is about crime, conflict and violence, most aspects of society either impact on or are impacted on by crime and violence, for

as crime prevention addresses social ills, so crime prevention will have benefits in other areas such as enhancing the social welfare of people

in a conflict ridden community

Holtmann (2011) cautions that a reactive response to crime and violence in society does little to improve the quality of life of a country’s citizens, thus it is necessary to identify the system that makes up the solution because any action within those systems will work towards social transformation She furthermore argues that even though not

everything that happens in society is about crime, conflict and violence, most aspects of society either impact on or are impacted on by crime and violence, for as crime prevention addresses social ills, so crime prevention will have benefits in other areas such as enhancing the social welfare of people in a conflict ridden community

Philosophical Human Transformation

The word “transformation” first became popular during the 1960s and 70s as the new wave of spirituality began to emerge For "new-agers," it was a word associated with spiritual awakening, though its deeper meaning remained obscure for some time By the 80s and 90s, the word took the corporate world by storm as a trendy synonym for change, and by the start of the new millennium it had become mainstreamed to the extent that it was used by government agencies,

most notably the Pentagon.(Martin Vieweg and Nancy Seifer

2008)

Nowadays, the lives of most 21st century citizens have become battle zones between the long-term vision and promise of life and the short-term focus, capricious nature of the world they live in In the worlds of human development, ‘transformation’ lives inside an awareness that by design, humans are made to be able to change and

transform Fundamentally, change begins with letting go of something – behavior, idea, concept, arrangement – and replacing it with something more fitting, especially in the context of one’s purpose Transformation

is the living outcome of a successful change process

“ The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the

new.” Socrates

“Transformation” the essentiality is not the work or its content, but

a living reality that was the beginning of a human transformation in the world The demands they make on human being are never fully expressed in instructions they need mainly be followed In understand people, one must experience some sort of transformation, a rebirth, a new awareness of reality, an illumination The transformation exacted

by Socrates is a transformation in thinking; Buddha calls for meditation and the way of life that goes with it, Confucius for a process of education that is more than mere learning, Jesus for a devotion to God’s will that rules out the world

Taggart (2003) said that philosophical attitude toward them is this: men are moved by what they have in common because they stand with them in the situation of being men None of them can be indifferent to

us Each one is a question addressed to men that leaves them no peace