The Multi-Religious Intertextuality in Tran Nhan Tong’s “Rhapsody on Dwelling in the Dust, Joyfully Abiding in the Way”: a Study on the Vocabulary in Ancient Vietnamese Literature
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Abstract
The study examines aspects of multi-religious intertextuality in “A Rhapsody on Dwelling in the Dust, Joyfully Abiding in the Way” (Cu Tran Lac Dao Phu 居塵樂道賦) – the earliest extant Vietnamese literary work, written by King Tran Nhan Tong (1258–1308). The article aims to determine the mosaic significance of the Three Teachings (Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism) and to explore their ideologies and literary antecedents. The study consists of three sections: the first provides a theoretical introduction to the theory of intertextuality, canonical intertextuality and multi-religious intertextuality; the second examines how the phenomenon of intertextuality manifests itself in Tran’s parallel rhapsody (賦) by examining the Vietnamese vocabulary. This section analyzes the linguistic data in Tran’s texts, comprising three groups: Buddhist vocabulary, Confucian vocabulary, and Taoist vocabulary, as well as vocabulary derived from Tang and Song dynasty literary sources. These are considered mosaic traces showing the connection between Vietnamese literary works and the texts of the Three Teachings in East Asia. The following section studies the skillful application of Confucian and Taoist terminology in Buddhist texts. Finally, the article investigates the relationship between this work and Tang – Song dynasty scriptures through quotations, allusions, koans, and stories by Zen masters. The research results show that Tran Nhan Tong’s work is a clear example of the integration of the Three Teachings, both in terms of language and aesthetic thought. Intertextuality in the rhapsody of Tran is characterized by the use of Confucian, Taoist, Buddhist terms (Sino-Vietnamese words), allusions, calque words,... Multi-religious intertextuality in the work performs aesthetic functions through its mosaic of citations and translations, located in dialogic spaces of the Three Teachings in Sinitic cosmopolis of East Asia.
How to Cite
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Buddhist literature; multi-religious intertextuality; Three Teachings; Tran Nhan Tong; Vietnamese vocabulary
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