Agape in the selected works of thich nhat hanh implecations on vietnamese students values

i

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY
Socialist Republic of Vietnam

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Republic of the Philippines

AGAPE IN THE SELECTED WORKS OF THICH NHAT HANH:
IMPLICATIONS ON VIETNAMESE STUDENTS’ VALUES

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

In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
Major in English

by

NGUYEN THUY LINH
2015


ii

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY

Socialist Republic of Vietnam

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Republic of the Philippines

APPROVAL SHEET
This dissertation entitled “AGAPE IN THE SELECTED WORKS OF THICH
NHAT HANH: IMPLICATIONS ON VIETNAMESE STUDENTS’ VALUES”
prepared and submitted by NGUYEN THUY LINH in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy major in English has
been examined and is recommended for Oral Examination


iii

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY
Socialist Republic of Vietnam

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Republic of the Philippines

ABSTRACT
Title:

AGAPE IN THE SELECTED WORKS OF THICH NHAT HANH:
IMPLICATIONS ON VIETNAMESE STUDENTS’ VALUES

Author:

Nguyen Thuy Linh

Degree:

Doctor of Philosophy

Major:

English

Year:

2015

Adviser:

Maria Luisa A. Valdez, Ph.D.

______________________________________________________________
Summary
This study analyzed agape as manifested 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 loving-kindness, compassion, joy and
equanimity as the essence of agape; the virtues of peace, respect and service
portrayed in the selected works; the social issues gleaned from the selections;
and the implications of the writer‟s agape on noted Vietnamese students‟
values.

iv

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY
Socialist Republic of Vietnam

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Republic of the Philippines

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 Theories.
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 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 making notes through concepts and categories;
altering or creating new codes due to the incorporation of a matrix; linking and
combining abstract concepts; extracting the essence; organizing meaning;
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 such as universal
appeal,

permanence,

suggestiveness,

intellectually

valuable,

spiritually

valuable, style and artistry should abide to in order to be considered literary


v

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY
Socialist Republic of Vietnam

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Republic of the Philippines

guided in the selection of works under study.
The representative literary works were analysed

include: True Love: A

Practice of Awakening the Heart, and Being Peace. The said selections were
chosen because of the correlation between the aforecited themes, literary
devices, the social issues particularly gleaned from the selections, which
helped in unveiling the implications of the writer‟s agape on noted Vietnamese
students‟ values.
Findings of the study revealed that 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. 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. Nhat Hanh underscored 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, its ripple effect, have space and time to add up,
synergize with other ripples, and multiply into something completely
unexpected. There are social issues particularly focused and have affected the
Vietnamese people. These include poverty, environmental degradation, war,


vi

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY
Socialist Republic of Vietnam

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Republic of the Philippines

violence, social inequality and oppression. The implications of agape on noted
Vietnamese students‟ values can be discerned and distinguished from Nhat
Hanh‟s selected works. Students may glean insights on Buddha's words on the
four immeasurables in ways that are deeply resonant for contemporary young
readers as concrete expressions of men‟s deepest love.


vii

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY

Socialist Republic of Vietnam

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Republic of the Philippines

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The researcher wishes to express her grateful appreciation of those, in
one way or another, have helped make this humble work a reality.
First and foremost, she wishes to thank Batangas State University and
the Thai Nguyen University, for giving her the opportunity to finish this
dissertation under their International Academic Cooperation Program.
Dr. Dang Kim Vui, the President of the Thai Nguyen University, Assoc.
Prof. Dr. Nguyen Tuan Anh, Assoc Prof. Dr. Dang Xuan Binh, Prof. Dr. Nguyen
The Hung, the former Directors of the TNU International Training and
Development Center, Dr. Hoang Thi Bich Thao, the current Director of TNU
ITDC, Prof. Pham Viet Binh, the President of TNU of Information and
Communication Technology, Dr. Vu Duc Thai, the Vice President, Dr. Truong
Ha Hai, the Dean of the Faculty of Basic Science, for their motivation and
wisdom that helped hasten the completion of this study.
Dr. Maria Luisa A. Valdez, the Dean of Colleges and Head of the
Graduate School of the Batangas State University ARASOF Nasugbu
Campus,

the

researcher‟s

dissertation

adviser,

for

her

constant

encouragement, dedication, and inspiring character which motivated diligent
research for the realization of this study.


viii

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY
Socialist Republic of Vietnam

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Republic of the Philippines

Dr. Matilda H. Dimaano, the Chairman of the Panel of Examiners, for her
thorough dissection and candid remarks that drew up the essential and
relevant dimensions in this research.
Dr. Amada G. Banaag, Dr. Felix M. Panopio, and Dr. Myrna G. Sulit, the
Members of the Panel of Examiners, for their valuable suggestions and
criticism which motivated conscientiously the researcher during the conduct of
this study.
Dr. Remedios P. Magnaye, the Recording Secretary and Ms. Le Quynh
Anh, the ITDC Administrative Staff, for their words of encouragement and kind
gestures.
The writers whose works were included in this study for their

emboldened wisdom in every page of this dissertation.
The researcher‟s colleagues and friends, all of whom generously gave
their time, advice, and prayers. They made her realize the value of truth and
principles about people and human experiences.
The researcher is also very grateful for the wholehearted support and
love that her husband, Do Ba Giang and her children, Do Thanh Thao, Do Thai
Ha, and Do Gia Minh, along with her parents and brothers, have extended


ix

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY
Socialist Republic of Vietnam

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Republic of the Philippines

during the writing process. They supported her high and low points that
accompanied the realization of this paper.

Nguyen Thuy Linh


x

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY
Socialist Republic of Vietnam

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Republic of the Philippines

DEDICATION

To my ever dearest husband, Do Ba Giang and my loving
daughters, Do Thanh Thao, Do Thai Ha, and Do Gia Minh, who inspired
me to search for the highest values in life,

Nguyen Thuy Linh


xi

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY
Socialist Republic of Vietnam

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Republic of the Philippines

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
TITLE PAGE …………………………………………………...................

i

APPROVAL SHEET …………………………………………..................

ii

ABSTRACT …………………………………………………….................

iii

ACKNOWLEDGMENT ………………………………………..................

vii

DEDICATION …………………………………………………..................

x

TABLE OF CONTENTS ………………………………………................

xi

LIST OF FIGURES …………………………………………....................

xiii

CHAPTER
I. THE PROBLEM
Introduction ………………………………………….…..... 1
Statement of the Problem ………………………….….... 9
Scope, Delimitation and Limitation of the Study …...... 10
Significance of the Study ………………………………... 12
II.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Conceptual Literature ………………………………....... 15
Research Literature ………………………….………….. 45
Synthesis …………………………………………………. 56

xii

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY
Socialist Republic of Vietnam

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Republic of the Philippines

Theoretical Framework ………………………………

59

Conceptual Framework..…………………………….

62

Definition of Terms ………………………………….

65

III. RESEARCH METHOD AND PROCEDURE
Research Methodology …………………………….

69

Treatment of Materials ……………………………...

70

IV. ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION ……………....
V.

75

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary of Findings …..………………………….

149

Conclusions …….……………………………………

155

Recommendations ………………………………….

156

BIBLIOGRAPHY …………………………………………………….

159

APPENDICES ……………………………………………………….

174

Summary of the Selections ………………………………….

175

CURRICULUM VITAE ………………………………………………

178


xiii

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY
Socialist Republic of Vietnam

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Republic of the Philippines

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure
1

Title
Conceptual Paradigm of the Study………………

Page
64


1

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY
Socialist Republic of Vietnam

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Republic of the Philippines

CHAPTER I
THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND
Introduction
That love plays a significant and inexorable role in diverse cultures is an
undeniable fact. People of varied cultures can have a glimpse of it from movie
shows, novels, plays, and songs. It is an exciting theme for young people and
a relentless theme for the adults. Theoretically, the nature of love has not
ceased to be the lifeblood of philosophy, generating theories ranging from the
worldly notion of love as merely a physical occurrence to theories of love as an
extremely spiritual affair that in its ultimate gives man the right to touch divinity.
Evidently, love is generally understood with a wide array of meanings.
The first facet of love is referred to as eros just as the Greeks knew of
passionate, romantic love. It is viewed as an exulted and exquisitely idealistic
love, typically between a woman and a man, and it leads to joy, laughter,
children and family. This retells the fact that inner peace in a family results to
outer peace in a country to help men in nurturing and maintaining this
wondrous love in lives. Another aspect is philia which is all about enduring
friendship, affectionate love, and family love. It is an embodiment of culture
and beliefs.


2

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY
Socialist Republic of Vietnam

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Republic of the Philippines

Therefore, philia pertains to soul love, and its power and value lies on
the elevation of the soul of the holder. And finally, the highest type of love
gained is agape, the paternal love of God for man and vice versa, but is
drawn-out to include a brotherly love for all of the human race. It places the
beloved first and sets aside self-interest, pride, and possessions for the
welfare of that dearly loved one. Agape finds echoes in the principles of Kant
and Kierkegaard, who emphasize the moral significance of showing neutral
love to another individual through human presence in the abstract.
A Vietnamese Zen monk named Thich Nhat Hanh who established
the Engaged Buddhism movement, characterized agape in a selection of his
works as the unconditional, selfless, sacrificial love, and the concern regarding
the best interest and welfare of the other people irrespective of how those
individuals make another person feel. Moreover, it is always perceived as the
highest love wherein everyone frequently come across the four immeasurable
such as loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity, that extend and
magnify the scope and quality of agape. Nevertheless, a closer look at the list
of entries reveals the prominence of terms such as peace, respect, or service
which may inspire Vietnamese people to adopt in order to live a meaningful
life.


3

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY
Socialist Republic of Vietnam

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY

Republic of the Philippines

Thich Nhat Hanh‟s agape, the outcome of his exhaustive study and
wisdom of the principles of Buddhism, reflects the way of life of the
Vietnamese. In his literatures, he was able to express how simple everyday
actions can signify man‟s compassion and concern not only for himself, not
only for others, but for the entire world, and for all sentient beings. This
advocate of love declared that individuals need to make an effort to rebuild
their language by making use of words carefully. The word “love” is a
wonderful word. People have to bring back what it means. Love is whole, deep
and beautiful.
Agape conveys true love which comprises the sense of responsibility, to
agree to take another individual as he is, including all his strengths and
weaknesses. Genuine love is not merely liking whatever is good in the
beloved. It entails acceptance of the beloved‟s weaknesses, and having the
energy, patience and understanding to help him transform.
Nhat Hanh emphasized that in order to acquire the four immeasurables,
one must practice by means of meditation. Meditation is seeing into man‟s
peculiar nature and waking up. This Zen Buddhist master shows meditation by
means of carefully focused breathing, by way of mindful walking, by vigilant
attention to nature and the characteristics of things. Practicing mindfulness and


4

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY
Socialist Republic of Vietnam

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Republic of the Philippines

looking deeply into the characteristics of things is tantamount to discovering
the exact nature of interbeing. This type of meditation is an integral part of the
Buddhist route to awakening.
Nhat Hanh, likewise, brings into Buddhism a new component of social
consciousness. A lot of people may start meditating to find solutions for their
own difficulties relative to the manner of manifesting loving-kindness,
equanimity, compassion and joy and as well as service, respect and peace.
Ultimately, mediation explains that personal solutions to these difficulties must
include answers to society‟s complications and vice versa. The center of such
engaged Buddhism is the understanding that every individual is comprised of
all the components which are not herself or himself. The rest of the people in
the human civilization are within each one. Therefore, everyone shares
responsibility with regard to the social conditions that produce every social evil.
Engaged Buddhism imparts a cyclical process. By accepting the real
nature of the self, individuals understand the real nature of civilization, then
they make use of that enhanced understanding to acquire an even deeper
understanding of themselves to gain an even more profound understanding of
the society, and the cycle goes on. In the end, they gain an understanding that
self and society do not exist separately. They are merely two ways of looking


5

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY
Socialist Republic of Vietnam

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Republic of the Philippines

at only one unified reality.
Mindfulness of interdependence makes it instantaneously evident that
each individual shares accountability for everything that happens and will
happen. When people become aware of that responsibility, they are motivated
to act to improve the condition. All of them are part of the same human
progression, all propelled by the same processes. Altering that process means
altering both the condition and the self. Meditation is seeing deeply into things,
seeing how they can transform, and how they can change the situation.
Transforming the situation means transforming their minds. Transforming their
minds is also transforming the situation, since the situation is mind and the
mind is also the situation.
Delving deeper into the writings of this Zen Buddhist, one can discern
the indicators and implications of agape as explained by the writer on specific
Vietnamese students‟ values. Based on the ideologies of compassion, lovingkindness, joy and equanimity, agape holds the same mark as that of the
representative Vietnamese character: loving and caring, meek, and innocent of
the malevolence of the modern world. Also, agape instills the significance of
peace to the Vietnamese students‟ thoughts. Peace pertains to a type of
tranquility anchored on the value of deference for themselves, and for other


6

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY
Socialist Republic of Vietnam

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Republic of the Philippines

people or the spirit of respect for life, for the ecosystem and the environment
which may directly affect their own lives.

Moreover, Nhat Hanh likewise helps men become aware of the value of
service. Service is said to be one of the ultimate tools, the sharpest sword, and
the most flexible remedy for the destructive nature of war.

By means of

service to others, joy, compassion, love and equanimity mature in the lives of
men. People may be able to overcome hatred and anger in the world. Most
significantly, people understand and become aware of the real nature of
things. All these can stop the occurrence of social issues in the youth in a
multifaceted society.
Based on the aforementioned, it can be established that the Vietnamese
students can start by becoming aware of those virtues at home - that they
have the beginnings of agape in the depths of their hearts and consciousness.
They come to recognize that their minds and hearts are like a garden that
houses all types of seeds: seeds of joy, seeds of respect, seeds of lovingkindness, seeds of compassion, seeds of peace, seeds of equanimity, and
also seeds of service. They come to a realization that, anytime, they can react
with either true love or violence, depending on how strong these seeds are,
within them. The works of Thich Nhat Hanh take on a cape of sincerity and


7

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY
Socialist Republic of Vietnam

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Republic of the Philippines

simplicity to prompt the Vietnamese, for the most part the students, to take

time to breathe and rest from the complications of everyday life and to find
simple happiness and joy in being agents of compassion and goodwill to
others.
Being a college instructor, the researcher has witnessed that the young
age group in Vietnam particularly in Thai Nguyen has a preference for what is
suitable even if it is not appropriate. The family values are gradually
disappearing and day by day it looks as if more and more persons are starting
to think more as an individual instead of a whole in the society. Instead of
nurturing closer family ties and camaraderie among their fellow youth,
individuals are slowly separating their own identity and virtually simulating a
world wherein everything is made possible excluding true friendship and social
values.
Life is short and before he knows it, an individual is faced with the reality
that he has spent much of his lifetime without really being able to manifest
genuine love. He then comes to the rude awakening that he did not measure
up to the great ideal of concern for others.
It is imperative that people study agape because in this modern world,
people become so preoccupied with work, technological gadgets, household


8

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY
Socialist Republic of Vietnam

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Republic of the Philippines

chores and a lot of other concerns. Because of this, they tend to forget that
they work for their families who have actually been neglected for such a long

time.
It is important to study agape because life has become so complicated
that hatred, jealousy, and other negative feelings eat up the very foundations
of love in young and old people alike. It is important to relearn this basic need
for genuine love which is so powerful if only people would internalize it and not
place so much emphasis on material things.
By means of the works or teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese
will be capable of connecting their own values system with the distinctive
values highlighted in Nhat Hanh‟s works. Service for others, respect, caring for
their fellowmen, love, peace and the rest of the values manifested in the books
in study are all core Vietnamese values. In the process of reading and
examining his works, Vietnamese can understand how their values can be at
play in helping others to make the world a better place. The principles and
beliefs of the aforementioned peace advocate impart the ways on how men
can attain inner peace and eventually reach out to others.
It is in this light that the researcher, who is an English instructor from the
Thai Nguyen University of Information and Communication Technology


9

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY
Socialist Republic of Vietnam

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Republic of the Philippines

deemed it 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 aimed to identify the manifestations of agape in
selected works of Thich Nhat Hanh and their implications on Vietnamese
student values.
Specifically, this study sought answers to the following questions:
1.

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

2.

How is the agape in selected works True Love, A Practice of

Awakening the Heart and Being Peace of Thich Nhat Hanh manifested in
terms of:
2.1 loving-kindness;
2.2 compassion;
2.3 joy; and
2.4 equanimity?
3.

How are the following virtues portrayed in the selected works in terms

of:
3.1 peace;
3.2 respect; and


10

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY

Socialist Republic of Vietnam

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Republic of the Philippines

3.3 service?
4. What social issues are gleaned from the selections?
5. What are the implications of Thich Nhat Hanh‟s agape on noted
Vietnamese students‟ values?
Scope, Delimitation and Limitation of the Study
This study analyzed agape as manifested 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 tried to present how the historical beginnings of agape in
the Buddhist tradition; the virtues of loving-kindness, compassion, joy and
equanimity as the essence of agape; the virtues of peace, respect and service
portrayed in the selected works; the social issues 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


11

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY
Socialist Republic of Vietnam

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Republic of the Philippines

Ethics and Peter Alber David Singer‟s Utilitarian Theories. Other approaches
that may be employed in the analysis like the Formalist Criticism, Historical
Criticism, and Psychological Criticism are not parts 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 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 making notes through concepts and categories;
altering or creating new codes due to the incorporation of a matrix; extracting
the essence; organizing meaning; 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 norms cited by Stott
(2014) by which all literary pieces can be measured for evaluation and analysis
served as the researcher‟s guide in the selection of works that were included in
this study. These include universal appeal, permanence, suggestiveness,
intellectually valuable, spiritually valuable, style and artistry.
The representative literary works were analyzed: Love Is Being There,
Overcoming Pride, Interbeing, Meditation in Daily Life, Feelings and


12

THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY
Socialist Republic of Vietnam

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Republic of the Philippines

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 their
correlation on the aforecited themes, literary devices and social issues
particularly 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 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 academic
managers, working professionals, college instructors of literature, students of
literature, researchers and future researchers.
Academic Managers. This study may facilitate the inclusion of
developmental projects, programs, priorities and policies in educational
organizations to guarantee that the practice of spirituality and agape are
incorporated in the academe. This will also inspire them to spawn activities
related to peace, respect and service in the curricula that will educate the
academic community of the beneficial outcomes of agape to all people