Agape in the selected works of Thich Nhat Hanh: implecations on Vietnamese students' values

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THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY

Socialist Republic of Vietnam 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

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THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY

Socialist Republic of Vietnam 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

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THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY

Socialist Republic of Vietnam 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.

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THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY

Socialist Republic of Vietnam 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

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THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY

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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,

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THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY

Socialist Republic of Vietnam 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.

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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.

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THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY

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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

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THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY

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during the writing process. They supported her high and low points that

accompanied the realization of this paper.

Nguyen Thuy Linh

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THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY

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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

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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

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THAI NGUYEN UNIVERSITY BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY

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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 …………….... 75

V. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Summary of Findings …..…………………………. 149

Conclusions …….…………………………………… 155

Recommendations …………………………………. 156

BIBLIOGRAPHY ……………………………………………………. 159

APPENDICES ………………………………………………………. 174

Summary of the Selections …………………………………. 175

CURRICULUM VITAE ……………………………………………… 178

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure Title Page

1 Conceptual Paradigm of the Study……………… 64

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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.

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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.