1. Full name of doctoral candidate: NGUYEN THI TOAN
2. Gender: Female
3. Date of birth: December 18, 1984 4. Place of birth: Hung Yen
5. Decision to recognize doctoral students: Decision No. 4055/2022/QD-XHNV dated December 28, 2022, of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, valid from December 28, 2022, to December 28, 2025.
6. Changes in the training process: Decision No. 4102/QD-XHNV dated June 9, 2025, on adjusting the thesis title.
7. Thesis title: Ngo Thi Nham's thought on Buddhism
8. Specialization: Dialectical Materialism and Historical Materialism.
9. Code: 9229001.01.
10. Scientific supervisor:Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quang Hung and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Thi Hanh.
11. Summary of the new findings of the thesis:
11.1. Research Objectives
Clarify Ngo Thi Nham's ideological content regarding Buddhism and offer some assessments of its value and limitations for his time and the present day.
11.2. Research Subjects
Ngo Thi Nham's thoughts on Buddhism.
11.3. Research Methodology
This dissertation uses the Marxist-Leninist standpoint as a foundation to examine, analyze, interpret, and evaluate the value of Ngo Thi Nham's Buddhist philosophical thought within the socio-historical context of late 18th-century Vietnam. Based on this foundation, the dissertation employs a comprehensive range of social science research methods, specifically: the historical-logical unification method, the analytical-synthetic method, the textual analysis method, the comparative-contrastive method, and an interdisciplinary research approach encompassing Philosophy, History, Religious Studies, and Cultural Studies.
11.4. Main results and conclusions
11.4.1. Main results
- The dissertation analyzed and clarified the conditions and prerequisites for the formation of Ngo Thi Nham's thoughts on Buddhism, on his life, career, and works.
- The dissertation analyzed and clarified the fundamental ideological content of Ngo Thi Nham's thought on Buddhism, as expressed in the following aspects: Ontology, Epistemology, and Worldview.
+ Regarding Ontology: The dissertation focuses on analyzing and clarifying Ngo Thi Nham's conception of the essence of "Emptiness" and the essence of "True Mind." A special point in his thinking is the identification of the concept of "Emptiness" with the "Tai Chi" of Confucianism and the "Tao" of Taoism.QReturning to the true nature of Emptiness, or the True Mind, is the path to enlightenment and liberation.
+ Regarding Epistemology: The dissertation clarifies that the object of Buddhist knowledge in Ngo Thi Nham's view is Emptiness (Śūnyatā). The purpose of knowledge is to attain "Principle" (śāstra). He pursued the path to enlightenment through two parallel methods of Mahayana Buddhism: sudden enlightenment and gradual enlightenment, adapted to the capacities of each sentient being.characteristicsof perception:"Breaking free from attachment."
+ Regarding the philosophy of life: The thesis analyzes and clarifies Ngo Thi Nham's view that the root cause of suffering is desire, leading to ignorance that obscures the inherently bright nature of humanity. From this foundation, he calls on people to live mindfully, to let go of ego attachment, and to follow the natural order of the universe to avoid delusion and creating negative karma.
- The dissertation has provided some assessments of the value and limitations of Ngo Thi Nham's thought on Buddhism in relation to his time and the present day.
11.4.2. Conclusion
Ngo Thi Nham was an outstanding intellectual of the 18th century who made significant contributions to the development and systematization of Truc Lam Yen Tu Buddhist thought from a philosophical perspective. He strived to build a new theory of Truc Lam Buddhism based on the fusion and unification of the essential tenets of three schools of thought—Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism—hoping that this theory would become a new and relevant doctrine in the contemporary context. Ngo Thi Nham's Buddhist thought enriched the landscape of Vietnamese Buddhism and Vietnamese thought in the 18th century.
11.5. Novel Contributions of the Thesis
This dissertation systematically studies Ngo Thi Nham's thought on Buddhism from a philosophical perspective, encompassing ontology, epistemology, and Buddhist worldview. Through this, the dissertation provides an assessment of the value and limitations of his Buddhist thought in relation to contemporary and modern society.
11.6. Scientific and Practical Significance
11.6.1. Scientific Significance: The results of this thesis contribute to a thorough and systematic study of Ngo Thi Nham's thought on Buddhism from a philosophical perspective. This will further clarify philosophical ideas on Buddhist ontology, epistemology, and worldview in the history of Vietnamese thought in the 18th century in general, and shed light on Ngo Thi Nham's thought in particular.
11.6.2. Practical significance: The dissertation can be used as a reference document for teaching and research in philosophy, history of philosophy, history of Vietnamese thought, and history of Vietnamese culture and religion.
12. Directions for further research: The doctoral candidate intends to continue in-depth research on the history of Vietnamese Buddhism, a topic of great interest to many scholars both domestically and internationally, with profound theoretical and practical significance for building an advanced culture rich in national identity in Vietnam today.
13. Publications related to the dissertation:
- Nguyen Thi Toan (2023), “Buddhism and eco - environment issues”,Proceedings of the International Scientific Conference: 7th International Conference on Socio-economic and Environmental Issues in Development, Finance Publishing House, pp. 2305-2313, ISBN: 978-604-79-3740-0.
- Nguyen Thi Toan (2023), “Buddhism ethics and the problem of building human personality in Vietnam today”,Proceedings of the International Scientific Conference: International Conference on Human Resources for Sustainable Development, Bach Khoa Publishing House, pp. 592-598ISBNE: 978-604-316-371-1.
- Nguyen Thi Toan (2023), “The role of folk Buddhism in the spiritual life of Vietnamese people today”,Journal of Political Theory and Communication(2), pp. 52-55.
- Nguyen Thi Toan (2024), “The Liberalized spirit of Buddhist education”,Proceedings of the International Scientific Conference: Liberal Education: Interdisciplinary perspectives and applications, Social Sciences Publishing House, pp. 432-441, ISBN: 978-604-364-067-0.
- Nguyen Thi Toan (2024), “The Buddhist worldview of Ngo Thi Nham”,Journal of Philosophical Studies(16), pp. 48-56.
- Nguyen Thi Toan (2024), “Some Buddhist philosophical ideas through the work “Khoa Hu Luc” by Tran Thai Tong”,Van Lang University Science Journal(48), pp. 102-110.
- Nguyen Thi Toan, Nguyen Thi Que (2025), “Political and diplomatic views of Buddhist Emperor Tran Nhan Tong”,Proceedings of the National Scientific Conference: The tradition of devotion to religion and patriotism of Buddhism during the Ly-Tran period in the flow of national history., People's Police Publishing House, pp. 1419-1437, ISBN: 978-604-72-7972-2.
- Nguyen Thi Toan (2025), "The concept of 'Emptiness' in Ngo Thi Nham's Buddhist thought",Journal of Educational Theory(388), pp. 79-84.
INFORMATION ON DOCTORAL THESIS
Full name: NGUYEN THI TOAN
Sex: Female
Date of birth: December 18, 1984
Place of birth: Hung Yen
Amission decision number 4055/2022/QD-XHNV-ĐT dated 28 December 2022 issued by the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, for the period from 28 December 2022 to 28 December 2025.
Changes in academic process
Officical thesis title: Ngo Thi Nham's thoughts on Buddhism.
Major: Dialectical materialism and historical materialism
Code: 9229001.01
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quang Hung and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Thi Hanh
Summary of the new findings of the thesis
11.1. Research Objectives
Clarifying the ideological contents of Ngo Thi Nham on Buddhism and giving some assessments of its value and limitations for the present and the past
11.2. Research Object
Ngo Thi Nham's thoughts on Buddhism.
11.3. Research Methods
The thesis is grounded in the methodological foundation of Marxism - Leninism and Ho Chi Minh's Thought, which serves as guiding principles throughout the research. The author employs a combination of methods commonly used in the social sciences and humanities, with particular emphasis on the harmonious integration of interdisciplinary approaches to ensure the objectivity, comprehensiveness, and depth of the study.
The principal methods employed include: the historical - logical method, the analytical - synthetic method, the systematic - structural method, the statistical - comparative method, and the practical research method..
11.4. Main Findings and Conclusions
11.4.1. Main Findings
- The thesis analyzed and clarified the conditions and prerequisites for the formation of Ngo Thi Nham's thought on Buddhism, on his life, career, and works.
- The thesis analyzed and clarified the basic ideological content of Ngo Thi Nham's thought on Buddhism as expressed in the following aspects: Ontology, Epistemology, and Worldview.
+ Regarding Ontology: The thesis focused on analyzing and clarifying Ngo Thi Nham's conception of the essence of"Emptiness”and the essence of"True Avengers"A special point in his thinking is the identification of the concept of"Emptiness”with the"Tai Chi”of Confucianism and the"I”of Taoism. Returning to the essence of Emptiness, or True Mind, is the path to enlightenment and liberation.
+ Regarding Epistemology: The thesis explains that the object of Buddhist understanding in Ngo Thi Nham's view is Emptiness. The purpose of understanding is to comprehend"Germany"The path to enlightenment was pursued by him through two parallel methods of Mahayana Buddhism: sudden enlightenment and gradual enlightenment, suited to the capacity of each sentient being and the characteristics of perception:"breaking attachments"
+ Regarding the worldview: The thesis analyzes and clarifies Ngo Thi Nham's view that the root cause of suffering is desire, leading to ignorance obscuring the inherently bright true nature of humanity. He also particularly emphasizes the impermanence and non-self nature of human life, birth, aging, sickness, and death as natural laws. From that foundation, he calls on people to live mindfully, to let go of self-attachment, and to follow the natural order of the universe to avoid delusion and create karma.
- The thesis has provided some assessments of the value and limitations of Ngo Thi Nham's thought on Buddhism in relation to his time and today.
11.4.2. Conclusions
Ngo Thi Nham was an outstanding intellectual of the 18th century who made significant contributions to the development and systematization of Truc Lam Yen Tu Buddhist thought from a philosophical perspective. He strived to build a new theory of Truc Lam Buddhism based on the fusion and unification of the essential tenets of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, hoping that this theory would become a new and relevant doctrine in the contemporary context. Ngo Thi Nham's Buddhist thought is a profound personal achievement, enriching the landscape of Vietnamese Buddhism and Vietnamese thought.
11.5. Novel Contributions of the Dissertation
This dissertation studies Ngo Thi Nham's thought on Buddhism from a philosophical perspective, encompassing ontology, epistemology, and Buddhist worldview. Through this, the thesis provides an assessment of the value and limitations of his Buddhist thought in relation to contemporary and modern society.
11.6. Scientific and Practical Significance
11.6.1. Scientific Significance
The results of this thesis contribute to a thorough and systematic study of Ngo Thi Nham's thought on Buddhism from a philosophical perspective. From this, it helps to further clarify philosophical ideas on Buddhist ontology, epistemology, and worldview in the history of Vietnamese thought in the 18th century in general, and to clarify Ngo Thi Nham's thought in particular.
11.6.2. Practical Significance
This thesis can be used as a reference document for teaching and research in philosophy, history of philosophy, history of Vietnamese thought, and history of Vietnamese culture and religion.
12. Future research directions: The doctoral candidate intends to continue their in-depth research on the history of Vietnamese Buddhism. This is a topic of great interest to many scholars both domestically and internationally, with profound theoretical and practical significance for building an advanced cultural rich in national identity in Vietnam today.
13.Thesis-related publications
- Nguyen Thi Toan (2023), “Buddhism and eco - environment issues”,Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on Socio-economic and Environmental Issues in Development, Finance Publishing House, pp. 2305-2313, ISBN: 978-604-79-3740-0.
- Nguyen Thi Toan (2023), “Buddhism ethics and the problem of building human personality in Vietnam today”,Proceedings of the International Conference on Human Resources for Sustainable Development, Bach Khoa Publishing House, pp. 592-598, ISBN: 978-604-316-371-1.
- Nguyen Thi Toan (2023), “The role of folk Buddhism in the spiritual life of Vietnamese people today”,Journal of Political Theory and Communication(2), pp. 52-55.
- Nguyen Thi Toan (2024), “The Liberalized spirit of Buddhist education”, Liberal Education:Proceedings of the International Conference: Liberal Education – Interdisciplinary Perspectives and Applications, Social Sciences Publishing House, pp. 432-441, ISBN: 978-604-364-067-0.
- Nguyen Thi Toan (2024), “Ngo Thi Nham's Buddhist philosophy of life”,Journal of Philosophical Studies(16), pp. 48-56.
- Nguyen Thi Toan (2024), “Some Buddhist philosophical ideas are expressed in the work “khoa Hu Luc” by Tran Thai Tong”,Van Lang University Science Journal(48), pp. 102-110.
- Nguyen Thi Toan, Nguyen Thi Que (2025), “The political and diplomatic ideology of King-Buddha Tran Nhan Tong”, Proceedings of the National Scientific Conference:The tradition of devotion to religion and patriotism of Buddhism during the Ly-Tran period in the flow of national history, People's Police Publishing House, pp. 1419-1437, ISBN: 978-604-72-7972-2.
- Nguyen Thi Toan (2025), “Ngo Thi Nham's conception of “emptiness” in Buddhist thought”,Journal of Educational Theory(388), pp. 79-84
Author:Department of Training and Non-profit Organization
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