If counting from the time when King Luong Vu De held the Vu Lan festival at Dong Thai pagoda in the fourth Dai Dong year (538), the Vu Lan festival of Northern Buddhism has had a history of nearly forming. 1,500 years. With that long history, has confirmed the unique contributions of this festival, in the process of cultural development of mankind in general and of Buddhism in particular. However, not every event with a long history is close to the truth of the majority, even if it is a humanistic festival like Vu Lan festival. Therefore, sometimes in some Buddhist forums, doubts about the origin, as well as concerns about the authenticity of the Vu Lan Sutra have appeared. Stemming from those doubts and concerns, which prompted us to conduct an examination of the origin as well as the formation of the Vu Lan Sutra, through the sources of the canonical canon and Nikāya documents. That is the main aim of this paper. Overview of the transmissions of the Vu Lan Sutra In the treasure trove of Vietnamese classics, the Vu Lan Sutra is now translated by many people. Among the first Vietnamese translations can be mentioned is the Sutra Vu Lan Ben Dien Nghia, printed in 1962, the translator unknown. The Vu Lan Ban Sutra, translated by Venerable Tri Quang, was published by the Golden Lotus Printing House in Saigon in 1971. In addition, many translators participated in the translation of this sutra. Basically, the Vietnamese translations are all based on the sutra called the Buddha's theory of Vu Lan Ben Kinh, translated from Sanskrit into Chinese by Truc Phap Ho (226-303)2. According to the statistics of Mr. Tang Huu in the Tripitaka Tripitaka, volume 2, in the list of 154 sutras translated by Mr. Truc Phap Ho, there is no Vu Lan4 Sutra. In addition, Mr. Tang Huu also discovered a sutra named Vu Lan but the translator was unknown, so he included it in the section New custom of composing and translating the sutras5. The Tripitaka Tripitaka is one of the first surviving scriptures, which is highly appreciated by academics in terms of documentation. In terms of the chronological gap between Mr. Truc Phap Ho and the compilation time of the Tripitaka Tripitaka, it is also quite close. Therefore, the recognition of Mr. Tang Huu is also one of the important notes about the origin of the Vu Lan Sutra. It can be said that the first person who recorded the Vu Lan Sutra translated by Mr. Dam Ma La Sat (Truc Phap Ho) was the scholar who translated the Truong Room Fund. According to the Calendar Dai Tam Bao Ky, volume 6, of the 210 sets of sutras translated by Truc Phap Ho, there is a version of Vu Lan (盂蘭經) 7. Phi Truong Phong is the author of the historical records of the Three Treasures Calendar, a catalog of classics, since Buddhism was present in China until the last years of the reign of Khai Hoang in the Sui Dynasty8. This work, in addition to its positive contribution in the statistics and rearrangement of the classics after the great tribulation of Emperor Zhou Wu, also has certain limitations. According to Mr. Tri Thang in Khai Nguyen Thich Cac Luc, the tenth volume, pointed out the ten mistakes of Fei Truong Phong that are reflected in the work of Calendar Dai Tam Bao Ky 10. Therefore, there are documents recorded by Truong Phong Fee, to ensure objectivity, it is necessary to check from other reliable sources. In the work The Law of Distinction, a classic anthology compiled under Emperor Wu's reign (reigned from 502-549), there is a version of the Vu Lan Sutra. Survey shows that this version is similar to that of Truc Phap Ho, but more condensed11. According to Khai Nguyen Thich Doctrine, Volume 2, Vu Lan Kinh is also another name of Vu Lan Kinh, in 175 translations of Truc Phap Ho, there is this sutra. In the work Buddhist theory of Vu Lan Ban Sutra, Mr. Tong Mi (780-841) said that the Vu Lan Sutra had translations with different names such as, in the time of Emperor Tan Vu, there was Dharma Master Dam Ma La Sat. (Truc Phap Ho-nv) translated Vu Lan Ben Kinh, during the reign of Emperor Hue, two Mr. Phap Cu and Phap Lap translated the Quan Lap Sutra, the third was the Annunciation (worshipping-nv) sutra of unknown translator12. The work of the Great Tang internal classic, volume 9 also said that, Vu Lan Ben Kinh, Quan Lap Kinh, Bao An Phu Kinh Kinh, Pure Land Vu Lan Ben Kinh13 are all the same. In the first Sanskrit-Han dictionaries, Neat Kinh Yin Yin, compiled by Mr. Huyen Ung and Tue Lam, also mentions the Vu Lanpen Sutra through the explanation of terms derived from Sanskrit. like Wang Yang (汪洋), The Ba la peace (鉢羅和飯)15… is used in this sutta. In addition, there are also many Sanskrit-Chinese terms from the Bat-Neptune sutta such as The Promise (貰許), Datsun (達嚫)16, Trial (栲治) recorded in Necessary. From the above information, it has been proved that, there was a Sanskrit version of the Vu Lan Sutra that was circulated during the time of Mr. Truc Phap Ho, which was translated by many translators with different names. It is worth noting that in the translations of Truc Phap Ho, there is a text called Bat Nehua Queen Quan Lap17. According to Khai Nguyen's love of teaching, book 12, then the Queen of Bat-Neighbourhood is Quan Lap Kinh. And as analyzed, the Quan Lap Kinh is another name for the Vu Lan Sutra. Thus, the incident of Fee Truong Phong recorded that Truc Phap Ho translated the Vu Lan Sutra as authentic information, compiled from a variety of sources. The relationship and evolution between the Vu Lan sutras and Muc Kien Lien Lien to save the model variables Three Vu Lan sutras are still in the Mahayana Canon, such as the Bat Ne-Queen Quan Lap18, the Buddha theory of Vu Lan Ben. Sutra 19, Buddha's doctrine of gratitude and service, 20 did not mention the identity of Venerable Muc Kien Lien as well as the reason why his mother fell into hell. Therefore, making it difficult for the reader to imagine the context of the problem. Therefore, there was a later work entitled Muc Kien Lien Lien Lien to save the model of variables21, in order to supplement those important and necessary details. In this work, the content related to the topic is in the first part, referred to as Variables for short. In terms of chronology, the Vu Lan Sutra was translated by Truc Phap Ho around the end of the third century and the beginning of the fourth century. Meanwhile, the date of the works of Dunhuang's Transfiguration in general and Muc Kien Lien Lien Lien's saving of the model of metamorphosis in particular, is determined from the 5th century to the end of the 10th century. According to the Transformation, Muc Kien Lien, when he was still at home, was named La Boc (羅卜), was very devoted to the Three Jewels and respected the Mahayana. His mother's name is Thanh De. On the occasion of preparing to trade far away, La Boc spent a part of the money left behind, telling his mother that: - When the Buddha and the monks come, mother should replace the son to make offerings. After La Boc went away, the mother had a mixed heart and hid money without organizing a wedding. When the son finished his work, he returned home and heard from his mother that I had done good according to his instructions. Because of deceiving ordinary saints, after her death, she immediately experienced suffering and retribution in the Abhi hell. Worried about the filial piety of the park, La Boc immediately left the Buddha's home. Due to diligence, listening to sutras and practice, plus depending on the conditions, he has attained Arahantship. After witnessing the fruition, Venerable Muc Lien used his Taoist eyes to observe the six paths of samsara, but his mother was nowhere to be found. Muc Lien immediately mourned and said to the Buddha: - World-Honored One, where is your mother and daughter present and is your body and mind safe? At that time, the World-Honored One replied: -His mother is currently in the A-Pi hell, experiencing immeasurable suffering. Although he witnessed Sainthood, he alone could not save his mother. He had to rely on the release day of the ten directions of the Sangha, thanks to the power of the Sangha's vows, to be able to save his mother. On that occasion, the Buddha had compassionate means to open this festival every year. The Vu Lan Pen Festival originates from here23. The story continues with the combination of two genres of prose and rhyme alternately, bearing the specific semantic style of the literary genre of Transfiguration24. The above is just a summary of the beginning of the Variables. Due to the requirements of the monograph, we only survey the main content related to the topic. It can be said that, although the author has not been found, the work of Transfiguration is a unique cultural work of Chinese Buddhism in the Tang Dynasty. An initial survey of the title as well as the main events in the work has proved that the author Van Van is not only well-versed in Confucianism and Laotian, capable of poetry and literature, but also an authoritative author. about Buddhism. Therefore, this work is not only absorbed by researchers and commentators of the Vu Lan Sutra25, but also popularly interested by cultural and literary researchers26. First of all, about the name La Bo (羅卜) of Mr. Mu Kien Lien. According to the Great Wisdom Doctrine, book 11 states that: The son of an astrologer (占師子), named Cau Luatu, they are Dai Muc Kien Lien27. The word Boc (卜) used in the work of Transformation is synonymous with the word Chiem (占) in the treatise Dai Tri Do. Regarding the word La (羅), the work Neet Kinh Yin Yin, volume 47 records that Mot Kien Lien ( cựu) is wrong. The great master Thien Thai Tri Gia in his work Wonderful Law Lotus Flower Sutra quoted him as saying that Dai Mu Kien Kien is also known as Ve Gia La (勿伽羅)28. Thus, La Boc is a descendant of astrological divination, named La. The names La Boc, Thanh De and vivid details from the Transfiguration also appear in the work of Buddha theory of Vu Lan Ban Sutra 29, composed by Mr. Tong Mi (780-841), referred to as the Sutra for short. Based on the internal structure, influence as well as popularity of the Transfiguration, we are inclined to the view that the Transfiguration work predates the Sutra work. In other words, Mr. Tong Mi commented on the Vu Lan Sutra based on the original Vu Lan Sutra translated by Mr. Truc Phap Ho, and based on the data described in detail in the work Transfiguration, related to the life span. before the ordination of Venerable Muc Kien Lien. Thus, the work The Transfiguration has played an important role in explaining the reason why the mother of the Venerable Muc Kien Lien fell to hell. On what basis is this explanation based, or is it just a purely literary creation written by a post-fictional person? In our opinion, the work of Transfiguration was formed based on a very early classical foundation. It is the Compilation of the Hundred Years of Love, the 5th volume translated by layman Chi Khiem. The content of the story is in the section Udala model of falling hungry ghosts, referred to as the Upada La model 30 for short. The relationship and adaptation between Muc Kien Lien Lien Lian Muoi and the model Udala Sutra First of all, to make it easier to imagine, we would like to briefly introduce part of the content of the sample Udala Sutra 31: A Once upon a time, the Buddha was living in the bamboo garden of Calanda in the city of Vajrasattva. At that time, in that country, there was a wealthy bourgeois, who gave birth to a son, handsome in appearance, and rare in the world, so he named him Uu Da La32. When Udala grew up, the bourgeois passed away. With regard to the Buddhadharma, Udala developed a heart of reverence and longing to leave home, so he implored his mother. The mother replied: -Your father is dead, besides you, I have no one left, so why would you leave me and leave home? Well, from now on, if you want to invite contemplatives and brahmins, then I will prepare delicious dishes for you to make offerings as you please. Listening to her mother, Udala was relieved. After that he often invited the recluses, Brahmins go home to make offerings. Udala's mother saw that the ascetics frequented, so she became disgusted and cursed at the ascetics and brahmins. Once Udala was away, the mother poured food and water into the ditch. When I returned, my mother immediately said: - I'm gone, I'm at home to buy delicious food and make offerings to the Sa-Mons and Brahmins. Udala heard his mother speak and was very happy. Later, the mother died and fell into a hungry ghost with a hot, dry mouth, hunger and thirst, and went to a bhikkhu who said: - I am your mother here. The bhikkhus wondered: - When my mother was still alive, I often gave alms, why today is she reborn as a hungry ghost? The hungry ghost replied: -Because of his mother's greed, mediocrity, she refused to make offerings to the Sa-Mons and Brahmins, so she had to bear the body of a hungry ghost. For twenty years she had not eaten or drank anything. The bhikkhu asked the hungry ghost: - Why is it like that? The hungry ghost replied: - Although we give alms, the mind is often sloppy. As for the ascetics and brahmins, they did not have respect and insults, so today they have to suffer this retribution. If you ask the Buddha and the Sangha to make offerings and repent and dedicate merit to you, then you will surely be free from the body of a hungry ghost. The Bhikkhu-stilts heard her mother's words, so she encouraged the patrons to buy food and other necessities, and make offerings to the Buddha and the monks. After making offerings, the hungry ghost appeared in front of the great assembly to repent and after experiencing several births and deaths, he was reborn in the Dao Loi heaven ... At that time, the Bhikkhu-stilts heard the Buddha's words and were happy to practice. The model Udala Sutra was translated by layman Chi Khiem in Dong Ngo during the years 222-253. This sutra also appears in the work of the Law of the Distinction, compiled during the Luong Dynasty33. That showed the prominence as well as the popularity of the model Udala Sutra in this period. In terms of content, both the Transfiguration and the model Udala Sutra have at least twelve similarities. Firstly, the main character line includes the father, mother, son, bhikkhu, Sangha and Buddha. Second, the son believes in the Three Jewels, but the mother is the opposite. Third, I asked you to make offerings, but you deceived and despised the Three Jewels. Fourth, after death, the mother falls into the body of a demon. Fifth, the son left home, wishing to find his mother. On Friday, the son met his mother in the body of a hungry ghost. Saturday, it's been a long time since the mother demon could drink or eat. Eighth, I alone cannot save you. Ninth, the son makes offerings to the Buddha and monks on behalf of his mother. Tenth, the monks' vows. The eleventh, the mother demon was born in Heaven. Twelveth, The Buddha praised, the Buddha's disciples were happy to practice. Although there is an almost complete similarity between the Transfiguration and the Model Udala Sutra, there is nevertheless an important difference. It is the work of Transformation that boldly changed the name of the main character, that is, changed the name of Bhikkhu-stilts U Da La to Venerable Muc Kien Lien. This change in Transfiguration, in our opinion, is due to the following reasons. First of all, Transfiguration is the continuing literary development of the Vu Lan Sutra. Therefore, the main character must be Mr. Muc Kien Lien. Secondly, in terms of name influence, if it is the story of Mr. Muc Kien Lien, the influence will be far-reaching, because Venerable is one of the great disciples of the Buddha. Thirdly, Muc Kien Lien is known to have had a predestined relationship with many species of hungry ghosts. The Chinese and Nikaya documents both confirm this. Wednesday, Mr. Muc Kien Lien himself went to hell to save sentient beings35, showed sentient beings how to save loved ones who are in the hungry ghost species36. Fifth, Muc Kien Lien once relied on the Buddha's divine power to visit his mother in the world of Ma-li-chi, which is recorded in the Basics of Neighborhood in the Pi-complaints Medicine 37. From these five points, it is shown that the work of Transfiguration has selectively acclimatized, although it is freely creative, it is still based on reliable canonical sources. To be more specific, the Transfiguration work is a highly creative synthesis between many sutras, mainly the Vu Lan Sutra and the Model Udala Sutra. This sample Udala Sutra is present in famous scriptures such as the Tripitaka Tripitaka, volume 2, Calendar Dai Tam Bao Ky, volume 5, Khai Nguyen like teaching Luc, volume 2... that has shown the original version. Menstruation was recognized very early. It is particularly interesting, because through in-depth interrogation, we have discovered that the content of the sample Udala Sutra is present in the Nikāya documents located in the collection of hungry ghosts. Comparison between the Udala model and the hungry ghosts in the Nikāya Canon According to the great Buddhist dictionary of Dinh Phuc Bao, the Udala is translated from the word Uttara38. One more reference to the Dictionary of Pāli Proper Names, we easily find similar relationships in the Nikāya Canon. From this initial basis, opened a new discovery in our monograph. As mentioned, the work Udala model is an abbreviation for Uda La's mother of falling hungry ghosts translated by layman Chi Khiem. We have discovered the equivalent Pāli original named Uttaramātu Petavatthu39, which is translated close to the original: Uttaramātu's mother of demons40. There are two works in the Pāli Canon concerning the hungry ghosts. That is the Preta thing in the collection of the Minor and the work Commentary on the hungry ghosts of Mr. Dhammapāla. Both of these works convey many vivid details about the story related to the character Uttara. For ease of follow-up, we would like to introduce the full text of Uttara's mother's story translated by layman Tran Phuong Lan, presently in the Minor suttas, volume 241. Uttara's mother's story (Uttaramātu) After the Master passed away, in The time of the first sutta assembly was underway42, Venerable Mahā-Kaccayāna and twelve bhikkhus were residing in a certain forest near Kosambi. At that time Uttara, the heir to the state teacher of the Udena dynasty, was with a group of carpenters looking for wood to repair a house, and this Elder gave a sermon. Later on, Uttara often offered him food and built him a herb garden. But Uttara's mother resented such offerings. She said: - I hope that any food you offer to the Sa-Mons that I disagree with will become blood for you to drink in the next life. However, on the day of the house offering, she allowed a bundle of peacock tail feathers to be donated. When she passed away, she was reborn as a female hungry ghost and because she had offered a bundle of peacock tail feathers, she had very long, beautiful and long, wavy, black hair. Whenever the female ghoul came down and said to herself, 'I will drink the water of the Ganges', the river turned red blood. After wandering for fifty years, tormented by hunger and thirst, one day the hungry ghost saw the Elder Kankhā Revata sitting on the bank of the Ganges for lunch: This conversation followed. The first two stanzas of their stanzas collect the sutras: 1- When a bhikkhu comes to rest for lunch And sits on the wharf of Hang Ha, Near you, Horrible female demon, timid posture, stepped out. 2- That demon woman's hair is very long Released to the ground, let loose, Covering her body with those hair bundles, The female ghost said to the venerable story of life: The female hungry ghost: 3- Fifty years have passed away, I have not know what food to eat. Venerable, give me some water, I am thirsty for water. Bhikkhu: 4- This is the cool water of the Ganges Flowing down from the mountains of Snow Mountain, Take that water and drink it quickly, Why do you ask for water from the stream? Female hungry ghost: 5- Venerable sir, if I personally draw water from the river, the water will turn into blood, and so I beg you for some clear water. Bhikkhu: 6- In the past, did you commit any evil deeds By speech, mind, and body committed, From what karma did your hand touch the water of the Ganges into blood, why? Female pretas: 7- My son, Uttara, Formerly a layman at home. Offering offerings to the contemplatives with food, bed linen, medicinal herbs, and robes. 8- My heart was stirred by greed, so I slandered him: 'Whatever I don't want you to offer to the ascetics, 9- 'Uttara, that's what I pray to the City. blood for you in the next life'. Due to this karma, the hand touched the water of the Ganges River turned blood a long time ago. At that time Venerable Revata offered water to the Sangha and dedicated the merit to the female hungry ghost. Then the Venerable went for alms and when he had received the food, he offered it to the monks. Then the venerable took some rags from the pile of garbage, washed them, dried them, and sewed them into robes and made offerings to the Sangha. Thanks to that, the female hungry ghost enjoyed heavenly bliss, and immediately presented to the Elder the matter and expressed the divine happiness it had achieved. From the above content, it has been shown that most of the content of the work Udala Mother Demon is similar to the content of Upada La model falling hungry ghost. Only considering 12 similarities between the Transfiguration and the Upada La sutras in the Han system; then Udala Mother of the Devil belongs to the Pāli literature with only a few minor differences. The difference in item 3. If in the case of Van Van and Uu Da La, the young Uu Da La asked his mother to give him an offering, in U Da La there is no such detail, but still preserves the detail that the mother despises the Three Jewels. . The difference is the 5th item. If the variable and U Da La model, Bhikkhu-stilts U Da La went to find his mother after witnessing the Way; then in Udala there is no such detail, but the opposite information, that is, the mother is looking for her child. Differences item 6. If the Variable and Udala model, Bhikkhu-stilts Udala meets his biological mother; then in the Udala, the mother met Venerable Revata. The 9th item difference. If the variable and Udala form, Bhikkhu-stilts Udala on behalf of his mother to make offerings; then in Udala Venerable Revata instead of hungry ghosts made offerings to the monks. The difference in item 12. Instead of the Buddha's praise, in the Udala Elder Revata praised this good work and advised everyone to follow it. The five differences mentioned above may appear due to the influence of cultural context, or because the translators actively added them, or even unintentionally, leading to errors in the storage process. Editor. In our opinion, these differences do not change the main content to which the work is intended. Here, there is one point to note. Because in the original Pāli of the Pāli Text Society, the story of Uttaramātu Petavatthu (Uttara of the Devil), is in the Vimānavatthu and Petavatthu, consists of only nine very condensed verses43. But in the translation of layman Tran Phuong Lan, there is an introduction and an end, so the content of the story is easier to understand and more concise. After reviewing, we found that layman Tran Phuong Lan's translation is a combination of nine verses from the original Preta work and the Presbyterian Commentary by Venerable Dhammapāla44. In terms of chronology, Venerable Dhammapāla lived around the 5th century CE, he made a commentary on the hungry ghosts while staying at Badaratitthavihāra monastery45. Meanwhile, his commentary on Udala Mother of the Devil is largely similar to the work of Udala Mother of Falling Ghouls, translated by layman Chi Khiem in the middle of the third century. That shows, the commentary on the Udara Mother of the Venerable Dhammapāla has inherited from a source similar to that of layman Chi Khiem. From the above analysis and comparison, it has been shown that the content similarities between the works of Uttara's mother, Uttara's mother's story, and Muc Kien Union's collusion to save the model, and Uttara's fall predicament, has led to an assertion, in the Nikāya Canon exists a work with content similar to the Vu Lan Sutra; That is the work Uttara's mother's story translated by layman Tran Phuong Lan. Comments Since the Buddha allowed his disciples to study the scriptures in his local language46, the number of multilingual canonical translations has grown tremendously. In the process of preserving and translating the scriptures, many changes have been made in the structure, including the names or metaphors used in the canon. The Vu Lan Sutra is such a case. However, The similarity of the basic content between the two sources of Chinese and Nikāya materials through the above comparison, has at the same time confirmed the authenticity and consistency of the Buddhadharma in general and the Vu Lan Sutra in particular. The survey also showed that doing good deeds in the name of someone else still brings about winning results for them, even if it is not their loved ones. The unselfishness of Buddhism is affirmed at this point. In terms of rituals, the items may be as simple as drinking water, rice soup and rags, but Venerable Revata still freed Uttaramātu from suffering, as the Nikāya documents point out. Therefore, doing many good deeds in the name of parents, or deceased relatives, including making offerings to the Three Jewels, is the right thing to do. Not only that, the sources also noted that the object's development, combined with the power of the monks' vows, will create positive transformational energies. A sutra is quite short and is present in both traditions, but with Northern Buddhism it is transformed into a mass festival event, bringing about a holy transformation in the minds of many people, and gently spreading the word. spread the influence of Buddhism to the majority of non-Buddhists; that shows the creative dynamism of the preachers, including the role of protector of Buddhist monarchs in China in the early period. Therefore, the Northern tradition of Vu Lan Festival or the Uttara Festival, according to the Nikāya Canon, is a cultural creation imbued with wisdom, which should be recognized, preserved and praised.END=NAM MO SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).WORLD VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST ORDER=BUDDHIST DHARMA WHEEL GOLDEN MONASTERY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THE WOMEN OF THE SAKYA CLAN CHAN TANH.AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.2/8/2022.VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THE WOMEN OF THE SAKYA CLAN CHAN TANH.