2. This Philosophy Was Also Illustrated In Ancient Poetry Sources

In 1984, the scholar Han Chuong (his penname) Vu Dinh Trac discovered in the great set of Ling Nan Yi Shu, held in the Tokyo University library, a valuable ancient volume entitled “Bach Viet Tien Hien Chi.” This volume, selected and compiled by Au Dai Nham, literary name Trinh Ba, of the Ming Dynasty, related the dissertations of 102 sages, ancestors of Bach Viet race. Among these sages there are many familiar names such as Pham Lai, Chu Mai Than, Vuong Sung, Ly Tien… The standing-out thoughts of these sages point to the following main themes: The Philosophy of Yin-Yang, The Philosophy of the Three Elements, The Way-of-Life of the Virtuous Man, Filial Piety, The Philosophy of Agriculture, The Natural Way-of-Life. The preface shows that Viet Gou Jian had a glorious time when he destroyed the Wu Kingdom and imposed his authority over one large piece of land; his successors, in six generations, waged war with the Chu Kingdom. The Viet subjects have had made valuable contributions throughout the seven or eight miles of the coastal region of Jiao Zhou, especially in the field of literature. A total of more than ten branches of the Viet race were assimilated by the Han race, with the exception of the Lac Viet and Viet Thuong, who prospered themselves, survived and became the Vietnamese of today.

In this ancient document, Ji Yi introduced the law of Yin-Yang with the Five Elements. Yang Fen presented the consequences of Yin-Yang. Guo Shang emphasized the Positive Virtue as the foundation for self-improvement and housekeeping. By reading these three sages’ writings, we feel that the Bach Viet in the past considered Yin-Yang as the principle of life and death of a race. Thanks to the Yin-Yang balance and the Positive Virtue that the two branches Lac Viet and Viet Thuong survived to become the Vietnamese of today.