The famous Bach Dang victory in 938 put an end to one thousand years of Chinese feudal domination and opened a new independent era in the history of Vietnam. In the tenth century, the newly-built independent state consolidated its position and readied itself to resist enemies from abroad and stifle domestic dissent and division from within. Against this background, violence and military might became the state’s primary method of social and political control. It was paradoxical also during this period however, that major steps in the expansion of Vietnamese Buddhism took place. The same Kings who "put cauldrons of boiling oil in the middle of their courtyards and raised caged tigers and jaguars" to intimidate their opposition, were also great supporters of Buddhism. To understand this seemingly contradictory situation, we must first grasp the nature of Vietnamese Buddhism in the tenth century.

Since the end of the period of Chinese feudal domination, Buddhism expanded throughout all regions of Vietnam. A stratum of influential Vietnamese monks appeared, many of whom had studied in China, Indonesia, and India. Due to their profound knowledge (including mastery of both Chinese and Sanskrit), these monks came to be perceived as an intelligentsia. Moreover, Buddhist monks and their disciples participated together with the people in the movement for national liberation and independence.

During the period immediately following independence, in addition to the reasons suggested above, two other factors contributed to the increased prestige and social import of Buddhism. First, the newly independent state needed an ideological basis from which to build and manage the country. And second, the development of Confucianism was not complete. Thus the door was left open for the encroachment of Buddhist orthodoxy.

From the end of the period of Chinese feudal domination, Buddhism expanded not only throughout the Red River delta, but as far as Ai Chau and Hoan Chau (i.e., former Thanh Hoa and Nghe An territory). Ancient historical texts have recorded the names of well-known monks of that region from as early as the Tang dynasty.

In the tenth century, most areas under Buddhist influence had developed in the northern regions of the Red River delta. Apart from ancient Buddhist centers such as Luy Lau (Thuan Thanh, Ha Bac), and Kien So (Phu Dong, Gia Lam), there were also many pagodas at Bac Giang (i.e., Ha Bac today). In the Co Phap prefect (named the Thien Duc district under the Ly dynasty), there were many well-known pagodas including the Kien Duong Pagoda in Hoa Lam village, the Thien Chung and Luc To pagodas in Dich Bang village, the Song Lam Pagoda in Phu Ninh village, and the Cam Ung Pagoda in Ba Son Mount (Tien Son), etc.

The tenth century also witnessed the creation of completely new Buddhist centers. We must first make mention of the Dai La center which became Thang Long under the Ly dynasty. It was there in the sixth century that King Ly Nam De built the Khai Quoc pagoda (known today as the Tran Quoc Pagoda in Hanoi). Until the middle of the tenth century, the Khai Quoc pagoda was home to the bonze Van Phong of the third generation of the branch of the Wu Yantong sect. Van Phong’s disciple, the leading monk Ngo Chan Luu, bore the title Khuong Viet. Under the Dinh, he enlarged the Khai Quoc Pagoda, turning it into a center for the spread of Buddhism. In Thien Uyen Tap Anh it is said that the great monk Khuong Viet led the expansion of Buddhist studies in the Khai Quoc pagoda and that the Buddhist monk Da Bao attended courses there. There were also then in Dai La, other pagodas such as the Cat Tuong home of the monk Vien Chieu during the Ly dynasty.

Another center was Hoa Lu. Hoa Lu served as the capital under the Dinh and early Le dynasties. The Kings of those dynasties held Buddhism in high regard and patronized many pagodas, the remains of which can still be found today. For example, from the Thap pagoda, there exists today the original foundation, which can be seen along the banks of the Hoang river. The square stones anchoring the columns measure up to 0.68 meters, thus suggesting the great size of this ancient pagoda. From another Hoa Lu pagoda, the Nhat Tru, very few traces of ancient architecture still exist. The three-meter high eight-sided columns erected in 995 and on which were carved the ancestral tablets of Lang Nghiem are the only vestiges which remain today. It is probable that the entire ancient pagoda was erected towards the end of the tenth century.

The Ba Ngo pagoda, also in Hoa Lu, was supposedly also built during the Dinh dynasty. Its stele from the Yuan period bears the following inscription: "The Ba Ngo in our hamlet was a well-known site from the old capital of Dai Co Viet." The Ba Ngo agricultural goddesses are worshipped in this pagoda, suggesting that Buddhism may have merged at this site (as at Luy Lau) with a popular indigenous cult.

As Buddhism expanded and penetrated into Vietnamese society, the royal court formally recognized it as an official religion. After taking the throne in 971, King Dinh Tien Hoang standardized the different grades for the Buddhist monkhood, as well as for cultural and military dignitaries. Ngo Chan Luu was named "Tang Thong," the highest rank in the monkshood, and awarded the further appellation of "Khuong Viet." Truong Ma Ni was named "Tang Luc", one grade below that awarded to Ngo Chan Luu. The grades "Tang Thong" and "Tang Luc" continued to be used by succeeding royal courts.

Other bonzes under the Dinh and Le dynasties were entrusted with diplomatic missions, such as welcoming Chinese ambassadors. In 987, King Le Dai Hanh ordered the bonze Phap Thuan to disguise himself as a river commander and welcome the Chinese ambassador Ly Giac. After Ly Giac returned to China, the King ordered Khuong Viet to write a farewell poem entitled "Ngoc Lang Quy":

This elegantly worded diplomatic poem dearly expresses our will to be independent and the masters of our own country. It also represents the earliest known work of Vietnamese literature. While monks contributed little to the functioning of the administrative apparatus, their influence on politics was nevertheless significant.

The aim of this story was to praise Ma Ha’s religious skill. It also reflected the reality that people tended to abandon their religious beliefs for Buddhism, only if Buddhism could prove itself better able to serve and protect them.

As it penetrated deeper into popular spiritual life, Buddhism carved out a durable niche in society. While its full flowering obviously did not occur until the Ly and Tran Dynasties, historical and archaeological evidence available to us today from Hoa Lu suggests that the development of Vietnamese Buddhism in the tenth century was also quite significant.

Bonze Superior Phap Thuan (915-990) (family name Do) entered the monkhood and lived at Thanh Hoa’s Co Son pagoda. He was the follower of Bonze Phu Tri from the Long Thu pagoda. Thien Uyen Tap Anh noted that he was "an erudite scholar, well-versed in poetry, with a special talent for helping kings and profoundly understanding the basic problems of life. The advice he gave to King Le Dai Hanh has already been mentioned. When the King asked him about the country’s destiny, he answered with the following poem:

Phap Thuan was also the author of the book Bo Tat Hieu Sam Hoi Van. Bonze Superior Ma Ha’s full name in Sanskrit, "Mahamaya," means "great illusion." Original1y of Cham descent, he eventually assumed the family name Duong. His father, Boi Da, knew Sanskrit well and rose to the official rank of Boi Da (or Da Phan, which perhaps stood for the functionary who took care of Sanskrit books under the Le reign). He not only knew Sanskrit but Chinese, as well. He was a disciple of Do Phap Thuan and later served in Ai and Hoan upland district.

Sung Pham (family name Man), a follower of Bonze Superior Vo Ngai, studied in India for nine years. Upon returning, he lived in the Phap Van Pagoda, known today as the Dau pagoda in Ha Bac.

In the Wu Yantong sect, during the Ngo reign, there lived a Bonze Superior named Van Phong, who was the professor of Khuong Viet Ngo Chan Luu. Van Phong lived in the Khai Quoc pagoda (known today as the Tran Quoc pagoda). He was a follower of Bonze Superior Thien Hoi who lived in the Dinh Thien pagoda, located in Sieu Loai Village (today Thuan Thanh, Ha Bac). Thien Uyen Tap Anh notes an interesting exchange that occurred between the two monks Thien Hoi and Van Phong concerning Buddhist conceptions of "Life and Death":

How to generate fire if one perforates them [cuts them up]?

One of Khuong Viet follower was Bonze Superior Da Bao of the Kien So Pagoda in Phu Dong village (today situated in Hanoi suburb). Like Bonze Superior Van Hanh, he also prophesied that Ly Cong Uan would become King. And afterwards, he became the advisor to King Ly Thai To.

Besides the monks belonging to the two above-mentioned sects, Vinitaruci and Wu Yantong, there were also monks whose sect adhesion was unknown, the monk Truong Ma Vi for example. While the Viet state encouraged the expansion of Buddhism during this period, there is no evidence of the existence of a stratum of hermits or other Buddhist practitioners independent of monastic institutions.

It is very difficult to note the distinction between the ideology of the two religious sects, Vinitaruci and Wu Yantong, in the tenth century. It seems that monks of the Wu Yantong sect concerned themselves with a series of fundamental subjects such as the problem of mortality and immortality, questions about the soul and the existence of absolute truth. These issues found expression in a number of litanies and formal dialogues, such as the dialogue between Da Bao and Khuong Viet on fidelity.

The Dhuranisamadhi was a popular form of spiritual self-improvement which originated with Tantrism. It consisted of using a method of meditation called "samadhi" in order to realize the "dharni" a state of goodness without wickedness. Tantrism maintained the existence of certain secrets of the body, secrets of the mind and secrets of language. In order to preserve the secrets of the body one had to perfect the "mudra" (a Hindu dance [and gesture] technique). In order to preserve the secrets of the mind, one must perfect one’s "samadhi" (meditation). To protect the secrets of language one must recite "dharani" (incantations), considered secret words with prophetic power. Different "dharani" existed for different objectives. These incantations were originally in Sanskrit but when propagated in China and Vietnam, were transcribed into Chinese characters. While the original meaning was lost in this process, it was believed that the sound of the phonetic incantation was both mystical and sacred.

The Tantric incantation Mahakarunahrdayadharani was highly respected by Vietnamese monks in the tenth and eleventh centuries. Along with Ma Ha, many other monks studied and recited this "dharani." For example, according to Thien Uyen Tap Anh, the monk Tu Dao Hanh of the Ly reign "recited this "dharani" everyday, one million eight thousand times." Monks recited these different incantations in order to cure diseases, ward off evil spirits, beg for rain and ensure good weather.

Moreover, in the tenth century, monks often used forms of litany and prophesy to influence public opinion regarding political movements. Thien Uyen Tap Anh claims that "the monk Phap Thuan’s speeches were prophetic" and that monk Van Hanh’s sentences were "considered oracular by the people." Van Hanh was renowned for prophesying that Ly Cong Uan would become King. Besides conventional prophesies often made during religious activities, monks accepted and relied on phenomena such as omens and dreams.

Describing the extraordinary acts attributed to the monk Khuong Viet from the Wu Yantong sect, Thien Uyen Tap Anh related the following:

Other than the Usnisavijayadharani incantation, only one other incantation (discovered in 1964) can be found on the Hoa Lu prayer columns. While some sentences and characters have faded beyond recognition, the meaning of this sutra is relatively clear. It can be translated as follows:

Obviously this text bears close relation to the Usnisavijayadharana as it includes the story about King Thien Tru and the spread of the incantation. It is worth noting that in this version, the "dharani" is repeated twice and the Tantric "dharani" once. The presence of Tantric elements is undeniable.

It is very possible that the "Phat Dinh Dhalany" recalled in the previous version is the same as the incantation "Phat Dinh Ton Thang Dhalany." In any case, it appears that under the Le reign, reciting the Dhalany incantation was a popular activity. The prayer columns erected under the Dinh and Le reigns show the influence of Tantrism on Vietnamese Buddhism. However, independent Tantric sects never existed in Vietnam as they did in China. Sects from the Le period can be more accurately described as Chan sects.