Abstract

This article analyzes the formation, organization, and activities of the Lưỡng Xuyên Buddhist School (1935-1943), a prominent Buddhist educational institution within the Buddhist revival movement in colonial Cochinchina. The article draws on primary sources such as Duy Tâm, Phật Học, and Pháp Âm journals. It highlights how Most Venerable Khánh Hòa and other eminent monks reformed Buddhist education, enhanced monastic training, and cultivated a learned generation of Buddhist clergy. Employing a historical methodology combined with document analysis, the study contextualizes the establishment of the Lưỡng Xuyên Buddhist School. Its founding was the result of collaboration between senior monks and lay supporters, leading to the creation of the Lưỡng Xuyên Buddhist Association, the development of educational facilities, and the formulation of a structured curriculum. Throughout its operation, the school faced multiple challenges, particularly in financial and human resources. However, it successfully trained a generation of notable monks, including Venerables Thích Thiện Hoa, Thích Thiện Hòa, and Thích Hành Trụ. Although its existence was relatively short-lived, the institution laid the foundation for a modern Buddhist education system in Cochinchina, and at the same time played a crucial role in linking the Buddhist revival movements of Cochinchina and Central Vietnam, significantly influencing the later development of Vietnamese Buddhism.