The school was founded by Emperor Trần Nhân Tông (1258–1308) showing influence from Confucian and Taoist philosophy.

A revival was attempted by later adherents including Ngô Thì Nhậm (1746–1803) during the Tây Sơn dynasty.

[2][3][4] In modern times, Thiền sư Venerable Thích Thanh Từ has revived the Trúc Lâm Zen lineage by combining the teachings of the three early Patriarchs of the tradition: Trần Nhân Tông, Pháp Loa, and Huyền Quang.

His efforts are brought forth from the principles of three Patriarchs whom he believes have minimal amounts of transition from traditional Chinese Buddhism.

[5][6] According to Thích Thanh Từ's own writings, he drew on various meditation sources in developing the new Trúc Lâm meditation method, including Lục Diệu Pháp Môn (C. Liumiao famen 六妙法門, Six Dharma Gates to the Sublime) by Zhiyi (538–597), the classic Ngũ Đình Tâm Quán (The Five Methods of Calming Meditation) found in the Zuochan sanmei jing (坐禪三昧經) of Kumārajīva and the Tham Thiền Yếu Chỉ (Main Discourse on Meditation) of master Xuyun (1840–1959) which focuses on huatou (thoại đầu) practice.