Job Discussion Forums

[zaneth]

What is the current state of Buddhism in Vietnam? Are there working temples, monasteries with monks in residence? What is the government attitude towards religion there?

[huxter]

There's these amazing places called libraries where you can find all sorts of information like that.

Try Robert Templer's "Shadows and Wind - A View of Modern Vietnam"

[makhno]

Yup, I've seen Buddhist monks and nuns around Saigon (including a couple of guys of obvious European descent). There are many pagodas in town, but I don't know whether any of them are monasteries or are monastery-affiliated.

I've read that pagodas and/or monasteries must be approved (and are overseen) by a government-created Buddhism council of some sort of another, but I can't speak to that based upon personal knowledge. But in any event, I really doubt that Buddhist monasteries in VN require anyone to read Marx's "Capital" or Lenin's "Left-Wing Communism: An Infantile Disorder" (or even, say, the "Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch", for that matter ...).

Mahayana Buddhism (of various schools/philosophies) is predominant in VN, but if Theravada Buddhism is more your cup of tea, there are Theravada pagodas in the southern part of the country (mostly ethnic Khmer-affiliated, I think). Popular Buddhism in VN (i.e., Buddhism of the sort practiced by most common folks) is, like Chinese popular Buddhism, a syncretic mix of Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, ancestor-honoring, and worship of various "folk" deities (they've even got a god who specializes in gambling, among other deities).

[zaneth]

Thank you very much. That's just the sort of info I needed.

Yes, I've heard of libraries, thank you. If I lived anywhere within a thousand miles of one that was likely to have English information on the current state of Buddhism in Vietnam, I would happily go there. Oh, so happily. Alas, the largest English collection in my town might just be in my apartment.

Anyway, this is like a discussion. Granted, this medium allows people the time to go and look things up, and I could probably find something on the internet, but I prefer to treat it like a discussion and possibly hear from someone directly. And I thought it was related to the earlier discussion of cultural and intellectual life in Vietnam.

I'll hang onto the title, though, next time I'm visiting my folks I'll see if I can find it. There's a wonderful library in their town. And a lot of vietnamese folks as well. Always happy to have a good book recommendation.

Cheers

[sigmoid]

I could be wrong but I believe a number of the monks and nuns that you see in HCMC are members of the Cao Dai religion:

http://www.caodai.org
http://www.religioustolerance.org/caodaism.htm

anyway try a websearch. You can find all kinds of stuff like:

http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhistworld/vietnam-txt.htm

http://www.thingsasian.com/article/religion/religion.htm

http://www.vietnam-holidays.co.uk/aboutvietnam/rbuddhism.htm

http://countrystudies.us/vietnam/42.htm

[zaneth]

Cool. Or I could wait for some helpful someone who delights in websearches to supply some useful links.

Thank you.