'Buddhism in Vietnam' is
Buddhism that had been localized to
Vietnam from
India and later replaced with Buddhism from
China. Vietnamese Buddhism has many characteristics different from Buddhism practiced in other countries.
Buddhism is the most influential religion in Vietnam, with about 92 percent of Vietnamese being Buddhists. The number of practicing Buddhists numbers about three million, those who frequently visit Buddhist temples and participate in Buddhist ceremonies number about thirty million, and those living under the influence of Buddhism number in the tens of millions.
Formation and spread
Buddhism was imported into Vietnam fairly early, at around the beginning of the
Common Era with the legend of Chử Ðồng Tử studying Buddhism from an
Indian monk. Luy Lâu (in Bắc Ninh Province), the capital of
Giao Chỉ soon became an important center of Buddhism. Legends about Thạch Quang Phật and Man Nương Phật Mẫu appeared with the teachings of
Ksudra in around
168-
189.
Because Buddhism was imported directly from India, the word
Buddha was directly imported into Vietnamese as ''Bụt'', still in use in many folk tales. At that time, Vietnamese Buddhism was influenced by
Theravada Buddhism, and Bụt was seen as a deity who helps good people and punishes bad people. In the 4-5th centuries, because of influence of
Mahayana Buddhism from China, the word Bụt gradually lost its Buddhist meaning and was replaced by ''Phật'' from the Chinese pronunciation of Buddha.
Buddhism took roots in Vietnam very early. Lý Nam Đế (who became king in
544) was also known by the name Lý Phật Tử (Lý the Buddhist). In the
Ly and
Tran dynasties, Buddhism developed rapidly, was seen as the state religion, and influenced all aspects of life. In the
Le Dynasty,
Confucianism replaced Buddhism as state religion and Buddhism entered a period of decadence. At the beginning of the
18th century, King Quang Trung took efforts to revive Buddhism by building and renovating temples, but died before accomplishing his goals. In the
20th century, although strongly influenced by the process of
Westernization, Buddhism experienced a resurgence, beginning in the southern cities with important contributions from the monks Khánh Hoà and Thiện Chiếu.
In summary, the history of Vietnamese Buddhism can be divided into four periods:
★ from the beginning of the Christian Era to the end of Chinese domination is a period of formation and development;
★ Buddhism reached its zenith during the period of independence (Đại Việt);
★ from the Lê Dynasty to the end of the 19th century is the period of decadence;
★ from the beginning of the 20th century until now is the period of resurgence.
Three schools of Mahayana Buddhism, now most influential, were imported into Vietnam:
Zen Buddhism,
Pure Land Buddhism, and
Vajrayana Buddhism.
Zen Buddhism
Zen Buddhism, known as
Thiền in Vietnam, is a branch of Buddhism created by the Indian monk
Bodhidharma in
China at the beginning of the
6th century. "Zen" is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese character pronounced "chán" in modern Chinese, borrowed from Sanscrit "Dhyāna" (from Pāli "Jhāna") meaning "meditation".
The first Zen sect in the history of Vietnamese Buddhism was established by the monk
Vinitaruci. He was an Indian who arrived in China and then Vietnam in
580.
Pure Land Buddhism
Vajrayana Buddhism
Characteristics of Vietnamese Buddhism
Syncretism
Syncretism between Buddhism and traditional beliefs
Syncretism between different Buddhist branches
Syncretism between Buddhism and other religions
Yin-yang harmony
In the Ying yang theory, the soul has double sided characteristics. The soul has a light and a dark side to it which live in harmony with each other, thus creating the soul.
Flexibility
Hoa Hao Buddhism
Religious freedom
Current political issues regarding freedom of religion
Vietnamese Buddhists in Other Countries
Thich Nhat Hanh is a prominent Buddhist practitioner of the Vietnamese Zen tradition who lives outside Vietnam.
The role of religion in maintaining culture
American Buddhist Centers
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