ВУЗ: Не указан
Категория: Не указан
Дисциплина: Не указана
Добавлен: 27.07.2020
Просмотров: 550
Скачиваний: 3
SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM
GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE FOR RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS
RELIGION AND POLICIES REGARDING
RELIGION IN VIETNAM
HÀ NỘI - 2006
INTRODUCTION
Vietnam is a multi-ethnic and multi-religion nation that treasures a history of several thousand years and a rich cultural heritage. Like many other countries in the world, Vietnam has many ethnic groups. Each of the 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam has beliefs and religions that are embedded in that group’s particular economics, culture, and social life.
To ensure the right to freedom of belief and religion for citizens, the first Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (1946) and the current Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam have consistently affirmed the right to “freedom of belief and religion” as a fundamental right of human beings. In Vietnam, there is no discrimination based on belief or religion; followers of different religions live harmoniously in the national community of Vietnam.
The documents of the 10th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam set forth: “Compatriots of different religions constitute an all-important component of the country’s larger national unity. The Party will consistently implement its policy of respecting and guaranteeing the citizens’ right to enjoy freedom of belief, to follow or not to follow a religion, and to engage in normal religious practices as stipulated by the law". These documents also reaffirm the need to prevent superstitious activities and abuses of belief and religion that harm the country's common interests and encroach upon the citizens’ right to religious freedom.
The State of Vietnam is committed to respecting and safeguarding the citizens’ effective right to freedom of belief and religion, and at the same time constantly improves the legal system related to belief and religion to meet the citizens’ basic spiritual and religious needs while simultaneously promoting the strength and great unity of the entire nation and building the country so that Vietnam becomes increasingly more developed, democratic, equitable, and cultured.
However, both inside and outside of the country, because of inadequate information and certain prejudices, there are those who do not yet have a complete and accurate understanding of the situation of religion and the State’s policies on religion in Vietnam. The Government Committee for Religious Affairs is pleased to introduce this book, "Religion and Policies Regarding Religion in Vietnam", in order to help readers, researchers, and those interested inside and outside of the country so that they have a clearer understanding about the situation of religion in Vietnam and about the Vietnamese State’s policies on religion.
CHAPTER 1
BELIEFS AND RELIGIONS IN VIeTNAM
1. Overview of Beliefs and Religions in Vietnam
Vietnam, which is situated in Southeast Asia, has a rich cultural heritage and a history of several thousand years building and defending the nation. There are 54 ethnic groups living in Vietnam. These groups have different traditional cultures, and religions and beliefs that are imbued with their respective ethnic characteristics. Each group has its own culture within Vietnam’s community of ethnic groups, yet all these ethnic groups share a common practice of polytheistic worship.
Buddhism arrived in Vietnam by sea routes from India and land routes from China almost two thousand years ago, the Vietnamese subconsciously combined Buddhism with their own indigenous religions and beliefs to create Man Nương Mother Buddha and pagodas honoring the Four Goddesses (the Goddesses of Clouds, Rain, Thunder, and Lightning). The worship of the Four Goddesses became an indigenous religion, with Buddhism integrated into elements of the Vietnamese people’s early beliefs, i.e., the worship of goddesses of agriculture and reverence for natural phenomena, such as clouds, rain, thunder, and lightning.
Since the tenth century, polytheism and the smooth combination of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism came into a religion that came to be called the “three religions from the same source” or “three religions deserving the same honor”. This three-religion construct became a spiritual system bearing the deep Vietnamese national imprint.
In the fifteenth century, the Lê Dynasty ascended to the throne and replaced Buddhism with Confucianism as the moral mainstay of society. Thus, the village communal house replaced the pagoda as the center of village life. In every village in every area, the people chose for themselves a tutelary saint to honor. This tutelary God is not necessarily a person of high position, great merits, or with impressive stature but, rather, is a person who is highly respected by the people and may bless the villagers and give them protection. The worship of tutelary Gods was and is an eclectic fusion between the new beliefs and the Vietnamese people’s long-standing deep-seated tradition of worshipping ancestors.
Catholicism entered Vietnam in the sixteenth century, introducing Vietnamese to a monotheistic religion. For several centuries, the Vietnamese Catholic followers with their belief in a Christian God had to renounce their old beliefs and practices, including worship of their own ancestors. Only in the beginning of the 1970s did the tradition of ancestor worship return to Vietnamese Catholics.
Thus, the structural system of religions and beliefs of the Vietnamese people takes its source from different religions and beliefs. These include: Indigenous beliefs and polytheism; exogenous religions (i.e., religions that arose in other countries and subsequently were introduced into Vietnam, such as Buddhism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Islam, etc.); native religions (i.e., religions arising in Vietnam, such as Cao đài, Hòa Hảo Buddhism, Tứ Ân Hiếu Nghĩa, etc.); and new religious phenomena. Exogenous religions entering Vietnam have adapted to the cultural and religious complexions of the Vietnamese people. As a result, they have transformed from their original form; in other words, once these exogenous religions entered Vietnam, they were assimilated by Vietnamese culture.
Whether following exogenous or native religions, Vietnamese believers in general are influenced by polytheism, by a spirit of religious tolerance and of nationalism. Patriotism is a valued tradition of religious followers as well as of the vast majority of religious leaders in Vietnam. More than anyone else, Vietnamese religious believers understand that religious freedom can exist only when the Homeland is independent.
As residents of a multi-religion country, Vietnamese religious followers as the whole are devoted to the nation while at the same time taking active part in social and cultural life, thus contributing to Vietnam’s rich, diverse, and distinctive culture. Vietnam is of tolerance and moderation country in terms of inter-religious relations and has a tradition of religious unity and of national unity in the defence and building up of the nation. The peaceful co-existence and tolerance among different religions together with the compassionate and humane nature of the Vietnamese people and their society create a lively picture of beliefs and religions living together in Vietnam: singular yet various, intermingling yet without discord. In particular, in Vietnam today, the harmony between religions and the State is quite apparent. Thus, conflicts between religions have not occurred in Vietnam. Overall national unity, including unity among religions, is the country’s source of strength and the decisive factor that ensured victory in the cause of defending and building the Homeland.
2. Religions in Vietnam
2.1. Buddhism
Buddhism was brought to Vietnam about two thousand years ago. Luy Lâu (now in the Thuận Thành District, Bắc Ninh province in Northern Vietnam) soon became a large and flourishing center for Buddhism.
Buddhism first reached Vietnam from India by sea. Monks from India and Central Asia visited Vietnam along with traders. Those who engaged in missionary work include Mahajivaka and K’sudra at the end of the second century A.D., Khương Tăng Hội and Chi Lương Cương (Kalyana – Siva) in the middle of the third century A.D., and then Dharmadeva in the fourth century A.D..
From the fifth to the tenth century, due to historical circumstance, Chinese Buddhism began gradually to influence Buddhism in Vietnam. From the tenth to the fifteenth century, Vietnamese Buddhism moved into a new era of development that accompanied the country’s independence. Certain Buddhist monks were allowed to attend to court affairs under the rule of the Đinh – Lê Dynasties (from the late tenth to early eleventh century) Buddhism flourished during the Lý – Trần Dynasties (from the eleventh to the fourteen century), when many Buddhist monks helped the kings to protect the country. Soon, Buddhism came to be considered the national religion. Pagodas were built and maintained; Buddhist doctrine, organizations, and practices enjoyed favorable conditions for development. Some kings even decided to lead a religious life. King Trần Nhân Tông was the founder of the Trúc Lâm Yên Tử (Trúc Lâm Congregation of Zen Buddhism at Yên Tử in Quảng Ninh province, Northern Vietnam). This denomination bears Vietnamese characteristics of creativity, tolerance, and secularity. After the fifteenth century, Buddhism gradually gave way to Confucianism. However, it still maintained its position among the three religions from the same source.
Theravada Buddhism entered Southern Vietnam during the fourth century A.D.. Theravada believers were mainly among the Khmer ethnic group in the Mekong Delta; the Congregation became known as Khmer Theravada Buddhism. Khmer Theravada Buddhism made many contributions to the defense and development of the nation. During the wars against foreign aggression, the Khmer Theravada Buddhist leaders and followers took part in the resistance movements to secure independence for the Homeland. In 1981, the Khmer Theravada Buddhists joined the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha during the Representative Congress for Uniting Buddhist Organizations and denominations. The Khmer Theravada Buddhists now have 452 pagodas, more than one million believers, and almost 9,000 monks. In addition, there are about 500 Theravada Buddhist monks among Kinh people in a number of provinces in the Center and South East of the country.
During its entry and development in Vietnam, Buddhism proved to be a peaceful religion that could harmonize with native beliefs and closely ally itself with and accompany the nation during its defense and construction.
The beginning of the twentieth century was a time of major social, economic, and cultural change. Movements to revitalize Buddhism arose in several Asian countries, including China, Japan, and Vietnam. Beside its religious significance, the Movement to Revitalize Buddhism in Vietnam also had political and social implications and fit together with the national liberation struggle.
The Movement to Revitalize Buddhism first emerged in Sài Gòn in 1920 through pioneering monks, such as Khánh Hòa and Thiện Chiếu... It then spread to the Central and Northern regions through the participation of the Most Venerable Giác Tiên, Venerable Tố Liên, Venerable Trí Hải... and lay believers such as Lê Đình Thám, Nguyễn Năng Quốc, Phan Kế Bính, and Trần Văn Giáp...
During this period, a number of Buddhist organizations were founded in all three regions (North, Center, and South). Of these, six organizations were particularly significant. In the South: The Southern Buddhist Study Association (Hội Nam Kỳ Nghiên cứu Phật học) founded in 1930 and the Southern Vietnamese Buddhist Association (Hội Tăng già Nam Việt) founded in 1951. In the Center: The Annam Buddhist Study Association (An Nam Phật học Hội) founded in 1932 and the Central Vietnamese Buddhist Association (Hội Tăng già Trung Việt) founded in 1949. In the North: The Northern Buddhist Association (Hội Phật giáo Bắc Kỳ) founded in 1934 and the Buddhist Clergy Rectification Association of Northern Vietnam (Hội Chỉnh lý Tăng ni Bắc Việt) founded in 1949. In 1950, this association changed its name to the Northern Vietnamese Buddhist Association (Hội Tăng già Bắc Việt).
In 1951, those organizations gathered in Huế and agreed to establish the Vietnamese Confederation of Buddhist Associations (Tổng hội Phật giáo Việt Nam). This event can be considered as the first important drive for Buddhist unification organizationally in the history of Vietnamese Buddhism.
The Movement to Revitalize Buddhism lasted until 1954. The overwhelming majority of Buddhist clergy and followers maintained their traditional patriotism and joined the mainstream of the nation while following their religious practices in accordance with their ancestries. They actively contributed to the victory of the August 1945 Revolution as well as to the Resistance War against colonial aggression. Many monks, nuns, and followers joined the Việt Minh and the Inter-Việt Front. Many pagodas became resistance bases and sanctuaries for revolutionary cadres. Particularly in Southern Vietnam, the Buddhist National Salvation Association (Phật giáo cứu quốc) attracted a large number of monks and nuns to take part in patriotic activities.
After 1954, the separation of the country into North Vietnam and South Vietnam brought about substantial changes in the situation of Buddhism:
In the North, in September 1957, prominent clergy campaigned to form a new Buddhist organization. In March 1958, the Conference of Northern Representative Clergy established the Vietnamese United Buddhist Association (Hội Phật giáo Thống nhất Việt Nam) with the aim of “creating harmony among nuns, monks, lay people, and researchers to: propagate Buddhism, benefit the population, serve the Homeland, and protect peace". After its founding, in addition to its religious practices, the Vietnamese United Buddhist Association actively participated in social and patriotic movements, contributed to national defense and construction of the Homeland in the North, struggled against French colonialism, and helped to liberate the South and unify the nation. The founding of the Buddhist Association and its positive activities served as an important step in the history of Northern Buddhism’s close association with the nation in the North.
In the South, the period from 1954 to 1975 witnessed the foundation of dozens of Buddhist organizations, including: The Original Buddhist Association (Tăng già Nguyên Thủy), the Mendicant Monks’ Congregation (Khất sĩ), the T’ien-t’ai School Association (Thiên Thai Giáo Quán tông), and the Vietnamese Buddhist Study Association (Hội Phật học Nam Việt). After the collapse of the Ngô Đình Diệm regime, the Vietnamese United Buddhist Sangha (Giáo hội Phật giáo Việt Nam Thống nhất) was founded in 1964 by uniting several Buddhist denominations and organizations. The Vietnamese Confederation of Buddhist Associations (Tổng hội Phật giáo Việt Nam) played a central role. A short time after its founding, the Vietnamese United Buddhist Sangha (Giáo hội Phật giáo Việt Nam Thống nhất) began to split into factions; a small group exploited by foreigners for political purposes, broke off as separate entity. However, the majority of the clergy and followers remained loyal to the nation, were patriotic, and participated in the liberation of the South and in national unification.
After 1975, the Vietnamese United Buddhist Sangha continued its activities in Vietnam and continued to implement the Movement to Revitalize Buddhism during the time the country was reunited. The overwhelming majority of monks, nuns, and followers indicated their wish to unifying all Buddhist sects into one common organization, and indeed the chance came for that wish to be fulfilled. In February 1980, a Preparatory Committee for Buddhist Unification (Ban Vận động Thống nhất Phật giáo) was established with 33 members representing Buddhist denominations from across the nation. In November 1981, the Conference of Representatives for Buddhist Unification was organized in Hà Nội capital with the participation of 165 representative monks, nuns, and lay people from nine different denominations: The Vietnamese United Buddhist Sangha (Giáo hội Phật giáo Việt Nam Thống nhất), the Unified Vietnamese Buddhist Association (Hội Phật giáo Thống nhất Việt Nam), the Vietnamese Traditional Buddhist Sangha (Giáo hội Phật giáo Cổ truyền Việt Nam), the Hồ Chí Minh City Buddhist Liaison Committee (Ban Liên lạc Phật giáo Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh), the Vietnamese Original Buddhist Sangha (Giáo hội Tăng già Nguyên thủy Việt Nam), the Southwestern Patriotic Clergy Solidarity Association (Hội Đoàn kết Sư sãi Yêu nước Tây Nam Bộ), the Vietnamese Mendicant Monks Buddhist Sangha (Giáo hội Tăng già Khất sĩ Việt Nam), the T’ien-t’ai School Sangha (Giáo hội Thiên Thai giáo Quán tông), and the Vietnamese Buddhist Study Association (Hội Phật học Nam Việt).
The Conference unanimously agreed to establish the Vietnamese Buddhist Sangha (Giáo hội Phật giáo Việt Nam) and promoted a motto for action: “The Dharma – The Nation – Socialism". On 7 November 1981, the conference also elected the leadership of the Sangha. Most venerable Thích Trí Thủ, on behalf of the Conference Presidium, read the Appeal of the Congress for the Unification of Vietnamese Buddhists, at Quán Sứ pagoda, noting: “From this point on, we are no longer Buddhists of the South, Buddhists of the Center, or Buddhists of the North and are no longer split into diversing organizations or forms but are all Vietnamese Buddhists and are all members of the Vietnamese Buddhist Sangha, whether inside the country or outside the country".