THERAVADA BUDDHISM IN VIETNAM
Binh Anson
Buddhism came to Vietnam in the first century CE [1]. By the end of the
second century, Vietnam developed a major Buddhist centre in the region, commonly known as
the Luy-Lau centre, now in the Bac-Ninh province, north of the present Hanoi city. Luy-Lau
was the capital of Giao-Chi, former name of Vietnam, and was a popular place visited by
many Indian Buddhist missionary monks on their way to China, following the sea route from
the Indian sub-continent by Indian traders. A number of Mahayana sutras and the Agamas
were translated into Chinese scripts at that centre, including the sutra of Forty Two
Chapters, the Anapanasati, the Vessantara-jataka, the Milinda-panha, etc.
In the next 18 centuries, due to geographical proximity with China and
twice annexed by the Chinese, the two countries shared many common features of cultural,
philosophical and religious heritage. Vietnamese Buddhism has been greatly influenced by
the development of Mahayana Buddhism in China, with the dominant traditions of Ch'an/Zen,
Pure Land, and Tantra.
The southern part of the present Vietnam was originally occupied by the
Champa (Cham) and the Cambodian (Khmer) people who followed both a syncretic
Saiva-Mahayana Buddhism and Theravada Buddhism [2], although Champa probably had a
Theravada presence from as early as the 3rd century CE, whilst Cambodia received the
Theravada as late as the 12th century. The Vietnamese started to conquer and absorbed the
land in the 15th century, and the current shape of the country was finalised in the 18th
century. From that time onward, the dominant Viet followed the Mahayana tradition whilst
the ethnic Cambodian practiced the Theravada tradition, and both traditions peacefully
co-existed.
In the 1920s and 1930s, there were a number of movements in Vietnam for
the revival and modernisation of Buddhist activities. Together with the re-organisation of
Mahayana establishments, there developed a growing interest in Theravadin meditation and
also in Buddhist materials based on the Pali Canon. These were then available in French.
Among the pioneers who brought Theravada Buddhism to the ethnic Viet was a young
veterinary doctor named Le Van Giang. He was born in the South, received higher education
in Hanoi, and after graduation, was sent to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to work for the French
government [3].
During that time, he developed a growing interest in Buddhism. He
started to study and practice the Pure Land and Tantric ways but was not satisfied. By
chance, he met the Vice Sangharaja of the Cambodian Sangha and was recommended a book on
the Noble Eightfold Path written in French. He was struck by the clear message in the
book, and decided to try out the Theravada way. He learnt meditation on the breath
(Anapanasati) from a Cambodian monk at the Unalom Temple in Phnom Penh and achieved deep
samadhi states. He continued the practice and after a few years, he decided to ordain and
took the Dhamma name of Ho-Tong (Vansarakkhita).
In 1940, upon an invitation by a group of lay Buddhists led by Mr
Nguyen Van Hieu, a close friend, he went back to Vietnam and helped to establish the first
Theravada temple for Vietnamese Buddhists, at Go Dua, Thu Duc (now a district of Saigon).
The temple was named Buu-Quang (Ratana Ramsyarama). Later, the Cambodian Sangharaja,
Venerable Chuon Nath, together with 30 Cambodian bhikkhus established the Sima boundary at
this temple [4]. The temple was destroyed by French troops in 1947, and was rebuilt in
1951.
Here at Buu-Quang temple, together with a group of Vietnamese bhikkhus,
who had received training in Cambodia, such as Venerables Thien-Luat, Buu-Chon, Kim-Quang,
Gioi-Nghiem, Tinh-Su, Toi-Thang, Giac-Quang, An-Lam, Venerable Ho-Tong started teaching
the Buddha Dhamma in Vietnamese language. He also translated many Buddhist materials from
the Pali Canon, and Theravada became part of Vietnamese Buddhist activity in the country.
In 1949-1950, Venerable Ho-Tong together with Mr Nguyen Van Hieu and
supporters built a new temple in Saigon, named Ky-Vien Tu (Jetavana Vihara). This temple
became the centre of Theravada activities in Vietnam, which continued to attract
increasing interest among the Vietnamese Buddhists. In 1957, the Vietnamese Theravada
Buddhist Sangha Congregation (Giao Hoi Tang Gia Nguyen Thuy Viet Nam) was formally
established and recognised by the government, and the Theravada Sangha elected Venerable
Ho-Tong as its first President, or Sangharaja.
During that time, Dhamma activities were further strengthened by the
presence of Venerable Narada from Sri Lanka. Venerable Narada had first came to Vietnam in
the 1930s and brought with him Bodhi tree saplings which he planted in many places
throughout the country. During his subsequent visits in the 1950s and 1960s, he attracted
a large number of Buddhists to the Theravada tradition, one of whom was the popular
translator, Mr Pham Kim Khanh who took the Dhamma name of Sunanda. Mr Khanh translated
many books of Venerable Narada, including The Buddha and His Teachings, Buddhism in a
Nutshell, Satipatthana Sutta, The Dhammapada, A Manual of Abhidhamma, etc [5]. Mr Khanh,
now in his 80s, lives in the USA and is still active in translating Dhamma books of
well-known meditation teachers from Thailand, Burma and Sri Lanka.
From Saigon, the Theravada movement spread to other provinces, and
soon, a number of Theravada temples for ethnic Viet Buddhists were established in many
areas in the South and Central parts of Vietnam. As at 1997, there were 64 Theravada
temples throughout the country, of which 19 were located in Saigon and its viccinity [6].
Beside Buu-Quang and Ky-Vien temples, other well known temples are Buu-Long, Giac-Quang,
Tam-Bao (Da-Nang), Thien-Lam and Huyen-Khong (Hue), and the large Sakyamuni Buddha
Monument (Thich-Ca Phat Dai) in Vung Tau.
In the 1960s and 1970s, a number of Vietnamese bhikkhus were sent
overseas for further training, mostly in Thailand and some in Sri Lanka and India.
Recently, this programme has been resumed and about 20 bhikkhus and nuns are receiving
training in Burma.
Historically, there has been a close relationship between the Cambodian
and the Vietnamese bhikkhus. In fact, in 1979, after the Khmer Rouge were driven out of
Phnom Penh, a group of Vietnamese bhikkhus led by Venerables Buu-Chon and Gioi-Nghiem came
to that city to re-ordain 7 Cambodian monks, and thus re-established the Cambodian Sangha
which had been destroyed by the Khmer Rouge when they were in control [7].
Dhamma literature in the Vietnamese language comes from two main
sources: the Pali Canon and the Chinese Agamas, together with a large collection of
Mahayana texts. Since 1980s, there has been an ongoing programme to publish these
materials by scholar monks of both Mahayana and Theravada traditions. So far, 27 volumes
of the first 4 Nikayas, translated by Venerable Minh-Chau, and the 4 Agamas, translated by
Venerables Tri-Tinh, Thien-Sieu and Thanh-Tu, have been produced. Work is under way to
translate and publish the 5th Nikaya. In addition, a complete set of the Abhidhamma,
translated by Venerable Tinh-Su, has been printed, together with the Dhammapada, the
Milinda-Panha, the Visudhi-Magga, the Abhidhammatthasangaha and many other work.
In summary, although Buddhism in Vietnam is predominantly of the
Mahayana form, the Theravada tradition is well recognised and is experiencing a growing
interest especially in the practice of meditation, in Nikaya-Agama literature and in
Abhidhamma studies.
Binh Anson,
Perth, Western Australia
08 June 1999
References
[1] Nguyen Lang, 1973. Viet Nam Phat Giao Su Luan, vol 1 (History of
Buddhism in Vietnam)
[2] Andrew Skilton, 1994. A Concise History of Buddhism
[3] Le Minh Qui, 1981. Hoa Thuong Ho-Tong (Biography of Maha Thera
Ho-Tong)
[4] Nguyen Van Hieu, 1971. Cong Tac Xay Dung Phat Giao Nguyen Thuy tai
Viet Nam (On The Work of Establishing Theravada Buddhism in Vietnam)
[5] Pham Kim Khanh, 1991. Narada Maha Thera
[6] Giac-Ngo Weekly, no. 63, 14-06-1997
[7] Thich Dong Bon, 1996. Tieu Su Danh Tang Viet Nam (Biography of
Famous Vietnamese Monks)
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Update: 01-11-2001