Vietnamese Buddhism

Vietnamese Buddhism

A major world religion, from its start, Buddhism spread quickly. Over 2,000 years ago, Buddhism was di­rectly intro uced from India into Vietnam. Start­ing as an exotic religion, Buddhism was promptly assimilated with local agricul­tural deities to create a doctrinal and ide­ological system unique to Vietnam.

As soon as Buddhism was intro­duced to Vietnam, it became obviously different from the original form and from forms of Buddhism found else where. During the course of Vietnam’s national foundation, a time characterized by lenience and fraternity, Buddhism was integrated into the local culture and engrained in people’s minds to exert a profound influence on all aspects of society. The impact of Buddhism re­mains significant, as shown through the existence of over 15,000 Buddhist insti­tutions including pagodas, monasteries and prayer halls, along with Buddhist hu­manitarian values and doctrines.

Early symbols of Vietnamese Bud­dhism include Buddha images created in the ancient kingdom of Phu Nam in the early centuries AD. Made of wood, stone, gold, etc., these large statues were took the forms of standing and preaching Buddhas. A 1991 excavation of Dong Duong Buddhist Monastery in Quang Nam revealed the wealth of ancient Champa Buddhist arts in the 9th century under the reign of King In­dravarman II. Remaining relics include com­plexes of stone and terracotta temple towers. These are among the largest and most unique sites not just in the Champa Kingdom but also in all of Southeast Asia. In particular, many large-size bas-reliefs offer brilliant vi­sual accounts of the history of Buddhism.

In North Vietnam, Buddhism was also in­troduced early as Luy Lau (Bac Ninh) became a major Buddhist hub. As soon as it entered Vietnam, Buddhism managed to integrate with cults of natural deities based on Man Nuong legends that were the origins of the Four Deities religious system. However, it was not until the 10th century, during the dawn of the Grand Viet’s sovereignty, that Buddhism became the national religion. In the former capital of Hoa Lu (Ninh Binh), many famous pagodas were built in distinct architectural styles. Remaining remnants in­clude ancient stone stupas such as Lang~ Nghiem stupa in the Single Pillared Pagoda and the Usnisavijaya Dharani stupa.

Vietnamese Buddhism

From left to right

- Statue of Sakyamuni as a newborn Crimson and gilded wood Restored Le dynasty, 17th-18th century.

- Shakyamuni Buddha statue Bronze. Restored Le dynasty, 17th – 18th century.

- Statue of Avalokitesvara with child Crimson and gilded wood, Nguyen dynasty, 19th-20th century

After the 11 th century, a string of pagodas were built with collec­tions of Buddhist statues modeled after archetypical Vietnamese women: the Amitabha Buddhist statue with her benevolent beauty (Phat Tich Pagoda, Bac Ninh – 11th century); thousand­eyed and thousand-armed Guan Yin Buddha statue featuring 11 benevolent and tender faces and a halo (But Thap Pagoda, Bac Ninh – 17th century); and a statue of Sakyamuni entering Nirvana full of optimism about the spirit of tran­scendence (Chern Temple, Tu Liem Dis­trict, Hanoi – 18th century). Buddhism’s integration was also demonstrated through the assimilation of Buddhism and folk cults of natural deities includ­ing the Cloud Deity, Rain Deity, Light­ning Deity, Thunderbolt Deity and Mother Goddess. Such assimilation fur­ther intensified the feminine look of Buddha statues, also considered a God in the Red River Delta…

AFTER THE 11TH CENTURY, A STRING OF PAGODAS WERE BUILT WITH COLLECTIONS OF BUDDHIST STATUES MODELED AFTER ARCHETYPICAL VIETNAMESE WOMEN

The spirit of Buddhism wa~epre­sented in virtually all aspects of Viet­namese life, from religious architecture and arts to consumer items, particu” larly in Ly and Tran dynasty ceramics. These plates, bowls, altars and cande­labras of blue, ivory or brown enamel feature slim shapes, flared brims, elon­gated bottoms and lotus petal reliefs to create a sense of flower-like purity and delicacy.

A unique characteristic of Viet­namese Buddhism was the foundation of a native Zen School – Truc Lam Zen School founded by King Tran Nhan Tong. This powerful ruler at the height of his glory was willing to leave everything behind and embrace stoic Buddhist prac­tices as a monk. He managed to become awakened and became the Founder of a Zen school. His “devout pleasure” in this mundane world was clearly highlighted in this poem he wrote:

“Religious pleasure in this world is up to destinies

Eating and sleeping should be free Turn a blind eye on worldly treas­ures

And contemplate Zen from what you see”

Buddhism was a companion of the nation as our country developed. Buddhist cultural essences were subject to change to suit different historical eras. Many valuable Buddhist relics dating back to theiLe, Mac, Resurrected Le, Tay Son and Nguyen dynasties are forceful examples. Thousands of pago­das all over the country have been built and restored; bells and statues com­pleted; numerous Buddhist scriptures printed or carved; and many religious paintings produced. In these eras, pagodas reflected old values of mod­esty, simplicity and harmony with the mortal world.

Buddhism is not just a religion or philosophy, but a way of life. The nature of Buddhism is largely based on toler­ance and forgiveness. As a result, once this belief system spread to Vietnam, it went native and served as a genuine companion throughout the highs and lows of history..

Le Thi Tuyet.

Vietnamese Buddhism
First post at: Vietnam Culture