Visiting a pagoda and worship in pagoda were never before of my interest, confided Tran Lan Anh, an employee of aprivately-run company in Hanoi. It has changed.
“I got accustomed to worshipping at pagodas with my motherin law,” the 35-year-old Hanoian said, elaborating that she now visitsthe Tran Quoc pagoda, perhaps the most ancient pagoda in Vietnam, on everyfirst and fifteenth day of the lunar months.
“Now, when an occasion comes around, I bring flowers, fruitsand joss sticks for the Buddha to pray for peace and happiness for myfamily,” she said.
Unlike Anh, many Vietnamese people do not visit pagodas on aregular basis but still take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma and in theSangha.
For them, and Buddhist followers alike, burning incensededicated to the Buddha and praying for peace are common practices.
Only when visiting a pagoda, can one feel peace andtranquility, free from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, in the rising smokeof burnt joss sticks and the chanting of the Dharma by worshippers, monks andnuns.
Holding on a belief grown strongly among Buddhist followers,many month-old babies are “sold symbolically” to pagodas so that theycan be given strength by Lord Buddha for an easier upbringing.
And, many families have placed the images of their deceasedmembers at pagodas, to keep the souls of those beloved from feelinglonely and isolated.
Those activities have indicated lively how Buddhism wasencompassed into the way Vietnamese people think and live, making a deepimpression on Vietnamese culture.
Until the Ly dynasty (1009-1224), and later, the Trandynasty (1225-1400), Buddhism flourished wealthily and has now become thedominant religion in Vietnam. The country currently has around 45 millionBuddhist followers, 45,000 monks and nuns, and 14,775 pagodas, monasteries andtemples nationwide.
In 1981, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha brought together ninesects, becoming a strong organisation and contributing to nationalunification by adopting the mantra Buddhism – Nation – Socialism.
Buddhism and traditional spiritual beliefs are closelylinked together and co-exist peacefully as evidenced by the Vietnamese’s worshipof deities at shrines and the Mother Goddess at temples.
The four most worshipped deities at pagodas represent theweather Gods of Cloud, Rain, Thunder and Lightning, cast in the style ofa statue of Buddha. It is according to each pagoda that a Deity or theMother Goddess is worshipped in the back hall of the pagoda structure. TheBuddha is always worshipped in the front hall of the pagoda. The Vietnamesealso often bring deified emperors, Gods, Saints, Goddesses, villages’guardians, the God of Land and national heroes to pagodas to worship.
Vietnamese Buddhism comprises of three main sects, namelyZen, Pure Land and Tantra, explained Most Venerable Thich Minh Thanh,Head of the 2,000 year- old Thang Nghiem Pagoda, which is located inCu Khe commune, 15km south of central Hanoi, and where three nationalmasters during the feudal period were brought up and national heroTran Quoc Tuan (1232-1300) lived until he was 13 years old.
Pure Land is a kind of meditation mainly based on the powerof Buddha while reciting Sukhavati Vyuha Sutra. It is easy to practicebut difficult to believe and understand. The Zen sect focuses on creating anuntroubled mind, removing all bad thoughts and praying with the aim of‘beholding Buddhism and attaining enlightenment’, or using the mind tochange mind. Meanwhile, Tantra focuses on chanting, to ward off evilspirits to attain enlightenment.
Since entering Vietnam, these sects have developed in theirown ways. For example, Tantra is divided into India’s Tibetan Tantra andVietnam’s Kriya Tantra, despite a lot of differences in the ways of reachingenlightenment. Another example is the famous Truc Lam Zen sect, founded byBuddhist King Tran Nhan Trong (1258-1308) which has left a lastingmark on Vietnamese philosophy.
For Buddhism to grow strongly, the most important factor isthe role played by monks, said Most Venerable Thich Minh Thanh.
“It is necessary for monks to keep a pure mind, look fortranquility, never be afraid of poverty and avoid luxuries, not only inmaterial terms but more importantly, in the mind,” the Most Venerable said.
To follow that, the quiet Thang Nghiem Pagoda under themanagement by Most Venerable Thich Minh Thanh, holds Dharma lectures everySaturday to teach villagers how to act in the right, proper ways.
Apart from that, through such social activities as providingtreatment of diseases using traditional medicines, Thang Nghiem hasbecome an integralpart of the life of Cu Khe residents, like other pagodas inrural Vietnam.-VNA
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Worshipping the Four Immortals – Vietnam’s unique belief
