Critical Review
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Critical Review |
History of Buddhism in Vietnam
The History of Buddhism in Vietnam, edited by Nguyen TaiThu, is a study of the development of Buddhist doctrine in Vietnam since the millennia. Buddhism has been an integral part of the culture of Vietnam since its earliest recorded history. During that time, it has become intermingled with both Confucianism and Taoism to become a theology unique to Vietnam. Nguyen Tai Thu, argues that the importance of Buddhism has not diminished in light of the dramatic changes that Vietnam has gone through in the last thirty years. His introduction to the text argues that the reorganization of the government has actually increased Buddhist scholarship and preservation of religious art and architecture. Thu makes reference to a desire, held by both researchers and believers, to modernize Buddhist doctrine.
This book provides an excellent history of Vietnamese Buddhism. It spends a considerable amount of time discussing the migration of Buddhism from India and China to Vietnam. There are two distinct periods of Buddhist influence which have resulted in dramatic variations of belief and culture. This is an unusual fact, when taken into account the different societies each system of belief was filtered through before reaching Vietnam. The first influences were Mahayana style practices brought to Vietnam by Monks from India. The text estimates the date of this prostletizing at about a century before the common era. The second influence came two hundred years later during the height of Chinese colonization. This style of Buddhism was later known as the Theravada school. The history of these two sects in Vietnam, and their subsequent confluence with Taoism and Confucianism make up the bulk of the text.
Unfortunately, The History of Buddhism in Vietnam stops at the year 1935. This fact makes the text useless for a discussion of the impacts of either communism or the subsequent conflicts with the French and Americans on local Buddhist doctrine. If educators are looking to explain the Buddhist perspective during any of these modern conflicts this text won't be able to address those issues.
The History of Buddhism in Vietnam is also more detailed than most educators who are looking for a succinct overview of the theology will desire. It is, however, the perfect text for researchers and students of Buddhism who desire an incredibly detailed discussion of native theology. The text was originally written for use at an institute for the study of Buddhism in Vietnam. Having been written for this purpose, the book contains valuable insight from a local perspective. Its translation into English in1990 was done as an afterthought for scholars in English speaking countries. As a result, at times, the translation is a bit difficult to understand, but usually adequate.
The book assumes that the reader has more than a rudimentary knowledge of Buddhism and the distinction between schools. It is laced with references to missionaries, now extinct movements, and schisms in the larger scheme of Buddhist philosophy. It is a confusing text for those that are looking for an overview of Buddhism, but fascinating for any engaged reader. It provides a unique history of one of the few times that Buddhists actively sought populations to convert and engaged in sending out missionaries. The History of Buddhism in Vietnam also offers a dynamic discussion of the unique twist the religion has taken with the integration of Confucianism and Taoism. It also examines how these beliefs were reflected at a class level.
This text was originally published in Vietnamese in 1988. It was revised in 1990 by Giac Ngo and Triet Hoc, scholars at the Vietnam National Center for Social Sciences.
