Frequently Asked Questions

Hoa Hao Buddhism differs from the current other streams of Buddhism in that it does not maintain a clergy nor formal organisational structure. Therefore even though it supports monkhood, Hoa Hao Buddhism does not explicitly encourage its younger generation to follow this path and, instead, to actively engage in returning the Four Freat Debts of Gratitude, the Debt to Parents and Ancestors, the Debt to the Country, the Debt to Buddha, Dharma, and Shangha, and the Debt to Compatriots and Mankind. The Master said that, only if these debts were fully repaid, it would be very difficult for the practitioner to liberate themselves spiritually and physically. Being a monk does not necessarily keep the person always not obligated to repay these Debts, therefore exempt from reincarnating themselves in this world. But depending on where and when the person lives, they must perform their duties as required of their circumstances. For example if they live in a country which is invaded by a foreign power, they must take off their robes and put on an armour, ride a war horse, and wield a sword like any other soldier in times of war. In this case they must give first priority to paying the Debt to the Country because without a peaceful and independent country they cannot persue their path to Nirvana.

This engaged metaphysics may have arisen from the historical fact that Hoa Hao Buddhism was born at the time Vietnam was totally controlled by the colonial power which tried to galvanise all the beautiful Vietnamese traditions with materialism and exoticism, thus there was a need to stop the people from going down this path and to encourage them to join together for national liberation as the first priority. In addition, the Master said that the world is at the End of the Dharma propagation by Buddha Sakyamuni, thus many people do not understand His deep thoughts any longer, why should He try to teach them a lot of things which they cannot do? However this does not mean that the teachings of the Master lacks depth and it depends on the individual ability to learn as well.

-What precepts prevail in Hoa Hao Buddhist teachings?

The following are the predominant precepts:

a.-The Eight Commandments (at he end of the Volume Sixth)

b.-The Five Prohibitions: no alchoholism, no adultery, no telling a lie, no stealing, and no murdering

c.-The Eight Noble Truths

d.-Practicing Buddhism and Enlightening People

e.-Repaying Four Great Debts of Gratitude (as above)

f.-Eight Forbearances

g.-The Middle Way

-Is the lack of an organizational structure a significant barrier to the advancement of Hoa Hao Buddhism?

Not at all, and instead it opens up to all contributions by the people who choose to become Hoa Hao Buddhist, without having to make a vow nor adopting a separate name on conversion. This relfects the spirit of openness in Buddhism which does not dwell on formalalities. Because there is no hierarchical order, but a small board of management to administer its daily businesses, each Hoa Hao Buddhist local board has exercised a great deal of autonomy in relation to their counterparts higher up. The open nature of the villages in South Vietnam which has been shaped by the vast fertile lands for cultivation reflects on the structure of Hoa Hao Buddhist organisation which has no absolute authority in interpreting the Oracles nor imposes its decision from top down, but rather implement a well-known consultative process across the network for its major decisions. There is no tendency to control by the Central Board of Management over the local branches which are unified rather by respect for the principles inherent in Hoa Hao Buddhism than for personality. In the communist Vietnam, Hoa Hao Buddhism's lack of the traditional strong Central Board of Management has continued to help the Hoa Hao Buddhist maintain their unity without having to look for formal leadership. Therefore the leaders to be effective should only be able to lead from afar.

-What has inspired Hoa Hao Buddhism?

The Master said that His mission was exactly that of Buddha Sakyamuni 2600 years back, but is made adaptable to the modern world where the same principles of Buddhism might have lost their originality to mispractices, superstitions, and yearnings for immediate interests. In order to carry the Mission He said that his contemporary Buddhist system must undertake a radical reform from the Temple to the Society, which He said was represented by the Buddhism of the Tran, Le, Ly dynasties. Vietnam had owed its strengths and long-lasting peace to Buddhism duirng those periods when it was taken seriously by people from all walks of life, specially by the Noblesse. It was deteriorating over time because the succeeding dynasties which had upheld Buddhism wholeheartedly could not maintain their momentum. Thus Hoa Hao Buddhism is not only a movement to restore the glorious past of Vietnam in the thirteenth to sixteenth century, but is an attempt to bring Buddhism up to date with the requirements of the twentieth century and beyond.

-Is it possible to keep Hoa Hao Buddhism overseas in the same format as it used to be in pre-communist Vietnam?

It is impossible to keep Hoa Hao Buddhism overseas intact as it used to be in pre-communist Vietnam? It has changed a great deal since it becomes a religion of not only the Vietnamese but also of those who have adopted it as non-Vietnamese. Since there have been more members of the younger generation of Hoa Hao Buddhists who know about its principles and practices, they are even more open to more ideas and opinions about them in that they are better educated than their older generation and more aware of changes around them. It is difficult to expect that the members of the new generation of Hoa Hao Buddhists to read Hoa Hao Buddhism in Vietnamese only as many of them have grown up in a non-Vietnamese speaking environment. Thus there is a need to translate the Oracles into English and explain their contents while making the best use of advanced information technology.

-Is it possible to separate Hoa Hao Buddhists religious and political activities?

Religion and political activities are intimately interrelated from a Hoa Hao Buddhist point of view which however does not encourage the practitioner to seek power and glory. The fact that it encourages its followers to repay the Debt of Gratitude to the Country, the Debt to Compatriots and Mankind, shows that Hoa Hao Buddhism requires its followers to participate in politics to some extent. In this case political participation is necessary for the practitioner to effectively implement the appeal for compassion by the Buddha and to restore the country's independence and real peace so that people's lives can be better protected, equalities between peoples can be achieved, and a good social and moral order can be maintained.

-How can Hoa Hao Buddhists successfully foster a new generation of Hoa Hao Buddhists overseas?

There are no definite answer to this question. However we can propose the following options:

The current Hoa Hao Buddhist families must encourage their younger members to participate in any activity which the Hoa Hao Buddhist Congregations are running and, wherever possible, provide them with the best opportunity to train and act as leaders

The Hoa Hao Buddhist younger people should be wholeheartedly supported and rewarded, even symbolically, for all efforts which they make or propose to make, in relation to advancing the Hoa Hao Buddhist cause within the congregation or without it. In order to be consistent and systematic in approaching this, a separate budget should be set up to meet the goal of creating an examplary Hoa Hoa youth.

Depending on their age, the young people should be offered different classes to learn Hoa Hao Buddhism and related skills. Thus the Hoa Hao Buddhists like the Buddhist groups of the United Buddhist Churchc, should form up groups and run their own activities. Their activities can be integrated with the adult ones on major occasions to encourage the growth and expansion of Hoa Hao youth in various areas of congregational operation.

-How should the overseas Hoa Hao Buddhist community define their role in relation to their Hoa Hao Buddhist counterpart at home who is living in a very unfavorable political context?

I think that the overseas Hoa Hao Buddhist community should undertake the following activities:

Internally,

Foster fellowship among themselves;
Develop strong links with one another toward the goal of promoting the Hoa Hao Buddhist cause around the world;
Provide training and support to members of the younger generation for leadership and organisational skills;
Develop and maintain a representative structure which can provide strong leadership and effective guidance toward achieving the objectives of Hoa Hao Buddism;
Develop and maintain a political and social arm which can support the Hoa Hao Buddhist Board of Management in pursuit of social justice and respect for human rights in Vietnam.

Externally,

Lobby with government and people in their host countries in support of human rights movements in Vietnam, including the ones initiated by the Hoa Hao Buddhist in Vietnam;
Provide financial assistance and mental support to those who are at the frontline of the above movements;
Lobby with international human rights organisations, similarly interested agencies and organised relgious groups, compatriots, and the UN, to isolate the regime of Ha Noi, to bring a pressure to bear on the Communist Party of Vietnam to relinquish its dictatorship over the people of Vietnam, and to allow a true democracy to take place;
Keep informing the general public of the gloomy scheme which the CPV always eschews in order to maintain its reins over the pro-democracy campaign.

What is the role which the Hoa Hao Buddhist congregation should play in supporting the Vietnamese community overseas?

As a religious group the Hoa Hao Buddhist congregation should be the driving force in any moral and social issue which affects the Vietnamese community overseas ie. gambling, drug and alchohol abuse. It should work closely with the leaders and representative organisations of the Vietnamese community to achieve their common objectives, such as maintaining and promoting Vietnamese good traditions and values.

-How should Hoa Hao Buddhists define their role in relation to other religious groups in theory and practice?

It should create a strong link with other religious groups in pursuit of common objectives, such as human rights, campaign for emergency relief, prayer for world peace, and victims of natural disasters. If possible it should have an interreligious Council to regularly share information and to develop longer term strategies to address issues more effectively and consistently.

-What should the Hoa Hao Buddhist young people perceive their role in respect of the future of Hoa Hao Buddhism overseas and at home?

The Hoa Hao Buddhist young people are the future of the Hoa Hao Buddhism both overseas and at home. Thus the older generation now has the obligation to provide them with all avenues to making themselves sound and effective leaders of the Hoa Hao Buddhist community. At home the situation is not favorable for any public activity toward achieving this goal, however they should be well morally equipped with principles and practices to readily face up to challenges should these arise.

-When, where, and how was Hoa Hao Buddhism founded?

Hoa Hao Buddhism was founded by Master So Phu Huynh in 18 May, the Year of the Cat, 1939, in the Hoa Hao Village, Tan Chau, Chau Doc, Vietnam. Master So Phu Huynh launched His Mission which He said was assigned to Him by the Buddha of the Southern Sea and His Master to save the world, especially Vietnam, from suffering the catastropic consequences which their ignorance and greed would cause upon themselves rather than the Natural Force. On the verge of the Launch, He suddenly enlightened Himself at the age of 19, took His father, Mr Bo Cong Huynh, currently the Head of the Village, on a trip around the Seven Mountains, and cured many severe diseases of local villagers miraculously.

-How many Hoa Hao Buddhists are there around the world?

In Vietnam, there is an estimated 5 to 8 millions who are mostly concentrated in the Delta of Mekong. Outside Vietnam there has not been any survey taken over the number. It is very difficult to estimate because we cannot base our assessment on those who regularly attended the ceremonies held by the Hoa Hao Congregations around the world. Up to a few hundred gather at the venue of the ceremony each time depending on where the congregation is. There are about 36 branches of Hoa Hao Buddhism around the world, therefore by multiplying 200 with 36, we can come up with 7,200.00 members. The real number can be much higher because there are lots of those who have never been to their local congregations or have not been very regularly.

-What kind of organisational structure is adopted by Hoa Hao Buddhists?

The Hoa Hao Buddhists adopt a very loose structure of organisation which vary in degree of control from period to period. The following periods can be used to differentiate their respective structures:

1939 - 1954: The structure was highly close in terms of mobilising mass people for the cause of fighting the invaders and defending villages from infiltration by the communist-led Alliance for Independence of Vietnam (Viet Minh). There are two sub-periods: one under Master's leadership from 1939 to 1947 when there was no question of ultimate authority over any issue relating to the congregation, and the other under the collective leadership shared by the three regional command structures which had a great deal of independence from each other;
1954 - 1975: The structure was relatively high as there was a more open approach to the Central Board of Management based at the Hoa Hao Village. It had been seen as a threat to its authority by the Government of the RVN for a time, especially under the regime of Ngo Dinh Diem. However t the Central Board of Management acted more as a coordinating agency. The proselyting activities are more centrally controlled than locally for the sake of cost effectiveness and consistency.
1975 to 1999: There are two streams of Hoa Hao Buddhism which appeared after the 30 April 1975 when South Vietnam was reunified with its Northern half by force and has been susbject to the rule of the Communist Party of Vietnam which was very suspicious of any religious activities. No doubt the domestic Hoa Hao Buddhist has to suffer from the whole confiscation of all their proselyting facilities deployed at almost every village in the Delta of Mekong. They no longer have the Central Board of Management nor local networks. No freedom of assembly and speech, and they are restricted to worshipping at home. For the Hoa Hao Buddhist who successfully escaped to Western democracies, they reorganised themselves into local branches which culminated in the Central Board of Management, again as a coordinating body for international Hoa Hao Buddhism. Its structure is very loose and currently there are three groups who claimed themselves to be the Central Board of Management. This is considered one of the most unfortunate phenomena by the ordinary Hoa Hao Buddhists who see in it the lack of respect for Master Huynh's teachings embodied in the "Eight Commandments'.
1999 - 2000: There was a rising tendency to reunite the three groups together and to effectively join force with the domestic Hoa Hao Buddhist movement for restorating the freedom of religion. Taking advantage of the momentum which arose in the last tremendous turn-out of Hoa Hao Buddhists and sympathisers on the anniversary of the 18th of May celebration, the domestic movement stood up to the challenges posed by the Ha Noi regime which might just have wanted to see how faithful the Hoa Hao Buddhists was to their religion. Given the very high response to the open celebration of the 18th of May BirthDay of Hoa Hao Buddhism, it became more cautious and returned its suppressive policy. Thus the change in the religious policy of Vietnamese government confused the strategies of the overseas leaders of Hoa Hao Buddhism who may have to reunite themselves as soon as possible in order to effectively deal with the problem at home, otherwise they face the majority of Hoa Hao Buddhists who are rather indifferent to their appeal than lending their hand to any group.

-How many volumes are there in the Oracles written by Lord So Phu Huynh? What are they?

There are six volumes of Oracles called 'Sam Giang" written by Lord So Phu Huynh. The first five were in poems and, in the chronological order, named as "A Tour around Six Provinces", "The Madman's Exhortations", "Appeal for Returning to one's Good Nature", " Self-Enlightening Readings", and "Appeal for Doing the Good Thing". The sixth volume is in prose and called " Guide to Living and Self-Improving as A Disciple".

-What are the memorable days of Hoa Hao Buddhism?

There are three commemorative days which consist of: according to Lunar Calendar

The 25th of November, the Birthdate of Lord So Phu Huynh
The 18th of May, the Birthdate of the Religion
The 25th of February, the day of Lord Huynh temporarily terminating His Mission