Social Compass

The renaissance of Buddhism in Vietnamese society poses the question of its role in the formation of the collective personality. The Great Buddhist scriptural tradition is the expression of a conception of the individual and the universe. The basic works have been translated into Vietnamese, together with their popular versions. Traditional religious practices, bi-monthly pagoda visits, health rites, the conservation of ancestors' ashes in urns in pagodas have been reintroduced and form part of a system of thought and action. For the Buddhist, every event enters into a series of causes and effects, life being a process strewn with sufferings and joys. The ideal is to avoid misery and enter into Nirvana, aided by the Buddha and the whole range of Buddhist practices. The Buddhist influence leads not only to acceptance of the difficult conditions of life, to a disciplined life, to compassion for others, but also to a pessimistic outlook on existence and a certain negligence of human free will. In the present transformation of Vietnamese society towards a market economy, there is an ideological and moral crisis in the development of individualism, indifference and egoism. The Buddhist principles of solidarity in misery, of compassion, of moral non-violence, free of hate or vengeance, form an antidote to the new values. Under the influence of intellectuals, the magical aspects of Buddhism have been minimized and the prescriptions adapted to the circumstances of modern life.

The author describes Vietnamese Buddhism as comprising two forms quite different from one another. One is popular, the other is more intellectual. The popular version is more acculturated in Vietnamese society to the point of constituting a psychological and social factor of major importance. It is to be distinguished from the Buddhism of other countries by its specifically feminine character and by its valuing of compassion and health for the people, attributed to the Buddha.

The author situates the messianic movements of the Mekong Delta in the social, economic and political contexts of the colonial period during which they emerged. Beyond their religious and mystical aspects, these sects sought to recreate a social link where the rural society saw its social structure disintegrating and where the peasant patriotic movements they actively supported suffered defeat. It is within this apocalyptical perspective that they were able to develop their guiding principles, such as a return to roots and a cultural and religious syncretism.