New Việt Nam Quốc Tự tower to commemorate UBCV of 1963?
Mike High mike.high at earthlink.net
Wed Jul 29 09:39:56 PDT 2015
I have received a couple of messages off-list indicating that the Viện Hóa Đạo was indeed based at the Việt Nam Quốc Tự complex.
Also, these two pictures of the front gate of the Việt Nam Quốc Tự are identified as the “Vien Hoa Dao pagoda."
https://www.flickr.com/photos/13476480@N07/9717575658 <https://www.flickr.com/photos/13476480@N07/9717575658>
The second photograph is particularly interesting, since it gives a view into the compound beyond the gate, showing the same building as that in the LIFE photograph.
The Quốc Tự complex was still under construction in 1966, having been inaugurated in 1964 with land and funds contributed by the government in what was presumably a goodwill offering to the newly-formed (post-Diệm) Unified Buddhist Church.
It is interesting to compare the role of state sponsorship of the Việt Nam Quốc Tự in 1964 with the recent news reports on the expansion of the site, with a donation of land from the city government,
Even more interesting is the description of the new tower that replaces the former 7-story tower:
Most Venerable Thich Tri Quang, Vice Chairman of the Viet Nam Buddhist Sangha’s Executive Council, said the project will be
a 13-storey, 63-metre-high tower to symbolise the spirit of service and unity of 13 organisations, associations and sects
in the establishment of the Unified Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in 1963.
http://en.vietnamplus.vn/Home/HCM-City-Vietnam-Quoc-Tu-Pagoda-rebuilt/201410/56537.vnplus <http://en.vietnamplus.vn/Home/HCM-City-Vietnam-Quoc-Tu-Pagoda-rebuilt/201410/56537.vnplus>
Đặc biệt, bảo tháp tại Việt Nam Quốc Tự 13 tầng, cao 63 m với ý nghĩa biểu tượng cho tinh thần phụng sự,
thống nhất của 13 tổ chức, hội đoàn, tông phái tham gia thành lập Giáo hội PGVN Thống nhất và cuộc vận động Phật giáo miền Nam năm 1963.
http://giacngo.vn/thoisu/2014/10/12/3B741A/ <http://giacngo.vn/thoisu/2014/10/12/3B741A/>
I am amazed by the dedication of the tower to the founding of the "Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam" in Saigon in 1963-1964, considering that the modern-day UBCV is still banned and its leaders under close watch.
:: Mike High
Author | Researcher
Great Falls, Virginia, USA
PS. As I understand it, the UBCV was formed by a conference at the Ấn Quang pagoda in 1963-1964, and ground was broken at the Việt Nam Quốc Tự site in April 1964. The date 1963 seems to be used in most of these press statements to emphasize the UBCV’s origins in the protests against the Diệm regime. The Việt Nam Quốc Tự and the UBCV were also involved in numerous protests against the short-lived military and civilian regimes that followed, but those later events seem to be a bit too complex to fit into the commemorative narrative.
David Brown nworbd at gmail.com
Wed Jul 29 12:08:28 PDT 2015
*"I am amazed by the dedication of the tower to the founding of the
"Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam" in Saigon in 1963-1964, considering
that the modern-day UBCV is still banned and its leaders under close watch.*
"
Not so amazing, Mike. The state sanctioned Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (Giáo
Hội Phật Giáo VN) portrays itself as the authentic product of post '75
unification of northern and southern (UBCV) Buddhist 'churches,' and
dismisses the rump UBCV headed by Thích Quang Độ as a group of dissident
bitter enders. And, in fact, only a few pagodas appear to remain
affiliated with the UBCV.
Mike High mike.high at earthlink.net
Wed Jul 29 20:13:47 PDT 2015
David,
I can understand the official rationale—that the SRV-sponsored Sangha inherited everything that went before, and the UBCV simply ceased to exist. But that rationale has been around from the start. As far as I know, the powers that be have only recently begun to conjure up the activist Buddhist past. (For example, the Thích Quảng Đức memorial park that was inaugurated in 2010, with explicit references to his sacrifice for Buddhism and religious freedom.) I haven’t run across anything that prepared me for a 13-story tower commemorating the southern-founded UBCV, which was affiliated in many ways with the RVN.
There also might be a bit of regional pride involved, perhaps not too different from the claims that were once made for Tôn Đức Thắng as the founder of the first “red union” in Vietnam. (This claim by Trần Văn Giàu, once so controversial, is now posted for all to see in the TDT museum on the riverfront.)
I’m not saying that the UBCV memorial is some sort of breakthrough in the government’s attitude towards religion. In fact, I suspect the government’s encouragement of Buddhist monumentalism is a way of coopting any energy that might be devoted to less desirable things like relief work and/or social activism.
Speaking of monumentalism, I saw plans for a gigantic Buddha sculpture to be carved into the side of Núi Sam when I was in Châu Đốc a few months ago. Don’t know who’s paying for it, but it seems likely that someone’s tax dollars are involved.
Anyway, these are just my impressions from recent trips. If there’s a longer tradition of tributes to the founding of the UBCV ca 1963-1964, I’d be interested in any references/observations.
:: Mike High
Author | Researcher
Great Falls, Virginia, USA
PS. To be honest, I’ve completely overlooked Xà Lợi, Ấn Quang, and Quốc Tự, in my periodic visits, being somewhat preoccupied with the older sites in Saigon—perhaps they have some signage or photos of the war-era protests?
peter hansen peterhansen.aus at gmail.com
Wed Jul 29 20:19:29 PDT 2015
Probably apropos of not much, I lived across the road (3 Thang 2) from Viet
Nam Quoc Tu during 2003-4. It was a remarkably popular tourist attraction,
with devotees mingling with those out to admire the views from the top of
the Tower, or showing their bravado, on the occasions it was open to be
climbed (Tet and Vesak).
Peter Hansen
Ex-Lecturer,
Catholic Theological College,
Melbourne, Australia
Vu Thi Quynh Giao vtq.giao at gmail.com
Wed Jul 29 23:49:17 PDT 2015
As for the Thich Quang Duc memorial park, I heard a different narrative
from the State, which says the monk immolated himself to protest against
the Diem regime and accordingly support Ho Chi Minh's Democratic Republic
of Vietnam.
Vu Thi Quynh Giao
Independent Researcher
Ho Chi Minh City
Peter Hansen peterhansen.aus at gmail.com
Thu Jul 30 00:02:41 PDT 2015
Co Quynh Giao, that is undoubtedly the narrative, to be found in secondary school textbooks and, if memory serves me right, the explanatory plaque on the monument on CMT8.
Peter Hansen.
Sent from Samsung Mobile
Mike High mike.high at earthlink.net
Thu Jul 30 13:21:13 PDT 2015
The phrase “religious freedom and equality” crops up in some of the speeches and articles relating to the memorial. (I thought it was the dedication ceremony, but apparently the references came at subsequent anniversary observances.) The wording stuck in my mind.
From a Tuoi Tre story on the 2013 ceremony at the memorial:
Addressing the ceremony, Most Venerable Thich Tri Quang, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) Executive Board, said, “The Bodhisattva has left for the Vietnamese nation in particular, and humankind in general, a sacred message about the value and significance of life – which are respect, equality, solidarity, harmony, freedom and happiness.”
The Most Venerable also said the self-immolation sparked a sense of solidarity among Buddhists nationwide and brought the fight for religious equality and freedom to a success in 1963. He actively fought for religious freedom and equality in the southern region in 1963 when it was governed by the US-backed Saigon administration.
http://tuoitrenews.vn/society/9946/tribute-offered-to-bodhisattva-thich-quang-duc <http://tuoitrenews.vn/society/9946/tribute-offered-to-bodhisattva-thich-quang-duc>
A similar phrase appears at a 2013 observance at the Quán Sứ pagoda in Hanoi.
He [Thích Quảng Đức] actively fought for religious freedom and equality in the southern region in 1963 when it was governed by the US-backed Saigon administration…
http://en.vietnamplus.vn/Home/Bodhisattva-Thich-Quang-Duc-commemorated/20135/34991.vnplus <http://en.vietnamplus.vn/Home/Bodhisattva-Thich-Quang-Duc-commemorated/20135/34991.vnplus>
My admittedly unscientific impression over the years has been that the government has been reluctant to make too much of Thích Quảng Đức—despite the powerful appeal of his story—because his suicide Inevitably opens the door to questions about the role of religion and legitimate protest that can’t be confined to the textbook narrative.
Could this imposing commemorative statue (4m or 6.3m?) have been built in 1995, or 2000? Seems doubtful to me.
Is there something new in the tone of the official speeches honoring Thích Quảng Đức’s contributions to "tự do tín ngưỡng” and "bình đẳng giữa các tôn giáo”? It sounds a bit “gentler” than I would have expected, but I don’t have any back-history on these terms. I’d be interested in any observations on that score.
:: Mike High
Author | Researcher
Great Falls, Virginia, USA
PS. The plaque at the memorial does not mention religous freedom/equality, but salutes Thích Quảng Đức's sacrifice for the "Buddhist way, peace, independence for the people, and reunification of the country" (đạo pháp, hòa bình, độc lập của dân tộc, thộng nhất đất nước).
David Brown nworbd at gmail.com
Thu Jul 30 13:41:57 PDT 2015
A very thoughtful post, Mike. Both "tự do tín ngưỡng” and "bình đẳng giữa
các tôn giáo,” however conditioned in practice, are rights guaranteed by
Vietnam's constitution, i.e., excellent fodder for public speeches. Here's
the 2013 version: *Everyone shall enjoy freedom of belief and religion:
he or she can follow any religion or follow none.* *All religions are equal
before law. * There's a caveat, though: *No one has the right to misuse
(lợi dụng) freedom of belief and religion to violate the law. *
Mike High mike.high at earthlink.net
Thu Jul 30 14:41:21 PDT 2015
Ah, well, I’m thinking a lot about the context and the practice. After all, the government felt compelled to change the name of Tự Do street after 1975, even though “Freedom" was part of its tripartite motto.
I’m used to hearing about Thích Quảng Đức in relation to the “tyrannical Diem regime,” as Quynh Giao mentions. Actually applauding someone for protesting for religious freedom and religious equality—that seems a newer thing to me.
:: Mike