Vietnamese Buddhism in America

This page seeks to shed light on the broad range of practices that Vietnamese Buddhism has contributed to the American religious landscape since its arrival due to the impact of the Vietnam War. Despite the presence of almost one million Buddhist Vietnamese and their Buddhist temples and centers, flourishing in nearly in every state of America, the diversity of this Buddhist tradition, however, has largely been neglected in the current academic study of religion. The major practices, religious activities, adaptations, as well as obstacles faced by the tradition are still issues to be addressed. My conversations grounded in an immigrant's experience and perspective, is intended to fill that gap, adding a more balanced and detailed view to the study of Vietnamese Buddhism. By talking to immgrants i was able to  establish the presence of major Vietnamese Buddhist practices, illuminating their contributions to American life, showing their adaptation and impact, and projecting the future prospect of the tradition.  After different converstaion it was eary to draw on the theme of survivial. The Vietnamese immigrants themselves, though trying to retain their Vietnamese Buddhist heritage, have initiated adaptation in order to serve the cultural and spiritual needs of their community in America. Adaptation is a survival mechanism for the immigrant communities.

Since the arrival of the Vietnamese refugees in the United States of America in 1975, the
Vietnamese Buddhist tradition has also made its presence. Three decades later, in 2005, the
tradition continues to flourish and Vietnamese Buddhist centers are established across the states.
Yet, the Vietnamese Buddhist tradition and its activities have not been documented and
misunderstanding about the practices of the tradition still goes on without clarifications. 

The United States' constitutional protection of religious freedom has provided a cultural
framework conducive to the continuation and expansion of the Vietnamese Buddhist tradition.
Vietnamese monastic training is flourishing; while more lay people pursue their Buddhist
activities, including intensive practices. Buddhist centers run by the laity, an American
improvement to the older tradition, continue to develop ways to enhance lay practices and to
preserve the Vietnamese identity. As the laity gain more financial security after years of
working hard to sustain their lives in the United States, they have more opportunities to devote to
serious Buddhist practices. Working together, the monastic and the lay sectors of Vietnamese
society have turned obstacles into opportunities for the expansion of their tradition. According
to the census of 2000, Vietnamese Buddhists in the U.S. number roughly 900,000, about 80% of
the 1,122,528 Vietnamese here. Vietnamese Buddhist temples, numbering at least 279, have 
2 flourished in almost every state of the Union. 

Vietnamese Buddhism came to America in two waves, one during the Vietnam War and
then after the fall of Saigon in 1975. During the war, Thích Nhҩt Hҥnh introduced Buddhist
mindfulness meditation when he was invited to the U.S. in 1961. Another meditation master,
Thích Thiên Ân, initiated Mahayana inward Buddhist meditation when he came to University of
California, Los Angeles, in 1966 as a visiting professor. He taught Pure Land Buddhism
together with meditation as a unified method. These two leading Vietnamese Buddhist masters
together popularized Vietnamese Buddhist meditation in the U.S. After the 1975 wave, when
Vietnamese Buddhists escaping the Communist regime arrived in America as refugees, all major
Vietnamese Buddhist practices became established in the United States. 

Vietnamese Buddhism has flourished among the Vietnamese communities in America from 1992 to present. Vietnamese Buddhist temples have appeared in every state where there is a sizable Vietnamese Buddhist comminity, including Hawaii. The increasing number of Buddhist centers established will serve as evidence for the positive results of making adaptations. Both the activities and obstacles observed at those Buddhist centers will shed further light on the process of adaptation. The traditional role of Vietnamese Buddhist temples has been as religious centers which serve the spiritual needs of the populace. The temples have always been recognized as a place for chanting sutras, practicing Buddhism, studying the Dharma, and making dedications to
deceased ancestors. However, in America they also function as cultural centers where the
Vietnamese language is taught to young people and various types of cultural activities, such as
Vietnamese vegetarian cooking, are made available to people of all ages. Some have even
managed to organize musical performances during certain days of traditional festivity.
Ubiquitously, Vietnamese Buddhist temples continue to be the destination for visits made during
Tet, the Traditional Vietnamese New Year. These additional functions of the Vietnamese
Buddhist temple in America will be analyzed.