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Vietnamese Buddhists reject state's financial interference

Controversial draft guidelines seek to control merit money for Buddhist religious sites
Vietnamese Buddhists reject state's financial interference

Buddhist monks conduct a Bathing Buddha ceremony in Hue in May. (Photo: phatgiaohue.vn)

Published: July 01, 2021 06:32 AM GMT
Updated: July 01, 2021 06:41 AM GMT

Buddhists in Vietnam have urged the government to drop controversial draft guidelines that seek to control financial issues of Buddhist religious sites.

The seven-clause draft issued by the Finance Ministry in late April provides strict guidelines on managing donations, offerings and funds for festivals and religious monuments. Heads of monument sites are asked to report financial issues to authorities. People are given instructions on how to donate money and valuables to religious festivals and monuments.

The executive council of the government-sanctioned Vietnam Buddhist Sangha said the draft fails to define tien cong duc or merit money. The term is only used by Buddhists and followers of a few religions and beliefs, not by all religions in the country.

The council said the draft does not ensure the equality of all religions before the law as it aims at controlling merit money in Buddhism while other faiths who receive “offerings” that are the same as merit money from their followers are not affected by the draft.

The powerful body said merit money is offered to Buddhist organizations, places of worship and dignitaries to undertake religious activities, build facilities and support dignitaries’ lives. The Sangha has the right to receive those offerings that become their own legal possessions and to use them for religious purposes that are not against religious teachings and state laws.

It said that in many Buddhist facilities officially recognized as historic monuments, those in charge manage funds and offerings for activities and construction; the government-run management of monuments controls donations to maintain facilities, restore and promote monuments; and the boards of festivals manage sponsored funds for festivals.

They said previous governments never interfered in financial management at pagodas

The Buddhist council said merit money offered to religious places and dignitaries is completely different from donations for festivals sponsored by benefactors. The government has confused the two.

Buddhists who make offerings intentionally “show their religious faith, carry out teaching and rites, and produce good things in worship places,” Venerable Thich Duc Thien, secretary general of the council, said in a statement sent to government bodies on June 15.

Venerable Thien said if the government directly manages and decides the use of merit money, it will secularize and desacralize Buddhists’ merit money and offerings, damage their faith and disrespect the will of those who make offerings.

The council’s vice-president said that if the Finance Ministry does not drop the vague proposals on managing financial issues at religious monuments, the Sangha will change the term “merit money” to “offerings to the Sangha” in its documents and activities so that it can protect its right to legal ownership.

He said the council had gathered all suggestions from Buddhist bodies across the country before he sent them to the government.

Many Buddhists said pagodas and religious places that are recognized as monuments by the government belong to the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, and monks and nuns who head them have the right to run funds and offerings.

They said previous governments never interfered in financial management at pagodas.

There are an estimated 41,000 historic monuments across Vietnam, many of them Buddhist pagodas and sites, which were used as military bases in wars against foreign invaders.

The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, the country’s largest Buddhist organization, was established in 1981 and has as its motto: “Buddhist teaching, Nation and Socialism.”

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