[Buddha-l] Unrest at Bat Nha Monastery In Bao Loc, Vietnam

[jkirk]

I just received permission from Nguyen Chung to cross-post his
message about this issue from another list.
Today the BBC online has an article about the goings-on at Bat
Nha monastery where Thich Nhat Hanh originally got permission to
underwrite additional buildings around the place so that groups
of his students (mostly from Vietnam) could be trained in his
Interbeing system of practice. They are called Lang Mai-- monks,
nuns & students. When this arrangement was set up, the Bat Nha
abbot agreed to it. Last year he changed his mind, and just
recently a big disturbance ensued.
Various other reports from VN that I've seen note that
electricity and food are still cut off from the Lang Mai people
who are still there, hanging on apparently. 

Interested list members who read the BBC article, should also
read this background account which is more knowledgeable (than
the BBC account)-- by a scholar at U Mass Boston.  
 
BBC art. is here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8168200.stm 

Some videos of the turning-out of Lang Mai people at the
monsatery are still on YouTube, where one sees some officious
females, some of whom covered their faces with masks, turning out
people and possessions, such as furniture, quilts, pots, etc. 
Start here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYOmXRXrHO0

Best, Joanna 

________________________________

From: vsg-bounces at mailman2.u.washington.edu
[mailto:vsg-bounces at mailman2.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Chung
Nguyen
Sent: Tuesday, July 07, 2009 12:16 AM
To: Vietnam Studies Group
Subject: RE: [Vsg] Unrest at Bat Nha Monestary In Bao Loc

Phusa website (http://www.phusa.info  ) has followed this story
closely, with numerous articles from the beginning in 2008.

 A brief background:

 1) When ZM Thich Nhat Hanh was invited to the Vesak celebration
in Vietnam, China asked VN to disinvite him because earlier while
in Italy he had expressed support for the Dalai Lama's peaceful
struggle. VN replied that it would have been a problem had he
done that in VN, but since it happened in Italy, VN had no
control over it.

Once ZM TNH arrived in Hanoi, China asked VN to expell him.
Again, VN declined.

2) Last year, Thich Duc Nghi, the abbot at Bat Nha temple,
suddenly withdrew his sponsorship of the Lang Mai monks and nuns,
asking them to leave. This caused two problems: (1) it rendered
their legal status problematic;

(2) Lang Mai had provided hundreds of thousands of dollars to the
abbot to build classrooms and retreat facilites for the Lang Mai
monastics. How should that be resolved?

ZM TNH sent a letter to his students, noting their difficult
situation and how they had kept their vow, maintaining a peaceful
attitude, showing no anger [and underlining that Lang Mai is not
political, nor is his Interbeing sangha. Sorry, I can't find the
message that included his letter. JK] 

3) A meeting was held in Ho Chi Minh city by the
government-sponsored Buddhist Church, seeking to find a solution.
The abbot was requested to discuss with Lang Mai re: the Lang
Mai-built facilites.

Things sort of quieted down for a few months.

4) Recently, the abbot's students and supporters have used force
to physically evict all Lang Mai monastics. The Bao Loc
province's Buddhist association sent a delegation to Bat Nha
temple to investigate. One of its senior monks was attacked and
hospitalized. The association has issued a letter requesting the
provincial authority to deal with the abbot's illegal actions.

 

-Chung