Vietnamese Buddhism

[MBF]

Hello,
My wife is a non-Christian Vietnamese (dispensation was provided by the local bishop), but am raising the children Catholic as best I can. This was a condition of the marriage.

Recently, she has shown an interest in rediscovering her roots and has procured a number of DVDs, CDs, and relevant literature with regard to Buddhism and reincarnation. Except for most of the books, all the media she acquired is in Vietnamese.

I conferred with my parish priest on the matter. Besides my interest in finding a more elementary introduction to Catholicism/Christianity than the Holy Bible and the Catechism, he suggested I also learn more about the faith my wife is researching.

I have C.S Lewis’ “Mere Christianity” now, which is easier to read and understand for the non-Christian. She has temporarily glanced at it. I also purchased a used book about Buddhism in India, China and Japan…very good if also a little dry.

Is there anything out there in English translation that relates to Vietnamese Buddhism (ancestor worship incorporated)? Also…any advice about my approach?

 

[ralphinal]

One of the seminarians from my Diocese is from Vietnam, and has family who are Buddhist. I will try to contact him and see what I can find out for you.

 

[Xuan]

One of my favorite authors is Thich Nhat Hanh. He’s a Vietnamese Zen Buddhist Monk. He was forced out of Vietnam and now lives in France. He runs a retreat house that’s used by Christians as well as Buddhists.

He has written quite a few books. His writing is simple and easy to read, but it’s really quite profound. Generally his writing tends to be light on doctrine and heavy on what it means to be a genuinely good person. That’s one of the things I like about him.

 

[syrius]

hi i found some link which may be of interest for you

first it is a comparative article between the two faith

ignatiusinsight.com/features2005/clarkolson_cathbuddh_feb05.asp

this link is about catholicism and buddhism and question their compatibility
catholicculture.org/commentary/articles.cfm?id=121

the second one is from wikipedia which gave you a more geenral appraoch to buddhism in vietnam

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism_in_Vietnam

I have to say i have been introduce to two secular mediation methods i have great benefit from it such as developping compassion for oneself and others.

 

[MBF]

Thank you Ralph, that would be appreciated. I am aware of a Vietnamese priest or two in the diocese, but their English is not very good (I can also say my Vietnamese is about non-existent).

Xuan, I appreciate the referral. Searching for that name I found a primary publisher with some books that would make excellent reading not only for me, but for her as well. One of the motivators for her rekindled interest in Buddhism is her need for inner peace. She is not able to handle stress very well, and tends to allow herself to rant when she vents.

Syrius, thanks for the links. At present the second one is under construction.

 

[ralphinal]

Thank you Ralph, that would be appreciated. I am aware of a Vietnamese priest or two in the diocese, but their English is not very good (I can also say my Vietnamese is about non-existent).

Xuan, I appreciate the referral. Searching for that name I found a primary publisher with some books that would make excellent reading not only for me, but for her as well. One of the motivators for her rekindled interest in Buddhism is her need for inner peace. She is not able to handle stress very well, and tends to allow herself to rant when she vents.

Syrius, thanks for the links. At present the second one is under construction.

I sent him a message last night. I think that they are doing finals this week, and I am not sure when I will hear back. As soon as I do, I will let you know

 

[grace_singh]

Ravi Zacharias, an Indian Christian apologist and philosopher, has written a book called “The Lotus and the Cross : Jesus talks with Buddha”.

from what i have heard (a professor at my husband’s university recommended it) it is a thoughful, respectful, and clarifying book on the differences between Christ and Gotama Buddha.

it is an apologist work, and respects the Buddhist faith while pointing out the strength of Christian faith and the uniqueness of Christ as God and Saviour. you may want to check it out, and pass it along to your wife.

many Buddhist values are perfectly compatible with Christian ethical teachings, but you can’t serve the Buddha and serve Christ at the same time. one was a wise and sincere man who taught according to human understanding, the other is the Holy and eternal Son of God, and Saviour of men, who died on the cross for us, and who lives now.

 

[MBF]

I appreciate your efforts, Ralph.

I’m Michael. I suppose I should add my Christian name to my sig, as I did not do so for my username, huh?

Grace, I will look for the book and take a glance through it. Hopefully some tracts are available online.

The current specific interest to my wife is the volumes of literature out there addressing and confirming her belief in reincarnation. Books written by Western scientists and intellectuals. I have glanced through some of these books and very evidently even in the forwards have found hypnosis the main tool of research, as well as terminology suggesting a “New Age” mentality. I attempted to explain the movement’s history of hijacking Eastern philosophy, but am not so well-informed to get to specifics.

Are there any good, instructive, easy-to-read books out there by PhD’s or other respectable members of science that would argue against reincarnation?

 

[Siddhartha]

The current specific interest to my wife is the volumes of literature out there addressing and confirming her belief in reincarnation. Books written by Western scientists and intellectuals. I have glanced through some of these books and very evidently even in the forwards have found hypnosis the main tool of research, as well as terminology suggesting a “New Age” mentality. I attempted to explain the movement’s history of hijacking Eastern philosophy, but am not so well-informed to get to specifics.

Are there any good, instructive, easy-to-read books out there by PhD’s or other respectable members of science that would argue against reincarnation?

It seems to me that you might want to re-think your desire to disprove reincarnation/rebirth to your wife. If she is Buddhist, and if she was Buddhist when you married her, then why try to attempt to disprove her belief in a Buddhist tent?

If you are curious, you might want to ask her, what does her belief in reincarnation/rebirth do for her? Does it allow her to be more peaceful, or more agitated? Angry or loving?

 

[vee8]

I suggest going to ewtn.com and searching the audio library for Paul Williams. There should be at least one interview with him and I think it will help you a lot. He also has a book titled The Unexpected Way which I havent read but you can find more about it and him here He is a professor.
findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1058/is_21_121/ai_n6248610/

Also at ewtn if you search once again in the audio library under programs for Buddhsim you should find another helpful show. It is Fr. Mitch Pacwa interviewing Dr. Anthony E. Clark. Both interviews are each an hour long though but I hope you will find them well worth the listen.

 

[MBF]

It seems to me that you might want to re-think your desire to disprove reincarnation/rebirth to your wife. If she is Buddhist, and if she was Buddhist when you married her, then why try to attempt to disprove her belief in a Buddhist tent?

If you are curious, you might want to ask her, what does her belief in reincarnation/rebirth do for her? Does it allow her to be more peaceful, or more agitated? Angry or loving?

Siddharta, my wife has been seeking inner peace and more meaning for her existence since before we met. Up until last year she mainly was purchasing self-help literature to help her focus, deal with outside and internal stresses, manage her temper, and to discover more. She is/was not Buddhist in practice, and certainly did not understand what the philosophy was. Mainly, it had been ancestor worship and maybe an annual trip to the local temple to offer incense and prayer. As a child she was raised without instruction in Buddhism due to the political turmoil at the time in Vietnam. Now she is interested in discovering her roots by this method.

Her study of reincarnation does not increase or decrease her peace, but it does provide an understanding of the cycle of life as put forward by the philosophy. However, she uses the literature to initiate ridicule of the Christian belief in a single life and death, Heaven/Hell, a personal God (Jesus), the Resurrection and other basic tenents. As a reflection of her personality, she is very vocal of her beliefs and strives to highlight the differences between Christianity as she understands it (not well at all), and Buddhism. This rather than to discover and contrast shared truths and values.

Up until this year I have encouraged her to gain a greater understanding of Buddhism, as there are many truths that are alike between the faiths that value charity, peace, humility, and so on. I have taken her to the temple whenever she needed or wanted to go. I have never before provoked debate about the faiths. But with her current approach summarized in the prior paragraph, I should not continue being a witness to my own faith solely by example as I have for the past ten years.

 

[Siddhartha]

Siddharta, my wife has been seeking inner peace and more meaning for her existence since before we met. Up until last year she mainly was purchasing self-help literature to help her focus, deal with outside and internal stresses, manage her temper, and to discover more. She is/was not Buddhist in practice, and certainly did not understand what the philosophy was. Mainly, it had been ancestor worship and maybe an annual trip to the local temple to offer incense and prayer. As a child she was raised without instruction in Buddhism due to the political turmoil at the time in Vietnam. Now she is interested in discovering her roots by this method.

Her study of reincarnation does not increase or decrease her peace, but it does provide an understanding of the cycle of life as put forward by the philosophy. However, she uses the literature to initiate ridicule of the Christian belief in a single life and death, Heaven/Hell, a personal God (Jesus), the Resurrection and other basic tenents. As a reflection of her personality, she is very vocal of her beliefs and strives to highlight the differences between Christianity as she understands it (not well at all), and Buddhism. This rather than to discover and contrast shared truths and values.

Up until this year I have encouraged her to gain a greater understanding of Buddhism, as there are many truths that are alike between the faiths that value charity, peace, humility, and so on. I have taken her to the temple whenever she needed or wanted to go. I have never before provoked debate about the faiths. But with her current approach summarized in the prior paragraph, I should not continue being a witness to my own faith solely by example as I have for the past ten years.

Michael, I noticed (after posting) that you said in the first post that your wife was non-Christian, not necessarily Buddhist. My mistake.

Thich Nhat Hanh would be a good resource for her, at least in the sense that TNH’s book Living Buddha, Living Christ may demonstrate that Christian doctrine has a deeper power than what may appear on the surface.

Concerning a Christian response to Buddhist ideas of reincarnation/rebirth, there are at least two options. One is to look at it from a purely Christian perspective: use traditional Christian notions of “person” and show that reincarnation/rebirth may undermine the importance of the “person” (that is, the person as he or she exists in this life, with this body and this mind). Paul Williams, now Catholic, but a former Tibetan Buddhist, does this in his book The Unexpected Way.

The other option is to show how, in Buddhism, reincarnation/rebirth is not the goal, or purpose, of Buddhist practice.

Ideally, though, I would suggest that she look at the writings of Catholic contemplatives who have a positive appreciation with Eastern forms of contemplation; such as Thomas Merton and his Mystics and Zen Masters; or the work of Bede Griffiths in Hindu India. (Paul Williams, in my opinion, takes a few lop-sided jabs at Buddhism.)

You might also want to look at the Dalai Lama’s encounter with the Gospels. Compared to Thich Nhat Hanh, the Dalai Lama takes a more in-depth look at Christianity.

Paul Knitter’s Without Buddha I could not be Christian presents an alternative option: someone whose Buddhist practice actually (he claims) makes him a better Christian. He talks about how reincarnation, though not compatible with traditional Christian thought, could nonetheless help Christians retrieve aspects of their theology that they have too often overlooked.

 

[grace_singh]

MBF ~

it is important, in a Christian context, for both husband and wife to be believers. it sounds like you love your wife dearly, and are willing to learn and listen regarding her beliefs, and i’d say that is the right thing to do.

To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy…How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife? (1 Corinthians 7:12-14,16)

for a Christian, Christ is not just a kind ethical teacher, saint, or founder of a world religion. He is Someone one needs to know, and whom God wants His created sons and daughters to know, believe in, and belong to.

He is unlike anyone else, and incomparable with others. if you want your wife to come to know Christ, and trust Him, i don’t know of any better means than prayer, and graciously continuing to love and respect her. prayer that God would give you opportunities to share Christ with her, would prepare her heart to hear and understand the Gospel, and give you the rights words to say and the right attitudes to harbor and act on.

i’ve found that trying to argue against others’ dearly held beliefs or actively proselytize on your own efforts or strengths usually fail. your wife is interested in Buddhism, and in finding meaning and peace in life. pray that God would use that to turn her towards Himself, in Christ, and for Him to strengthen you in your Christian faith, and in loving and setting a Christian example for her.

God bless both of you, and keep you.