Publisher's Synopsis
It has long been a matter of debate whether Hoa Hao Buddhism was a religion, a party, a revolutionary organisation, an armed sect, a political party cum religious group, or a religion with political aspirations. These questions have been typically asked by members of the general public, though answers and interpretations were given in consonance with the respective viewpoints of any given individual and/or group, and generally speaking, in many aspects, unfortunately both the Vietnamese public and international public still have misconceptions about Hoa Hao Buddhism. How it emerged, what it is about and what it stands for. The aim of this book is to provide facts relating to the history and doctrine of Hoa Hao Buddhism. To achieve this, the author summarised his personal perspectives, published sources and face-to-face interviews with eyewitnesses, as well as viewpoints of those who did not belong to the Hoa Hao Buddhist community. Hopefully, this book could contribute to correcting diverse misinterpretations, which are still present in the public domain. Hoa Hao Buddhism was in no way a product of contemporary social developments. A comprehensive analysis requires that Hoa Hao Buddhism be viewed as an indispensable element of Vietnam's national history and traditions, a historical and cultural phenomenon, which emerged in the frontier milieu of South Vietnam. This book has been built around the nexus of this concept.
