If Vietnamese are passionate about nothing else,,, securing “good luck” on a daily basis is at the forefront of everyone’s mind. There are many ways to get good luck here. Making your first sale of the day early,,, lighting incense, proper rituals, burning things…
So- as we were walking out the back, one young lady was carrying a stack of fake money (printed as U.S. dollars) for burning in a furnace- with the hopes of creating an aura favorable to good luck & prosperity. Huh!
Other things that are burned include paper fotos of one’s wife, when a man dies… so her spirit will always keep him company in the afterworld. Paper versions of his house, dog & belongings are also burned for the same purpose.
I started getting into a conversation about what little I know about Buddhism,, and how people are supposed to be reincarnated in an endless cycle of rebirth until reaching Nirvana (according to Buddhist and Hindu beliefs), of which a majority of Vietnamese claim… but the guide answered with as good a line to shut me up as she could think of: “it’s complicated.” Ha ha. Ok (= got it.
There is a blissful disconnect between religious beliefs and traditional beliefs. I find this in Indonesia too. Folks have no problem describing themselves as Buddhist here, but when you ask them about what happens after death, or about various traditions around Marriage, birth, or ways of ritually purifying oneself- the answers you get bear little resemblance to what you thought you knew about the world religion in question.
The chapter on Buddhism in comparative religion class won’t help you understand why Vietnamese “Buddhists” do what they do, and believe what they believe. (= funny.
One more interesting example of that, seen along the roads throughout the country really, are tombs. Some are red, some are cement gray,,, many are located in the middle of rice fields. Our Ha Long guide, “Nam”, explained that the red ones are temporary graves. When a Vietnamese dies, he is buried for 3 years in a red grave. At the end of that time, they are dug up again, their bones cleaned off, and buried permanently somewhere else in a more beautiful place, and in a more stable, cement tomb. The red tomb is now considered dirty & unsuitable for the spirits journey to the afterworld. Hmm. I’m not sure how that fits in with Buddhist explanations of reincarnation, and the absence of after-worlds… but… many faiths mix a few ideas from multiple sources.
Next stop: the famed Silk road.
I have heard about streets lined with shops that all sell about the same things. That’s a common phenomena in Indonesia too. Nobody reads the successful business plan books here either.
Getting there took about 20 minutes on the back of a scooter. I took some interesting videos of Hanoi traffic for you (= ha ha… that’s an experience all its own. I’ll let the video do the talking on that.
So- as we were walking out the back, one young lady was carrying a stack of fake money (printed as U.S. dollars) for burning in a furnace- with the hopes of creating an aura favorable to good luck & prosperity. Huh!
Other things that are burned include paper fotos of one’s wife, when a man dies… so her spirit will always keep him company in the afterworld. Paper versions of his house, dog & belongings are also burned for the same purpose.
I started getting into a conversation about what little I know about Buddhism,, and how people are supposed to be reincarnated in an endless cycle of rebirth until reaching Nirvana (according to Buddhist and Hindu beliefs), of which a majority of Vietnamese claim… but the guide answered with as good a line to shut me up as she could think of: “it’s complicated.” Ha ha. Ok (= got it.
There is a blissful disconnect between religious beliefs and traditional beliefs. I find this in Indonesia too. Folks have no problem describing themselves as Buddhist here, but when you ask them about what happens after death, or about various traditions around Marriage, birth, or ways of ritually purifying oneself- the answers you get bear little resemblance to what you thought you knew about the world religion in question.
The chapter on Buddhism in comparative religion class won’t help you understand why Vietnamese “Buddhists” do what they do, and believe what they believe. (= funny.
One more interesting example of that, seen along the roads throughout the country really, are tombs. Some are red, some are cement gray,,, many are located in the middle of rice fields. Our Ha Long guide, “Nam”, explained that the red ones are temporary graves. When a Vietnamese dies, he is buried for 3 years in a red grave. At the end of that time, they are dug up again, their bones cleaned off, and buried permanently somewhere else in a more beautiful place, and in a more stable, cement tomb. The red tomb is now considered dirty & unsuitable for the spirits journey to the afterworld. Hmm. I’m not sure how that fits in with Buddhist explanations of reincarnation, and the absence of after-worlds… but… many faiths mix a few ideas from multiple sources.
Next stop: the famed Silk road.
I have heard about streets lined with shops that all sell about the same things. That’s a common phenomena in Indonesia too. Nobody reads the successful business plan books here either.
Getting there took about 20 minutes on the back of a scooter. I took some interesting videos of Hanoi traffic for you (= ha ha… that’s an experience all its own. I’ll let the video do the talking on that.
posted by jonathan adventures at 4:18 AM
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