Last modified: 2014-09-20 by rob raeside
Keywords: buddhism | hoa hao | vietnam |
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image by Tomislav Todorović, 30 August 2014
Hoa Hao is a Vietnamese Buddhist religious movement, named after the village
in south Vietnam where its founder Huynh Phu So was born and where he started
his preaching in 1939, simplifying the Buddhist religious practice in a way not
unlike the way Protestant Reformation had simplified the practice of Western
Christianity and stressing the importance of helping the needy. The movement was
both anti-French and anti-Communist and even had formed a militia in late 1940s
and early1950s. After the end of Vietnam War, part of believers migrated to the
USA, but many remained in Vietnam, where the Hoa Hao Buddhism is an officially
recognized religion, although there are occasional reports of the repression on
the followers who oppose the strict government control to which all the
religious communities are subject.
Followers of Hoa Hao Buddhism use a
plain brown flag. The color is of particular importance, because the altars are
made by placing a similar brown cloth on the wall to mark the point faced during
the prayers; the habits of the clergy are also brown. The color shade is usually
rather dark, but there are also the examples of use of lighter shades. The flag
might have been inspired by the altar markings, which are also rectangular in
shape. In Vietnam, the flag is usually accompanied with the national flag. In
diaspora, it is used together with the pre-1975 flag of South Vietnam and the
flag of USA.
Sources:
[1] Wikipedia page about the Hoa Hao Buddhism
(in English):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%B2a_H%E1%BA%A3o
[2] Wikipedia page
about the Hoa Hao Buddhism (in French):
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%B2a_H%E1%BA%A3o
[3] Wikipedia page
about Huynh Phu So (In English):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hu%E1%BB%B3nh_Ph%C3%BA_S%E1%BB%95
[4]
Website of the Government Committee for Religious Affairs:
http://btgcp.gov.vn/Plus.aspx/vi/News/38/0/248/0/5073/Dai_hoi_tru_bi_Dai_hoi_Dai_bieu_tin_do_Phat_giao_Hoa_Hao_cap_toan_dao_Nhiem_ky_IV_2014_2019_
(Photo:
http://btgcp.gov.vn/uploads/resources/admin/images/2014)
[5] Photo of
the Hoa Hao flag together with the national flag of Vietnam:
http://thoaison.angiang.gov.vn/ (Image:
http://thoaison.angiang.gov.vn/wps/wcm/connect/)
[6] Website of the
Hoa Hao community in diaspora - flag description:
http://www.hoahao.org/D_1-5_2-190_4-2215_15-2/
[7] Website of the
Hoa Hao community in diaspora - photos of An Hoa Tu Temple, Hoa Hao village,
Vietnam:
http://www.hoahao.org/D_1-5_2-94_4-3535_5-4_6-1_17-3_14-2_15-2/
(Image
1:
http://www.hoahao.org/images/upload/HoaHaoTemples/AnHoaTuTemple/DSCN3423_533x400.jpg)
(Image 2:
http://www.hoahao.org/images/upload/HoaHaoTemples/AnHoaTuTemple/DSCN3427_533x400.jpg)
[8] Website of the Hoa Hao community in diaspora - photos of Hoa Hao
Buddhist Center, Santa Ana, California:
http://www.hoahao.org/D_1-5_2-94_4-3539_5-4_6-1_17-3_14-2_15-2/)
(Image
1:
http://www.hoahao.org/images/upload/HoaHaoCenters/HoaHaoCenter7_626x400.jpg)
(Image 2:
http://www.hoahao.org/images/upload/HoaHaoCenters/HoaHaoCenter1_694x400.jpg)
(Image 3:
http://www.hoahao.org/images/upload/HoaHaoCenters/HoaHaoCenter2_608x400.jpg)
[9] Website of the Hoa Hao community in diaspora - photos from the temple in
San Jose, California:
http://www.hoahao.org/D_1-5_2-97_4-3958_5-4_6-1_17-6_14-2_15-2/
(Image
1:
http://www.hoahao.org/images/upload/Daile2010_Sanjose/DSC_0011.JPG)
(Image 2:
http://www.hoahao.org/images/upload/Daile2010_Sanjose/SanJoseBanTho.JPG)
(image 3:
http://www.hoahao.org/images/upload/Daile2010_Sanjose/SanJoseLamLe.JPG)
[10] Website of the Hoa Hao community in diaspora - photos from the temple
in Dallas, Texas:
http://www.hoahao.org/D_1-5_2-97_4-3549_5-4_6-1_17-6_14-2_15-2/
(Image
1:
http://www.hoahao.org/images/upload/HHBCelabrationDallas2009/DaiLeDallas1_538x400.jpg)
(image 2:
http://www.hoahao.org/images/upload/HHBCelabrationDallas2009/DaiLeDallas5_597x400.jpg)
Tomislav Todorovic, 30 August 2014