Letter from The Permanent Office of the Executive Committee of
the Buddhist Church of Vietnam
A hope for the situation of Bat Nha Monstery returning to normal
Published by: GIAC NGO (www.giacngo.vn) is the official voice of the Buddhist Church of Vietnam, recognized by the Government as the official voice of all Buddhists.
Published on July 1st 2009
Words from the Editor’s Office: These recent days, news is spreading about the situation of 400 monastics who have been severely attacked during the three month Summer Rain Retreat with their electricity, telephone and running water having been cut-off. This has raised serious concerns among the Buddhist Monastic and Lay Communities in the entire country.
On June 29th, 2009, the Permanent Office of the Executive Committee of the Buddhist Church in Lam Dong Province delegated a group of high level monks lead by the Most Venerable Thich Toan Duc Pho, Deputy Chief of the Executive Committee of the Buddhist Church in Lam Dong Province to visit the Bat Nha Monastery to learn more about the situation indicated by rumored reports that have caused the national concern to rise. When entering the monastery, the whole delegation of more than sixty monastics were attacked by a number of violent men and women with rocks, metal rods and putrid excrement, injuring the high monk Venerable Thich Thai Thuan, Deputy Chief of the Executive Committee of the Lam Dong Buddhist Church, as well as head of the Buddhist Congregation of Bao Loc District who had to be hospitalized immediately.
On June 30th, 2009, at the Office of the Executive Committee of the Buddhist Church of Vietnam (ECBCVN), Lam Dong (Linh Son Pagoda), an unexpected meeting was convened and headed by the Most Venerable Thich Phap Chieu. After a number of exchanges this communiqué #368/BC/BTS was sent to the leading authorities throughout several levels of the government from the central to the district and village levels about what is happening at the Bat Nha Monastery.
GIAC NGO
Facing all the serious acts that threaten human life and physical security are the 400 monastics (monks and nuns) of Vietnamese nationality who are practicing the Plum Village teachings at Prajna Monastery, Hamlet 13 village Dam-Bri, Bao Loc City. The Permanent Office of the (ECBCVN, Lam Dong), lead by the Most Venerable Thich Toan Duc, Deputy Chief of the ECBCVN, Lam Dong, met with the Permanent Office of the Lam Dong highest authority to discuss this situation and request their support.
The delegation has been received by the Deputy Chief of the highest authority Le Thanh Phong and Ho Ngoc Thang, Chief of the People’s Committee of the Fatherland Front of Vietnam-Lam Dong. At the meeting the Buddhist congregation proposed to the highest authority of the Province to intervene immediately with several levels of authority to reconnect the telephone, electricity and water as well as supply food for the 400 monastics at Prajna Monastery, whose utilities have been cut –off for more than two days by the official owner of Bat Nha Monastery, Thich Dong Hanh. The authority of the Province said that the request is genuine and promised to intervene with the electric company to reconnect the electric and water lines so that the monastics can continue with activities during their Summer Rain Retreat.
After that, at Phuoc Hue Pagoda, main office of the representative committee of all the Buddhist in Bao Loc, the delegation visited and worked with Mr. Nguuyen Thanh Tinh, head of the Department of Interior Affairs of the City of Bao Loc, and Tran Ha, Permanent Officer of the People’s Committee of the Fatherland Front of Vietnam-Bao Loc.
When the delegation was present at Bat Nha Monastery and became victims of violent attacks by the extremists, the delegation decided to leave Bat Nha immediately. At that very moment, there were also more than 100 monastic and lay Buddhist members lead by the Most Venerable Thich Minh Nghia, coming from Ho Chi Minh City to bring offerings to the monastics in the Summer Rain Retreat. This group was also violently beaten and injured upon their entrance to the monastery.
On the morning of June 30, 2009, the Permanent Committee of the ECBCVN had an urgent meeting with the Most Venerable Thich Phap Chieu, Chief of the ECBCVN – Lam Dong. After hearing the reports of the extreme violent acts of these gangs on the 29th of June, the whole assembly unanimously proposed: That the violent acts violating the discipline and the order of the country and violating health and safety, human dignity, and insulting seriously the eldest in the Church is a great shame and suffering of our Buddhist congregation of Lam Dong. Venerable Thich Duc Nghi, Thich Dong Hanh and the extremist gangs have to be totally responsible in front of the law of this nation and the Vinaya of the Buddhist Church.
Now actually around 400 monastics practicing Plum Village teachings at Bat Nha Monastery have had their lives threatened and need to be supported by the government and the Buddhist Church. The Permanent Office of ECBCVN proposed to judge and to dissolve this group of extremist who are occupying and violently imposing their will in Bat Nha Monastery. Additionally, they will investigate and put under the light of justice those who violate the law and discipline of the country and force them to be responsible for their criminal acts against the law and the statute of the Buddhist Church of Vietnam.
The government proposed that the Committee on Religious Affairs of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the National Executive Council of the Buddhist Church and the Lam Dong Council of Buddhist Church must resolve in time this issue and prioritize security in the Buddhist situation in Lam Dong, and restore the faith of monastic and lay Buddhist practitioners and to all the people of the country.
The Office of the Executive Committee of the Buddhist Church of Lam Dong
Source : http://www.giacngo.vn/thoisu/2009/07/01/765402/
Many good thoughs and prayers for the safety, health and quick peaceful resolution to the suffering of all involved. Including the gang members and those supporting the violence. May peace prevail. Warmly, from California USA. We are all aware and compassionately watching the situation.
May peace 0revail and calm return to this holy place. You are in our thoughts, prayers and meditations.
I feel deeply sad when I see people attacking others over issues of religious belief or (in this case) attacking people of the same faith who choose different ways to express it. Where are the values of compassion, peacefulness, harmony and respect (for life, well-being and different ways of thinking)? I am also wondering if there is another side to this story that we are not seeing in the bulletins. I see judgements about ‘mobs’ and ‘extremist gangs’ but casting blame will not help. It is now urgent for peaceful communication to take place between the two parties, so that each can hear and understand the needs and concerns of the other in full, as a basis for a creative, practical solution.
Just as Initially there were many members of the government and the people in Vietnam happy for these 400 monastics (monks and nuns) of Vietnamese nationality practicing at Prajna Monastery, so it is likely that these individuals who are violently expressing their views, do not represent all of the Vietnam Government or people. Unfortunately due to the violence, the government will likely need to take leadership for peaceful listening of these worries in order to support and peacefully consider these worries. With so much war and violence in our world, please bring this disturbance to the government’s attention for their support of a peaceful ending, for the benefits to touch neighbors and friends.