Translated by Nguyên TúcVietnamese Buddhism is currently witnessing turmoil and crises unprecedented in history. From organizational models to daily rituals, including funerals and weddings, there is a hasty attempt to mold after Western patterns, eroding some of our nation’s spiritual traditions. Additionally, the influence of consumer society and political power pressure has fostered unhealthy mindsets stemming from a lack of foundational teachings in worldly and religious authority figures. This situation has undoubtedly negatively impacted the education of Vietnamese Buddhist youth.
Today, when we talk about Vietnamese youth, we should picture two straight lines converging at a point in a consumerist society. These are the youth within the country and those abroad. Although both are educated in a Western model, their societal differences are based on political power, not natural development trends. This artificial distinction is like being stuck in a quagmire, not knowing where to find solid ground.
Vietnamese youth are being uprooted, thus at risk of losing or indeed have already lost their direction. Vietnamese Buddhist youth are no exception and find overcoming this state of lost direction challenging. Here, when I speak of losing direction, I view it from a national and ethnic perspective. Young Vietnamese abroad need only momentarily forget or set aside their Vietnamese origins to find their direction upon entering university. In other words, Vietnamese youth overseas are not entirely uprooted but are in a state of transplantation. For instance, if Southern tangerines are planted in the North, they may become sweeter or sourer or even fail to thrive due to unsuitable conditions. The youth in the country are like trees still firmly attached to their native roots. But to survive and develop quickly, influenced by external attractions, they risk being uprooted. Most young Vietnamese today know very little about their ancestors’ past, their love, their thoughts, and how they caught up with the universal spiritual values of humanity.
The Vietnamese Buddhist Youth Family may still try to cling to traditional roots to grow. Still, due to irresponsible or unaware leadership, they are subjected to misdirection, similar to a doctor who, unsure of proper treatment, prescribes sleeping pills to make patients forget the era’s pains that the youth need to understand to choose their future life directions. Furthermore, due to political pressure, youth are required to assemble into vanguard and reserve forces to protect the regime, so Buddhist teachings for the youth are not allowed beyond temple gates. In the temples, teachings on impermanence and non-self are not presented as natural and societal movement laws but as a grey life canvas painted by those weary with age, successes, and failures.
In a society where traditional spiritual values are being eroded, some youths in large cities rely on their parents’ political power or corrupt money to behave perversely; others study hard to become new loyal slaves to wealthy bosses. Others resign themselves to the fate of poverty, illiteracy, and the humiliation of a backward, impoverished nation.
In this context, the presence of groups like the Young Buddhist Association, units of youth seeking a purpose in life, becomes a societal challenge and a political threat if they cannot be manipulated to serve dark ambitions, ready to betray the country for personal glory. So, it’s almost a fantasy to say that we gather youth only to teach the Dharma and nothing else. It’s like herding fawns for tigers to manipulate easily.
Of course, a country needs its youth for development. Buddhism also needs young people to continue its mission of helping all sentient beings. In this regard, Buddhist education for youth is not just about luring them into temple walls to isolate them from bars, nightclubs, and other tempting, decadent environments. However, fundamental Buddhist education must still be about cultivating morality and developing spiritual awareness.
Cultivating MoralityFirst, let’s talk about cultivating morality. This doesn’t involve cramming moral doctrines. It means not telling young people what they can or cannot do. Youth will do whatever they find suitable for the era. However, it’s essential to prevent them from being drawn to the harmful elements of the period, avoiding misdirection by current trends. Therefore, it’s necessary to establish a safe and mobile space for them. This safe space is the Bodhi mind, and its mobility is a Bodhisattva’s ‘non-attached, un-pillared’ characteristic. We will discuss these two points further.
Growing up in prosperous cities and entering society with high education and a stable life, part of the youth rarely directly experience the hardships of their peers in darker, unfamiliar regions. Lacking empathy for others’ suffering, they also need an understanding of life’s essence and the meaning of survival. Therefore, bringing Buddhism to the youth means getting them face-to-face with the reality of survival. This is to ignite the Bodhi mind in youth: “Where there is danger, I vow to be a bridge. Where there is darkness, I vow to be a torch.” This may seem like a far-fetched promise, even impractical to some. But it’s the solid ground on which young people can establish their life direction and define fundamental values for their lives.
Mobility is about being open, not confined to narrow societal spaces so that young people can see beyond prejudices and closed traditions. More specifically, youth are educated to be always ready to embark. To go anywhere on earth where suffering is more natural, happiness is genuinely tested. In another sense, such mobility equates to adventure. Since living in stable cities, humanity has extinguished the adventurous spirit in youth but awakened the tourism spirit in adults looking for new pleasures to replace their daily monotony.
The ‘non-attached’ spirit of a bodhisattva differs significantly. It means not being anchored in the cycle of birth and death (samsara) nor fixated on nirvana. It’s a spirit of liberation, not tied to any tradition or value. Young people need to learn to live with this open-mindedness and generosity, to accurately evaluate the value of world civilizations, and choose their path within the harmonious development of all human societies despite differences in religion, beliefs, traditions, perspectives, opinions, and even daily life habits.
Developing Spiritual AwarenessWe speak of learning through traditional Buddhist scriptures on developing spiritual awareness in youth. The Three Baskets (Tripitaka) of Buddhist teachings are an immense treasure trove of knowledge. Based on the Buddha’s fundamental teachings about life’s value and the nature of suffering and happiness, many laws related to nature, society, psychology, linguistics, and humanity were discovered over various epochs and geographical regions with different historical and traditional backgrounds.
However, we also know that in the history of world civilizations, existing or extinct, no doctrine has not been surpassed by later generations. Some doctrines were surpassed and permanently discarded. Others were surpassed and then revived. But very few principles were revived without being distorted, some so severely that if compared to the past, they would appear monstrous. The Buddha’s teachings affirm the law of impermanence, so the issue is about suitability to truth and individual understanding, not about being surpassed or discarded.
Young people studying Buddhism should not aim to become Buddhist scholars but practice and live the teachings themselves, using their sharp and flexible thinking to assess life’s nature directly. Thus, studying Dharma should not hinder worldly learning; Buddhist knowledge should not conflict with secular knowledge. The only difference is that learning Dharma starts with understanding human suffering to recognize genuine happiness. Compassion and wisdom are the solid wings that will carry young individuals through the limitless spaces of life.
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