{"id":45970,"date":"2001-02-21T09:00:34","date_gmt":"2001-02-21T09:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/queme.org\/?p=45970"},"modified":"2021-04-10T09:03:48","modified_gmt":"2021-04-10T09:03:48","slug":"appeal-for-democracy-in-vietnam-by-thich-quang-do-full-text","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/appeal-for-democracy-in-vietnam-by-thich-quang-do-full-text\/","title":{"rendered":"Appeal for Democracy in Vietnam by Thich Quang Do (full text)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam
\nAPPEAL FOR\nDEMOCRACY IN VIETNAM
\n<\/strong>on the occasion of the 4880th Anniversary of our\nfounding Fathers the Hung Kings
\nand the dawning of the Third Millennium<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buddhism came\ninto the world to deliver all creatures from suffering. The emergence of\nBuddhism 2,544 years ago represented a formidable advancement in the thinking\nand practices of the times, both in Indian society and in the world at large.\nIt stressed the path toward mankind\u2019s liberation: liberation from ignorance, freedom\nfrom fear and enslavement to idolatry, dogmatism and fanatical ideology,\nemancipation from tyranny and the injustices of all social systems. During his\nlifetime, Buddha\u2019s teachings defeated all contemporary doctrinal schools and\ntrends of nihilism, materialism, skepticism and determinism, placing the human\nbeing at the centre of society and the universe, endowed with the potentiality\nto free himself and emancipate his fellows. Buddhist doctrine has never\npreached the renunciation of society. On the contrary, Buddhists always seek to\nrespect and protect the human being, actively opposing all forms of social\ninjustice and inequality that trample on the people\u2019s right to life, hinder\nspiritual progress, prevent Buddhists from fulfilling the Boddhisattva\u2019s vow to\nsave humankind and realize Compassion, Tolerance, Wisdom and Strength, and\nimpede them from attaining Enlightenment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From this\nguiding principle of salvation, Vietnamese Buddhism developed a dynamic\ntradition of engagement in defending the Vietnamese people and nation. The\nhistory of Vietnamese Buddhism, inextricably interrelated with Vietnamese\nhistory over the past two thousand years, has repeatedly demonstrated that the\nmutually-reinforcing principles of Protecting\nthe People, Protecting the Nation <\/strong>and\nProtecting the Dharma <\/strong>[Buddhism]constitute\nthe lodestar of Vietnamese Buddhists\u2019 actions and way of life. One of the\nearliest Vietnamese Buddhist sutras, Luc\nDo Tap Kinh<\/em> (Six Ways of Liberation) transcribed by the monk Khuong Tang\nHoi in the 2nd Century AD reflects this spirit of engagement: \u201cWhen the Boddhisattva <\/em>[enlightened man]\nhears his people lamenting, he brushes\naway his tears and throws himself into the combat against tyranny to save them\nfrom suffering\u201d. <\/em>Of authoritarian rulers who oppress and persecute the\npeople, the Sutra declares: \u201cSavage\nwolves cannot be tamed. Thus, tyrants cannot be kings\u201d.  <\/em>In his book Ly Hoac Luan <\/em>(Dissipating Doubt) written in the second century AD\nin Giao Chau (former Vietnam), the scholar Mouzi spoke highly of Vietnamese\nBuddhism whilst criticizing the alienating effects of cultural values and\nethics imported from China [which sought to assimilate Vietnamese culture as\npart of its expansionist policies]: \u201cThe\nessence of Buddhism is that it can be used at a domestic level to develop love\nand respect for one\u2019s parents, at a national level to educate and shape the\npeople, and at an individual level to develop self-control\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This\nperception inspired countless resistance movements against foreign aggression\nand ideological domination throughout our history. It was the driving force of\nthe struggle for self-determination and the survival of Vietnamese cultural\nidentity, for the freedom, welfare and happiness of the people. The annals of\nhistory relate the struggles of the two Trung sisters (40 AD); the nine\nuprisings of Khu Lien, Chu Dat, Luong Long, Khong Chi and Tru Thien Tuong quan\n(throughout the 2nd Century AD) ; Trieu Thi Trinh and her brother (248 AD) ;\nthe foundation of the independent state of Van Xuan under Ly Nam De (544 AD)\netc. All these movements paved the way to the development of a flourishing\nVietnamese nation under the Dinh, Le, Ly, Tran and latter Le dynasties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet today, as\ncountries all over the world are racing to develop increasingly prosperous, free\nand democratic societies, our country remains paralyzed and poor and our people\nstifled and oppressed. In his Message for the Lunar New Year in 2001, the Most\nVenerable Thich Huyen Quang, the UBCV\u2019s Patriarch and Head of the Institute of\nthe Sangha resumed this in one sentence: \u201cWe\nhave endured 35 years of war followed by 25 years [under the present regime],\ndeprived of human rights or religious freedom !\u201d <\/em>A total of sixty\nmiserable, dark years that have led us to this impasse with no possible means\nof escape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This tragic\nsituation persists because it is supported by three factors:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. A\npretentious, self-absorbed government that rejects all alternative opinion,\nresulting in a one-Party, authoritarian regime;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. A\ngovernment that excludes the people and rejects their legitimate demands for\nhuman rights and civil liberties, resulting in a ruthless, repressive\ndictatorship;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. A\ngovernment that imports everything from abroad, from its ideology to the\norganizational structures of the State apparatus, and imposes it unilaterally,\nresulting in the total disruption of Vietnamese society and civilization. This\nhas reduced our people to cultural alienation and slavery, provoking the decay\nof moral values and the nation\u2019s decline. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam <\/strong>has\ninherited this tradition of engaged Vietnamese Buddhism both in doctrine and\naction, succeeding to a twenty-century-long heritage of building and protecting\nthe nation. Today, the UBCV cannot stand idle and watch with indifference as\nour country plunges into a profound crisis and our people sink into poverty,\ndeprived of their fundamental freedoms and human rights. We therefore solemnly\ncall upon Vietnamese from all walks of life regardless of their political\nopinions or religious beliefs, as well as all UBCV monks, nuns and\nlay-followers to mobilize their energies and rally together in a common\nmovement to seek radical solutions to the grave problems threatening our\ncountry today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam <\/strong>considers\nthat:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– To counter\nthe current trend of one-Party dictatorship, a popular alliance composed of\ndifferent religious and political tendencies should be formed to lay the\nfoundations of a democratic and pluralist government. Specifically, Article 4\nof the Constitution [on the supremacy of the Communist Party and\nMarxist-Leninist doctrine] should be abolished. Vietnamese culture and patterns\nof thinking, with their traditions of freedom and tolerance dating back to the\ntimes of our Founding Fathers, the Hung Kings, should retrieve its supreme\nposition in society, thus stimulating the emergence of this broad-based popular\nalliance;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

– To counter\nthe entrenched control of the totalitarian regime, all UN human rights\ninstruments and international covenants on political and civil rights to which\nVietnam is a party must be fully implemented. Concretely, freedom to form\nassociations should not be subjected to approval by the Fatherland Front, which\nis a political tool of the Vietnamese Communist Party (VCP); freedom of\nexpression should not be subordinated to Marxist- Leninist doctrines and\nthinking; freedom of the press should include the right to publish\nprivately-owned newspapers independent of VCP control; freedom to form free\ntrade unions outside VCP structures to protect worker rights should be fully\nguaranteed. The respect of these fundamental freedoms will safeguard the free\nexpression of the people\u2019s democratic aspirations and the exercise of their\nright to life;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  – To counter the blind imposition of an\nalien, imported ideology upon all aspects of the society and state, the\nrenaissance of a tradition-based Vietnamese civilization should be encouraged.\nThis civilization should uphold the national cultural heritage while remaining\nopen to cross-cultural communication, with the capacity to absorb the\nquintessence of cultural currents from all over the world to enrich its own\nculture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the light\nof the three observations and counteractive remedies described above, the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam <\/strong>calls\nupon, and pledges its full support to all individuals or organizations that\nseek to realize the eight-point political programme for national salvation\nunderlined below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Build a\ntolerant, peaceful, pluralist and egalitarian society, one that refrains from\ninternal and external warfare, governed by democratic institutions within a\nmultiparty system;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Dismantle\nall discriminatory, antidemocratic mechanisms of control, notably the threefold\nmechanism of the ly lich <\/em>(curriculum\nvitae), ho khau <\/em>(compulsory residence\npermit)andthe network of cong an khu\nvuc <\/em>(local security police). <\/em>Organize\nfree and fair general elections under United Nations\u2019 supervision to elect a\nNational Assembly truly representative of the people; guarantee universal\nsuffrage and the right to run for office of all independent candidates and\npolitical formations outside the VPC. Separate the powers of the executive,\nlegislative and judiciary organs and build a society grounded on the rule of\nlaw, based on the principles enshrined in the UN Universal Declaration on Human\nRights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3.\nDefinitively close down all Reeducation Camps. Release all political prisoners\nand prisoners of conscience detained in northern Vietnam after the 1954 Geneva\nAgreements and in southern Vietnam since 1975, and encourage all former\nprisoners with specialist skills and knowledge to participate in the process of\nnational reconstruction. At the same time, encourage all professionals,\nintellectuals, scholars, business leaders, individuals and organizations within\nthe Vietnamese exile community who left Vietnam as \u201cboat people\u201d after 1975 to\nreturn home and contribute the techniques and experiences learned in advanced\ncountries to rebuilding their homeland. Repeal all arbitrary legislation and\nrestrictions on religious freedom, and prohibit the practice of \u201cadministrative\ndetention\u201d;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Guarantee\nthe right to private property, free enterprise, and the right to establish free\ntrade unions. Accelerate policies to industrialize agriculture and modernize\nthe rural economy, and improve the living standards of the peasants and\nfarmers, who form the potential of our nation. Abandon the \u201cmarket-based but\nsocialist-orientated economy\u201d. The manifest failure of the outdated socialist\neconomy to generate prosperity and growth after a 74-year experiment in the\nSoviet Union provoked the enmity of its people and led ultimately to its demise\nin the early 1990s. Develop the free market sector in accordance with\nVietnamese societal norms; stimulate the development of a knowledge-led economy\nand protection of the environment. Embrace the trend towards globalization as a\nmeans of enhancing sustainable development and promoting global peace and\nsecurity, but combat the serious dangers posed by the current economic\nglobalization process, which promotes free trade without due respect of human\nand worker rights. Concentrate all efforts on reducing the widening gulf\nbetween the rich and poor, which is alienating our people and splitting\nVietnamese society apart;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Protect our\nterritorial sovereignty. Make a clear separation between politics and the\nmilitary; the army, security and secret services should not be used as\ninstruments of any one political party. Reduce the manpower of the armed forces\nto that of normal peacetime strength. Reduce the military budget and transfer\nexcess spending to education and health. In the field of education, urgently\ntrain people of talent and specialists capable of restoring the nation\u2019s\nprosperity; encourage the emergence of a young\ntransitional generation <\/strong>– young people who can find a transitional path\n<\/p>\n\n\n[towards democracy]\n\n\n\n

between the aspirations of the old, revolutionary\ngeneration, partisans of war and anachronistic class-struggle concepts which\ndivide and paralyze the people on the one hand, and the modern preoccupation\nwith consumerism, money-worship and the daily pressures of making ends meet on\nthe other hand. Health access must be improved. Priority should be given to\nsolving the grave problem of child malnutrition and improving health\ninfrastructures in rural areas;\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Abolish all\ndegrading forms of imported culture and ideologies that pervert Vietnamese\nspiritual and moral values. Promote the development of a vibrant, traditional\nVietnamese culture based on a spirit of openness, creativity and the capacity\nto absorb the richness and diversity of cultures from all over the world.\nUphold the fundamental moral values of Humanism, Wisdom and Courage exhorted by\nour ancestors. Guarantee social justice, the equal status and full participation\nof women, nondiscrimination between religions; respect the autonomy and\ncultural differences of ethnic minorities; protect the interests of foreigners\nliving and investing in Vietnam through due process of law, on the basis of\nreciprocity ; guarantee the rights and dignity of Vietnamese living abroad ;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Respect the\nterritorial sovereignty of neighbouring nations. Promote a policy of\nfriendship, dialogue and cooperation on an equal footing with neighbouring\ncountries in all economic, cultural, religious and social domains. Consolidate\nefforts to promote peace, security and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.\nJoin with neighbouring countries in a common effort to foster the values of\nAsian humanism. By maintaining mankind\u2019s central place within society, we can\nprevent the free market from becoming a slave market where human beings are\nreduced to simple commodities of trade;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. In foreign\npolicy, uphold the Vietnamese tradition of friendly and peaceful relations, and\nimplement \u201ctam cong\u201d <\/em>(\u201cwinning the\nhearts\u201d) diplomacyin relationships\nwith countries around the world. Promote dialogue, cooperation and mutual aid\nin order to bring reciprocal benefits to one and all without sacrificing\nnational identity and sovereignty. Apply this policy as basis for accelerating\neconomic growth and expanding industrialization on a parallel with social\nprogress, in order to catch up and keep pace with the civilized, progressive\nand prosperous democratic nations of the world at the dawn of the 21st century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order to create\nfavourable conditions to put into practice the above three observations, three\ncounteractive remedies and the 8-point political programme to save our nation,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam <\/strong>calls\nupon Vietnamese intellectuals and caring citizens from all walks of life,\nregardless of their political opinions or religious beliefs, and first and\nforemost upon dignitaries, monks, nuns and lay-followers at all echelons of the\nUnified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, at home and abroad, to unite with us in a\ncommon dialogue in order to transform our vision into a reality. Thus, we can\nhelp bring Vietnam\u2019s long, dark night to an end and usher in a bright, new dawn\nfor our S-shaped country at the beginning of this new millennium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam <\/strong>also\ncalls upon people all over the world who cherish justice and democracy, all\nconcerned governments, international institutions, human rights organizations,\ndemocracy movements and labour movements to support this programme for\ndemocracy and help to realize it rapidly in Vietnam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  On behalf of the Bi-cameral Institutes\n[Institute of the Sangha and Institute for the Propagation of the Dharma] of\nthe Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buddhist Era 2544<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanh Minh Zen Monastery, Saigon, 21st February\n2001<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Signature\nand Seal)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sramana THICH QUANG DO<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Translated from the Vietnamese by the International Buddhist Information Bureau)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam APPEAL FOR DEMOCRACY IN VIETNAM on the occasion of the 4880th Anniversary of our founding Fathers the Hung Kings and the dawning of the Third Millennium Buddhism came into the world to deliver all creatures from suffering. The emergence of Buddhism 2,544 years ago represented a formidable advancement in the …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":434,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[368,65,1400,124],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45970","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","","category-forb","category-resources","category-thich-quang-do","category-ubcv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45970","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/434"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45970"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45970\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45970"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45970"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45970"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}