The Way of the Mendicants: History, Philosophy, and Practice at the Central Vihara in Hồ Chí Minh City

Abstract

The Mendicant Sect is a Buddhist movement that combines Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism. Based on fieldwork, analysis of ritual handbooks and other sect materials provided by informants, and readings of published works of Vietnamese monastics and scholars, this article introduces the sect's history and philosophy, describes its Central Vihara, and records a case study of its lay ritual practice, the Eight Precepts Ritual [Bát Quan Trai Giới]. In so doing, it illustrates the "revival of religion" thesis with a southern and Buddhist case study, while challenging the notion that Vietnamese Buddhism is essentially Mahayanist.