ABSTRACT
Being a Buddhist in Vietnam means very different things to different people. There is no firm consensus on the kinds of rituals or practices that must be carried out to follow Buddhism. Nor is there much consensus on the kinds of goals people try to achieve through their practices. Contrary to the portrait that many Buddhist textbooks paint of practitioners searching for self-perfection with an eye to enlightenment, or being reborn in the Pure Land by the grace of the Buddha Amitābha (called A Di Đà Phật in Vietnam), the aim of devoted followers of the Buddha in Vietnam more often centers on mundane concerns of improving one’s life here and now. Sometimes practitioners allude to a more vaguely stated idea of trying to improve their chances for a good rebirth in the future, or averting an extended stay in hell before rebirth occurs, but for most these goals remain secondary to more immediate concerns.
