The Buddha Side: Gender, Power, and Buddhist Practice in Vietnam

Index

index page numbers in boldface type refer to illustrations. a di Đà phật (Ch. amituo fo; s. amitābha Buddha), 26, 47, 55, 56, 121, 126, 129; chanting name, 1, 126, 205n2; evoking name, 138 a nan Đà (s. Ānanda), 47, 48, 168 absolution. See Buddha: pardon from academy, 25, 31, 35; as masculine, 164, 165, 208n12 afterlife, 20, 38, 62, 75, 95, 120, 122, 137, 171 age, 67, 98, 117, 121, 136–137; appropriate activities, 125–126; and leisure time, 123; and religiosity, 118–126, 159, 161–165, 202–203. See also hierarchy: and age alcohol, 74, 76, 101, 157; men drinking, 74, 76, 101, 110, 190; women drinking, 101–102 altar, 1, 140, 213n6; ancestor, 20, 34, 47, 81, 121, 216n1; business, 73; home, 18, 86, 97, 119, 145, 150–151, 199; mother goddess, 58. See also iconography ambivalence, 63, 74–75, 77, 91 amitābha Buddha. See a di Đà phật amituo fo. See a di Đà phật ancestors, 25, 63, 77, 115, 208n11; as active forces, 22; affecting karma, 174; blessings, 90; commemoration of, 32, 77; cult, 10, 70, 122–123; and ghosts, 30, 207n5, 208n11, 213n7; national, 28, 32, 35; reciprocal relationships with, 22, 94–95; secularized, 59, 62; tablets, 56; worship of (cúng tổ tiên), 5, 16, 17, 23, 106, 120–121, 160, 199–200, 209n19, 212n4. See also altar: ancestor; lễ giỗ Tổ; offerings: to ancestors; pagoda: ancestors; vu lan áo dài, 103, 106 architectureandart:asrepresentativeofculture, 41, 59, 187. See also pagoda: architecture arhats (la hán), 25, 27, 45, 48, 55 aspirations, 89, 99, 133, 175, 191 astrology, 52, 209n19 attachment, 90, 168, 206n15, 217n7 audiences, 143, 148, 153, 216n4. See also performance authenticity, 39, 62, 161, 181 authority, 40, 59, 65, 179–181, 187–191, 193, 196; claims of, 177, 201; of experts, 75; lack of, 7; language and, 184–191, 193, 195, 203; local, 216n1; male, 6, 31, 62, 100, 103, 160–161, 177, 196; recognition and, 155; religious, 7; of the state, 51, 65; in structure of power, 99. See also legitimacy avalokiteśvara. See Quan Âm avoidance: of displays of knowledge, 201; practices , 65, 91, 109, 111, 136, 180, 189, 204, 212n5; of religions, 17, 62, 64, 68, 71, 77, 78, 160, 201; of rituals, 180, 182, 189–191, 204; of spirit possession rituals, 6; of superstition , 159, 163; of women’s practices, 13, 163, 164. See also Đức, mr.; lê, mr. Bà Chúa kho. See lady of the storehouse Bà Chúa xứ. See lady of the realm Bà Đá pagoda, 52, 147, 214n6 ban cúng. See ritual group barrenness, 106, 153, 175 behavior, 77, 137; affected, 139; changing, 101–102; feminine, 19, 70, 101–102, 109; submissive, 103. See also conspicuous devotion ; faith; performance bên phật. See Buddha side bên thánh. See spirit side betel nut, 22, 30, 87, 121 Bình, mrs., 41–42, 119, 127, 133, 155, 156–158 232 • index boasting (khoe), 139, 141, 151, 154–156 bodhisattvas. See buddhas and bodhisattvas books: as markers, 2, 135–136, 145, 186; on pagodas, 41, 51. See also magazines; publishing ; study Bourdieu, pierre, 141–142, 205n7, 206n8, 216n3 brag. See boasting bùa. See talismans: paper Buddha, the (v. Thích Ca mâu ni phật; s. Śākyamuni Buddha), 40, 55, 59; accentuation of, 39, 45, 48, 49; grace of, 176; granting favors, 108, 115, 189; pardon from, 167, 169, 173–176, 203, 217n6; reliance on, 174; showing respect (not worshipping ), 50, 62, 172 Buddha side (bên phật), 25–30 passim, 55, 57, 62, 65, 200 buddhas and bodhisattvas, 25–26, 28, 29, 57, 200; blessings from, 79, 81, 84, 90, 176, 216n2; help from, 107, 166; imminent, 89; serving, 124 Buddhism: activism, 40, 210n9; complimentary with spirit worship, 23, 31, 36, 38, 55, 57, 191, 199–200; doctrinal, 3, 90, 93, 169–170, 172, 175–177, 201; to ease anxiety/suffering, 107, 113, 123, 162; elite view, 40, 164, 179; equality, 135, 139, 158; as feminine, 13, 69, 160, 161, 163, 191, 204; gender inequality in, 100, 135, 139, 164; goal of, 38, 83, 89–91, 141, 163, 166, 168, 169, 173, 217n7; humanistic, 39; internationalization, 43, 48; kammatic, 169; lay practice, 93, 167, 172; leadership, 39, 41, 42, 140, 144, 160, 163, 191, 193; mahayana, 1, 7, 18, 35, 48, 55, 91, 93, 206n2; men and, 1, 9–10, 53, 76, 135, 160, 165, 184; modernism, 49; nibbānic, 169; non-exclusive, 118...