What is the religion in Vietnam?

[The Kizzy]

Does anyone know?

[Zanchief]

Without doing any research I would say Buddhist.

[Griever]

Yeah, my Vietnamese co-worker is Buddhist.

[Naethyn]

Buddhist. 15% of the population is christian

[Captain Insano]

its communist

[Martrae]

Buddhist. My aunt is from Vietnam and she's had a family shrine ever since I can remember.

[Tuggan]

arent they a communist nation still? so wouldnt the majority be non-practicing?

[Jay]

I'm Vietnamese. It's Buddhist. Not Neo Zen Buddhism like the hippy American shit but actual Buddhism.

[Eldred]

I'm Vietnamese. It's Buddhist. Not Neo Zen Buddhism like the hippy American shit but actual Buddhism.

No your not your a twinkie!

[Jay]

Yeah, I'm also not Buddhist =P

[DESX]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam

According to the 1999 census, 80.8% had no religion, 9.3% were Buddhist, 6.7% were Catholic, 1.5% were Hoa Hao, and 1.1% were Cao Dai.

mmm no religion... mostly.

[Jay]

Bullshit.

[Phlegm]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam

According to the 1999 census, 80.8% had no religion, 9.3% were Buddhist, 6.7% were Catholic, 1.5% were Hoa Hao, and 1.1% were Cao Dai.

mmm no religion... mostly.

It's not really a good idea to declare your religious affiliation under the communist regime that they have over there. Most Vietnamese I know are Buddhists and have a little shrine to the fat guy in their homes.

[Thon]

what always bothered me, was from what i read about Buddha, he was skinny. he was with the ascetics before his enlightenment and what not.

but just about every statue has him fat. so did he pull a Marlon Brando sometime after enlightenment?

[Eldred]

If you were the enlightened one and chicks came from all over came over to you to kneels and learn from you. Wouldn't you let yourself go too.

[Hound]

I think the "thin Buddha" is the result of Greek influence on far Eastern sculpture.

Is it difficult to be a practitioner of Buddhism? I've thought about having a
voluntary "religious experience" and following the Noble Eightfold path, but
only if I don't have to give up computer games and alcohol.

[Arlos]

As best I understand it, Buddhism, like a lot of Eastern religions, is far more about your personal spiritual journey than following institutional dogma. Hardcore buddhists tend to be vegetarian, out of respect for the lives of all other living animals, but it's by no means required, unless you decide you want to renounce the material world and become a monk.

-Arlos

[Hound]

become a monk.

I've considered that too, but I think it has less to do with wanting to become
spiritually enlightened and more to do with having misanthropic tendencies (although I guess living in a monastery would just be another societal 'caste' that would present its own set of difficulties).

[Ganzo]

I think the "thin Buddha" is the result of Greek influence on far Eastern sculpture.

Is it difficult to be a practitioner of Buddhism? I've thought about having a
voluntary "religious experience" and following the Noble Eightfold path, but
only if I don't have to give up computer games and alcohol.

There are other excercises in asketism without involving "good vs bad behavior", so no need to give up alcohol or video games. For example make a pledge to yourself to not look at your watch for 2 weeks, or not speak phrase "I want"; and every time you break that pledge, punish yourself by taking away something you realy want, but it's gotta be something that realy affects you so you feel punished.
Asketism is meant to do 1 thing: train your Will; so you gain power over physical body. It's first step to enlightment.
But you do not need to change your life to do that, take small pledges over meaningless things so you do not assign morals to them, but make sure you alays punished greatly for breaking them. You'll be amased at results of doing this excercises for few months

[Harrison]

This sounds interesting, I'm going to not look at my watch for a day. (I look at it constantly)

[Ganzo]

Make sure you get punished if you break that goal, or it don't work.

[Harrison]

Well yeah, I picked a difficult one to mess around with.

So far so good though.

[Yamori]

I don't really have much respect for eastern religions on ideological grounds... In essence they are a hatred of life and a wish for death wrapped up in fancy metaphysical wrapping paper.

After all, what is Nirvana? The removal of all attachment - and the annihilation of the ego and self. The fastest way to that goal is a bullet in the brain. No thanks.

I'd rather use my limited lifetime to seek happiness instead of nothingness, personally.

I do at least respect most eastern religions for at least being more sane and rationally based though, and for generally harboring better spiritual results in its students than western ones.

[Harrison]

I think you are missing the point if you think suicide is the quickest route to anything.

[Jay]

Through early morning fog I see visions of the things to be the pains that are withheld for me I realize and I can see... That suicide is painless, it brings on many changes and I can take or leave it if I please.