Quan The Am

"The Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara practiced wonderful wisdom and attained Enlightenment completely free of attachment. He entered emptiness, unobstructed, through the gate of liberation. Since there is nothing but Emptiness, (including the body, mind and all that exists), a Bodhisattva is never moved by eulogy or ridicule, slander or fame. Even war, famine or the bubonic plague are dismissed by him or her as illusions taking hold through karma. Letting go of all that seemingly exists on its own, independently of the mind, sets forth brightness; and the one experiencing it will not be intimidated."

From Dharma Master Lok To's Introduction to his translation of The Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra.

Statue of Quan The Am Bo Tat in the courtyard of Long Khanh Temple, Quy Nhon City. Any tour of Vietnam should include this beautiful and little-visited place.




The Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara is, of course, the deity more commonly known as Kwan Yin, or, in Vietnamese, Quan The Am.
Notice that Master Lok To refers to the Bodhisattva as "him." This causes much confusion, because in popular imagery Kwan Yin is almost always shown in a feminine aspect, and most people believe Kwan Yin to be a woman. Technically, Kwan Yin is without gender, though in the earliest representations (as in the scriptures) she is normally a he.

Gate Gate Paragate...

If you attend evening prayer sessions at a Vietnamese Buddhist temple, one of the scriptures that you will hear chanted is the Heart Sutra.
This is the most concise sutra in the Mahayana canon, and is particularly prized in the Zen school of Buddhism. Though short, it is densely and enigmatically phrased, and a practitioner could easily spend a lifetime devoted to its study. Some do.
One of the moments I love during chanting is when we reach the end of the sutra and the mantra is chanted. This is the famous mantra Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate Bodhi Svaha. As the lay people sit cross-legged on the floor the mantra is chanted over and over at quite a dizzying pace, the fish drum beating the pace. It really is a transcendent moment.

Incense

Incense is everywhere in Vietnam, and during almost any walk down any street you will encounter the smell of incense coming from a temple or a home shrine or a streetside offering of some kind.
In fact, the production of incense is a serious industry in Vietnam, and takes place normally on a small scale, though the results can end up being exported to all kinds of peculiar places - including to Sydney, Australia, where I always try to buy "Made in Vietnam" incense.
It comes in all shapes and sizes, and all kinds of smells, from basic joss sticks that don't smell of anything much at all but smoke, to delicately-scented cinnamon or sandalwood incense that is quite expensive and is reserved for the most special ceremonial occasions. I always love the massive red sticks of incense which the more ostentatious faithful resort to when they really want to make a statement.
Vietnam has a long history of making ritual implements, and the most famous of these are the exquisite incense holders. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from massive brass ones used to decorate an ancestor shrine at home, to delicately rendered porcelain and soapstone burners intended for the more subtle types of cone incense.
Now, I understand that some people dislike the smell of incense, and I have read recently that its smoke is quite carcinogenic.
But I don't care. I love coming across an outdoor shrine to Quan The Am, with its massive cement incense holder and its clouds of fragrant smoke spilling down the street, enveloping everyone in its special sacred intent.

Kwan Yin

Kwan Yin is much loved in Vietnam, where she is known as Quan The Am. Temples always feature a little shrine to her somewhere on the premises, and some temples outdo themselves to create elaborate shrines to the Gentle Mother. Such statues often attract a cult following, and particular statues are thought to possess particular lucky energies. One could create a map of Ho Chi Minh City based on the various shrines to the Goddess of Mercy and what they are meant to bestow upon the sincere worshipper.