IOverview
Khất Sĩ is a Buddhist lineage founded by Vietnamese in the South in the mid 20th century. Its monks and nuns go on alms rounds, eat one meal at midday, live in meditation halls called tịnh xá and chant in Vietnamese.
Its founder, Patriarch Minh Dang Quang, set out to continue the true Dharma of Shakyamuni, returning to the simple life of the Buddha's own community. The lineage belongs fully to neither Theravada nor Mahayana but combines the two. Today it is a lineage of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, alongside the Northern (Mahayana) lineage, Khmer Theravada and Vietnamese Theravada.
IIOrigins and History
Patriarch Minh Dang Quang, born Nguyen Thanh Dat on 26 September 1923 in Phu Hau village, Vinh Long province, studied both Theravada in Cambodia and Mahayana in Vietnam before founding his path, according to the lineage's own website. On 1 February 1954, aged 31, he disappeared while travelling to teach. By then the movement had more than 100 ordained disciples and over 20 meditation halls.
- 1944The path beginsThe Patriarch begins the Khất Sĩ way around Mui Nai, Ha Tien.
- 1946OrdinationHe takes ordination at Linh Buu temple, according to chuaxaloi.vn.
- 1947First disciplesThe first ten monks and nuns are ordained under him.
- 1948Ngoc Vien hallBuilt late in 1948 in Vinh Long and regarded as the lineage's first centre.
- 1954The Patriarch disappearsSenior disciples carry on, later forming the monastic groups.
- 1958The Nuns' OrderThe Khất Sĩ Nuns' Order is founded under the elder nun Huynh Lien.
- 1966The Khất Sĩ SanghaRecognised by the government of the time under a charter of 32 articles.
- 1981Founding member of the national SanghaHelps found the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, becoming its Khất Sĩ lineage.
IIITeachings and Distinctive Features
The lineage explains the word Khất Sĩ as one who begs: begging the Dharma from the Buddhas to nourish the mind, and food from donors to nourish the body. The path is ethics, concentration and wisdom, lived simply, without accumulating, and travelling to teach.
The Patriarch's teachings are collected in the Chơn Lý, or True Principles, a set of 69 texts written in Vietnamese that range from daily conduct to deep doctrine. It is the lineage's own doctrinal foundation.
- From Theravada: the alms round, the single midday meal, the three robes and one bowl, strict discipline.
- From Mahayana: the spirit of helping others, and many Mahayana sutras still studied and chanted.
- Distinctly Khất Sĩ: chanting and preaching in Vietnamese, simplified ritual, and closeness to southern Vietnamese culture.
Because Khất Sĩ monks go on alms rounds and wear a single coloured robe, many people take them for Theravada. In fact Khất Sĩ is a separate lineage founded by Vietnamese, with its own teachings in the Chơn Lý, and the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha lists it as a lineage distinct from both Theravada and Mahayana.
IVPractice, Ritual and Daily Life
Khất Sĩ monks and nuns wear light brown robes, carry their bowls on the morning alms round and take a single midday meal. In the evening they meditate and chant in Vietnamese. Each year they keep the rains retreat and the Pavarana ceremony, followed by the Ullambana festival.
Their places of practice are called tịnh xá, meditation halls, rather than chùa, temples. Many have an octagonal main hall with an eight sided roof, regarded as the lineage's architectural signature. The lotus and the lamp of truth, chosen by the Patriarch, serve as its emblem.
Lay followers usually attach themselves to a nearby hall, join one day retreats, offer food on the alms round and sometimes accompany the monks on their travels.
VOrganisation and Distribution
The lineage is led by a Council of Elders and a Standing Committee. From 2009 it added subcommittees for monastic affairs, education, ritual and lay guidance, with a Dharma propagation subcommittee added in 2012. Monks are organised in six groups, each led by an elder, formed between 1956 and 1982. The nuns have one independent order headquartered at Ngoc Phuong hall in Ho Chi Minh City, plus three sub groups within the third and fourth monks' groups.
| Year | Monks and nuns | Centres |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 2,045 | 516 halls |
| 2013 | 3,054 | 541 |
| 2016 | 3,224 | 569 |
| 2019 | 4,984 | 541 |
VIToday
Today Khất Sĩ is a lineage of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, alongside the Northern lineage, Khmer Theravada and Vietnamese Theravada. Its halls are densest in the South and the south central coast and have followed Vietnamese communities abroad. Ngoc Vien hall in Vinh Long, regarded as the first centre, belongs to the first monks' group.
The alms round and the single midday meal continue. The lineage puts weight on education: according to the survey on daophatkhatsi.vn, in 2016 it had 429 monastics with a bachelor's degree or higher, including 41 doctorates and 28 master's degrees. The Chơn Lý is still reprinted and used as the main study text.
VIISymbol of the Branch
No symbol of its own is recorded with a source for this branch, so the library uses the common symbol of the path.
VIIISub-branches
- Six monks' groups
- Khất Sĩ Nuns' Order
IXOther Branches of Buddhism
Mahayana BuddhismMahāyāna 大乘, the Great VehicleThe largest branch, centred on the bodhisattva ideal of liberating oneself and others.
Theravada BuddhismTheravāda, the teaching of the eldersThe second largest branch.
Vajrayana BuddhismVajrayāna, Tibetan rdo rje theg pa, also Mantrayana or Esoteric BuddhismThe branch that uses mantra, mudra and mandala visualisation, with a strong role for the teacher.
Pure Land Buddhism淨土宗, also called the Lotus School 蓮宗, Japanese JōdoA Mahayana school centred on reciting the name of Amitabha Buddha for rebirth in the Pure Land.
Chan and Zen Buddhism禪 Chan, Japanese Zen, Korean Seon, Vietnamese Thiền, from Sanskrit dhyānaA Mahayana school that points directly to the mind rather than relying on scripture.Khmer Theravada Buddhism in VietnamTheravāda of the Khmer of southern VietnamThe Theravada tradition of the Khmer people in the Mekong Delta.Uses the common symbol of the pathKhất Sĩ BuddhismĐạo Phật Khất Sĩ Việt Nam, Vietnamese Mendicant BuddhismA Vietnamese lineage founded in the South by Patriarch Minh Đăng Quang around 1944 to 1946.Uses the common symbol of the pathVietnamese (Kinh) TheravadaTheravāda among the Kinh, formerly called Original BuddhismThe Theravada lineage among ethnic Vietnamese, begun at Bửu Quang temple in Thủ Đức in 1938 by monks including Hộ Tông (Vansarakkhita), Thiện Luật, Bửu Chơn and Huệ Nghiêm.Uses the common symbol of the pathXSources
The library cross-checks the sources below. Where they disagree, the page gives both.
- Chùa Xá Lợi, Tìm hiểu một số nét đặc trưng của Hệ phái Khất sĩ
- daophatkhatsi.vn, Đức Tổ sư Minh Đăng Quang và Đạo Phật Khất sĩ Việt Nam
- daophatkhatsi.vn, Khảo sát số liệu của Hệ phái Khất sĩ trong những văn kiện chính quy
- Phật giáo Việt Nam, Hệ thống tổ chức Hệ phái Khất sĩ
- Phật giáo Việt Nam, Tịnh xá Ngọc Viên cơ sở đầu tiên của hệ phái Khất sĩ
- Văn hóa Phật giáo Việt Nam, Biểu tượng hoa sen và ngọn đèn trong giáo pháp Khất sĩ
?Quick Questions
What does Khat Si mean
Khất Sĩ means a renunciant who begs. In the lineage's own explanation, one begs the Dharma from the Buddhas to nourish the mind and food from donors to nourish the body. The name recalls the life of the Buddha's first community.
Who founded the Khat Si lineage
Patriarch Minh Dang Quang, born Nguyen Thanh Dat in 1923 in Vinh Long. He began his path in 1944 and disappeared on 1 February 1954.
Is Khat Si Theravada or Mahayana
Neither exclusively. It takes the alms round and midday meal from Theravada and the spirit of helping others from Mahayana, and has its own teachings in the Chơn Lý. The Vietnam Buddhist Sangha lists it as a separate lineage.
Why are Khat Si centres called tinh xa rather than temples
Tịnh xá, meaning pure dwelling, was the name for the monasteries of the Buddha's time, such as Jetavana. The lineage uses it to recall that original way of life, and many of its halls have an octagonal main building.