Pure Hoa Hao Buddhism: who, what they say, current status

IOverview

Pure Hoa Hao Buddhism is the name of a group of followers with their own organization, outside the Hoa Hao Buddhist Church recognized by the state and not registered with it.

The group's teaching and worship are those of the whole faith: Learning Buddhism and Cultivating Humanity, the Four Debts, the brown altar cloth, the sky altar and the Oracles and Teachings. The difference lies in organization and in relations with the state.

The word Pure is the group's own. English Wikipedia calls it the pure faction, alongside the recognized and neutral groups, and notes that all of them share the same practices.

IIHistory

According to the historical record

According to a biographical summary in Viet My News in 2015, Le Quang Liem was born on 1 November 1920 in Kien An commune, Cho Moi district, An Giang, and became a follower of Huynh Phu So in the first lunar month of 1940. From February 2000 he headed the central body of the Pure Hoa Hao Buddhist Church until his death on 17 July 2015, aged 96.

The same biography says that in 2001 he helped found an Interfaith Council in Hue, and between 2013 and 2015 was a co-founder of the Interfaith Council of Vietnam with leaders of five religions. These councils stand outside the recognized religious organizations.

The group took shape after the Hoa Hao Buddhist Church was recognized on 11 June 1999.

1999Church recognized
The Government Committee for Religious Affairs recognizes the Hoa Hao Representative Board on 11 June.
2000Le Quang Liem as head
He leads the group from February, according to his biography.
2015Death of Le Quang Liem
On 17 July, aged 96.
2024105th birthday of the founder
RFA reports the group saying it was prevented from holding a ceremony in Cho Moi, An Giang.

IIITeachings and Distinctive Features

According to the tradition

The group sees itself as keeping the founder's teaching in full. English Wikipedia describes it as completely committed to the doctrines of Huynh Phu So. The group holds that banning or restricting its ceremonies violates religious freedom, as one of its leaders in An Giang told RFA in 2024.

In substance there is no doctrinal difference between this group and the recognized church. Both read the Oracles, keep the Eight Prohibitions, pray twice a day and mark the Founding Day on the 18th of the fifth lunar month and the founder's birthday on the 25th of the eleventh. No source describes a symbol of its own. The group uses the faith's common brown flag and altar cloth.

IVPractice, Ritual and Daily Life

Followers practise at home like the rest of the faith. Group ceremonies are usually held in members' private homes, since the group holds no recognized place of worship. The most important occasions are the founder's birthday and the Founding Day.

According to RFA on 26 December 2024, the group planned a ceremony for the 105th anniversary of the founder's birth in Long Giang commune, Cho Moi district, An Giang. RFA reported checkpoints on the roads to the site from 23 December. On the same occasion the recognized church held its own ceremony, attended by provincial officials.

VOrganization and Distribution

The group has a central body and provincial representative boards. RFA in 2024 named Ha Van Duy Ho as head of its An Giang board. It is active mainly in An Giang, Dong Thap and other Mekong Delta provinces.

There is no reliable figure for its followers. English Wikipedia gives a very small combined number for this group and the recognized church, but that number contradicts the 2023 White Paper and has no clear source, so the library does not use it.

VIToday

Legally, the Hoa Hao Buddhist Church recognized in 1999 is the only Hoa Hao organization with legal status. Under the 2016 Law on Belief and Religion, in force since 2018, collective religious activity must be registered. The Pure Hoa Hao group is not registered.

The US State Department's 2019 International Religious Freedom Report mentions independent Hoa Hao followers. Overseas Vietnamese-language media such as RFA have reported the group's statements about restrictions on its ceremonies. The library has not found an official response from the Vietnamese authorities to these reports. It records these facts without judging which side is right.

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.

VIIIOther Branches of Hòa Hảo Buddhism

Hoa Hao Buddhist ChurchGiáo hội Phật giáo Hòa Hảo, Ban Trị sự Trung ươngThe officially recognized organization since 1999, headquartered at An Hoa Pagoda in An Giang.

Unaffiliated Hoa Hao lay followersBecause practice is home-based, many families keep the faith at their own altars without joining any organization.

Pure Hoa Hao BuddhismGiáo hội Trung ương Phật giáo Hòa Hảo Thuần TúyA separately organized group outside the recognized church and not registered with the state.Uses the common symbol of the path

Overseas Hoa Hao communitiesPhật Giáo Hòa Hảo hải ngoạiTemples and committees of Vietnamese followers abroad, largest in the United States, such as the Southern California Hoa Hao hall.

IXSources

The library cross-checks the sources below. Where they disagree, the page gives both.

?Quick Questions

How does Pure Hoa Hao differ from the recognized church?

Not in doctrine or worship. The difference is organizational: the Pure Hoa Hao group has its own structure and is not registered with the state.

Who led the Pure Hoa Hao group?

Le Quang Liem, its head from February 2000 until his death on 17 July 2015, according to a biography in Viet My News.

How many followers does it have?

There is no reliable figure. The number given on English Wikipedia has no clear source and contradicts official data, so it is not used.

Pure Hoa Hao Buddhism: A Separately Organized Group Outside the Recognized Church