Government Committee for Religious Affairs: 'Pagodas organizing exorcisms violate the Law'

The Government Committee for Religious Affairs has just requested the Executive Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha and the authorities of Quang Ninh province to verify the press report "Spreading stories of vengeful ghosts, Ba Vang Pagoda earns hundreds of billions each year".

Relevant organizations and units need to take measures to prevent and handle violations, if any, and inform the press of the results of the resolution.

From the perspective of State management, the Government Committee for Religious Affairs requested the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha to affirm that superstitious behaviors, acts that go against good customs and traditions, and are not in accordance with tradition must be eliminated from Buddhist establishments.

Specifically, the phenomenon of "exorcism" and "soul calling" does not exist in Buddhist tradition. If places of worship perform the above acts, they are violating the Law on Belief and Religion and related documents and need to be handled according to the provisions of the law.

"State management agencies on religion and culture must strengthen inspections and promptly correct deviations occurring at Buddhist places of worship; supplement and perfect legal regulations to strictly handle acts of spreading superstition, causing negative public opinion, and negatively affecting security, order and social safety," the Government Committee for Religious Affairs stated.

Previously, on February 20, the press reported information about "spreading stories about vengeful spirits" at Ba Vang Pagoda. The next day, the Ministry of Culture asked the locality to clarify the matter; the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha also asked the locality to rectify the preaching of "vengeful spirits" at this facility.

On the evening of February 21, Venerable Thich Truc Thai Minh, abbot of Ba Vang Pagoda (Uong Bi City, Quang Ninh) held a talk in front of hundreds of Buddhists, live-streamed on Facebook, admitting that holding a ceremony for the deceased at the pagoda is real; at the same time, he asserted that the spirits that follow people take revenge a lot, causing people to become sick, marital discord, conflicts... Therefore, there needs to be a "method to invite the deceased to come out".

The abbot of Ba Vang Pagoda also said that this brings many benefits to people, Buddhists participate voluntarily and the payment for the ceremony is not required by the pagoda but "at the request of the deceased".