VIETNAM’S BUDDHISM AND THE SOCIAL SECURITY ISSUES: DOCTRINE AND PRACTICE

Abstract

Social security is a state sponsoring the survival of individuals and social community substantially. It is a vast field, with the participation of the state, individuals, and various social organizations. Vietnam’s Buddhism has made great contributions to social security, contributing to poverty reduction and harmonious and sustainable social development. In terms of doctrine, with its profound thought, Buddhism has devoted to the Vietnamese ethnic community a healthy, harmonious, respectful way and preserving the natural environment; creating a social-spiritual transformation from opposing relations to cooperative and interdependent relationships, towards deep human values. In practice, for many years, the Vietnamese Buddhist community has implemented many great social security programs contributing to hunger elimination and poverty reduction, sponsoring many disadvantaged social objects; together with the government and other social organizations implement effective social security policies.