The Coconut Religion is a religion founded by Ông Đạo Dừa in Ben Tre,

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam ( vi, Việt Nam Cộng hòa), was a state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975, the period when the southern portion of Vietnam was a member of the Western Bloc during part of t ...

. As one of many religions that existed in the South before communist authorities had abolished the religion on 1975. Dao Dua advocated religious harmony, synthesizing many religions, especially Buddhism and Christianity. The Coconut Religion is not currently recognized as a religion by the Vietnamese government.

History

The Coconut Religion was founded in 1963 by Vietnamese mystic and scholar Nguyễn Thành Nam, also known as the Coconut Monk, His Coconutship, Prophet of Concord, and Uncle Hai (19091990). Nam, who attended a French university, established a floating pagoda in the southern Vietnamese "Coconut Kingdom", in the province of Bến Tre. It is alleged that Nam consumed only coconuts for three years; for that period he also practiced meditation on a small pavement made from stone. Dừa was a candidate for the

1971 South Vietnamese presidential election Presidential elections were held in South Vietnam on 2 October 1971. After the opposition candidates Dương Văn Minh and Nguyễn Cao Kỳ withdrew their candidacies, incumbent President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu was the only candidate, receiving 1 ...

but he would dropout after being afraid that he would be arrested and returned to his "Coconut Kingdom". Despite his eccentric behaviour, the government of Saigon respected him and called Nam a "man of religion". He usually sported a

crucifix A crucifix (from Latin ''cruci fixus'' meaning "(one) fixed to a cross") is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the ''corpus'' (Lati ...

around his neck and dressed in traditional Buddhist robes. Estimates of followers of the religion worldwide were 4,000 at its highest. One notable follower was John Steinbeck IV, the son of American novelist

John Steinbeck John Ernst Steinbeck Jr. (; February 27, 1902 – December 20, 1968) was an American writer and the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature winner "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humor and keen social ...

. The religion was deemed a "cult" and was promptly banned in 1975 by communist officials. The Coconut Monk died in unexplained circumstances in 1990, marking the demise of the cult. The Coconut Estate is now served as a tourist attraction along the My Tho Mekong Delta Tour.

References

{{Authority control Religion in Vietnam Buddhist new religious movements 1963 establishments in South Vietnam Religious organizations established in 1963 Religious organizations disestablished in 1975 Organizations disestablished in 1975 1963 in religion 1975 disestablishments in Vietnam Religious syncretism in Vietnam Coconuts

History

See also

References