The Coconut Religion is a religion founded by

Ông Đạo Dừa Ông Đạo Dừa ("The Coconut Monk"), born Nguyễn Thành Nam (December 25 1910 – May 13 1990), was a self-styled Vietnamese mystic and the founder of the Coconut Religion (''Đạo Dừa'') religion in Vietnam, in Vietnam. Family and Ea ...

Bến Tre Bến Tre () is the provincial capital of Bến Tre Province, in the Mekong Delta region of southern Vietnam. Located southwest of Ho Chi Minh City, the city covers an area of 65.75 km2 (25.39 sq mi) and has a population of 124,499 at ...

South Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered Diplomatic recognition, international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the ...

. It was one of many religions in the South until the new socialist government abolished it in 1975. Đạo Dừa advocated religious harmony, synthesizing many religions, especially

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

and

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

. The Coconut Religion is not currently recognized as a religion by the

Government of Vietnam The Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (; less formally the Vietnamese Government or the Government of Vietnam, ) is the Cabinet (government), cabinet and the central Executive (government), executive arm of the Politics of Vietn ...

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

. 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. Nam was a candidate for the 1971 South Vietnamese presidential election but he would drop out 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 the Latin 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 (Latin for 'body'). The cru ...

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 John Ernst Steinbeck IV (June 12, 1946 – February 7, 1991) was an American journalist and author. He was the second child of the Nobel Prize-winning author John Ernst Steinbeck. In 1965, he was drafted into the United States Army and served i ...

, the son of American novelist

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

. 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 serving 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