The Future of Phat-An

On a recent Sunday, three children run into the adjoining prayer room. The eldest, a girl of around seven, pauses in her chase of the other two and kneels in front of the Buddha statue, emulating the woman next to her. After bowing several times, she gets up and joins the others as they scamper into the hall.

Many children and a handful of teenagers accompany their parents to Phat-An Temple, some sitting in prayer with their parents, others helping out with lunch, still others gathering in the coat room to play. Minnesota’s Vietnamese population has a median age of 29.7 years, reflecting the growing number of young, first- and second-generation Vietnamese within the state’s community.¹ Today, twenty percent of Minnesota’s Vietnamese population was born in the United States, and that number will only continue to grow.²

"We…try to sow some Buddhist seeds, some good seeds, some Dharma seed into the minds of kids."-Lam Su Thuc, monk at Phat-An

Some older members of the community worry about the implications of these demographic shifts; namely, they fear that the younger generation will not carry on Buddhist practices and beliefs in the same way as they have. Quy said that she and other older members are concerned that the younger people are not as dedicated to Buddhism as they are and were, even at the same age. “What is lacking, that I see, is the commitment, [the] devotion to Buddhist studies,” she said. Huong said that, though her two children understand about the Buddha and live in ways consistent with Buddhism – they don’t lie, they don’t kill living things – she regrets that neither comes to the temple, and that only her son prays at home.

The Vietnamese Buddhist Association has addressed these concerns in a number of ways. In its search for Buddhist masters, the Association carefully chose monks that they felt would attract and relate to younger Vietnamese and Vietnamese Americans. “We want masters that can help the younger, not only to preach the Dharma, of course, but also to encourage, to be closer to the younger group,” explained Quy.

"What is lacking, that I see, is the commitment, [the] devotion to Buddhist studies."-Quy Dang

All of the monks are in their 30s and 40s. Su speaks English fluently, and is developing several programs targeted specifically at the Temple’s youth. In particular, he will begin training the volunteer language teachers on how to incorporate Buddhist teachings into their lessons. In addition, Su and a younger member of the board are working together to develop additional Dharma talks that are taught in English. “We…try to sow some Buddhist seeds, some good seeds, some Dharma seed into the minds of kids,” said Su, explaining the aim of these programs.

Quy said that the board has high hopes that these monks can help the younger generation carry on the practices and beliefs that Quy and others have brought to Minnesota. Yet Quy also explained the necessity of adapting, as well. “I personally think the best… [is] keeping, maintaining the best of both cultures,” she said. “So that’s our view of the future.”