The Profane and the Sacred in the Architectural Art of Theravāda Buddhism among the Kinh (1938–2025) Cái thiêng trong Nghệ thuật Kiến trúc Phật giáo Theravāda của Người Kinh (1938–2025)

Abstract

This article investigates the interplay between the profane and the sacred in the architectural art of Theravāda Buddhism among the Kinh in Vietnam from 1938 to 2025. The study pursues three objectives: (1) to examine the historical formation and socio-religious integration of Theravāda Buddhism within the Kinh community following its introduction from Cambodia in 1938; (2) to analyze the manifestation and transformation of sacred elements in the architectural forms of Theravāda temples constructed and used by the Kinh; and (3) to explore how the relationship between the profane and the sacred is expressed through construction materials, building techniques, spatial organization, and religious artistic symbolism. The research employs a qualitative-dominant, interdisciplinary methodology based on documentary analysis, field surveys, architectural observation, and in-depth interviews conducted over a twelve-month period in 2024. Informants included temple abbots, monks, lay Buddhists, artisans, and local participants engaged in temple activities. Data were interpreted through descriptive and content analyses to identify historical continuities, cultural adaptations, and symbolic meanings embedded in architectural practice.

The findings reveal that Theravāda Buddhism among the Kinh has been localized through distinctive architectural adaptations that integrate core Theravāda religious values with Vietnamese cultural sensibilities. Sacredness is articulated not only through ritual spaces, symbolic zoning, orientation, and iconographic programs, but also through materials, structural techniques, and landscape planning shaped by everyday social realities. The study demonstrates that temple architecture serves as a dynamic site where the sacred ideal of liberation and the profane conditions of communal life intersect, negotiate, and mutually shape one another. Consequently, the architectural art of Kinh Theravāda Buddhism reflects both continuity with the wider Theravāda world and the emergence of a distinctive Vietnamese Theravāda identity in contemporary society.