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VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES GRADUATE INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES NGUYEN THI THANH LOAN TODAY’S BUDDHIST PILGRIMAGE IN PERFUME PAGODA Field of study: Cultural studies Code: 9.22.90.40 A SUMMARY OF CULTURAL STUDIES DISSERTATION Ha Noi – 2019 The work was completed at: VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES Instructor : Assoc. Prof. Nguyen Thi Phuong Cham Argument 1: Prof. Bùi Quang Thanh Argument 2: Assoc. Prof. Le Quy Duc Argument 3: Assoc. Prof. Dang Hoai Thu The dissertation will be defended in front of The Academy-level Thesis Council at the Academy of Social Sciences, Vietnam Institute of Social Sciences, 477 Nguyen Trai, Thanh Xuan, Ha Noi. At hồi giờ phút, ngày tháng, 2019 More information about this dissertation can be found at: - The library of Academy of Social Sciences - Viet Nam National Library INTRODUCTION 1. The urgency of the subject Five years ago, Huong1, a close friend of mine asked me to make a pilgrimage to Yen Tu and Perfume Pagoda with a Buddhist Pilgrimage group from Ha Noi (HN) called An Lac. I agreed to go along to this area for closer observation of this pilgrimage group behavior. Currently, An Lac has 10 groups and the number of pilgrims is up to 3000 people from all walks of life: one group of civil servants and officials, one of entrepreneurs, one of retired people, one of Dharma assembly from Hai Tan Pagoda… Every year, members of these gro together go on a pilgrimage to Yen Tu, Dau Pagoda… They especially go to Perfume Pagoda twice a year. After 5 years being a member of the An Lac Buddhist pilgrimage group, handling the differences in age, gender, occupation, social status, I have made a lot of friends. I have followed the Buddhists and those who love Buddhism to go on pilgrimage in many different places such as Yen Tu, Tay Thien….. I stopped at Huong Pagoda and chose this place as the research area for my thesis. During the pilgrimage, in addition to being a member of the An Lac Buddhist pilgrimage group, I also joined many other pilgrimage groups such as Buddhist pilgrimage, The Compassion Flower, Happiness and so on to Huong pagoda to worship, practice rituals and study about this cultural practice. At the present, through the pilgrimages to Huong Pagoda, I realize that there are many pilgrims from everywhere, but most of them come in groups / teams. They simultaneously combine religious and tourism experience organized by a travel agency or by a Buddhist monk or nun of a certain temple, or a medium. Pilgrims often come in groups of 5, 10, 500, even up to thousands of people, with at regular intervals, usually 2-3 1 From now on, the real names of interviewed subjects will be guaranteed anonymity. 1 consecutive years. They even make a pilgrimage every 10 to 20 consecutive years, not only to worship but also to study Buddhist philosophy by themselves. Year after year, many pilgrims invited more friends and relatives to join the pilgrimage for 1 to 3 days. Compared to the past, pilgrimage to Perfume pagoda now takes place more often, on a larger scale and this therefore raises many research issues such as connecting and maintaining social networks, boosting business network and relationships. Buddhist pilgrimage in contemporary society is an interesting cultural phenomenon that conveys many social messages. In the past, while pilgrimage to a sacred place was simply an activity of going to pagodas, performing rituals, or just going out, Buddhist pilgrimage in today’s social context is posing scientific and practical problems as it not only satisfies the needs of religious beliefs, but also provides ways of making a living, creating communitas to establish and maintain socialism. Because of such scientific and practical reasons, we conducted The thesis of Buddhist Pilgrimage in Perfume Pagoda to find out how Buddhist pilgrimage groups to this Pagoda are formed and connected, how it helps pilgrims connect to social networks, and how they use these networks to do business and to discover what we can understand about contemporary cultural and social life through Buddhist pilgrimage. 2. Research purposes and mission 2.1. Research purposes Through the case study of An Lac Buddhist pilgrimage group, the thesis aims to find out about the change of religious practice. On that basis, the thesis contributes to the discussion on religious pilgrimage in connection with ways of connecting, creating, maintaining and using social networking to do business among pilgrimage groups in today’s world. 2.2. Research questions The thesis raises three main research questions: 2 Firstly: How are the Buddhist pilgrimage groups to Perfume pagoda formed and connected? Secondly: How Buddhist pilgrimage to Perfume pagoda helps pilgrims connect with social networks and how do they apply these networks in their business? Thirdly: Through Buddhist pilgrimage to Perfume Pagoda, what do we understand about contemporary cultural and social life? 2.3. Research mission To achieve this goal, the thesis sets out the following tasks: - Give a brief overview of the domestic and foreign research works on Buddhist pilgrimage and identify the research problems of the thesis. - Clarify the theoretical basis of Buddhist pilgrimage, define the concept of pilgrimage, Buddhist pilgrimage, spiritual beliefs, sacred space, social capital, communitas, social networks, etc. - Identify Buddhist pilgrimage to Perfume pagoda in the present day in terms of both pilgrims and pilgrimage sites. - Learn about the Buddhist pilgrimage to Perfume pagoda in terms of connecting, maintaining social networks and how pilgrims use these social networks. - Discuss some of the raised issues regarding the modern Buddhist pilgrimage - a cultural practice associated with economic, political, cultural and social dynamics in the lives of contemporary people. 3. Subject and scope of the study 3.1. Study subject: The study subject of the thesis is the Buddhist pilgrimage phenomenon to Perfume pagoda (My Duc, Hanoi), observing the behavior of An Lac Buddhist pilgrimage group in Hanoi. 3.2. The scope of the study: + Content: The thesis focuses on identifying the formation, organizational structure and activities of Buddhist pilgrimage groups to the 3 Perfume pagoda through observation on the An Lac Buddhist pilgrimage delegation in Hanoi, thereby learning about the ways to establish, maintain social networks and the application of these networks in real life. + Area: The thesis researches into Buddhist pilgrimage to Perfume pagoda through pilgrimage to Perfume pagoda by An Lac Buddhist pilgrimage group in Hanoi. +Time: The thesis will place emphasis on analyzing pilgrimage practice at Perfume pagoda in the past 5 years because of the formation and rapid development of Buddhist pilgrimage delegations in Perfume pagoda. 4. Research methods Regarding specific methods, I have used three main ones: - Methods of collecting and interpreting empirical materials: the inclusion of documents, research papers that were printed, published and are being stored in libraries. These materials help us to have a more general, systematic view of religious matters, religious practices, and today’s Buddhist pilgrimage. - Field survey, together with observation and in-depth interview: The PhD student has conducted many field surveys and travelled with An Lac pilgrimage groups as well as a number of other pilgrimage groups. + Attendance and observation: The PhD student joined, observed, experienced the pilgrimage journey of An Lac Buddhist pilgrimage group such as eating meals together, sharing happiness and sadness, performing rituals, thus having an opportunity to witness many relationships created by the trade, job hunting as well as job recommendation of pilgrims. + In-depth interview: During the process of joining and experiencing An Lac Buddhist pilgrimage, the PhD student interviewed the following subjects: * Rev. Thich Minh Ha: the person who created, maintained and organized the pilgrimage activities of the An Lac pilgrimage group 4 * Pilgrims: We interviewed 100 pilgrims (representatives of 5 groups in the delegation) of different ages and occupations from the An Lac Buddhist pilgrimage group. * The disciples: We interviewed 5 people, often young people who followed to offer assistance and support for each pilgrimage . * The Monks and Nuns: We interviewed 5 people in this group; the most interviewed person was Master Thich Minh Hien, the abbot of Huong pagoda, and some other monks of the pilgrimage places. * The officials and the locals doing service at Perfume pagoda: For this group, we interviewed 10 people from different backgrounds, ranging from cardres who are responsible for relics management of Perfume pagoda to those doing catering services and so on. - Statistical methods Based on the existing data, I relist the statistics on the subjects, age, forms of travelling (individually or in groups) of pilgrims. 5. Thesis contribution to the current state of science - The thesis contributes to the study of Buddhist pilgrimage as an emerging religious practice in the context of contemporary Vietnamese society. - The thesis adds a new approach to Buddhist pilgrimage which functions as social networks and facilitates the process of economic activity of the organizers and pilgrims. - The findings of the thesis can be used as a reference for those who carry out researches into religious beliefs, tourism - economy, and for those who are in charge of the religious beliefs, culture as well as policy making and religious activities. 6. Theoretical and practical meanings of the thesis 6.1. Theoretical meaning of the thesis - Based on the cultural anthropological approach, the thesis contributes to the identification of the Buddhist pilgrimage phenomenon at 5 Perfume pagoda in the context of contemporary society; along with the analysis of social networking and business transaction aspects of the pilgrimage. - The thesis adds more arguments on the role of Buddhist practice as social and economic connectivity in today’s society. 6.2. Practical meaning of the thesis - The findings of the thesis can serve as a reference for those who teach or research into culture, religious beliefs and community service. - The results of the thesis can act as good references for those who are in charge of policy making and cultural management. The thesis may suggest new approaches for religious officials, abbots and abbesses in religious practices of pagodas, Buddhist churches and religious activities in the present society. 7. Format of the thesis In addition to the introduction, conclusions, references, appendices, the thesis is structured into the following 5 chapters: Chapter 1: An overview of research situation, theoretical basis and research area Chapter 2: Identification of the current Buddhist pilgrimage to Perfume pagoda Chapter 3: Buddhist Pilgrimage to Perfume Pagoda: social networking aspects Chapter 4: Buddhist Pilgrimage to Perfume Pagoda: Economic aspect Chapter 5: Buddhist pilgrimage in contemporary social life and the raised issues 6 Chapter 1 AN OVERVIEW OF THE RESEARCH SITUATION, THEORETICAL BASIS AND RESEARCH AREA 1.1. Overview of the research situation 1.1.1. Studies of pilgrimage and religious pilgrimage Many foreign anthropologists have studied pilgrimage centers destinations for pilgrims, people's attitudes, pilgrims' gender, political context, and the connection between tourism and pilgrimage .… as follows: Jill Dubisch, Pilgrimage, gender, and politics at a Greek island shrine (1995) [117], Nigel D. Morpeth, Religious Tourism and pilgrimage festivals management An International Perspective (2008) [118]; Badone, Ellen and Sharon R. Roseman, “Approaches to the Anthropology of Pilgrimage and Tourism” in: Intersecting Journeys: The Anthropology of Pilgrimage and Tourism (2004) [112]. Another particular example is the author Philip Taylor (2004) in the work Goddess on the rise - Pilgrimage and popular religion in Vietnam [The development of popular worship and goddess pilgrimage in Vietnam] (2004) [122] mentioned the relationship between religion/ religious practice and economic conditions through pilgrimage to Ba Chua Xu temple. In the study of Victor and Edith Turner (1978), Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture: Anthropological Perspective and of Reader, Ian. 1993. “Introduction” in: Pilgrimage in Popular Culture, pilgrimage is unstructured and believed to create social order and temporarily connect social structure. 1.1.2. Studies of Buddhist pilgrimage Studies of Buddhist beliefs There have been numerous domestic studies on Buddhism, Buddhist philosophy, human beliefs in Buddhism, Buddhist pilgrimages such as: Thich Thanh Tu, The sorrowless Flowers (2006) [78], Zen Master 7 Tinh Van, Buddhism and Society (2014) [97], His Holiness the Gyalwang Drukpa, Everyday Enlightenment (2016) [101], Nguyen Lang, Vietnamese Buddhist history (1994) [50]. Besides, studies on Buddhist pilgrimages also include Buddhism Pilgrimage by Chan Khoan San (2011) [11], Buddhist Pilgrimage by Phạm Kim Khánh (1997) [48] recorded the journey of Buddhist pilgrim groups to India. The eagerness of Buddhists when making a pilgrimage to Buddhist sacred spaces after Renovation period of Vietnam was mentioned in the study called Buddhist Pilgrimage and Religious Resurgence in Contemporary Viet Nam by Dao The Duc (2008) [22] which referred to the revival and the return of Buddhist pilgrims in the north of Vietnam, based on the research conducted at Yen Tu.. Study on the sacredness and the meaning of Perfume Pagoda in pilgrimage The beauty of scenery and the sacredness of Buddhism have been depicted in a myriad of studies and articles, but these studies mainly placed emphasis on the history of Huong Son. The typical projects are The spiritual culture by Nguyen Dac Duy (editor) (2008) [20]; Huong Tich Pagoda, Landscape and Beliefs of Pham Duc Hieu (2013) [41]; The praise of Huong Son Quan Am by Son Nam (2012) [54]; Perfume Pagoda today of Thich Vien Thanh (1996) [71]; Thich Thanh Hien, (Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva) (2013) [38]; Son Nam, The praise of Huong Son Quan Am (2012) [54]… 1.1.3. The evaluation of published studies The above-mentioned studies have not clarified the purpose of pilgrimage, pilgrims and the role of pilgrimage in the current social life. The thesis aims to display different dimensions of the connection in the activities of a Buddhist pilgrimage group to Perfume Pagoda to learn about the creation and the maintenance of current social network.. 8 1.2. Rationale 1.2.1. Concept + Spiritual belief, sacred space In this thesis, the author considered sacred spaces as the places where spiritual activities and ritual practices take place, thus creating the sympathy between people who have shared religious beliefs.. Another example is Pham Quynh Phuong in an article called The study of sacred spaces (A field study on the relics of Tran Hung Dao in Vietnam). In the article, the author also says that a sacred space cannot become a specific place if it is not associated with the meaning that people give it [60]. In this thesis, the author believes that the "sacred" space is not only a place where pilgrims come because of their spiritual beliefs, but also a place where the Buddhists rituals and practices that people experienced and practiced have been performed. + Pilgrimage and Buddhist pilgrimage According to Oxford Reference English Dictionary (1996), “pilgrim” is someone who journeys to a sacred place as an act of religious devotion, while “Pilgrimage” is a special journey made by a pilgrim. Victor Turner takes a very different view of pilgrimage, he places great emphasis on Rite de passage in the pilgrimage process and considers pilgrimage as an institutional form or "symbol", "anti-structure". Accordingly, Turner’s view on communitas in pilgrimage is a factor that takes people out of the normal social structure, regardless of the structure's constraints; everything is completely voluntary. Its liminality lasts longer than of the liminal of initiation ceremony, creating new mundane and communitas gateways. (1973) [126; pg.204]. According to Thich Duc Truong in his article "Spiritual pilgrimage the Dharma Road", Buddhist pilgrimage is the ritual of burning incense and marching around the tower and the temple, and worshiping the Buddha, Bodhisattva ...... This is the original meaning of the word "pilgrimage", but 9 later, the connotation of "pilgrimage" is much more extended, even now pilgrimage is sometimes equated with cultural tourism, especially the trips to historical and religious relics (2017) [81]. In the theoretical framework of this thesis, Buddhist pilgrimage is understood as follows: Buddhist pilgrimage is a journey to the sacred places of Buddhism to worship, learn about Buddhist philosophy and ritual practices by oneself. Buddhist pilgrimage is the connection of people who have the shared Buddha belief and desire to practice that belief. From here, social networks, social relationships, and many practices of economic and religious exchange have been formed and maintained. + Communitas According to Victor Turner communitas is a characteristic of interaction, even a direct sharing between specific and explicit personalities, arising in all subjects, situations and circumstances (V.Turner 1978) [124; pg.250]. + Social networks According to the author Nguyen Thi Phuong Cham, “Social network is a social structure formed by individuals (or organizations) linked by interdependence through relationships such as friendships, kinships, belief relationships, knowledge relationships, etc. and the sharing of interests, finances, social issues, etc” [12; pg.6]. The author Nguyen Giao once said that “Social network is a model of connecting social relationships of individuals, groups and collectives.” [28; pg.33]. + Social capital From a political perspective, Fukuyama Francis has studied social relations through social capital in terms of economics in the article: “Social capital and civil society” (1999) [115]. He believes that social capital stems from the cultural components of modern society and is based on the foundation of social trust through the process of connecting members of a group or community organization. 10 1.2.2. Approach to theoretical basis of the thesis In my thesis, I was interested in the communitas in pilgrimage process of Victor Turner as this exerts influence on pilgrimage studies. Also, with social network as a theoretical approach, I am also keen on the communitas in the work called Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture: Anthropological Perspective (1978) [124]. I support Victor Turner’s basis on Mars’s theory of confict and social stability, together with the functionalism of Durkhiem, believing that pilgrimage performs the function of connecting social relationships and can create the new ones. Victor Turner also places emphasis on how experience and ritual practices in Christian culture can resolve conflicts, antinomy to maintain social stability. The similar patterns have been seen in Buddhist pilgrimage to Perfume pagoda, and Victor Turner’s viewpoint will be applied in the research into the connection within social networks in Buddhist pilgrimage to Perfume pagoda….. With functionism, Emile Durkheim also believes that religion and ritual practices can maintain and stablize the society. Emile Durkheim compares the cultural and social integration ability of religion with Emile Durkheim compared the ability of religion to integrate culture and society with the glue that binds people through religious ritual activities, enhancing solidarity. The PhD student also applied this view to consider expanding social relations in the Buddhist pilgrimage of Perfume Pagoda. The views mentioned above are the premise, basis and foundation for PhD students to apply in the study of Buddhist pilgrimage to Perfume Pagoda. The thesis will identify the phenomenon of Buddhist pilgrimage to Perfume pagoda as a cultural phenomenon emerging in contemporary society with political, economic, social - spiritual dynamics.. 11 1.3. Perfume Pagoda - A sacred space for today’s Buddhsit Pilgrimage 1.3.1. Geographical location and history of formation 1.3.1.1. Geographical location Perfume Pagoda is about 70 km southwest of Hanoi with a total natural area of 8,328 hectares. It was ranked as a National Heritage site by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on April 8, 1962, one of the 14 special national heritage sites recognized by the Prime Minister. The historical relics of Huong Tich pagoda consists of temples, pagodas and cave-pagodas scattered in the villages of Yen Vi, Đuc Khe, Hoi Xa, Tien Mai and Phu Yen in My Duc district. 1.3.1.2. The history of formation According to History of the Party Committee and the people of Huong Son Commune, Huong Son Commune is one of 22 communes and towns of My Duc district in the southernmost water region, bordering 4 districts (of 3 provinces) namely My Duc, Ung Hoa (Hanoi); Kim Bang (Ha Nam) and Lac Thuy (Hoa Binh). 1.3.2. Perfume Pagoda, a sacred space for pilgrims 1.3.2.1. The sanctity of Huong pagoda in landscapes and legends Perfume Pagoda relics complex includes 20 pagodas, temples and caves with extraordinary beauty, making it different and imbued with Buddha culture, where "Sky of the Buddha" is known everywhere with the name: "The most amazing cave of the South ”[55; p.5]. This has in turn attracted a multitude of pilgrims to come here. 1.3.2.2. The sacredness of Perfume pagoda in the Buddhist vestiges Perfume Pagoda, widely known as the ashram of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara The tale of Bodhisattva in Perfume pagoda is a story about the Goddess Ba written in Southern characters. Every year, thousands of pilgrims flock to this place to sightsee and take part in the festival. 12 1.3.2.3. The imprints of the Abbots In this day and age, Perfume pagoda annually attracts a lot of pilgrimage groups to worship because one of the special factors that could build faith in the pilgrims to Perfume pagoda is the Dharma names of different Buddhist Abbots and Abbesses, and now is Venerable Thich Minh Hien. It is the reputation, the academic ability and the ritual practices of the Abbots and Abbesses of Perfume pagoda that have spread the spirituality among the people. That’s why this has become a place that people eagerly go on a pilgrimage and attend festival at different times of the year, but Perfume pagoda witnesses the biggest number of visitors whenever spring comes. Conclusion of chapter 1 Through the overview of studies on pilgrimage, Buddhist pilgrimage, Perfume pagoda of many domestic and foreign scholars, it can be seen that this content has been approached from many different angles. From the clarification of conceptual systems in the thesis such as sacred space, pilgrimage, communitas, social capital, social media and related theoretical background, the thesis has employed the views of Victor Turner and Emile Durkheim to highlight the elements and dimensions of social networks. Chapter 2 THE RECOGNITION OF THE BUDDHIST PILGRIMAGE TO PERFUME PAGODA IN THE PRESENT DAY 2.1. Overview of Buddhist pilgrimage groups to Perfume Pagoda today Currently, many pagodas, organizations and individuals connect with each other by joining large-scale and organized groups, teams, associations, arranged by voluntary Abbots and Abbesses of some pagodas for the members to visit faraway pagodas, or to make a pilgrimage to a sacred 13 space. The places that has attracted a great number of pilgrimage groups to worship and practice rituals are Yen Tu, Dau Pagoda and especially Perfume Pagoda … Perfume pagoda is one of the places that welcome many groups, groups and individuals who come to practice rituals, sightsee and study Buddhism every year. Most of the pilgrimage groups which include a large number of participants are led by the Monks or the Nuns. This team leader has a great role to play throughout the pilgrimage; they always teach Buddhism, propagation of the Dharma, based on the Buddhist philosophy and practice rituals. At Perfume pagoda, the members of pilgrimage groups are ranging from at least about 20 to more than 3 thousand members. The appearance of many pilgrimage groups and many people participating in the pilgrimage is attributable to their connection via social media such as zalo, facebook, through word-of-mouth recommendations of their friends or the Buddhists, etc. Buddhist pilgrimages have been created and connected based on the needs of spiritual culture, ritual practices, participating in festivals, voluntary activities, economic exchange and so forth. These are the factors that create the bond between organizers and pilgrims. 2.2. An Lac Buddhist pilgrimage group, Hanoi 2.2.1. The formation An Lac Buddhist pilgrimage group is one of the groups that make a pilgrimage to Perfume Pagoda twice a year, and this is also the group I most participated. An Lac group of Hai Tan pagoda, led by Venerable Thich Minh Ha, the Abbot of Hai Tan pagoda, has been established and maintained from 2012 to the present. It has been almost 10 years since the establishment of An Lac Pligrimage group; at first the group had about 200 members but now the number of members is nearly 3,000, divided into 10 groups, each team has a leader. Currently, the organizer of An Lac Buddhist pilgrimage is Venerable Thich Minh Ha, the leader and also the person with the most important role in the delegation. The delegation is divided into many groups; group 1 and 4 are mostly business people, group 2 and 3 are 14 mostly civil servants and officials, group 5 and 6 are mostly young people like high school students, newly graduated students, university student volunteers, group 7 is mainly old people (mostly retired cadres), group 8, 9, 10 are mainly Buddhists in the ashram of Hai Tan pagoda. 2.2.2. Subjects and the capacity of pilgrims in An Lac Pilgrimage group today An Lac Buddhist pilgrimage group has attracted a number of participants; the group initially had only a few dozens of Buddhists who followed Venerable Thich Minh Ha to practice rituals, but now the figure is up to over 3,000 members. When conducting a survey into An Lac pilgrimage group, the PhD student got to know more members, many of whom had their own special abilities such as the ability to chant Buddhist scriptures, practice rituals, conduct feng shui consultation, identify good days, bad days and so on. 2.3. The purpose of pilgrims to Perfume Pagoda today 2.3.1. Spiritual belief Perfume pagoda is a folk name, or Huong Son, is a religious and cultural complex in Vietnam, including many Buddhist pagodas, temples of god, temples of agricultural gods, hills, caves, forests, streams, pagoda towers, etc. The stories of the sacredness are passed down in the form of natural sculptures such as the symbols of Rice Mortar, Euryale Amazonica, Cocoon, Pig Stable, Pistia Pond, Gold Tree, Silver Tree, the Nine Dragons to satisfy people's wishes. Pilgrims come here to pray for good luck, pregnancy, or good health for themselves and their families. 2.3.2. Sightseeing and studying Buddhist philosophy One of the reasons why many pilgrims come to Perfume pagoda is to show respect to the prestige, to be good at ritual practices, and to acquire knowledge of the Buddhist philosophy passed down by the Abbots here. The Abbots and Abbesses in this area have successfully built a trust in these pilgrims. At Perfume Pagoda, with knowledge of Buddhism and Dharma, 15 the Masters share with Buddhists and in many cases they solve human problems, spiritual health and mental health. Conclusion of Chapter 2 All of the activities, direct participation in the pilgrimage could serve as a proof, providing the thesis with practical evidence to recognize the Buddhist Pilgrimage to Perfume pagoda in today's hectic, fast-paced life. This chapter identifies the formation, connection and purpose of Buddhist pilgrimage through the specific case of An Lac Buddhist pilgrimage. In addition to the description of the formation of Buddhist pilgrimage groups, Chapter 2 also mentions the history, perspective, and attraction of the sacred space of the Huong pagoda, giving Huong Pagoda a unique cultural space; with the connection between Buddhism and indigenous beliefs, it is now becoming a pilgrimage center. Chapter 3 THE BUDDHIST PILGRIMAGE TO PERFUME PAGODA: THE SOCIAL NETWORK CONNECTION 3.1. Maintain and connect social relationships 3.1.1. Maintain and cement family relationships When partaking in the actual pilgrimage with An Lac Group, the PhD student also witnessed the presence of many pilgrims who joined their loved ones because they wanted to accompany their spouse/ children/ siblings to places of spiritual life like Perfume pagoda. Thanks to pilgrimage, the old social relationships are strengthened, the new ones are established, and conflicts within the structural relationships of the family are resolved. 3.1.2. Expanding social relations - finding friends and business partners When the pilgrimage group was established, there were only a few members, but the number of people joining the Buddhist pilgrimage An Lac group now reaches nearly 3,000 people. This could be attributable to 16 the "bridging" relationships through prestige and equality, thereby satisfying spiritual life and meeting the needs of many people. The expansion of social relations - looking for business partners is also evident when the pilgrims develop their friendship to business coopration. 3.2. Buddhist Pilgrimage to Perfume Pagoda: Communitas helps maintain the network of pilgrims 3.2.1. Communitas in the pilgrimage experience Eeach person has a different life situation, work, career, social status, but when participating in pilgrimage, they follow the schedule, arrive on time, make contribution and share financial burden, practice rituals and experience spiritual tourism on a voluntary basis. The image of pilgrims walking and chanting "The mantra of Amitabha Buddha", mingled with the incense smell, the temple bell sound make the pilgrims suddenly feel a sense of joy and excitement. 3.2.2.1. The ceremony praying for peace at beginning of the year Those who make pilgrimage to Buddhist sacred spaces practice prayer rituals for various purposes. The farmers expect good rain, good wind, business people hope to make big profit and win many new contracts, students pray for good grades and a desirable job after graduating, officials wish to get promoted. However, they mostly pray for peace and good health. The releasing ritual on Yen stream Pilgrims practice rituals together with the belief that peace and good luck will come to themselves and their families. Buddhist offerings at Thien Tru pagoda On practicing the rituals, the Master wears robes and offer incense, including incense, lamps, candles and fruits. After makings the offerings to the Buddha, he instructed the Buddhists to open the bible and chant the sutras together. Thousands of pilgrims, regardless of their position and social status, sit and chant the sutras after the Master. They also strike the 17 wooden bell to create the harmony and then companionship in the space of Thien Tru pagoda (Ngoai pagoda) in Perfume pagoda. Conclusion of Chapter 3 The activities of the pilgrimage process are linked not only by religious beliefs but by the communitas among pilgrims, creating emotional harmony. From the perspective of social networks, the Buddhist pilgrimage group is a typical community that is closely connected through three typical relationships: destiny, communitas, and symbiosis. The whole chapter 3 highlights the nature and characteristics of these 3 forms of association, creating a solid and reliable foundation for each participant. Chapter 4 THE BUDDHIST PILGRIMAGE TO PERFUME PAGODA: THE ECONOMIC ASPECT 4.1. Buddhist pilgrimage to Perfume pagoda and its economic functions One of the reasons for maintaining the social network of pilgrims is that Buddhist pilgrimages have economic function which can be easily observed in the development of religious services, income generation, savings and merit making. 4.1.1. Buddhist pilgrimage: The driving force for spiritual services Pilgrimage attracts and connects people from different walks of life who come not only to attend the retreat courses but also to visit, worship, retreat, practice rituals and address personal spiritual needs. The economic exchange activities of the pilgrims in the delegation took place as a form of buying – selling in the "market", but buying – selling in the form of spiritual "market". In addition to the needs of visiting pagodas, practicing rituals, making friends, trading, ect., the pilgrims also want to deal with personal spiritual needs like identifying specific feng shui areas, identifying good days for construction of home and so on, and this 18