[Vung Tau, 9/13/24]
Buddhism has three main branches. Most Vietnamese belong to the Mahayana School. To them, the Land of Pure Bliss, or heaven, if you will, is in the West. Eating lunch at a regrettable vegetarian buffet yesterday, I was reminded of this. At the far end was an altar with five statues. Above them was this plea, “AMITABHA / LET ME RETURN TO THE WESTERN ULTIMATE BLISS.” West of this suffering realm is paradise lost.
Since Vietnam is at the edge Asia, just about everywhere else is West, including Sri Lanka. Stay with me, I know where I’m going.
I have a good American friend who’s been in Vietnam nearly 17 years. Though his Vietnamese is still shaky, he’s learning more each day. Whenever we talk, I teach him new words and phrases. “Đếch cần,” for example, is a colloquialism meaning, “I don’t need it,” but with “fuck off” implied. It’s very useful.
My friend, let’s call him James, has no desire to return to California. He had enough of it even before Gavin Newsom was installed. At age 59, James can see himself in that dragon decorated hearse that looks like a temple on wheels, but first, he wouldn’t mind a stable home life, with a wife to share nearly every meal with. His fondness for Saigon Beer can even be satisfied at home, most nights. Leaning against each other on a couch, they can watch Hellbound Village together. Tết ở làng địa ngục is Vietnam’s favorite Netflix series. In this cursed village, innocents are routinely killed most savagely. Everything here is a horrific omen.