Mindfulness for Children? A Comparative Studyof Boy Novices in Buddhist Temples in Vietnamand Thailand
Hang Thanh Pham1 Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
Chi Phuong Tran2 Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
Ronald A. Pernia3* University of the Philippines, Cebu, Philippines [email protected]
Abstract: This study aims to examine the lived experience of boy novices in two Buddhist temples in Vietnam and Thailand.
Lodged within the overarching framework of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and
taking into account the impact on children’s overall well-being, this study uses phenomenological qualitative research
design to bring about the narratives of young boys in such religious sites. Primarily, this study looks at the (a) reasons for
entering the temples, (b) the issues and concerns that each boy encountered while on the temple premises, and (c) how they
overcame the daily demands of monastic life while studying and being a child. Methodologically, this study conducts in-depth
personal interviews and ethnographic accounts of the young novices and senior monks in both countries’ popular temples,
that is, the Thai Wats – Theravada temple (in Pathum-Thani province) and the Vietnamese Chùa- Mahayana temple (in Hue
city). The findings suggest that the boy novice tradition in both countries exemplified several defining features and salient
provisions affirming the general principles enshrined in the UN convention on the rights of children. Consequently, this
study found out that the monastic life that the children have led allowed them to gain a mental mechanism that can regulate
their emotional response to an otherwise “stressful” circumstance. Ultimately, it highlights the continuing prominence of
religion in contemporary Southeast Asia.
Keywords: boy novices, Buddhism, human rights, mindfulness, Thailand, United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Vietnam
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