-^-for posterity-^-

i would like to tell the story of three gods and their importance in vietnamese society. i will talk about mr. phuc, mr. loc and mr. tho. these three gods are fairly ubiquitous. you see them on calendars, in homes and in businesses on a fairly regular basis. they relate to buddhism in the following way. they have the power to right wrongs that were committed in previous lives. for example, if you were a bad person a few lifetimes ago, these gods will either make you happier or more miserable depending on the level of your guilt.

the god on the left of the picture above is mr. phuc. he is responsible for the happiness of every person in society. in his left hand you can see a scroll where he recounts the good and bad actions of everyone and then dispenses happiness either in this life or the following life. in his right hand he holds a golden rod which can grand people wishes and happiness and what not.

the god in the middle is mr. loc. he is the god of material wealth. he is the god of money (though there are other gods of wealth), possessions and things. in his left hand he holds a wand which can be used to make material possessions either appear or disappear. all of the gods have long facial hair which is a symbol of virility.

the god on the right is mr. tho. when a person reaches 60 years of age, they are thrown a ‘welcoming tho party’ where everyone congratulates them on being such wonderful survivors. mr. tho is the god of old age. he is wise (as can be seen by his engorged forehead) and walks using a giant cane. he dispenses life and does so based on people’s actions in previous lives.

these three gods are seen in most places in vietnam and many an incense stick is lit in their honor.