8. System Of Organization

The Hoa Hao Buddhist Community is administered by a system of Administrative Committees set up at each hamlet, village, district and province, at the top of which is a Central Council of Administrators. A Hamlet Administrative Committee is composed of several subcommittees.

Thanks to this closeknit system, Hoa Hao Buddhist leaders can keep close contact with the masses, all activities are effectively managed and all instructions given are easely carried out by all levels, from the central council to the grass-roots subcommittees.

The guiding principle of Hoa Hao Buddhist organization and management can thus be described as Focused Democracy.

a. ELECTIONS

 Hoa Hao Buddhist faithful elect their representatives to the Administrative Committees at the hamlet level. The latter then elect the committee at the village level and this process continues up to the elections of the district and provincial committees.

The Central Council of Administrators is elected by the Administrative Committees from the hamlets, villages, districts and provinces.

 b. LEADERSHIP

 As the Administrators have been chosen through elections according to their virtues and in compliance with the principle of democratic centralization, they will naturally have enough prestige to carry out their task.

Each Board of Administrators consists of 10 to 15 members.

The Central Council of Administrators has 23 members.

Besides the Central Council of Administrators there exists a Supervisory Council in charge of disciplinary action in accordance with the commandments of Hoa Hao Buddhism.

The Supreme Head of the Church is Prophet Huynh Phu So, the Founder of Hoa Hao Buddhism.