Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
RELIGION AND BELIEF SYSTEMS
The multiplicity ofbelief systems in Laos mirrors the complexity ofits ethnic make-up.
TheravadaBuddhismisthemajorityreligion,practisedbyapproximatelytwo-thirdsof
thepopulation,followedbyanimismandancestorworship.TheremainderpractiseMa-
hayana Buddhism and Taoism, and a small percentage of the population follow Chris-
tianity or Islam.
Buddhism
Lao legend has it that Buddhism came to Laos in the fourteenth century, but archeological
evidence suggests that Buddhism existed in parts of what is now Laos as early as the eighth
century.
TheravadaBuddhism
, sometimes referred to as the “southern school” of Buddhism
owing to its geographic spread, is prevalent in Sri Lanka, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand and
Cambodia as well as Laos. The vast majority of lowland-dwelling ethnic Lao, whose num-
bers make up over half of the population of Laos, are adherents of Theravada Buddhism, as
are other ethnic groups such as the Tai Leu, Phuan and Phu Noi, plus a fraction of the tribal
Tai groups, such as the Phu Tai, Tai Daeng and Tai Dam. Lao-style Theravada Buddhism
is a fascinating blend of indigenous and borrowed beliefs and rituals. During Laos's many
years of vassaldom to the various kingdoms made up of lands that now lie within Thai bor-
ders, many outside religious beliefs and customs found their way into the Lao royal courts
of Luang Prabang, Vientiane and Champasak and, from there, into the valleys of the interior
via the tributaries of the Mekong river. The Hindu customs and beliefs that were adopted by
the Thai after their sack of Angkor, in what is now Cambodia, were also passed on, in diluted
form, to Laos.
Later, Chinese and Vietnamese immigrants brought with them
Mahayana Buddhism
, the
so-called “northern school” of Buddhism. As the immigrants prospered and assimilated, the
images of their gods found their way into urban monasteries. Go into one of these monaster-
ies today and, alongside images of the Buddha, you may well see a representation of a Hindu
god such as Ganesh or a Mahayana Buddhist deity such as Kuan Yin.
The ideological rift between the two Buddhist schools is as vast as the one that divides Cath-
olicism and Protestantism. Theravada Buddhism is the more austere of the two and has been
described as having an “every man for himself” philosophy, that is to say, each individual
adherent is believed to be responsible for his or her own accumulation of merit or sin. Ma-
hayana Buddhism is more of a “group effort”, with adherents praying for divine assistance
from
bodhisattva
, near-Buddhas who have postponed their enlightenment in order to serve as
the compassionate protectors of all mankind.
For most Lao Buddhists, religion in everyday life revolves around the all-important practice
of
making merit
, or
het bun
. This accumulation of merit is paramount to a Theravada
