Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE MONKHOOD
Most ethnic Lao men become novice monks at some time in their lives, usually before mar-
riage. Monks take
vows
to uphold no less than 227 precepts. These range from abstinence
from sexual relations, alcohol and the wearing of any sort of ornamentation to more arcane
rules such as a prohibition on urinating while standing upright (so as not to soil robes).
Laos's history of social upheaval and a generally relaxed attitude towards rules, however,
have meant that, especially in rural monasteries, not all of the precepts are strictly adhered
to. For most Lao males, the time spent wearing a robe is short, usually no more than three
months or so during the rainy season. Interestingly, a man who has yet to do time in a mon-
astery is referred to as
dip
or “unripe”, alluding to the fact that many Lao don't consider
a man complete without some time spent in the monastery; before the advent of public
schools, lessons in reading and writing at the monastery were about all the education the
average Lao could hope for.
As the state religion, Buddhism enjoyed royal patronage up until the time of the
revolu-
tion
. In the years leading up to the revolution, the communists cleverly used Buddhist
monks, many of whom were unhappy with widespread government corruption, as instru-
ments for diffusing propaganda. Once the cause had been won, however, the communists
moved to gain total control, banning the practice of alms-giving. This effectively made
it impossible to remain a monk, as it is against Buddhist precepts for monks to cultivate
plants or raise animals for food. The move backfired, however, as laypeople were shocked
at the new regime's heavy-handed treatment of the monkhood and resented being deprived
of any opportunity to make merit. Popular outcry forced the government to rescind the dra-
conian measures, but only after large numbers of monks fled to Thailand or abandoned
their robes and became laymen. Today, the study of Marxist-Leninist theory is still man-
datory for all monks, but Lao Buddhism has made a strong comeback and economic re-
forms and liberalization have helped to increase the numbers of men in the monkhood to
pre-revolution levels.
Animism and ancestor worship
Predating Buddhism in Laos,
animism
is the belief that natural objects - such as hills,
trees, large rocks or plots of land - are inhabited by spiritual entities or possess supernatural
powers. While the Buddhist Lao still harbour vestiges of these beliefs, some midland and
highland tribal peoples are exclusively animist.
An easily recognized example of animism among Buddhists is the practice of erecting a
spirit house
on plots of land. Ordinarily found in a corner of a piece of property, a spirit
house is the customary abode of the
jao bawn
, or spirit of the site, and resembles a miniature
house or sometimes a model of Mount Meru, the Hindu Mount Olympus, atop a pedestal. The
