Feeding the monks
July 1st, 2006
We rose early June 26, 2006, to “feed the monks.” It’s a tradition in Luang Prabang. The monks of the village walk down the main thoroughfare and bystanders put food into the monks’ bowls. We had each been given a bowl of “sticky” rice and instructed to put a small ball of rice into each monk’s bowl. (Sticky rice can be rolled into a ball and won’t lose its shape.) A family of tourists nearby contributed bananas.
At about 6:30 a.m., the first monks appeared on the horizon, led by their most senior member. He was followed by hundreds of monks and novices. (Most of the young men were novices who will never actually become monks. Many people send their boys to “pagoda school” — their version of parochial school — so that they can receive an education. Young girls are less important and less likely to become educated.) Monks and novices dress the same, so it’s impossible to know who is a monk and who is a novice simply by looking. Most of the men were under the age of 20, so I assume they were novices.
I gave each monk a nice helping of sticky rice and quickly ran out of rice. As soon as I ran out, a new supply appeared. I have no idea who put the new bowl behind me. Some of the monks seemed bored or even unhappy with the experience, but most seemed friendly enough. I imagine that this is a difficult, though character building exercise.
The presence of hundreds of monks in Luang Prabang illustrates the importance of Buddhism in Laos. I venture to say it is important in all of the countries we’ve visited. I can’t say too much about the Buddhist faith, because I don’t know too much. However, I can say that people here have kept the faith, to a greater or lesser degree, in the face of hostile governments and Christian missionaries.
The people of SE Asia are ruled by disparate governments: Thailand is a democracy and a constitutional monarchy. Cambodia is a more recent, more fragile democracy. Burma is a military dictatorship. China, Laos, and Vietnam are communist states. They are officially atheistic and at times aggressively so. None of these countries, including Thailand, has enjoyed stability comparable to what we’ve enjoyed in the United States. Through periods of war, political upheaval, and economic uncertainty, the people have remained true to their faith. (The Chinese and the Vietnamese are probably the less religious than the others.)
I believe, based on the little I’ve seen and heard, that people here are free to practice their (Buddhist) faith. Most of these governments are aggressively pursuing economic development, including tourism, and I think they view the monks and the temples the way western tourists view them — as attractions, which can be developed to generate revenue. Government leaders, the communists in particular, have dropped a lot of ideological baggage in recent decades in an effort to develop their economies.
Buddhism was founded by Siddartha Gautama in northeastern Indian in the 5th century B.C. It has no creator god and gives a central role to the doctrine of karma. Karma is the sum of a person’s decisions in the present and past existences, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences.
The four noble truths of Buddhism state that all existence is suffering, that suffering is caused by desire, that freedom from desire is nirvana, and that this is achieved through the “eightfold” path to ethical conduct, wisdom, and mental exercise (including meditation). There are two major traditions: Theravada and Mahayana. Nirvana is more difficult to achieve in Theravada Buddhism, which is prevalent in Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. Mahayana Buddhism is practiced in China, Japan and Vietnam. The word “Buddha”means teacher. Buddhas are comparable to Catholic saints. There have been many Buddhas over the centuries.
We’ve seen just a few of the many thousands of temples in the region. Each temple is unique, but they share a few characteristics:
A stupa is a domed shaped structure erected as a Buddhist shrine. It often contains the ashes of important people.
A pagoda is a sacred building, typically a tower, often situated on a hill, with a statue of Buddha or an artifact of Buddha (like Buddha’s footprint).
A temple is a complex of buildings, which serves as a place of worship and a community center.
TEMPLE IN LUANG PRABAN, LAOS
TEMPLE IN LUANG PRABAN, LAOS
A naga is a serpent with the head of a dragon, which protects many temples.
I don’t think the governments have the same attitude about “western” religions, which are considered alien and are viewed as more of a threat for a variety of reasons. In any event, Christian missionaries have never been able to convert the people of SE Asia, as they did the people of South America and as they are doing in Africa.
Missionaries have had an impact, though. They helped ‘westernize” Thailand, for example, bringing modern schools, hospitals, and printing to the country. (See “The King and I” for the Hollywood version of that process.) And the Thais have long had the highest standard of living in the region.
Other countries did not undergo the same process. Cambodia is an example of that. Phillipe , director of the Cambodia Research Center, told us that Cambodia never underwent a print revolution which has hampered its economic development ever since. Developing a publishing industry is one of many challenges the country faces.
Christian missionaries still operate in Thailand and they have had some success converting members of minority groups — people who are disenfranchised from the greater society. Mrs. T, my home visit host, told me that many of the neighboring villages had converted to Christianity. She said the missionaries had built the villagers new hospitals and schools. At the same time, Christianity isn’t really part of the fabric of life here. Buddhism clearly is.
Entry Filed under: Freeman Fellowship
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