Folklore: Monkhood in Laos at a Glance

May 23, 2017

The Green Lion

The majority of Laotians follow Theravada Buddhism. It’s impossible to even touch the surface of what Buddhism means in Laos or all the vast traditions that come with it. You can tell how religion has trickled into every layer of society here. You’ll find it in the ‘spirit house’ (a colorful little shrine for offerings) you see on each corner and the plenty other religious decorations. It shows in the calm pace that life travels in, how people won’t raise their voice or won’t often be seen angry. Buddhism has built a society filled with kindhearted people that will take the time to help out their neighbor or any stranger. Anywhere you go, people smile back at you and come across as content or happy, even in the poorest of places.

It also means Laos is filled with temples, elaborately decorated and all a bit different. One might have the most detailed painted panels about the life of the Buddha, or a gigantic statue in the next. Maybe you’ll stumble across a range of prayer flags, or find a jungle temple with a more modest setting.

Now if I say temple, you say monk, but nuns and novices also call it their home. It isn’t mandatory for all boys to spend some time in monkhood, but most do. Especially families from the countryside have an extra reason to send their young son off for the mere purpose to get an education, which otherwise wouldn’t be possible. With education, I’m not just talking a workshop here and there. A (novice) monk could actually get the chance to go to university. Even today, roughly half of the population in Laos is illiterate, so that’s quite an amazing opportunity to get.

Time spent in temple generally happens before marriage, often around the age of twelve. Until the age of nineteen, the boys will be called novices; a ‘monk-in-training’. They will have ten rules to abide by. You might guess some of them: refrain from lying, stealing, sexual contact and not to take a life. Yes, I asked, that includes mosquitos. Let’s say you’re nicely in a state of meditation and a bug lands on your knee? Tough luck, don’t even sweat it. Other rules are more aimed at a life of modesty. That means no exercise (not even running) or other types of entertainment like singing or dancing. A smartphone with Facebook, however, isn’t an issue, as you’ll see them stuck to one at most times. They’re not allowed to eat food after noon, wear perfume or other decorations. If you ask me, the colourful robes are a great look to rock along with a shaved head, so who needs a bunch of jewelry anyway.

Surprisingly, they’re free to leave temple life at any time. It means they could stay for a few years, get an education and leave. Or, they might decide to make this their entire life’s purpose. Most men will only spend a short period as a novice monk though, often about three months during rainy season. It’s not uncommon to go back to the monkhood when a man reaches old age. It made me automatically assume this would only be done by widowers or single guys. That isn’t the case. Even if they’re still married, it’s not uncommon. Because of the aforementioned precepts, it automatically means that you would never be allowed to even shakes hands with your wife. However, she would be welcome to visit you for conversations. Just imagine your Western husband to leave you for temple.

For women, a broken heart is a common reason to become a nun. Or, if they’re already at a respectful age, to simply avoid spending the last bit of their life around their screaming grandchildren. They’ll shave their head, wear all white, and have tasks that are more involved in taking care of the temple property or animals.

Monks and novices, however, serve a bigger role for the population of Laos. You can say there’s a certain hierarchy to be seen in the temple. The head monk is called an abbot, and after ‘normal’ monks, you’ll find the novices and then the nuns. (Women aren’t allowed to become monks / to be fully ordained.) This difference shows in a number of rules that apply to each person. Nuns have eight rules to follow, a novice will have ten and a monk has a whopping amount of 227. With the latter, you’re talking about not being allowed to eavesdrop, not to urinate while standing upright (it might spoil the robe), or not to walk on tiptoe.

Besides Theravada Buddhism, animism and ancestor worship are other main beliefs. Animism is the belief that natural objects (trees, land, rocks, hills) are inhabited by spiritual entities or possess powers. My favorite story has to do with reïncarnation and spirits of animals. Let’s say your wife is pregnant. If so, it’s ill-advised for you or your wife to kill an animal such as a chicken, cow or goat, in her presence. It’s believed the spirit after the animal has died, might be reborn into your baby. Killing a small animal such as an insect wouldn’t cause an issue, nor would it be a problem if your next-door neighbor does it. Animals can die of natural causes, so just to be safe, let’s keep all pets out of the house until the due date. For me, that would just break my crazy cat lady heart.

Regardless of your own personal belief, it’s evident that Buddhism has shaped how Lao society (and many other countries alike) works to a great extent. From generosity to modesty, to respect for your parents and teachers: Buddhism has definitely had its effect on its people. For me, as an avid atheist, there is still no way of leaving Asia without a massive amount of respect for it. It has brought a million interesting rituals and stories that I’m all curious about. There’s a certain way of seeing life and being glad about what you have, that some Western countries can learn a great deal from.

This post is mostly based on the experience and expertise of the coördinator of Culture Week in Laos, Ticky, who has previously been a monk for a whopping fourteen years. I’m grateful for the patience he found in answering my many questions and for the passion in which he speaks about his religion and earlier life. If there are any mistakes in this article, it’s my fault, not his.