Buddhism
Buddhism is in theory a "school of life" that allows access to Nirvana, that is to say the extinction of all desire.
The life of Buddha. Prince Siddhartha Gautama was born in 560 BC in Lumbini, India (now Nepal). His father ruled over the principality of Kapilavastu, on the Indian side of the Himalayas. Buddha is therefore not a legendary figure, but an authentic historical figure whose life is very well known. His mother died shortly after his birth and his father transferred all his affection to this only child. To prevent him from experiencing the misery of the world, he forbade him to leave the immediate vicinity of the palace. At the age of 16, the prince married a princess cousin. At the age of 28, he left the palace to wander around. He has four encounters that totally change his vision of the world and of life. First, he meets a decrepit old man who shows him that youth does not last. Then he meets a man suffering from the black plague who shows him what the disease is. Then the sight of a corpse at the stake teaches him the reality of death. On his fourth outing, he meets a very serene ascetic beggar in the midst of all his suffering. At the age of 29, he flees into the forest, leaving his wife and child. To flee suffering, he first follows the example of the beggar ascetic. For seven years, he practiced yoga, eating very little. But these trials appear to him as useless suffering. He then immersed himself in meditation and finally knew the Enlightenment, the Awakening, attained under a tree in Bodhgaya in India. He became the Buddha, the Enlightened One. Man must follow a path between asceticism and hedonism, both unnatural and not very beneficial to each other: the Middle Way. Buddhism, like Hinduism, believes in reincarnation. Whoever succeeds in ending the cycle of reincarnations will stop suffering and reach Nirvana. During the rest of his life, Buddha leads a life of pilgrimage to put his doctrine into practice. He does not preach it in words, but offers his life as a model. He only sometimes answers the questions that people ask him. The writings on his sermons are therefore very rare. At the age of 80, in 480 B.C., he died. He lies down on his right side and waits to enter Nirvana. After his death, his disciples transcribed his teaching in the form of Sutra and laid the foundations of the Buddhist clergy.
The origins of Buddhism. During the first century of its existence, the doctrine of Buddhism was based on the single statement: "Man is a victim of his desires". To leave the cycle of successive reincarnations (avatars) and attain supreme peace, he must therefore control his instincts and renounce earthly pleasure. Through chastity and meditation, man can acquire wisdom and attain Nirvana. No rite is really obligatory in principle, but the faithful are in the habit of preserving their spiritual life by respecting certain religious festivals and the dogmas of the clergy. Because of a theological quarrel a schism arose in what had become a religion, and two new currents emerged. Firstly, the Great Vehicle or Mahâyâna, according to which spiritual well-being is reserved only for the chosen few. Here the clergy plays a supporting role towards the people as a whole. Everyone must rely on a spiritual master who will intercede on their behalf. Secondly, the Small Vehicle or Theravâda, faithful to the original Buddhism, according to which every man can reach Nirvana by his own means, without the help of a master.
Lao Buddhism. Lao Buddhism corresponds to Theravâda, as in Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia or Sri Lanka. Coming from the school Sthaviravāda (which means in Sanskrit the Teaching of the Ancients), it is a conservative Buddhism that has remained close to the original teachings. It is based on the words of Shakyamuni Buddha (the Buddha) collected by his contemporaries. Still imbued with Hinduism, this form of Buddhism is generally considered tolerant and quite liberal. Every morning, monks and novices, dressed in their saffron robes, leave the temple in a procession (from the oldest to the youngest) and go out to beg for food from the inhabitants of the village or neighbourhood. The latter, kneeling, offer each monk rice or cakes. Such an action allows the faithful to acquire merits for his future life. The monks then return to the pagoda to have their only meal before noon. They will not be allowed to eat until nightfall. Each village, each district has at least one pagoda. Even in the poorest villages, a wooden building serves as a place of worship. The monks are not only devout believers. In the countryside, in particular, they taught the youngest children to read, write and understand religious texts.
History of Lao Buddhism. Buddhism was undoubtedly introduced to the Lane Xang kingdom during the 14th century, under the reign of Fa Ngum. But it was not until the 17th century that it replaced the cult of genies in the Mekong Basin. At that time, King Setthathirath had a large number of pagodas built in Vientiane, including the That Luang and the Vat Ho Phra Keo, in order to impose the Buddha's teaching. His successor, Souligna Vongsa, made a point of using these places as true Buddhist schools where both sacred texts and art were taught. It was then the apogee of Buddhism in Laos. Life in the palace and in the villages was regulated by the sound of gongs. The monks studied the texts and practiced the rites relating to the life of Buddha. Many schools were created and led by venerable saints. In 1694, after the death of Souligna Vongsa, the country experienced deep divisions which had serious consequences for the practice of Buddhism.
Following the defeat of Laos in 1778, General Chulalok, head of the victorious Siamese army, seized the "Emerald Buddha", the pride of Vientiane. Similarly, the Phra Bang - "Golden Buddha" - had already been transported to Bangkok in 1707. Throughout the 19th century, Laos was ravaged by fighting and pagodas were systematically looted or destroyed. In the absence of teaching places, the Buddha's word began to get lost. Religious customs then survived in form, but deprived of profound meaning.
In the 20th century, the French authorities sent many missionaries to convert the Laotians to Christianity, without much success.
Buddhism and communism. In the 1950s, while the members of the Pathet Lao were preparing the revolution, they considered it useful to involve members of the clergy in their struggle. The monks were aware of the inequalities in the kingdom and the state of misery in which part of the population lived, including themselves. Moreover, as representatives of Lao culture, they spoke out against the American desire for intervention. Some renounced their vows to join the Lao Pathet, while the majority of them, continuing their monastic life, gave their occasional support to the nationalist cause. The communists took advantage of this support in full awareness of the popular respect the monks enjoyed.
But after the victory of the Pathet Lao in 1975, relations between the communists and the Buddhist clergy changed. From being allies, they became a potential threat to a government seeking to assert its authority. Many monks were then locked up in what were modestly called "re-education seminaries", where they were forbidden to transmit the word of the Buddha, whose teaching could not coincide with revolutionary thought. Many went into exile in Thailand and those who remained had to bow to the Party's decisions. In 1979, there were less than 2,000 monks left in Laos, a tenth of the number in 1975.
However, as Buddhism was about to disappear from the country, the government decided to moderate the repressive measures. One of the reasons for this change, after the intransigence of the early days, was to use the social cohesion provided by traditional Buddhism to prevent the development of modern protest movements. Today the Communist Party seems to have made peace with the Buddhist clergy. Monks and novices are once again populating the temples and religious ceremonies are once again popular, Buddhism is being put back at the heart of daily life.Animism and popular beliefs
Phi and Khwan. Despite the preponderance of Buddhism in Laos, animist beliefs are still widely held among the Lao population today and affect more than 30% of the population. The belief in spirits - Phi - illustrates the relationship that many Laotians have with nature, as well as the explanation given for the origin of diseases. This belief in the power of the Phi mingles with Buddhism, especially in the countryside, and some monks are respected for their special gifts for exorcising the sick by driving evil spirits from a home. In some temples, there is a small, secluded refuge associated with Phi Khoun, the beneficent spirit of the place. Many Lao Loum believe they are under the permanent protection of the Khwan (a group of 32 spirits). Illness appears when some of these spirits leave the body. To restore the situation, a baci, a ceremony to ask the spirits to spread health, love and prosperity to the person concerned, is then held.
Laotians believe that the Khwan of a person who dies accidentally, violently or at birth, cannot be reincarnated normally and then becomes an evil genius or Phi Phetu. Other beliefs refer to wild spirits deep in the forests, in rivers, even in a stone... not to mention domestic spirits that reside in the home.
Customs. It is customary to make offerings to secure the favours of such a spirit in the conduct of human affairs. In the old days, these offerings made at the beginning of the agricultural season were supposed to promote the cultivation of rice. The Lao Pathet prohibited these rites in the late 1960s and they have all but disappeared today, surviving only in remote places. Ceremonies to win the favour of the Phi consist of offerings of chicken and rice alcohol. Once the spirit has absorbed the essence of the food, the guests in the audience can consume the leftovers. In some villages, an elderly person, reputed for his knowledge of Phi, will be asked to choose the best date for a wedding or the best day to celebrate the domestic rites. Each village on the plain is supposed to be protected by a Phi Ban (village spirit), whose benevolence requires annual offerings. On this occasion, the best specialist of the village presides over a ceremony - Liang Phi Ban - during which a buffalo is sacrificed. All foreigners are forbidden to enter the village during the whole day. This ceremony has a social function since it redefines the village's boundaries and reinforces the solidarity of its inhabitants.
Ancestor worship among minorities. Most of the Lao Theung and Lao Soung ethnic groups are animist. Ancestor worship plays an important role, but each group has its own beliefs and practices. The Khamu call their spirits Hrooy. They have the same characteristics as the Phi of the Lao Loum. The spirit of the house occupies a privileged place, but the geniuses living in wild places are particularly feared. The Lamet have similar beliefs, and each village has its xemia (spirit doctor or shaman) responsible for the sacrifices. He also controls the common house reserved for the men, and officiates in the construction of new habitats. When the xemia dies, one of his sons is elected by the married men of the village to succeed him. If he does not, one of his brother's sons is chosen. The rituals related to the spirits of the ancestors - mbrong n'a - are important for the well-being of the household. No activity is undertaken without the spirits' knowledge. Great buffalo lovers, the Lamet hang the skulls and horns of the sacrificed animals on the ancestors' altar or on the gable of the house. Certain taboos are observed in domestic life to avoid offending these susceptible spirits. The Hmong name their spirits neeb. Some are associated with ancestors, houses, others with nature. Each dwelling, however modest, has an altar at the centre of domestic rituals. During the ceremonies that take place during the Hmong New Year, the renewal of the protection given by the spirits to the house is ardently sought. Giving oneself the benefits of the "spirit of the gate" is vital, and sacrifices are made to satisfy this neeb.
Shamanism. Many minorities associate a disease with the action of a spirit. In this case, a healer is summoned to expel the evil spirit through complex rites. These healers are either ordinary doctors or shamans. According to Hmong beliefs, spirits reside in the sky and the shaman has the ability to reach these spirits. Illness can be caused by the "departure to the sky" of one of the body's protective spirits. The shaman must then find him and have him return to the sick body to obtain healing. During the ritual, the shaman sits facing the altar, astride a seat representing his horse. A black mask covers his face to hide it from the earthly world. Hmong shamans have the reputation of being directly chosen by the spirits, often following a long illness diagnosed by another shaman as an initiation: confrontation with death. The shaman's teaching is oral, there is no uniform ritual, but a variation of similar practices.
Christianity
A small Christian community is present in Laos, mainly Vietnamese. And it has a cemetery on the road to Luang Prabang. Originally, these families were converted by French missionaries in the first half of the 20th century. Some families, close to the colonial power, had adopted religion with the way of life. The work of the missions was not limited to Vientiane province: several thousand Hmong were persuaded to repudiate their animist beliefs by the missionaries stationed in the northern mountainous regions. Today, although there are still some visible traces of Christianity (cathedral and congregation of sisters in Vientiane, church in Savannakhet), the government is not favourable. The American missionaries - Seventh Day Evangelists - have replaced their French counterparts, but they are forbidden to proselytize directly. This is why Anglo-American language schools have proliferated in recent years, carrying out a real work of conversion.
Islam
There is a small Muslim community in Vientiane. They are mainly Indians and Pakistanis, merchants who have lived there for many years or immigrants working in textile factories. The city's largest mosque is located a stone's throw from Nam Phou Square.
