| AN BUDDHISM TAKES A NEW TURN | | | | the problem. The majority of the monks and novices |
| Though a small country with a small population, Laos | | | | were, like the populace, undereducated, both in the |
| was strong religiously. Before the Communist takeover | | | | modern sense and in the sense of monastic training. |
| in 2518/1975, Buddhism was the state religion under | | | | They lived in idleness and in ignorance of the real |
| royal patronage and the Sangha was unified, with no | | | | conditions of the changing society. Superstitious beliefs |
| division into sects or denominations, under the | | | | and practices were prevalent. Generally speaking, the |
| leadership of the Supreme Patriarch. In spite of the | | | | Laotian monks led the masses in this deluding way |
| absence of current statistics, it can be said that in 1975 | | | | rather than preach the real teachings. of the Buddha to |
| nearly 100 percent of the 3 million Laotians were | | | | enlighten them. Undoubtedly, this state of affairs |
| Buddhists. Not only were they unified in their faith, they | | | | contributed to the progress of Communist ideologies |
| were also strong in their faith. | | | | among the modern younger generations and, |
| Laotians were devoted Buddhists of the Theravada | | | | eventually, to the final collapse of the old royal regime. |
| School. They adhered to the traditional Buddhist culture | | | | After a long civil war between the Laotian royal |
| that they had shared with the traditional Thais. Laos | | | | government forces aided by the United States and the |
| stood at an earlier stage of modernization than | | | | pro-Communist Pathet Lao (The Lao People's |
| Thailand and the monkhood had not been isolated | | | | Revolutionary Party) supported by the North |
| from, or lost its place in, any sector of Laotian society. | | | | Vietnamese and a long period of political instability, |
| The monks had their rightful share in the process of | | | | Laos fell completely into the hands of the Communists |
| development. Leadership of the 1monkhood was still | | | | in 2518/1975. The 600-year-old monarchy was |
| maintained and the monks still played significant roles in | | | | abolished on July 2, 1975 and the kingdom was turned |
| public education. Ecclesiastical education was a basic | | | | into the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. In |
| part of the national system of education and enjoyed | | | | 2520/1977, Vietnam and Laos signed a 25-year |
| full responsibility of the secular government. In 2507 | | | | agreement for military and economic cooperation. The |
| 1964 the Institute of Buddhist Studies was established | | | | 2522/1979 Vietnam-Cambodia pact even says that |
| as an ecclesiastical institution under the charge of the | | | | the three countries “must unite with one |
| Ministry of Education.1 Large numbers of Laotian | | | | another in political, military, diplomatic and other |
| monks went to further their studies in Thailand and | | | | affairs.”1 A large number of refugees have fled |
| India every year and were a direct concern of the | | | | Vietnamese-dominated Laos, draining the country of |
| Laotian government. On graduation, they had significant | | | | most of its elite. Laotian monk-refugees can be found |
| places in national affairs. Ostensibly, monks in Laos | | | | taking shelter in Thailand and living with Laotian |
| were thus in a good position to find a suitable place for | | | | communities in the United States and some European |
| Buddhism in modernized society and to help the people | | | | countries. The last patriarch of Laos, a respectable |
| achieve a desirable development, if they should not fall | | | | very old senior monk, has been hospitalized in |
| into negligence and lose the opportunity, and if political | | | | Bangkok. Because of the lack of communication, |
| events should not interfere and put them out of action | | | | Buddhism in Laos becomes hidden away as if behind |
| or dislocate the whole process. | | | | a kind of curtain. Hearsays and rumours develop |
| However, the above promising picture of Laotian | | | | abroad, including the ones that no new monks have |
| Buddhism can be compared only to the visible part of | | | | entered the monasteries as people are not allowed to |
| an iceberg seen above water. While the country had a | | | | ordain while the pre-existing monks are encouraged or |
| very backward economy and was often spoken of | | | | indirectly forced to leave the monkhood and that the |
| as the least developed of the Indochina states, the | | | | rhonks have been utilized by the current regime as |
| Laotian monkhood, on the whole, did more for the | | | | political instruments for indoctrinating the people in the |
| persistence of the status quo than for the solution of | | | | new ideology. |