I can't add links easily on the iPod, so I'll just suggest that if you are interested the Wilipedia entry on Lao Buddhism is very good. It answered several of my questions about the relationship between Sangah and state. The politics of religion in Laos make fascinating reading.
Last night lying in my cell in the basement of Brunai airport I came up with the theory -going out on a limb here. - that Lao Buddhism is uniquely a Buddhism of resistance that has evolved during Laos's history of invajsion by Thai, Khmer, Chinese and others. The origins of Lao Buddhism are said to come from the ancient kingdom of Dvaravati. If so one might expect wheel symbolism to be very much in evidence. I've mentioned that we studied Dvaravati stone wheels at SOAS, so you may remember.
In fact the lack of wheel symbolism is surprising; not even the wheel mudras.
- Mudras are the hand gestures in Buddhist art.-
I saw not a single dharmachakramudra, the gesture of turning the wheel. This may be partly because Laos is Theravada and does not lay so much importance on the continual cycle of life; but Lao was briefly Mahayana when under Khmer rule so there should be some.
The raised palm of the abhaya mudra was everywhere. The double abhaya mudra is particularly Laotian. This mudra is the one of courage and fearlessness. The story is that Buddha used it to stop a charging elephant. Thus it makes sense to me that the aspects of courage and resistance would become of primary significance in Lao Buddhism as for most of its history the country was under threat from more powerful neighbours and under communism from the state itself.
That is my theory and I'm sure I'm not the first to come up with it. There may be an article on JSTOR that says exactly the same thing, but you will never know after the sad death of Aaron Schwartz.
Last night lying in my cell in the basement of Brunai airport I came up with the theory -going out on a limb here. - that Lao Buddhism is uniquely a Buddhism of resistance that has evolved during Laos's history of invajsion by Thai, Khmer, Chinese and others. The origins of Lao Buddhism are said to come from the ancient kingdom of Dvaravati. If so one might expect wheel symbolism to be very much in evidence. I've mentioned that we studied Dvaravati stone wheels at SOAS, so you may remember.
In fact the lack of wheel symbolism is surprising; not even the wheel mudras.
- Mudras are the hand gestures in Buddhist art.-
I saw not a single dharmachakramudra, the gesture of turning the wheel. This may be partly because Laos is Theravada and does not lay so much importance on the continual cycle of life; but Lao was briefly Mahayana when under Khmer rule so there should be some.
The raised palm of the abhaya mudra was everywhere. The double abhaya mudra is particularly Laotian. This mudra is the one of courage and fearlessness. The story is that Buddha used it to stop a charging elephant. Thus it makes sense to me that the aspects of courage and resistance would become of primary significance in Lao Buddhism as for most of its history the country was under threat from more powerful neighbours and under communism from the state itself.
That is my theory and I'm sure I'm not the first to come up with it. There may be an article on JSTOR that says exactly the same thing, but you will never know after the sad death of Aaron Schwartz.