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Documentary "Mekong, the river of nine dragons" [ Ссылка ]

As the Mekong enters Laos, the first city it encounters is Luangprabang. It stands at an altitude of 700 metres, and is only now starting to come back to life, and entering the modern world, after several decades of wars and revolutions. The richness of its traditional architecture, represented by 32 temples, and the colonial buildings constructed by the French in the 1920s, meant that, in 1995, UNESCO declared it a world heritage site.

The Wats, or centres of prayer, are the most exquisite, refined architecture of Laos. Here, the young monks begin their Buddhist education, are taught to live in accordance with their monastic vows, to pray and meditate. They must follow 227 precepts, as part of the monastic discipline, and if eventually they do take holy orders, their family will gain great merit and prestige. Socially, it is considered appropriate for young Buddhists to be monks for a short period of their lives, normally three months, during which time they must obey ten vows, including the traditional prohibition on stealing, sloth, murder, intoxication and sexual relations. They are also forbidden to eat after midnight, dance, dress up or wear perfume, sleep in raised beds, or accept money for personal use. At the end of the day, the monks line up before Buddha and, intoning monotonous chants, recite the mantras, the prayers which help free them from desire and the senses, through moderation, renunciation and meditation, and in this way achieve the qualities of conscience, goodness and wisdom. Buddhism, more than a religion, is a philosophy or a path whose final and only aim to reach Nirvana, the negation of all causes of suffering, dissatisfaction and illness.

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