The ancient capital of Luang Prabang and the cradle of Theravada Buddhism
Luang Prabang is a 2.5 hour high-speed train ride north of the capital Vientiane, and it's no exaggeration to say that the land of Luang holds the national soul of Laos.
The "tiled roofs" of Luang Prabang temples seen from the top of Phousi
The history of Luang Prabang is closely linked to the first unified Lao kingdom of Lan Xang. The Muong Xoa region was established by Khun Lo (a Thai leader), who ruled peacefully for a century under 15 kings. In 1353, King Fa Ngum unified Laos, established the kingdom of Lan Xang (also known as Nam Chuong or Vientiane, “the land of a million elephants”) and placed its capital here.
Theravada Buddhism in Luang Prabang maintains a simple, unpretentious spirit. Monks live a frugal life, possessing only robes and alms bowls, and practice the teachings strictly. The temples here are not too luxurious but have a quiet beauty, close to nature and daily life.
Golden Buddha statue inside Wat Xieng Thong - the oldest temple in the region
With a system of ancient temples hundreds of years old such as Wat Xieng Thong; most Lao men spend time as monks studying and practicing to help them practice morality, learn to let go and live humbly and perform the Tak Bat alms-giving ritual every day; Buddhism becomes a way of life, permeating every thought, gesture and daily activity of the people, creating a peaceful and spiritual land.
The sun rises, monks follow each other, the Tak Bat alms-giving ceremony begins the day
“Tak Bat” has a very simple meaning, "Tak" (ตัก) means to scoop, to pour in, showing the act of "giving" of the people, accompanied by "Bat" (บาตร) which is the alms bowl that monks carry with them to receive offerings.
People and offerings waited for the ceremony.
Every morning as the sun rises, hundreds of monks from different monasteries silently walk along the streets to receive offerings. People sit neatly on rattan chairs on the roadside, wearing Pha Bien scarves solemnly, preparing baskets of hot sticky rice ready for the meaningful "giving" ritual.
It was just dawn
For the people, offering alms to monks is a way to practice Dana – one of the important foundations of Buddhism. They believe that giving with sincerity will help accumulate merit, bringing peace to themselves and their families.
Following the monks from the temple gate, through each small alley, I was extremely surprised to see at every street corner there was a trash can, inside were sticky rice, fresh candy. "Strange, why do monks receive offerings and then throw them away?" Perhaps their alms bowls were full...
Trash bins all along the walkways
In Buddhist teachings, temples do not have kitchens, because begging for food is not only a way to sustain life but also helps monks keep their minds empty, not entangled in livelihood matters, devoting all their attention to practice and letting go of greed and arrogance.
Further, the image of barefoot monks wearing robes, silently receiving offerings and then leisurely walking away implicitly represents the idea of impermanence in life. No one owns or holds anything forever, nor does one know what we will receive tomorrow, thereby cultivating compassion for ourselves and those around us.
Image of monks following each other along the path
In the rows of people offering their offerings, I saw a tiny child sitting in the middle, clasping his hands to ask for food from the monks. Some monks passed by and gently shared some sticky rice, some monks just silently observed as if it was a matter of course…
The spirit of Tak Bat and the kindness of the people of the ancient capital
We got to experience the “give-take” lifestyle and practice compassion and the cheerfulness of the people here just after a short break from the alms round.
The croissant was given with warmth
The sun was high in the sky, the monks returned to their temples to practice, we filled our hungry stomachs with a portion of Pad Thai, a bowl of Khao Soi and then leisurely sat on a very quiet street corner. The coffee shop uncle carefully made two frappuccinos, smiling gently and hospitable. Seeing us chatting happily, he brought two hot, freshly baked croissants and two glasses of strawberry juice, smiling broadly and saying that it was for the two of us. Although we couldn’t understand what each other was saying, the friendliness and sincerity of the Lao people left a very pleasant impression on me.
He has a wife, and they run a small coffee shop together. When we gave him the money, he didn't accept it right away, but called his wife, who was busy at the back gate of Wat Xieng Thong, to come and receive it. Then he looked at us, smiled and said, "My wife." Oh my gosh, he's so cute, determined not to keep the money, and let his wife manage everything!
Our 4 leisurely days in Luang Prabang were truly peaceful and slow! I don’t think that experiencing a single Tak Bat session with the monks could help me understand anything right away. It’s just that the further we walked, the wider the world became, the culture and religion blended into the way of life in Luang Prabang remained a bright beauty for us.
We spent a lot of time walking around Wat Xieng Thong - the oldest temple in the area, the Palace Museum with many interesting historical stories, tried on the traditional Lao women's sarong and blended in with the gentle, leisurely people here.
The Artistic Old Palace in Luang Prabang
Currently, direct flights from Vietnam to Laos are extremely convenient with Vietjet and Vietnam Airlines, and the high-speed railway system running along Northern Laos will be a great plus for everyone's promising journey to explore Laos.
