Saturday, January 25, 2020
That Luang Laos ພຣະທາຕຫລວງ พระธาตุหลวง ທາດຫລວງ ພະທາດຫລວງ
That Luang Laos ພຣະທາຕຫລວງ พระธาตุหลวง ທາດຫລວງ ພະທາດຫລວງ
Sunday, August 27, 2017
Sunday, July 23, 2017
Funeral
A REAL BUDDHIST FUNERAL IS A SIMPLE, SOLEMN AND DIGNIFIED RELIGIOUS SERVICE. As practiced in many Buddhist countries, a real Buddhist funeral is a simple, solemn and dignified ceremony. Unfortunately, some people have included many unnecessary, extraneous items and superstitious practices into the funeral rites. The extraneous items and practices vary according to the traditions and customs of the people. They were introduced in olden days by people who probably could not understand the nature of life, nature of death, and what life would be after death. When such ideas were incorporated into Buddhist practices, people tended to blame Buddhism for expensive funeral rites. If only the Buddhist public would approach proper persons who have studied the real Teachings of the Buddha and Buddhist tradition, they could receive advice on how to perform Buddhist funeral rites. It is most unfortunate that a bad impression has been created that Buddhism encourages people to waste their money and time on unnecessary practices. It must be clearly understood that Buddhism has nothing to do with such debased practices. Buddhists are not very particular regarding the burial or cremation of a dead body. In many Buddhist countries, cremation is customary. For hygienic and economic reasons, it is advisable to cremate. Today, the population in the world is increasing and if we continue to have dead bodies occupying valuable land, then one day all remaining available land will be occupied by the dead and the living will have no place to live. There are still some people who object to the cremation of dead bodies. They say that cremation is against god's law, in the same way they have objected to many other things in the past. It will take some time for such people to understand that cremation is much more appropriate and effective than burial. On the other hand Buddhists do not believe that one day someone will come and awaken the departed persons spirits from their graveyards or the ashes from their urns and decide who should go to heaven and who should go to hell. The consciousness or mental energy of the departed person has no connection with the body left behind or his skeleton or his ashes. Many people believe that if the deceased is not given a proper burial or if a sanctified tombstone is not placed on the grave, then the soul of the deceased will wander to the four corners of the world and weep and wail and sometimes even return to disturb the relatives. Such a belief cannot be found anywhere in Buddhism. Buddhists believe that when a person dies, rebirth will take place somewhere else according to his good or bad actions. As long as the person possesses the craving for existence, he must experience rebirth. Only the Arahants, who have gone beyond all passions will have no more rebirths and so after their death, they will attain their final goal Nibbana. By Venerable K. Sri Dhammananda Maha Thera (18 March 1919 – 31 August 2006) was a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk and scholar.
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https://www.parting.com/blog/cremation-costs-how-much-does-a-cremation-with-services-cost/
A REAL BUDDHIST FUNERAL IS A SIMPLE, SOLEMN AND DIGNIFIED RELIGIOUS SERVICE. As practiced in many Buddhist countries, a real Buddhist funeral is a simple, solemn and dignified ceremony. Unfortunately, some people have included many unnecessary, extraneous items and superstitious practices into the funeral rites. The extraneous items and practices vary according to the traditions and customs of the people. They were introduced in olden days by people who probably could not understand the nature of life, nature of death, and what life would be after death. When such ideas were incorporated into Buddhist practices, people tended to blame Buddhism for expensive funeral rites. If only the Buddhist public would approach proper persons who have studied the real Teachings of the Buddha and Buddhist tradition, they could receive advice on how to perform Buddhist funeral rites. It is most unfortunate that a bad impression has been created that Buddhism encourages people to waste their money and time on unnecessary practices. It must be clearly understood that Buddhism has nothing to do with such debased practices. Buddhists are not very particular regarding the burial or cremation of a dead body. In many Buddhist countries, cremation is customary. For hygienic and economic reasons, it is advisable to cremate. Today, the population in the world is increasing and if we continue to have dead bodies occupying valuable land, then one day all remaining available land will be occupied by the dead and the living will have no place to live. There are still some people who object to the cremation of dead bodies. They say that cremation is against god's law, in the same way they have objected to many other things in the past. It will take some time for such people to understand that cremation is much more appropriate and effective than burial. On the other hand Buddhists do not believe that one day someone will come and awaken the departed persons spirits from their graveyards or the ashes from their urns and decide who should go to heaven and who should go to hell. The consciousness or mental energy of the departed person has no connection with the body left behind or his skeleton or his ashes. Many people believe that if the deceased is not given a proper burial or if a sanctified tombstone is not placed on the grave, then the soul of the deceased will wander to the four corners of the world and weep and wail and sometimes even return to disturb the relatives. Such a belief cannot be found anywhere in Buddhism. Buddhists believe that when a person dies, rebirth will take place somewhere else according to his good or bad actions. As long as the person possesses the craving for existence, he must experience rebirth. Only the Arahants, who have gone beyond all passions will have no more rebirths and so after their death, they will attain their final goal Nibbana. By Venerable K. Sri Dhammananda Maha Thera (18 March 1919 – 31 August 2006) was a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk and scholar.
$1,095 casket (From bestpricecaskets.com)
One of the keynotes of Buddhist economics is simplicity
https://www.parting.com/blog/cremation-costs-how-much-does-a-cremation-with-services-cost/
City | Average Cremation CostWith Services |
|---|---|
| Atlanta, Georgia | $3,753 |
| Austin, Texas | $4,051 |
| Boston, Massachusetts | $4,633 |
| Chicago, Illinois | $4,031 |
| Dallas, Texas | $4,619 |
| Denver, Colorado | $3,348 |
| Detroit, Michigan | $3,106 |
| Honolulu, Hawaii | $3,868 |
| Houston, Texas | $4,875 |
| Los Angeles, California | $2,730 |
| Miami, Florida | $3,245 |
| Minneapolis, Minnesota | $4,311 |
| New York City, New York | $3,953 |
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | $3,585 |
| Portland, Oregon | $3,305 |
| Sacramento, California | $3,366 |
| San Diego, California | $3,213 |
| San Francisco, California | $3,775 |
| San Jose, California | $3,349 |
| Seattle, Washington | $2,694 |
| Washington, DC | $3,896 |
Sunday, May 7, 2017
"Baslop" the most popular line dance in Laos
"Baslop" the most popular line dance in Laos
French Madison Dance
Khmer Madison Dance:
LAO "BASLOP"
During an interview with Vientiane Today on 2/12/13, Mr. Lamthong Phothivong claimed that he put some creativity to a dance from France that had "slop" dance. The "modified" "slop" dance became "baslop". Madison dance was never mentioned.
 |
| Lamthong Phothivong |
“ ທ່າເຕັ້ນຈັງຫວະບັດສະຫລົບ ແມ່ນມີຕົ້ນແບບມາຈາກຕ່າງປະເທດ
ໂດຍສະເພາະປະເທດຝຣັ່ງທີ່ເປັນຈັງຫວະສະຫລົບ ຊຶ່ງຕົນເອງໄດ້ມີແນວ
ຄວາມຄິດລີ່ເລີ່ມຢາກນຳມາປະດິດຄິດແຕ່ງໃຫ້ເປັນທ່າເຕັ້ນແບບປະຍຸກຄືນໃໝ່
ເພື່ອໃຫ້ກົມກຽວກັບວັດທະນະທຳຂອງລາວເຮົາ ແລະ ໄດ້ເຮັດໃຫ້ທ່າເຕັ້ນ
ມີຄວາມສົມບູນຂື້ນໃນປີ 1980 ເປັນຕົ້ນມາ ຊຶ່ງກໍໄດ້ຮັບການຕອບຮັບ ແລະ...“
The "baslop" dance originated from foreign countries especially France that has "slop" dance.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
History of Lao New Year
Lao New Year in April is the beginning of the Lao lunisolar calendar. It is the biggest yearly celebration of an astromical/astrological event in Laos and Lao communities around the world.
LAO TRADITIONAL CALENDAR
LAO TRADITIONAL CALENDAR
THREE LAO TRADITIONAL CALENDARS
There
are 3 types of Lao traditional calendar.
- (A) Calendar that starts in the 1st Lao lunar month
- (B) Calendar that starts mostly in the 5th Lao lunar month
- (C) Calendar that starts in the 6th Lao lunar month
Type A doesn’t have era and has been used
longer than other types. Our ancestor didn’t continuously number the
years. Most of the Lao people no longer
celebrate this new year which falls mostly in November. Only some minority Lao
and Dai groups still do.
Type B is for the Minor era. Its new year
currently falls in April. The celebration is the yearly biggest festival in
Laos and Lao communities around the world.
Vesakha (Vaiśākha) Puja commemorates the birth, enlightenment
(nirvana), and death (Parinirvana) of the Buddha. Buddhists believe that all three of these events took place on the
day in May when the moon is full. It is not one of the National Holidays in
Laos. The United Nations Day of Vesak was hardly mentioned in many Lao
communities..
FROM COOL AND DRY NEW
YEAR TO HOT AND HUMID NEW
YEAR
In
many cultures, the beginning of a year marks the declining of the dark period
of the year. The Chinese New Year is around February 5th, which is
the end of the darkest quarter of a year. The ancient Greeks celebrated their
new year at the winter solstice on December 21st. The Lao Lunar New
Year falls mostly in November, some years in early December, after the dark
days of the 4 months rainy season. November is the first month of the cool and
dry season.
Nowadays the people of Laos celebrate their New Year, which is based on ancient Indian sidereal Astrology, in mid-April. The Tai (Dai), Khmer, Thai, Sinhalese and Burmese also celebrate this tradition, but the dates might be slightly different.
Nowadays the people of Laos celebrate their New Year, which is based on ancient Indian sidereal Astrology, in mid-April. The Tai (Dai), Khmer, Thai, Sinhalese and Burmese also celebrate this tradition, but the dates might be slightly different.
WHAT IS SANGKHANT (saŋkʰǎːn)
ສັງຂານຕ໌?
The people of the two Lao-Tai ancient
kingdoms LaneXang and LanNa used the word Sangkhant (saŋkʰǎːn) ສັງຂານຕ໌.
The
Thai and Khmer use the words Songkrant and Maha Songkrant when they refer to
the New Year in April.
Some of the words that are associated with
this event derived from Pali, Sanskrit and Khmer. The transition of the sun
from one constellation to another one is called sankanta in Pali. Miss
Lao New Year is Nang (Miss) Sangkhant. She is the Queen or
Princess of Sangkhant which is the event.
Tai Lü in
Xishuangbanna of China, Tai Khun in Keng Tung of Myanmar
and Thai in Xiang Mai of Thailand still call the event as Sangkhant or Boon
Sangkhant as their ancestors did. The narrator of this video called the custom as "Paphaynii Sangkhant Piimie "
This event also has other names: Boon Hod
Näm (The Water Splashing Festival), Boon Deuan Hä (The Fifth Month Festival) and Boon
Pii Mie (The New Year Festival).
The latter has been the most common one.
For some of
the Thai words or syllables that have กร (Kr), similar Lao ones are spelled with ຂ (high tonal Kh).
Lao
|
Thai
|
Meaning
|
ຂອບ Khawb
|
กรอบ Krawb
|
Edge, border
|
ຂາບ Khäb (or Kharb)
|
กราบ Kräb (or Krarb)
|
To prostrate
|
ສັງຂານຕ໌ Sangkhänt
|
สงกรานต์ Songkränt
|
To pass over
|
Miss New Year in Thailand is Nang
or Thepi Songkrant. Thepi, which is Devi
in Pali, means a goddess or a queen.
FROM SANGKHANT (saŋkʰǎːn)
TO
SONGKAN
Most of languages change over time, but
some people might be interested in its history. The modern Lao grammar is less
than 100 years old. The government of the Lao PDR didn’t fund any Lao
dictionary printing for at least 35 years. There are plenty of Lao linguistics gurus
in Laos, but unstandardized spelling words and new vocabularies have rapidly overwhelmed the old ones.
Some
of the Lao New Year celebration organizers and Lao media believed the word
sangkhant, as in Nang Sangkhant, Sangkhant Louang (and Khuen), derived
from sankhara in Pali With that assumption in
mind they would think the word songkan, Lao version of songkrant, was more suitable to be the title of the event.
Lao Natural Astrology
The
ancient Kingdom of LaneXang had been invaded by neighboring kingdoms and many
times became a tribute state.
Most of its valuable assets including intellectual materials and scholars were
taken to the victorious kingdoms. During
the early 20th century, as a colony of France, the
Kingdom of Laos , also known as the Kingdom of Luang-Prabang, didn’t have
anyone who had adequate knowledge of astrology to prepare Lao calendar.
Prince
Phetsarath Rattanavongsa, who was fighting for the independence of Laos, tried
to revive the Lao astrology. It took him more than a decade. His first printed work of this subject under
the title of “Calendrier Laotien” was one of the articles in a French
newsletter “Bulletin des Amis du Laos” which was printed in Hanoi in August
of 1940.
Maha Sila Viravong, a well-known Lao scholar, who worked for the Prince for many years, had compiled and shared some of the Prince’s works and political life with the public.
The Sangkhant festival is supposed to be the celebration of an important astrological event, but it is in some way similar to the birth of Jesus Christ and Christmas.
The Sangkhant festival is supposed to be the celebration of an important astrological event, but it is in some way similar to the birth of Jesus Christ and Christmas.
3 or 4 days of the event: The
Lao (sidereal) New Year technically lasts 3 or 4 days. The first day is an astronomical new year
when the true sun reaches zero degree of Aries. The last day is a civil new
year when the mean sun reaches zero degree of Aries. Astronomically the true sun and the mean sun
take turns chasing each other, but it does not apply to the Lao sidereal
year. Lao Astronomical New Year is
always about 52 hours, or about 2 degrees and 7 arcminutes, ahead of the Lao
civil New Year.
Western Astrologers depict the
12 Zodiac signs clock wise. Lao Astrologers depict them counter clock wise and
number them from 0 to 11 instead of 1 to 12.
number them from 0 to 11 instead of 1 to 12.
It is a very important event. One of the
predictions, during this Sangkhaan, for the coming year is the amount of
rain for the crops. In the ancient time, a very important event such this one
must have something to do with celestial beings. So the Kabilaphom (Kapila
Brahma) story was introduced. According to the myth, there are seven
sisters, corresponding to the number of days in a week, who take turn yearly to
do the main task which is carrying their deceased father’s quadruple-faced
head, during the event. We call the selected one Nang Sangkhant. In Thailand
she is Nang Songkraan. One of the Nang Sangkhaan, Miss Thursday named
Kirini, carries a “gun”.
predictions, during this Sangkhaan, for the coming year is the amount of
rain for the crops. In the ancient time, a very important event such this one
must have something to do with celestial beings. So the Kabilaphom (Kapila
Brahma) story was introduced. According to the myth, there are seven
sisters, corresponding to the number of days in a week, who take turn yearly to
do the main task which is carrying their deceased father’s quadruple-faced
head, during the event. We call the selected one Nang Sangkhant. In Thailand
she is Nang Songkraan. One of the Nang Sangkhaan, Miss Thursday named
Kirini, carries a “gun”.
Gun powder was invented by the Chinese in the 8th or 9th
century, but not for weaponry until centuries later. So the myth might not be
as old as the Chulasakaraj, or it could be a misinterpretation of the
word believed to be “gun”.
During the festival, the Lao people build small sand stupas at a temple or
on a river bank nearby a temple to represent Mount Meru
or Sumeru, where Kabilaphrom’s head is kept.
ປີໃໝ່ ປີໃຫມ່ ປີໃໝ່ລາວ ປີໃຫມ່ລາວ ສົງການ ສັງຂານ ສັງຂານຕ໌ ສັງຂາຣ ລາວ
YOUTUBE: Unclesah
laohut.wordpress.com
LAO TRADITIONAL CALENDAR
The people of Sri Lanka, another Theravada Buddhist county, celebrates the same New Year in mid-April, but the celebration and history of the calendrical system are some ways different than of the other Theravada Buddhist countries. The tradition was spread directly from the South-Indian region of Tamil to Sri Lanka.
LAO TRADITIONAL CALENDAR
The people of Sri Lanka, another Theravada Buddhist county, celebrates the same New Year in mid-April, but the celebration and history of the calendrical system are some ways different than of the other Theravada Buddhist countries. The tradition was spread directly from the South-Indian region of Tamil to Sri Lanka.
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