Recently, I saw the best ever argument against tourism.
The scene: Luang Prabang, Laos. The country's old royal capital and epicentre of Laotian Buddhism. Loads of Wats, temples, stupas, and with them the requisite load of Buddhist monks. The monks, being monks, are mendicant. Every day, they wander through the town in the morning receiving alms (in the form of rice and bananas) from the townsfolk.
At dawn, with the morning mists just lifting over the town, hundreds of monks clad in orange emerge from their remples and walk silently through the streets, bowls in front of them, receiving food from a long row of women, seated (as is the custom) behind their own bowls of rice. This ancient ritual is quite moving.
OR WOULD BE IF IT WEREN'T FOR ALL THE MORONIC TOURISTS WHO TREAT BUDDHISM LIKE A FUCKING CONSUMPTION GOOD.
I was a little dubious about going to see this - it seemed a little intrusive to watch what was essentially a sacred ritual belonging to a religion other than my own (which I always find a bit voyeuristic...I don't go into Catholic churches to watch communion and I think in many respects Islam has the right idea by telling all non-believers to fuck off out their mosques). So I stayed well back and away from the whole scene.
Turned out I was in the minority. More than two-thirds of the people giving alms were white folks. Definitely not buddhists. These tourists had picked up some rice from a street vendor and decided that instead of respectfully watching someone else's rite, they'd - you know - FUCKING JOIN IN. Without a clue what the symbolism meant, exactly. Standing up to give the monks their food (you're supposed to stay seated, staying lower than the ones whose religious function you are honouring by giving them food). Touching the hand to the centre of the head with the rice in hand before putting it in the begging bowl (which is in theory a symbil of prostration, except they're not prostrate).
Oh, but these people were fine compared to the amateur photographers, several of whom decided to stand within 18 inches of the passing line of monks in order to get their digital photos. Because, you know, them getting their photo is more important than allowing the ceremony and its participants retain some dignity.
I think that had he been there, the Awakened One in his infinite wisdom would probably have given these monks a pass from the general rules of non-violence in Theravada Buddhism so they could bitch-slap these morons and play Sepak Takraw with their goolies. My respect for Buddhist patience went up several notches in that instant.
I know, I know. I'm part of the problem, too. I was there to watch just as they were. The best I can really say is that I tried to remain distant and respectful, but I know that's not entirely exclupatory.
The thing is, Luang Prabang is a very small but quite beautiful city which relies on the Wats to draw the tourists that are making the local people (and presumably by extension the buddhist temples as well) better off. But by encouraging people to view Buddhism as a consumer experience, the tour operators will kill the golden goose by destroying everything that gave the city any meaning.
The scene: Luang Prabang, Laos. The country's old royal capital and epicentre of Laotian Buddhism. Loads of Wats, temples, stupas, and with them the requisite load of Buddhist monks. The monks, being monks, are mendicant. Every day, they wander through the town in the morning receiving alms (in the form of rice and bananas) from the townsfolk.
At dawn, with the morning mists just lifting over the town, hundreds of monks clad in orange emerge from their remples and walk silently through the streets, bowls in front of them, receiving food from a long row of women, seated (as is the custom) behind their own bowls of rice. This ancient ritual is quite moving.
OR WOULD BE IF IT WEREN'T FOR ALL THE MORONIC TOURISTS WHO TREAT BUDDHISM LIKE A FUCKING CONSUMPTION GOOD.
I was a little dubious about going to see this - it seemed a little intrusive to watch what was essentially a sacred ritual belonging to a religion other than my own (which I always find a bit voyeuristic...I don't go into Catholic churches to watch communion and I think in many respects Islam has the right idea by telling all non-believers to fuck off out their mosques). So I stayed well back and away from the whole scene.
Turned out I was in the minority. More than two-thirds of the people giving alms were white folks. Definitely not buddhists. These tourists had picked up some rice from a street vendor and decided that instead of respectfully watching someone else's rite, they'd - you know - FUCKING JOIN IN. Without a clue what the symbolism meant, exactly. Standing up to give the monks their food (you're supposed to stay seated, staying lower than the ones whose religious function you are honouring by giving them food). Touching the hand to the centre of the head with the rice in hand before putting it in the begging bowl (which is in theory a symbil of prostration, except they're not prostrate).
Oh, but these people were fine compared to the amateur photographers, several of whom decided to stand within 18 inches of the passing line of monks in order to get their digital photos. Because, you know, them getting their photo is more important than allowing the ceremony and its participants retain some dignity.
I think that had he been there, the Awakened One in his infinite wisdom would probably have given these monks a pass from the general rules of non-violence in Theravada Buddhism so they could bitch-slap these morons and play Sepak Takraw with their goolies. My respect for Buddhist patience went up several notches in that instant.
I know, I know. I'm part of the problem, too. I was there to watch just as they were. The best I can really say is that I tried to remain distant and respectful, but I know that's not entirely exclupatory.
The thing is, Luang Prabang is a very small but quite beautiful city which relies on the Wats to draw the tourists that are making the local people (and presumably by extension the buddhist temples as well) better off. But by encouraging people to view Buddhism as a consumer experience, the tour operators will kill the golden goose by destroying everything that gave the city any meaning.
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