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Wat Paphonphao: not quite a haunted house, but its heart is there.
I wasn’t quite ready to start sharing stories from Laos, but in the spirit of the holiday (uh, that’d be Halloween) it seemed appropriate to tell you about the ‘gentleness chedi’ at Wat Paphonphao in Luang Prabang. It’s not unusual to find murals painted inside various buildings at a Buddhist temple. Usually, they are paintings depicting events in The Buddha’s life. Wat Paphonphao has those. But it has even more that show the numerous ghastly manners in which you can spend your final minutes in this life.
Huh. Violence is not really a Buddhist-type of thing. Sure there was that iconic photo from the beginning of the Vietnam War of the self-immolating monk, but even that act really was more of a passive expression of protest. (And the 99% should take note how to honestly protest what you perceive as a great wrong.) Hell is not a Buddhist precept either. So I’m not sure why this wat decided the ground floor needed to be encircled with paintings of bloody death scenes – especially as they bill their building as ‘The Gentleness Chedi’ – but there ya go. Just goes to show you no one can resist a good impalement.
So enjoy your Halloween blood and death treat, courtesy of the Buddhist faith:
Actually, there seems to be something like a Buddhist hell. Just days ago I came across (on the internet) a garden with statues depicting torture in Buddhist hell. Just search for “Wang Saen Suk” and you will get some websites and pictures that leave nothing to imagination. This place is located in Bang Saen (between Bangkok and Pattaya), and I will go there on my next holiday (I have several invitations via camfrog from students studying there anyway) and report.
Maybe spending a day in Pattaya is scarier for you.
Furthermore, I have this line in my head: “This is what Christian fundamentalists think will happen to gays (replace by “Pattaya expats” if you like) after dead.” but don’t know where to place it.
I’ve got that place on my to-do list. Hope you’ll post a trip report if you make it there before I do, Christian.
And I think you can go with both gays and pattaya expats for your line.
🙂
I finally found a real mistake (not just a type or arguable punctuation): it’s “precept”. (But I had to look this up in a dictionary, so it doesn’t really count.)
Thanks Christian, spelling error, now corrected. Seems though that you didn’t feel it’s the proper word?
It works, though there are several other words that may have been a better choice.
It wasn’t the word I was going with, but whatever that word was still hasn’t struck home.
I’ll let ya know if it ever comes to me!
yes, that is one colorful temple. I really enjoyed LP when I was there a couple years ago. Make sure you get to Kuang Sii waterfall. I made the mistake of climbing up to the top though…and then had to come back down. We crossed the stream at the top of the falls. Probably not the smartest thing I have ever done!
Oops. I guess you aren’t there now! 🙂
Yup, already left but did the waterfalls, Glenn.
Beautiful!
I’d been going back and forth on whether it was worth the trip or not; Noom saw one photo and that was the end of the decision process.
I can’t wait to go back to Luan Prabang!
I missed this temple when I was in LP, but I did the waterfall, including climbing up and passing right on the edge. The only mistake was to go in flip flops, it’s much easier to climb upwards in flip flops (and you can walk through the water without taking them off), than downwards, but then it was too late to think about proper footwear! Still, the most beautiful waterfall I’ve seen so far.
The “Buddhist precept” doesn’t make much sense, but so do most of LMTU’s post, yet I get the meaning.
Ah, well, as long as I’ve reached LMTU’s level I can be satisfied.
🙂
Funny Christian, I thought of you when I ate at the 10,000 kip buffet dinner soi in LP. Found a little slice of heaven there didn’t you?