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Phra Sombath Somepanno, Abbot of Wat Longkhoun Srikhounnaram, expressed that Wat Longkhoun holds a significant place in the Buddhist heritage of Luang Prabang, and it fills the people of Laos from various regions with pride.
The temple has a deep historical connection with Laos, and the monastic community, along with the lay followers, is dedicated to developing Wat Longkhoun into a beautiful and culturally rich Buddhist heritage site.
When the Buddha attained ‘Enlightenment’, the habitual karmic-power that continuously pulled together his physical and psychological existence fell away – leaving only the residual karmic-power of his present (final) bodily existence. Although the Buddha had broken the ridge-pole of continuous delusional habit – the physical body he occupied whilst attaining this position still had to be ‘lived through’ – until its biological functions naturally expired and its cohesive structure fell away. All of the material universe exists within empty space. Buddhist ‘Enlightenment’ seems to suggest a subjective appreciation of this external space and understands that all material expression exists within a continuous state of flux. As the Buddha broke-free of the human attachment to physical existence – his achievement was originally portrayed by his followers as ‘being not there’.
his is how I ended-up training under Mangala Thero (in 1996) at the Ganga Ramaya Temple (in Beruwela) – situated in Sri Lanka. I have subsequently discovered that Mangala Mahathero has passed away after spending the last decade of his life living and meditating in isolation. I am told that Richard Hunn would sit ‘still’ for hours on end in various Zen Temples throughout the Kyoto area. Although outwardly he was practicing ‘Zen’ – inwardly he was practicing ‘Caodong’ Ch’an – the preferred lineage of Master Xu Yun (1840-1959). Although none of us know how long we will be on this Earth – we must remain vigilant and use our time effectively and productively! Not a single second must be wasted when it comes to self-cultivation! Instead of reading this board – look within! Richard Hunn was my academic and spiritual teacher between 1989-2006. He taught me to read and translate properly every modern and traditional Chinese language ideogram – whilst also conveying to me the teachings of the authentic Chinese Ch’an Buddhist tradition!
His Highness Somdek Suntan Haji Hassanan Bongei of Brunei Darussalam, accompanied by a high-ranking delegation including Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Mr. Selimxay Kormasit, visited the Laos People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) from October 2nd-4th, 2023. During their visit, they laid a wreath at the Niranam Warrior (Red Star) Monument on the morning of October 3rd in Vientiane, the capital city. The act was a tribute to the Laotian Marxist-Leninist Martyrs, remembering their sacrifices in establishing the Laotian People’s Democratic Republic on December 2nd, 1975.
There are various activities that are unique to the people of Luang Prabang, such as wearing traditional clothing, unique food and experiencing the lifestyle of the local people. In the past 2 years, there were 883,096 tourists who visited Luang Prabang. In this, 483,765 domestic tourists, 399,331 international tourists – with the average income from tourism amounting to more than 336 million US dollars. Along with this, Luang Prabang province has 97 hotels, many resorts, 400 guest houses, 311 restaurants, 97 travel companies, 19 entertainment stores, 36 massage and spa shops, 553 national tour guides (with at least 126 women performing this role) and 41 provincial tour guides (including 11 women). All of this development has continued to attract tourists to continuously visit Luang Prabang each year!
The company realized that a number of people in Champa Village are still very poor – and motivated by Buddhist-Socialist morality – they mobilized all the company’s employees to contribute both materials and resources!
This included clothes, shoes, soccer balls, baskets of food and learning materials such as pens and writing books, etc. On the occasion of the handing over the donations to the village Administration – the person in charge of the company pointed out that the outbreak of the Covid-19 disease has created difficulties for the lives of ordinary people. Seeing this difficulty, the company, which has been investing in Laos for more than 10 years, wanted to contribute to the socio-economic (Socialist) development of Laos society!
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 