The religion of the countries of Southeast Asia and China is a real object that exists objectively. Objectively, there is also a virtual object called Buddhism - Western civilization's ideas about a real object. So the virtual object does not correspond to the real object.
(traveler notes)
In many tourist guides for the countries of Southeast Asia (Southeast Asia) you can find something like this: "You will be surprised that Buddhism in this country differs from your ideas about it." This country can be Thailand, Laos, Cambodia or Vietnam. Judging by what I saw in Southeast Asia and China, including Tibet, the phrase is true. Thus, we have a problem that can be formulated as follows: real religion (the religion that we can observe with our own eyes) of the countries of Southeast Asia and China differs from our ideas (generally accepted ideas of Western civilization) about it. This problem can be formulated in other terms as well. The religion of the countries of Southeast Asia and China is a real object that exists objectively. Objectively, there is also a virtual object,called Buddhism - representations of Western civilization about a real object. So the virtual object does not correspond to the real object. In order to realize the depth of the problem, one must first try to clearly “see” the real religion. Below is my vision of this phenomenon, formed "in life".
The real religion of the countries of Southeast Asia and China (here we are considering only that part of the religion of China, which is generally called "Buddhism" in the conventional sense), includes four components. The first is the worship of ancestral spirits. In Thailand, they are sent parcels through the servants of the temples (in the virtual object "Buddhism" they are considered Buddhist monks): plastic buckets filled with essentials (cigarettes, matches, soap, canned food, etc.). In Vietnam and China, symbolic parcels are sent to the spirits of ancestors: paper symbols of gold, money, food, clothing, etc. are burned. Symbolic parcels can be sent directly from the sidewalk in front of the house or from a vacant lot. In the forests of South Vietnam, I met places such as temples and people praying at them, that is, you can worship the spirits of ancestors in special places “in nature”. In Thailand,In Cambodia and Laos, the spirits of ancestors are set up special houses (in the yard of the house where their descendants live). As a rule, food and water are regularly placed in front of such a house for the ancestral spirits.
The second component of the real religion of the countries of Southeast Asia and China is Gods, demons and saints. The highest gods are Buddhas. The most famous of them are the fat cheerful Buddha (in Thailand and Vietnam they call him Chinese) and the thin, self-absorbed Buddha (in Thailand they call him Thai). Moreover, a thin Buddha is more important than a fat Buddha, judging by their places on the altar. In Northern Thailand, Buddhas are Shiva and Genesha. In China, besides the fat cheerful Buddha, there are at least three more Buddhas. Their statues in the temples are located nearby. In Tibet they worship their Buddha. In seniority, immediately after the Buddhas are the younger gods and demons. A lot of them. In South Vietnam, the most revered of them is Thien Hau. Her statues stand in front of most of the temples. There are also temples dedicated only to her. I saw her statues in China, Hong Kong, Laos. In China, some historical figures have the status of junior gods. There are saints in religion. These are people who have become Buddhas of a "regional" scale, or people who have come into direct contact with the Gods and have received concrete results from this contact. Statues of saints standing in temples or their images in paintings can be easily distinguished from images of gods. All gods, including Buddhas, have huge earlobes, sometimes up to the shoulders. And the saints have normal human ears. And the saints have normal human ears. And the saints have normal human ears.
The gods must be fed. In Thailand, they are given food and drink in small cups twice a day. The food is the same as ordinary Thai people eat. In Vietnam and China, the gods are fed mainly with fruits. The exceptions are Cambodia and Laos, where the Gods are almost never fed. Gods must be fumigated with incense, and most importantly, they must be prayed. You can ask them for life blessings and healing from specific diseases. For example, in Thailand, a person asking for healing sticks a special postage stamp-sized piece of golden paper on a Buddha statue. Moreover, he sticks it on a strictly defined place, that part of the body that is unhealthy for the person asking. And of course, the Gods need to build beautiful temples where it will be convenient for them to live, and receive honors and treats from people. This part of the region's religion should be attributed to the religions of polytheism-idolaters.
The first two components of the religion of Southeast Asia and China, the worship of ancestral spirits and idols, form a self-sufficient system that fully satisfies the daily needs of ordinary citizens. It also includes the ministers of the temples, who provide various ritual services to ordinary citizens, from helping to send the body of a deceased relative on the last journey to blessing the good work of a new truck. Two more components are “built in” into the system, which are, in fact, its decorative elements. One of them is the Myth of the Indian Prince Gautama. The most famous manifestation of this Myth is the identification with Prince Gautama of one of the Buddhas. Materially this is expressed in the presence in the temples of a series of paintings or frescoes, in a visual form describing the canonized path of Gautama to enlightenment. An integral part of the myth of the Indian prince Gautama is the teaching on this path attributed to him. In Cambodia and Laos, almost all the temples built in recent decades (and there are almost no old temples there) have on their walls the symbolism of the "path of Gautama". In Thailand, I have seen only one such temple. The temple is old, wooden, located in a mountain town in the border area with Burma. The temple has something like an art gallery. The paintings are painted primitively. On them - "the path of Gautama." In Vietnam, I saw four temples with similar symbols. Pictures are painted on their walls. All temples are new, and they are located in the province of Baria-Vung Tau (two temples), in Dalat (South Vietnam) and in Hoi An (Central Vietnam). I have not seen such temples in China.(and there are almost no old temples there) have on their walls the symbolism of "the path of Gautama". In Thailand, I have seen only one such temple. The temple is old, wooden, located in a mountain town in the border area with Burma. The temple has something like an art gallery. The paintings are painted primitively. On them - "the path of Gautama." In Vietnam, I saw four temples with similar symbols. Pictures are painted on their walls. All the temples are new, and they are located in the province of Baria-Vung Tau (two temples), in the city of Dalat (South Vietnam) and in the city of Hoi An (Central Vietnam). I have not seen such temples in China.(and there are almost no old temples there) have on their walls the symbolism of "the path of Gautama". In Thailand, I have seen only one such temple. The temple is old, wooden, located in a mountain town in the border area with Burma. The temple has something like an art gallery. The paintings are painted primitively. On them - "the path of Gautama." In Vietnam, I saw four temples with similar symbols. Pictures are painted on their walls. All the temples are new, and they are located in the province of Baria-Vung Tau (two temples), in the city of Dalat (South Vietnam) and in the city of Hoi An (Central Vietnam). I have not seen such temples in China. On them - "the path of Gautama." In Vietnam, I saw four temples with similar symbols. Pictures are painted on their walls. All the temples are new, and they are located in the province of Baria-Vung Tau (two temples), in the city of Dalat (South Vietnam) and in the city of Hoi An (Central Vietnam). I have not seen such temples in China. On them - "the path of Gautama." In Vietnam, I saw four temples with similar symbols. Pictures are painted on their walls. All the temples are new, and they are located in the province of Baria-Vung Tau (two temples), in the city of Dalat (South Vietnam) and in the city of Hoi An (Central Vietnam). I have not seen such temples in China.
The third component of the real religion of the countries of Southeast Asia and China is in conceptual contradiction with its first and second components. Indeed, how can one honor the spirits of ancestors, if the entity that left the body of the ancestor is in another body, possibly not human? And why “feed” the Buddha statue, which is a reflection of the enlightened prince Gautama? After all, Gautama-Buddha himself today is an entity that does not need food or worship in front of her.
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The fourth component of the religion of the countries of Southeast Asia and China is visible in fragments. Its manifestations are reminiscent of Christianity. These are the same series of paintings, similar to paintings from the life of Christian saints, wax candles, devices for donating money, sprinkling with water with a blessing (I observed this in the above-described old temple in Thailand, and the spray brushes are almost the same as in Orthodox churches), bells, monasteries, divine services, temples. Often there are halos above the heads of Buddhas, younger gods and saints. This can also include the visual representations of hell that I met in China, which are almost identical to the Christian ones.
In the temples of the Shongzhanling Tibetan monastery, the concept of hell is depicted in the cosmogonic picture of the world, which is painted on the walls of their "foyer". The block of pictures describing hell includes judgment - weighing the good and bad deeds of people, and the torment of those who have more second than the first. Sinners are boiled in a cauldron, their skin is removed, their tongues are ripped out and other bad things are done to them. The tongue of one sinner was flattened to the size of a small room and plowed with a plow (or plow), into which some animal is harnessed. The servants of hell in one of the pictures have bull (?) Heads.
Representations of hell are shown in one of the temple complexes on the banks of the Yangtze (Hubei province). The temple complex is located on the slope of a V-shaped valley. There are covered galleries on both sides of the uppermost temple. They contain statues of martyrs, ministers of hell and dignitaries. In Hell, martyrs are crushed with a special device on their feet. They are passed through a press, consisting of two rollers, tied (in an embrace) to pipes through which fire comes from the stove, thrown under the wheels of carts, thrown off a cliff onto sharp stakes, thrown into a fire, pounded in a mortar, forced to drink something obviously not good, they beat him on the head with a club, boil in a cauldron. They pull out the insides, gouge out their eyes. Skin is removed from them. They are sawed. Attention is drawn to the high professionalism of the ministers of hell. The martyr is sawed along the body. Do it accordinglylongitudinal bow saw. All this dispassionately watched by the dignitaries. They sit on a hill behind the scene of the described actions. The figures of dignitaries are about 2 times larger than the figures of the martyrs and servants of hell. I got the impression that the notions of hell that are shown in the galleries do not contain such a thing as "eternal torment".
According to my observations, there is something similar to European practical magic in the region. In South Vietnam, in the first half of the 20th century, a new religion emerged - Cao Dai. It is believed that the elite of the servants of her cults periodically enter into spiritual contact with the spirits of famous people (including Jean Jacques Rousseau). So, the appeal to the gods in kaodaistic temples on the night of the full moon is carried out in an "active" mode. That is, through "active" treatment, an active influence on otherworldly forces is carried out, which is magic.
I also observed an active influence on the gods in one temple, located in the Longhai mountain range, in the province of Baria-Vung Tau. A path leads to the temple, one or two Vietnamese families live nearby. The outer part of the temple is an open terrace, pressed against the rock, on which hangs something like a large curtain. On one side of the terrace there is a statue of Thienhau, on the other - a bust of Ho Chi Minh City, slightly higher along the path, under a canopy - another statue of Thienhau. I examined the terrace several times without noticing anything special, but on my last visit to this place, the curtain was pulled back, revealing the entrance to the cave. The temple itself is located in it. The curtain was moved aside for the prayer in the temple. A woman, a minister of the temple, prayed. She prayed not with words, but with energetic gestures. Rather, she did not prayand with gestures she spoke with three statues of gods standing on the altar. At the same time, she sometimes cried, sometimes laughed. A Vietnamese and a Vietnamese woman were sitting next to her. Most likely, it was at their request or order that the servant of the temple communicated with the gods, asking, persuading and convincing to provide specific help to visitors. I saw and felt that I was present at a session of "active" communication with the gods.
The problem of discrepancy between the real object - the religion of the countries of Southeast Asia and China, and the virtual object "Buddhism" - the Western civilization's ideas about the real object has other aspects. The virtual object was not formed from scratch. Most likely, it is based on the varieties of yoga common in Southeast Asia and China. Three elements can be distinguished in "Buddhism": the isoteric component of the Gautam Myth, Zen Buddhism and Tantric (Tibetan) Buddhism (until the beginning of the last century, Europeans called Tibetan Buddhism nothing else than Tibetan Yoga). From these positions, one can see a methodological error made when comparing world religions. For example, real Islam is compared with the virtual object "Buddhism". But real Islam must be compared with the real religion of Southeast Asia and China. Then the diametric nature of their essences - strict monotheism and polytheism-idolatry with reverence for the spirits of their ancestors - will be clearly visible. And the virtual object "Buddhism" should be compared with Sufism, or rather with the virtual representations of Western civilization about it. Then it will be clearly seen that Buddhism, like Sufism, is not a religion, but the Path to perfection. And this Path is not for everyone, but for the elect (or those who have chosen it).
In special scientific literature devoted to the regional peculiarities of "Buddhism" in the countries of Southeast Asia and China, its description is carried out according to a strict canon based on the following dogmas: Buddhism emerged in India at the end of the first millennium BC; his formation is associated with Prince Gautama; in the region (for example, Vietnam) Buddhism came at the beginning of the second millennium AD; for the adoption of Buddhism by the local population, the main provisions of its teachings were profaned; in the region there was a mixture of local beliefs and profane Buddhism, moreover, profaned Buddhism itself is a confusion of its two main branches - Theravada and Mahayana - this is modern "regional" "Buddhism". Which of these dogmas correspond to reality?
I would venture to assert that classical Buddhism cannot be perceived by the inhabitants of the region. After all, the basis of Buddhism is a pronounced linear perception of time, reflected in its dogmas about karma and continuous development. The first says that a person today lives according to karma, which is formed by his actions in past lives. And in today's life, by his actions, he forms karma, according to which he will live in future lives. And the dogma of continuous development implies that any essence of our World will pass (or has already passed) during its reincarnations the path from its most primitive state to the state of Buddha. So, these dogmas of Buddhism are in blatant inconsistency with the main feature of the mentality of the inhabitants of the region - not a pronounced cyclical perception of time. In my experience,the inhabitants of the region do not "feel" the presence of their past in themselves and, therefore, do not perceive the present as its (past) logical conclusion. And the present (today) for them is not a link between the past and the future. Therefore, they cannot perceive the future as a logical continuation of their present. The future of people is not determined by their current actions.
I finally came to the conclusion that the generally accepted ideas of Western civilization about the religion of the countries of Southeast Asia and China are one of the Supermyths of the 20th century, which does not reflect, but masks its main characteristic features. The real religion of the region is a self-sufficient symbiosis of worship of the spirits of ancestors and polytheism-idolatry with the inclusion of components alien to it - the Myth of Gautam and rituals similar to Christian church rituals. With this interpretation of the real religion of the countries of the region and the myth about it - "Buddhism", one question remains unclear: who are they, the Gods of the real religion? But for me it is quite obvious that the specialists in "Buddhism" from the countries of Southeast Asia and China are specialists in a virtual object - the Supermyth "Buddhism".
Probably, according to the published data, it is possible to trace the stages of development of the Supermyth "Buddhism". You can go even further and understand the purpose and how to create it. But these tasks are located beyond the formation of ideas about the religion of the region "in life". And “in life” it is clear that, once arose, the Supermyth “Buddhism” lives and develops according to some definite laws. His life and development also have material incarnations. Visually, there is a drift of the real religion of the region towards the Supermyth “Buddhism”. It was this drift that determined the construction of new temples with the symbols of the "Gautama Way" in Cambodia and Laos. Today, the overwhelming majority of these temples are locked. And tomorrow, perhaps, they will be the centers of the spiritual life of the surrounding residents. Who knows?
The dynamics of changes in the real religion of the Southeast Asian countries can be traced on the example of the Thad Ing Hung temple complex in the Savannakhet province (Southern Laos). The complex is located 15 kilometers northeast of the city of Savannakhet and includes the eponymous stupa, a fenced area with religious buildings and two temples. It is believed that the stupa was built in ancient times after Buddha visited these places. The myth connected with this event is also interesting. Buddha here got poisoned with pork and got sick. Since then, local residents have not kept pigs on their farm.
According to the information given in tourist guides, in 1548-71 Thad Ing Hung Stupa was radically rebuilt, and in 1930 it was restored. It can be assumed that today's stupa is a 16th century building. It is built of bricks with lime (?) Mortar. The entire surface of the stupa is covered with carvings (patterns, figures of gods and demons). There is no Buddhist symbolism on the walls of the stupa. Moreover, two of the eight relief pictures located around the door inside the building are erotic in nature. It is believed that the base and walls of the stupa are the remains of a Hindu religious building, and its upper part was completed as a Buddhist structure. Indeed, the stupa is crowned with a Buddhist umbrella made of metal. Today Thad Ing Hung Stupa is one of the most revered shrines in Southern Laos. This is the only placewhere I saw pilgrims who came from afar to worship their shrine. Women cannot come close to the stupa. It is fenced off by a low fence and they are not allowed to pass through the gates. Most likely, this prohibition is due to the presence of erotic pictures on the mortar. Standing behind the fence, it is impossible to clearly see what is depicted on them.
The stupa is located in the center of a large quadrangular courtyard formed by galleries open to the inside, under which there is a continuous row of Buddha statues along their entire perimeter. There are also other places of worship in the courtyard. There are two temples near the yard. One of them is old, wooden, covered with tin. Inside it, there are small statues of Buddhas on an ordinary wooden shelf. There is no symbolism of the "path of Gautama" in this temple. Another temple is new, completely unfinished. He is currently being painted with paintings of "Gautama's Way". Thus, we have the following chronology of the formal transformation of the holy place Thad Ing Hung. 16th century - Hinduism, in the period from the 16th century (the earliest date) to (approximately) 2000 - Buddhism without the symbolism of the "Gautama path", in the period from 2000 (approximately) to 2006 - the appearance of the symbolism of the "Gautama path".
Subjective elements can also be seen in the life of Supermyth “Buddhism”. A striking example is the activities of the king of Thailand. One of the sides of this activity is to create a public opinion that Thailand is the most orthodox Buddhist country. I heard this opinion from people who are interested in Buddhism or even accepted it as the Path. According to my observations, the degree of discrepancy between the real religion of the Thai people and the Supermyth “Buddhism” is the highest among the countries of the region. Another manifestation of the subjective element under consideration is gifts of Buddha statues symbolizing Buddha-Gautama to temples and temple complexes of Southeast Asia and China. One of these statues, gifts from the King of Thailand, is located in the temple complex of Vung Tau (South Vietnam). The Vietnamese have great respect for her. I saw the second statue in the temple complex "Three Pagodas",located near the city of Dali in the Yunnan province (Southwest China). The King of Thailand not only donated a gilded statue of Gautama Buddha to the temple complex, but also built a temple for it. But the Chinese did not appreciate this gift. They do not worship the statue of Gautama Buddha, they do not consider the temple a temple and sell souvenirs in it.
Perhaps the drift of the real religion of the Southeast Asian countries towards the Supermyth “Buddhism” will sooner or later lead to the fact that it will turn into a real religion of the region. Will its inhabitants remember that their religion is the embodiment of the Supermyth “Buddhism” created by Europeans?
A. M. Tyurin
