Due to my childhood’s negative experiences at a communist community (a kibbutz in Israel which resulted in my conversion to Christianity) I have always been intrigued by other such societies. Not many communist regimes are left nowadays; nonetheless I managed to visit three of them in Asia. Laos was one of them; China and Vietnam were the others. All of them quickly convinced me of being oppressive societies where human rights are violated on a daily basis.
The situation is so bad that even innocent websites (like the CNN’s one that hardly can be considered to be a deep or serious source of information) are often censured and inaccessible. Recently, the Chinese even began using an automated web-police program which actively interacts with Chinese surfers through an electronic cartoon of a policeman. In all these three countries I experienced censorship at different levels.
Yet, visiting them is an important experience. Beyond the obvious glimpse into these fascinating cultures and the direct meeting with the extraordinarily good and kind people living there, the visits provide a golden opportunity to learn the importance of human rights and freedom of speech.
Another fascinating angle of such a visit is the opportunity the study the place of Buddhism within those societies. The interaction between this godless ideology and Buddhism is complex; for many years, Buddhism was heavily oppressed but in the last decade it is flourishing in Laos with the obvious blessing of the Marxist regime. The situation with other religions is different; I actually visited an underground church which was not allowed to operate openly.
Since Laotians do not enjoy political freedom, I could not openly ask these questions. Yet, over time I held several conversations – at least one with a Laotian Communist Party member – and an interesting picture emerged.
Once the Soviet Union collapsed, the local regime was left without convincing history and myths able to unify the people. A visible testimony of that are the several gaps in the National Museum; uncomfortable events are ignored there. Fearing the future, the Laotian government decided encouraging Buddhism as a way of reinforcing the national identity and unity, and not because it suddenly ceased being atheist.
Jesus message of peace and love is not essentially different from Buddha’s preaching; Heaven and Nirvana are compatible, despite the essential differences on the perceptions of God and soul. Why exists a different attitude toward them by an openly atheist regime? Buddhism is not completely parallel to Christianity; the Christian ideal of justice is almost non-existent there. The Buddhist quasi-parallel would be the "puja" ("merit" in Sanskrit), which is a much weaker principle. The result is more attractive and less threatening for regimes that regularly violate human rights.
I witnessed the Big Stupa Festival in Vientiane; the traditional Buddhist event was being sponsored by the communist regime. In an attempt to diminish the awkwardness of the event, a big market was improvised around the stupa and disguised the religious core of the event. At first sight, the endless rows of stalls featuring unusual and colourful attractions seemed to be the principal event. Ignoring the crowds, I entered the big stupa inner complex and studied the event. Before my arrival I had studied about the event and witnessed many Buddhist ceremonies across Asia, thus I knew what to expect.
Yet, I found the event highly touching. It was so not due to the symbols behind the celebration but because of the people. The hesitating crowds were unsure of the details; many were asking how to proceed or just followed their neighbours. It was a crowd attempting a renewal of an old tradition which was banned for years; a crowd holding candles which symbolized a hesitant re-birth. They were tentative and unsure, but they had a clear will to improve and learn. Their fervour was the best testimony of true feelings muted by a prohibiting regime and held the promise of a better future; a future in which Nirvana, Peace, Love and Justice would be the natural reality.