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Where is our religion headed? Where is it going to be ten years or twenty years from now? How does it fit in to mainstream American society? I came over to the U.S. at the young age of five. Now I'm in my thirties. My parents are in their sixties. My nieces and nephew are first generation Laotians, born here in the United States. They know little to nothing about Lao culture, traditions, let alone, speak the language itself. Even the people my age have very little knowledge of our culture and traditions. We only know what our parents tell us, especially while we are at the temple, praying. There are a lot of things we do not understand, but continue to practice out of respect for our parents and because we are Lao. For our parents, the temple has always been a safe haven for their generation. It provided them a place where they can still practice their beliefs, culture, traditions, and connect with their fellow countrymen. It is a home away from home for all of them. But, what will happen once our parents are no longer with us. Who will continue to uphold and carry on our great culture and traditions? If we look at the current situation, the majority of the people that continue to donate and congregate at the temples are our parents and their friends. It is sad to say, but, if it weren’t for my parents, I would not frequent the temples as often as I should. For most of us, the Laotian Buddhist religion here in America is not a mandatory thing. Compared to other religious organizations, we do not have to donate either ten or twenty per cent from our paychecks. Don’t get me wrong, donating is the best thing you can do for yourself and the community. Also, I believe in the saying, “the more you give, the more you get back in return.” But, for Laotians, the good thing is that we only donate what we can to help the temple out. In the land of milk and honey, it is very difficult for our culture and religion to compete with mainstream society. So how do we continue to preserve our religion here in the U.S.? How do we get the young ones more involved so they can help carry on our great culture and tradition? For instance, how do we get them away for a couple seconds from watching too much MTV, playing video games, and surfing the internet all day? That is the million dollar question. These young Laotians are going to be the ones to carry on the great traditions and beliefs that our parents brought over with them from Laos. We definitely have to find ways to connect with the younger generation Laotians, who can barely understand the language or speak it at all. The only ties they have with Laotian culture is the fact that they were born Lao. Other than that, they are fully Americanized. So we have the difficult task of sharing with them the beauty of our culture and religion. Bring them to the temples with you every chance you get. That is the one place you can expose them to Lao culture and traditions. We can also learn from our American counterparts. Why do you think churches are so enormous with thousands and thousands of followers? It is operated like a multi-million dollar business. There is always an activity to involve the kids. Connect with the young ones now. They are the ones who will have to open up their hearts and wallets to preserve our culture and traditions. They will be our only hope of sustaining our religion here in the America.
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