Tai Lue Budhist Monastic Education in Laos
In Laos, a country of about 6.7 million inhabitants, around 58% of the population isBuddhist1. There are an estimated 123,000 Tai Lue in Laos, mainly spread out in the north between the Phongsaly, Bokeo, Udomxay, Sayaburi, Luang Prabang, Luang Nam Tha provinces. My question is about novices’ education and knowledge transmission in the lue monastic community. I analyze the didactic relation which takes part in a novice’s identity education. In an anthropologic perspective, this research is based on the didactic system of a local network of North Laos lue monasteries. In a monastery, transmission is based on part of the textual knowledge (the explicit) and also on another part which is not determined officially (the implicit), the learning of which, (the know- how) is acquired by impregnation.With didactic supports how does the master transfer a corporal, textual and oral knowledge to his pupil? The education in some lue monasteries will be defined especially through the study of corporal learning modes, ways of doing and being. The combined action in the lue vat didactic system will be investigated. Didactically, the combined action is considered as the teacher and pupil’s cooperation in a learning acquirement.