Due to the demands of modern life, this practice is currently undergoing changes. Most people donate food to the monks as an act of generosity to gain merit and accumulate positive karma. The temples of Laos were once seen as "Universities" for monks. Buddhist monks are highly respected and revered in Laotian communities. Based on traditional beliefs, the women were taught that they can only attain Nibbāna or fully enlightenment after they have been reborn as men. Art and Architecture The Pha That Luang, Wat Sisakhet, Wat Xieng Thong, and That Dam are all Buddhist structures in Laos. Lao Buddhism is also famous for images of the Buddha performing uniquely Lao mudras, or gestures, such as calling for rain, and striking uniquely Lao poses such as showing the Buddha lying down and welcoming death, after which he would achieve Nirvana. During the colonial era, Henri Parmentier undertook a massive survey of Lao arts and architecture that remains of crucial value for the general documentation of this field before the destruction that took place in the 1960s and 1970s (Parmentier 1988). Literature In the Pra Lak Pra Lam, the Lao Ramayana, instead of having Rama portrayed as an incarnation of Vishnu, Rama is an incarnation of the Buddha. Lao people have also written many versions of the Jataka Tales. See the study by Sahai (1973) and Ladwig (2016) for more specific accounts of these narratives and their associated rituals, and especially Peltier (1987) for an excellent overview of the rich literary tradition of Laos. Louis Finot's extensive overview of Lao Buddhist manuscripts is somewhat dated, but remains one of the most in-depth studies ever undertaken on this subject. References Bibliography Ladwig, Patrice (2006). Applying the Dhamma to contemporary society: Socially engaged Buddhism and development work in Lao PDR, Juth Pakai – UNDP Development Journal 7, 16–27 Ladwig, Patrice (2016). Emotions and narrative: Excessive giving and ethical ambivalence in the Lao Vessantara-Jātaka. In Collins, Steven (ed.). Readings of the Vessantara Jātaka. New York: Columbia University Press, pp. 53–80 Lorrillard, Michel (2008). Pour une géographie historique du bouddhisme au Laos. in Goudineau, Yves & Michel Lorrillard (eds.). Recherches nouvelles sur le Laos. Bangkok: EFEO. Parmentier, Henry (1988). L'art du Laos (2 vol.). Paris: EFEO. Peltier, Anatole (1988). Le roman classique Lao. Paris: EFEO. Sahai, Sachchidanand (1973). The Ramayana in Laos: a study in the Gvay Dvorahbi. Delhi: D.K. Publishers. Trankell, I-B. (2000). Royal