At some period in their life, preferably before they get married, all Lao men must spend time in a temple to learn how to live righteous lives and live harmoniously in society.
"The temple's Abbot will instruct the man about moral strength, dharma and Buddhism. He may come not knowing right from wrong but after time in the temple he will know if his future actions are good or not," said Pra Saly, the vice abbot of Sokpaluang temple.
Many men when they reach the age of 20 have to spend time as a monk to learn and practice the dharma, temple laws and rectitude. They also do it to show honour and respect to their parents who have supported them since they were born.
"The community of abbots, monks and novices in the temple is like a family. It is not so different from the situation outside because we have regulations and if they break the rules or make mistakes we can discuss and solve the problems inside the temple. However, if they have serious problems we have to send them to the monks' court, because we also have laws the same as society," explained the vice-abbot.
However in many other regards life in the temple is very different from life outside its walls. Monks only eat two times a day, breakfast and lunch, they cannot chat with girls like friends or have girlfriends, they must not drink alcohol or go out during the nighttime.
The everyday life of a monk is hard. They get up very early each morning and pray to Buddha in the temple. After this they have to meditate for 10 minutes before going to clean the temple grounds. At 6 am they walk, barefoot, along the roadside to receive Bin Tha Bard (alms giving) from the local people.
"After breakfast, some novices here will study at the temple's high school but other monks, who have finished school, continue their studies at Ong Teu temple. Some abbots and some monks visit the houses of local people to perform traditional ceremonies, weddings and funerals.
Even though abbots, monks and novices go out in the evening they have to return in time to pray to Buddha again, they are not allowed outside the temple after sunset.
"It is the duty of a novice to take care of the monks and the abbot because they are like our bosses. So we have to prepare their breakfast and lunch and let them eat first. We can only eat after they are full. We have to clean the dishes as well," a novice from Sokpaluang temple said.
Being a monk is not an easy experience for a lay person and the days spent in the temple certainly teach them about many aspects of life, such as humility and respect, as well as instructing them how to live a life according to the strictures of Buddhism. For this reason many Lao men spend time as a monk before getting married or as a sign of respect for an elderly relative who has recently passed away.