Superstitions abound in Cambodia
Wednesday, July 6th, 2011As is expected in country generally lacking in education, superstition plays a significant role in the everyday lives of ordinary Khmers. People regularly consult fortune tellers and practitioners of magic to drive away evil spirits, make life decisions, and even cast spells on their enemies and love interests. The Buddhist temples largely have become vehicles to facilitate people’s beliefs in the supernatural.
Of course, as Buddhists we should be tolerant to the beliefs of others. However, to the extent that superstitious beliefs contradict the Buddha’s teachings themselves, I think such tolerance can go only so far. People tend to become lazy when they rely on superstitions to raise their children, conduct business, and make other life decisions. If one is clueless about something, they could go to the library or bookstore, search on the internet, or ask someone who is an expert in that field. Of course, relying on superstitious beliefs frees one from the need to make an effort to learn and think logically and rationally. In the long run, such practices will hamper the development of a nation.
It’s not surprising that the belief in superstition is most prevalent in the poorest and least educated countries around the world. Poor education contributes to superstitious beliefs, which in turn contributes to a culture of ignorance, which in turn contributes to even more superstition. It’s a pretty vicious cycle, really.