Southeast Asia is traditionally regarded as the center of Buddhism. Siddhartha Gautama was born on the territory of modern Nepal, the Tibetan government, having escaped persecution, was located in the north of India, and Buddhist adherents were located throughout the peninsula. Today, Buddhism is the most widespread religion in Southeast Asia. Countries living under the gaze of Buddha include traditional Nepal, Thailand, Cambodia, Burma, Laos, as well as communist Vietnam and even North Korea.
Each of these countries professes slightly different types of Buddhism, from Vajrayana to Theravada. Somewhere people are more religious, somewhere Buddhism has remained more of an ethical compass. But it is present everywhere, both in everyday life and in the eyes of people.
I was interested in collecting a generalized portrait of people living in the region and seeing the inevitable differences.
Nepal, India, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, China, 2012-2019