About KruBa Brahmachak

There are many famous monks revered amongst the locals but not known to the outside world. Another one is Phra Subrahmayanthera (KruBaBrahmachak). Click to enlarge the pictures. The description is as below:

Wat Phra Buddhabat TAkpah, Pasang District, Lampoon Province.

He was responsible for reviving Wat Phra Buddhabat Takpah which has been deserted for over one thousand years. He was an ascetic monk who firmly believed in minimal human comforts, in particular the four basic requisites, and was very compassionate. He passed away in 2530 (1987 A.D).

(Click on the picture above to read the version in Thai, Mandarin and Japanese language. )

Khru Ba Wong

Kru Ba Chaiyawongsabattana (Khru Ba Wong)Wat Phra Buddhabat Huaytom, Lampoon Province (Northern Thailand).

He is revered by the Karens in Lampoon Privince. He was the pioneer development monk leading the Karen hill tribe to do good, behave properly and improve their way of living.

Click on the picture above to read the version in Thai, Mandarin and Japanese language.

Luang Phor Mun's wax statue

The Thais craft the most beautiful life size wax statue that I've seen. This is from the Thai Imaginery Museum. I will be doing a short series of postings on popular monks in the Thai history and I will begin with Luang Phor Mun.

Here's what writen on the board:

Considered the true and prime leader of all monks dedicated to Kamatthana practice (Buddhist insight meditation) in Thailand.

He was totally committed to the study of Dhamma, Buddha's teachings. He is still revered and loved by all Thais Buddhists because of his effort in mental development to attain true knowledge.

He resided at Wat Baan Nong Pue from B.E 2487 (1944 A.D) until he passed away at the age of eighty. His discples placed his remains in Wat Pah Suddhavas, Sakorn Nakhon Province.

Click on the picture above to read the version in Thai, Mandarin and Japanese language.

There is a special section dedicated to Luang Phor Mun in the museum.

If you want to read more on about Luang Phor Mun, you can visit:

• A Heart Released- compilation of teachings by Luang Phor Mun
• Spiritual Biography of Acharn Mun Bhuridatta by Ajahn Maha Boowa
  

The Story of Mae Chee Kaew- a female nun and arahant

Forest Dhamma Books recently published a new book: Mae Chee Kaew- Her Journey to Spiritual Awakening & Englightenment. The book is available to be downloaded for free online at http://forestdhammabooks.com/.

The book is translated by Ajahn Silaratano, whom I've had the personal privilege to meet a few years ago at Wat Baan Taad. Ajahn Silaratano was very compassionate and taught me how to get unstuck in my meditation practice.

I am grateful for Ajahn Silaratano for his efforts in translation. Years ago, I picked up the Spiritual Biography of Ajahn Mun, a 500 paged book that Ajahn Silaratano has translated from Thai to English. Through his translation, I was able to understand the message of Luangta Maha Boowa. The book changed my life- and gave me answers that I was looking for and a clear path to follow. I visited Thailand to go to Wat Baan Taad because of the book and as I have mentioned in earlier posts, I am always grateful that I've made the journey. When I first saw Luangta, I knew the journey, the effort has all been worthwhile. As Luangta has writen, the language of the heart transcends all barriers- even though Luangta does not converse in English, his metta could be felt clearly in the heart.

Here is an except from the words of Mae Chee Kaew taken from the book:
"When I went to the monastery as a young girl, I had to be accompanied by my parents, and I wasn't allow to mingle with the monks. While listening to the monks discuss Dhamma, I sat way in the back, just within earshot. The venerable meditation master taught us how to pay homage to the Buddha and how to praise his virtues with chanting. He encouraged us to radiate loving kindness to all living beings, and to always be open-hearted and generous. He told us that no matter how generous we were as lay supporters, the virtue of that generosity could not compare with the virtue of ordaining as a white-robed nun and earnestly practicing the way to end all suffering. That message always remained close to my heart."

Mae Chee Kaew (1901- 1991) had been taught by Luang Phor Mun- and she had always been well known for her psychic abilities. Luang Phor Mun had taught her carefully to ensure that her psychic abilities from her past practice did not interfere with her practice. Luangta, when he wrote the Spiritual Biography of Acariya Mun, had personally spoken to Mae Chee Kaew.

A chedi is built to display her relics and belongings in Sakorn Nakhon, Northeast Thailand.

Thai chanting book

If you would like to learn Pali chanting that is chanted by the Thai Forest Tradition, you can consider getting this chanting book the next time you are in Bangkok:



A Manual of Buddhist Studies Through the Sacred Book of Buddhist Chants
Pali-Thai-English Translations.

The book is compiled by Bhikkhu Pannavuddho (Suddhinand Janthagul), Wat Rai Khing, Ampher Samphran, Nakhon Pathom, 73210 Thailand. It costs 150baht. I bought the book from a Buddhist book store in Amulet Street, Bangkok (located near Sanam Luang).

Some advantages of the book:

• the book carries the standard morning and evening chants chanted in most Thai temples. There are also other suttas and chants of transferrence of merits
• it is writen in 3 languages- Pali, Thai and English alongside each other. Therefore, you can show the book to a Thai Buddhist teacher to seek clarification or chant together with Thai speaking people. You will read the English and the Pali chanting (given with English pronounciation) while your teacher can refer to the Pali chanting (given in Thai language) in under to know exactly what you are referring to
• it has most of the more common suttas as well as important suttas like Ovadapatimokkha and the Noble Eight Fold Path

Generally, chanting in Thai temples may have the format as follows:

1. The standard morning and evening chanting praising the virtues of the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha.

2. If you are chanting at home, after finishing with the standard morning/evening chanting, you can continue with chanting the 5 or 8 precepts.

3. Then chant some suttas found in the chanting book, for instance Karaneyametta Sutta (Discourse on Loving Kindness) or Jayamangalagatha (Stanzas of Victory and Blessing)

4. End with transferrance of merits and metta (loving kindness).

Another useful online resource for Thai chanting is available in the following website:

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/dhammayut/chanting.html