Monday, March 21, 2011

Miraculous "Talking" Buddha Statues in KL


Recently there is an interesting news report on miraculous Buddha statues at the Puxian Buddhist Centre in KL, Malaysia being seen "talking and blinking". As we can see in the above video, the report is true, but unfortunately the centre has become a circus as a result of the big hoo ha.

Master Yongjia said in the Song of Enlightenment:

"Who is without thought, who is without birth?
If it is truly the Unborn then there is nothing that is not born;
Summon a wooden robot and ask of it,
'Apply yourself to seeking Buddhahood, when will you achieve it?'"


Buddhas of bronze and wood are not the real Buddha, nor can they attain Buddhahood. They are inanimate objects and only appear to blink and talk as a result of the devotees' cultivation efforts there. Like the moon's reflection in the water, one should not be deceived by the reflection and should directly look at the moon itself. What ordinary people call miracles are merely ripples in a still autumn pool. Has the full autumn moon even moved one bit? Enough! Be quiet. The more you speak, the more confused will they become. Shut your eyes, shut your mouth! Perhaps you will realize how to see without seeing and talk without talking. All of you deserve to be struck with a baseball bat. Pah!

Friday, March 18, 2011

Aftermath of Japan's Tsunami


The Tao Te Ching says:

"There is nothing in the world more soft and weak than water,
and yet for attacking things that are firm and strong,
there is nothing superior to it."


Looking back at the twin disasters that hit Japan days ago, it is clear that what devastated Japan was not the 9.0 magnitude earthquake, but rather the powerful tsunami that it caused. What took the Japanese many years to build - cities, ports, farms etc were destroyed in mere seconds before the fury of nature's power. Seemingly solid, unmoving structures of concrete were smashed to pieces by the unstoppable water brought in by the tsunami. Cars, ships, planes were no better than twigs being washed here and there in a flood. Despite Japan's advanced building technologies and disaster warning system, thousands of people living in the coastal regions around Sendai still perish in the blink of an eye.

This tells us that no matter how smart Man think he is or how advanced he becomes with technology, he remains no match for Nature's power. Man can never conquer Nature, nor should he ever try to. That's why the sages of the past teach us to live in harmony with Nature and flow in accordance with its energy. The wise do not try to fight against Nature, but discard their egos instead and become One with Nature. He who is One with Nature is One with the Tao. He who is One with the Tao knows the Chi movement of both Heaven and Earth, and can thus avoid all calamities and use them to his advantage. As such he is called the Great Sage. But alas, there are no such people in Japan anymore. It has also become a country which can no longer produce any good and capable leaders. In the aftermath of this major disaster, the Japanese populace can only rely on themselves and on the assistance of other nations to help pull them through.

Friday, March 11, 2011

LP Liu of Wat Rai Daeng Thong

LP Liu of Wat Rai Daeng Thong, Nakhon Pathom, was a famous master of the Phaya Dao Reun "Wealth Turtle" amulets who passed away more than 10 yrs ago. His most famous amulet was the Phra Sangkachai Wealth Turtle Rian that he co-consecrated with LP Koon of Wat Banrai many years ago. They are famous for their Metta and wealth attraction power. Above we see a statue of LP Liu in the main Sala.
The amulet counter. The current abbot is Ajarn Chon, but he was not around.
The Guanyin shrine pavilion.
The beautiful temple gate.
Giant Statue of LP Liu riding turtle in the new Vihara.

Clip of the giant statue.
The exterior of the LP Liu Vihara is still under renovation.
Phra Upakut shrine. My driver said he felt very serene in this temple. I replied it had a very good energy flowing around inside. Perhaps LP Liu's spirit was still around to bless devotees.
3" LP Liu riding turtle bucha that I chowed at the temple.

Wednesday, March 09, 2011

Consecration Ceremony at Wat Puthaisawan


Chancing upon the consecration ceremony of a batch of Lersi and Rahu statues at Wat Puthaisawan in Ayuttaya. At the end of the clip we can see LP Poon of Wat Ban Paen.

Mae Takian of Wat Nang Kui

Wat Nang Kui is an ancient temple established during the Ayuttaya Era. It is famous for its over 400 yrs old Buddha statue Luang Por Yim as well as its guardian deity, Mae Takian. Above we see the principal Buddha image inside the Ubosot.
The famous Luang Por Yim Buddha statue. It has a very serene smile, thus it is given the name "Yim", which means smiling in Thai. The old Chedis standing outside the Ubosot. The Dvaravadi period Luang Por Sila statue in front of the Ubosot.
The remaining chunk of the Mai Takian tree trunk. The old tree collapsed years ago and this was what's left of it.
The Mae Takian shrine, built around the Mai Takian tree stump. She was originally the rich lady during the Ayuttaya Era who donated this piece of land for building the temple. Thus the temple was named after her - "Nang Kui". After she passed away, she became a tree deva who resided in this Mai Takian tree as a result of her merit. Mae Nang Kui continued to watch over this temple as its guardian deity even though the tree had collapsed years ago. People come to pray to her for good luck all the time.
The Katha to venerate Mae Takian.
The sheltered walkway leading to the Ubosot.
Blessed roop images of Mae Takian, made from the Mai Takian wood powder.
Takruts carved out of the Mai Takian wood.