LP Khao Takrao of Wat Khao Takrao

Wat Khao Takrao in Petchaburi province houses LP Khao Takrao, one of the 3 Buddha brothers that floated down the Chao Phraya river long ago. This is a Buddha statue in the posture of Manwichai or Subduing Mara. Above we see the hilltop Vihara and the billboard of abbot LP Thongsuk.

The altar inside the hilltop Vihara.

The LP Tuad statue outside the Vihara.

Donation box for coffin.

Stairs leading to the Chedis.

The Ubosot.

Billboard of the 3 Buddha brothers LP Khao Takrao, LP Ban Laem and LP Sotorn.

The statue of LP Khao Takrao up close.

Display cabinet of old amulets from this temple.

Katha to worship LP Khao Takrao.

Side entrance of the LP Khao Takrao Vihara.

Monks' quarters.

Guanyin shrine near the entrance.

LP Khao Takrao 5" bucha.

Phra Somdej Sadung Glab 2539.

LP Jai of Wat Phrayayat

LP Jai of Wat Phrayayat in Samut Songkram province is a master well-known for his Hanuman, Lersi amulets as well as Ra-Ngap takruts.

Side view of the Ubosot.

Mai Takian shrine.

The side hall.

Another small Vihara.

There was a celebration going on in the Sala.

Billboard of LP Jai outside his kuti.

Unfortunately there was nothing left to chow. This is the latest Phra Sivali bucha that he consecrated, but it is quite expensive.

LP Ban Laem of Wat Pet Samut

LP Ban Laem of Wat Pet Samut in Samut Songkram province is one of the 3 Buddha Brothers (the other 2 being LP Sotorn and LP Khao Takrao) that miraculously floated down the Chao Phraya river a long time ago. It is a standing Buddha statue in the posture of holding almsbowl (Pang Umbat). Situated in the heart of town, it is very popular with the local devotees. Above we see the temple gate. 

Path leading to the Vihara.

Replica statues outside the Vihara.

Devotees pasting gold foil onto the statue of LP Ban Laem up close.

Complete view of the main altar.

Bucha of LP Ban Laem that I chowed.

3" Sangkachai bucha.

Ajarn Wuten of Wat Thamai

Ajarn Wuten of Wat Thamai in Samut Sakhon province is a young and upcoming abbot of a big temple with many supporters. Many devotees come here to practice meditation and there are also famous Thai celebrities who come and tambon the young master. When I went there for the first time, the Main Vihara was still under construction.

The Guanyin Vihara. On my second visit there it was already completed. This meant that they had a good supply of building funds.

Chedi Hall containing Lord Buddha's relics.

Billboard talking about the history of LP Rung, a famous guru monk in this province, who is also the master of AJ Wuten.

The Rahu Vihara.

The Ubosot.

Statue of Phra Buddha Hiranraj, a Burmese style Medicine Buddha.

Portratits of LP Rung behind the Buddha statue.

Statue of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara.

Another shot of Buddha Hiranraj.

Statue of Phra Buddha Metta (replica of the statue in the Mahabodhi temple of Bodhigaya).

Poo Chiwok statue in the Hall of Lersi.

The many Lersi and Deva masks in the Hall of Lersi.

Article on AJ Wuten.

Chedi of Buddha relics.

Portrait of AJ Wuten.

Poster of the wealth takruts beside the temple counter.

Another Sala with many Lersi statues.

Buddha foot shrine inside the Main Sala.

Shrine of Phra Buddha Pid Krok.

Bucha of Buddha Pid Krok, symbolizing the sealing off of all bad luck.

Bucha of Phra Buddha Hiranraj, which means the King of Wealth.

Phra Pong Barami 30 Tat, representing the past, present and future Buddhas.

Abbot quits monkhood to get married

This week there is a news report from China that shocked the entire Mahayana Buddhist community there. Ven Qing Xian, a 40 something yrs old Abbot of the famous Qiong Zhu monastery in Kunming, China suddenly gave up his monastic vows and got married to a 26-yr old lady. Qing Xian did not inform anyone in his monastery, but simply went to the Provincial Buddhist Association to tender his "resignation". The monks of the monastery only learned of their abbot's deeds after news of his marriage were splashed across the media. They still could not believe what happened until now. According to reports Qing Xian has been a monk for more than 20 Pansas, who also hold posts in the CCP party Kunming branch and was the vice chairman of the Provincial Buddhist Association. The lady he married is a young boss in the jade business, who probably had dealings with the abbot for some time. Ven Elder Xiu Guan commented that although we hear of young monks and novices giving up their monastic vows for various reasons, but never before in the history of Chinese Buddhism since the Tang Dynasty had anyone of Abbot level do something like that. Qing Xian has created history for being the first to do it in this Dharma Ending Age. Some journalists labelled him a "traitor" or "deserter" to the religion, and called for an investigation to be made on whether there were any corrupt activities committed during his term as abbot and vice chairman.

Now, if this happened in Thailand there would not be too much shock as people were not expected to stay forever in monkhood. The Thai Theravada tradition is generally tolerant of people joining the Sangha for short periods from a few weeks up to a few years. But even then, we hardly ever heard of monks at the level of Phra Kru (minimum rank for being abbot) or above giving up the robes for marriage. On the other hand, monks in the Chinese Mahayana tradition were expected to stay and there was always a social stigma attached for leaving the Sangha for no good reason. Ordinary Chinese folks would look down on such ex-monks for being weak in their faith. That applies to both junior and senior monks, and the higher one's rank, the deeper is the shame.

 

So by doing something like that, Qing Xian must be mentally prepared to accept the shame and ridicule of the society at large. I suppose this is another sign of the Dharma Ending Age for in today's commercialism driven Chinese society, many join the Sangha not to seek an end to suffering, but simply to get a good paying job as a priest. So if this type of priest finds a better prospect, who can blame him for quitting? In Qing Xian's case, that prospect is probably becoming another boss in the lucrative jade business. The Dhammapada says:

"Encircled with craving,
People hop round and around like a rabbit caught in a snare.
Tied with fetters and bonds they go on to suffering,
Again and again, for a long time."

Is Qing Xian not like this rabbit?

Hadyai Deity Parade 2012

All the temples in Hadyai participated in this religious procession on the 8th day of the Chinese New Year 2012. I shot these clips in front of Kosit Hotel on that festive day.