Travels in Yala - Wat Lam Phaya

Near to Wat Muang Yala is Wat Lam Phaya, the temple of Portan Krai. Portan Krai is the famous "Beast-subduing Arahant" of Yala. Take note, this is not the same as Portan Klai of Pattalung. Above we see the Ubosot. There's also no soldiers guarding this temple as it is in town.

The Sala.

The Vihara, built in 2509 BE (1966 CE).

Inside the Vihara, PT Krai is the main deity worshipped. Typically he is depicted in a seated position with a Tiger and 2 Cobras laying in front of him. Besides PT Krai, there's also statues of LP Tuad and LP Ong Dam (the Black Buddha).

Inside PT Singh's kuti, we see an oil potrait of himself. He is the current abbot of Wat Lam Phaya.

After receiving a blessing from PT Singh, I asked my driver to take a picture for us. Interestingly, PT wanted to view this pic and even commented about the price and convenience of digital cameras nowadays. He is actually quite friendly! This is another temple worth visiting as there are lots of good PT Krai and LP Tuad available for chow here.

This is the 5-inch LP Tuad bucha I obtained from the temple. It is made of polished black bronze material. It is special in the sense that it looks fiercer than the LP Tuad images in other temples. The newly up temple shop when I went there in Jan 2009.

The new temple counter.

The 4" PT Krai bucha that I obtained there in Jan 2009, made of 108 kinds of Wan material. The PT Krai Katha is:

Namo Tassa (3x)

Chant Buddhaguna, Dhammaguna & Sanghaguna (3x)

Buddhang Nakak Phayakkang Heum Ham Itinamo Sugato Buddhang Attho. (3x)

Travels in Yala - Wat Muang Yala

When people talk about "Phra Sam Tuad", they are reminded of the 3 famous LP Tuad temples of Wat Changhai, Wat Saikow & Wat Muang Yala. On 15.7.2008 I had the chance to visit Wat Muang Yala for the first time. It lies in the heart of Yala town, where security is relatively tight. Not surprisingly, there were no soldiers guarding this important temple.

The Ubosot. The "PPR" emblem we see on the roof indicates the royal patronage that this temple had received.

This is the huge Phra Sangkachai statue under the uncompleted Chedi building.

The Vihara where they keep all the good stuff.

Inside the Vihara there's an altar worshipping Phra Buddha Chinaraj, LP Tuad, Somdej Toh and others.
A small LP Tuad bucha I got from the temple. It is made of Wan (herbs) powder material.

The altar inside the Sala.

Inside Portan Chin's kuti, I saw this precious Dhamma fan presented by the Crown Prince to PT.

The rest of the stuff inside PT's kuti.

After receiving a blessing from PT Chin, I asked an old auntie (who was his assistant) to take this photo for me. PT was also very kind to give me a bullet takrut for my own protection.

The kind auntie also treated me to some simple temple food when she learned that I had not taken my lunch. I ate moderately and thanked her for generosity before I left. Such good people.. I'll definitely be back in the future to visit PT & the old auntie.

The newly built LP Tuad Vihara cum temple shop when I went in Jan 2009. The 5" LP Tuad bucha I obtained in Jan 2009, made of Wan (herbs) material.

Luang Nui the Jatukam Priest

The Dhammapada says:

"Those who mistake the unreal to be real, and the real to be unreal;
dwelling thus in wrong thoughts, (they) will never arrive at reality."

Malaysia's New Life Post paper on 2.7.2008 did a report on Luang Nui, the celebrity monk of Wat Korhong in Hadyai. The 51 yr old Ajarn Luang Nui is famous for his mediumship of the guardian deity Jatukam Ramathep, and invited to participate in many consecration ceremonies involving the deity. The Jatukam shrine of Wat Korhong. Although there are quite a few other famous Jatukam priests after the demise of Khun Phan, he stands out from the rest as he is a monk and all the others are white-robe laymen. A few years ago at a big consecration ceremony, he shocked everyone present when he did a long deity dance under the possession of Jatukam. However, the Vinaya forbids monks from deity mediumship and priesthood. A close up of the Jatukam statue in the shrine. According to Thai Buddhist tradition, this role is reserved solely for white-robe priests or Lersi ascetics. Because of that Luang Nui came under a lot of criticisms, but at the same time there are many fans who support him as well.
People started to support him since 2004 after they witnessed a miracle during a Jatukam ceremony at Wat Korhong. The skies were originally clear and sunny, but soon after Luang Nui started chanting to invite Jatukam, storm clouds quickly gathered out of nowhere. A great downpour with strong winds followed, but the miraculous thing was that it only rained heavily outside the temple; within the temple there was no more than a light drizzle, as if the gods were sprinkling everyone there with holy water. This story spread like wildfire and soon many people started to become very interested in Luang Nui. So much so he was even invited to Bangkok to meet with the Princess as well as Phra Sangharaj. Phra Sangharaj heard of Luang Nui's unconventional behavior during consecration ceremonies, but he did not censure him; instead he just advised him to exercise more caution and be mindful of his position as a monk in public. Luang Nui took it as encouragement and continued to do what he believed was right.

So in future ceremonies, not only were there wind, rain and deity dances; more and more exciting stuff started to get featured, like slashing himself with a sword, shooting with bow and arrows, chanting on elephants etc. But Luang Nui's performances does not come cheaply - he asks for 500,000 baht (21,000 SGD) for every performance! During the peak of the Jatukam craze he was virtually earning millions of baht everyday. Some thought of him as a mercenary monk and shunned him. Despite the controversy, he explained that he does not keep any of the wealth for himself, but spend every cent to help charities, schools, hospitals and temples (including his own of course). In fact, he even owe many people money due to this overspending.

When he was invited to Singapore earlier this year, I went down to take a look and saw that he was still quite popular here, at least among Jatukam fans. Either people took no notice of all the negative comments towards him or they are ignorant of them. Now he is invited to Penang and I suppose the same thing would happen there. Despite his controversial behaviour nobody can deny that he is favoured by Jatukam and the amulets he consecrated does give "good vibes" to many a wearer. Putting the Vinaya aside one can say Luang Nui makes a great Jatukam priest, but by that very same fact he would always remain a "Luang" but never a "Luang Por", one that can be a refuge for the world of gods and men. Perhaps it is better for him to disrobe and become a lay priest instead?

A Vihara which pays homage to the chedi of the past abbot of Wat Korhong.

A tent with various Buddha images for people to give donations. When I was there on 16.7.2008 it happened to be Khao Pansa, so there was a lot of people praying in the temple. I asked for Ajarn Nui, but the temple assistant replied he was not feeling well and could not receive visitors. Have all the Jatukam blessing ceremonies taken its toll on him?

Zen & Chi-gong

Some people ask why Zen does not have any special meditation, chi-gong, yoga or cakra activation techniques like Taoist or tantric traditions. They have an impression that Zazen is incomplete as a system due to its no frills simplicity. Regarding the cultivation of chi or chakra energy, Taoists have a very famous adage that goes "To refine the Essence (semen) into Chi, to refine the Chi into Spirit, to refine the Spirit into the Void." Each stage involves specialized chi-gong techniques that leads the Taoist yogi to deeper union with Heaven and Earth.

However, when it comes to Zen, all these practices are not necessary for they are already inherent in the Buddha-nature. One might as well ask "Who" is refining the Essence into Chi, into Spirit and into Voidness? If one realizes what is "Who", one will also see that Essence is "Who", Chi is "Who", Spirit is "Who", and Voidness is also not apart from "Who". Nothing is really apart from it. That's why when Yinzong asked Huineng what other teachings did he received from Hongren, he replied there was only "instructions on seeing one's own nature, but nothing on meditation and liberation." And although Huineng never practiced any formal meditation, chi-gong or tantra techniques, yet he automatically developed various psychic powers all the same. How can this be possible if Zen is not complete? I leave this for your wise consideration.

Ajarn Robert of Hougang

The Dhammapada says:

"The man who is without blind faith, knowing the Unborn; who has severed all fetters, cut off all karma and abandoned all desires — truly, he is the most excellent of men."

I read in Shin Min on 12.6.2008 that this local white robe Ajarn well-known for fortune-telling had passed away 4 days ago (on the 10th). The report said he had accurately foretold the time of his own death decades ago. Dying at 56 is quite young, but at least he excelled at what he did and help many people with his chanting. Ajarn Robert had devoted himself to Thai Buddhism since he was 18 and even ordained in Thailand before for 1 year. He leaves behind a wife, daughter and a faithful dog.

Apparently Ajarn Robert once predicted that he had 3 calamities at 54, 55 & 56 yrs old respectively. It is important to note that he has a medical history of diabetes and high blood pressure. For the first 2 calamities, he could still avert them through chanting and transference of merit to his debtors, but for the last one at 56, it could not be averted as it was his karma. True enough he was hit with a stroke at 54, which made his mouth crooked and affected his speech. But he managed to make a recovery with the help of acupuncture. At 55 he contracted cataracts and had to undergo an operation to remove them. Luckily for him, the operation went smoothly and again he recovered. But finally at 56 he was struck down with lung cancer and by the time it was discovered, it was already at the last stage. So he peacefully accepted that his end was near and let the karma take its effect. That way, at least he didn't have to carry it into his next existence. As he had made all the necessary funeral preparations, his wife did not have to worry much. He would be cremated today (Saturday) according to Buddhist rites.

This story reminded me of Mr Yuan Liaofan, who learned the ultimate divination knowledge of "Huangji Jingshi" from Master Kong. Kong was able to accurately predict all the significant events of his life, up till the time of his death. Once Liaofan was unhappy and tried to change a certain event, but he failed and the event turned out the way Kong had predicted. However, just as he was resigned to accepting that everything was predestined and nothing could be done to change it, he met with Chan Master Yungu, who taught him that everything could be changed as long as one sincerely practices the Dharma. This totally changed Liaofan's mindset and he decided to follow Yungu's advice earnestly. He performed as many wholesome deeds as he could on a daily basis, and in 3 years time, his destiny had been completely changed just like Yungu had said. Clearly karma is not all-powerful and the Buddhadharma offers us real hope of refuge and liberation from all the suffering in the world.

Another good example is my master, LP Jarun, who was supposed to die at 49 from a broken neck in a traffic accident. This was the fruit of his karma as he had broken the necks of birds in his youth. But due to the merit from his ordaining and earnest practice of Vipassana meditation, he was able to survive the accident despite having his neck broken. LP still had to undergo a lot of suffering before he could recover from such a severe injury. Nevertheless, it was a miracle of the Dhamma and all the doctors at that time were amazed that someone could break his neck and not die. Now LP is already 81 and every year he still has to ask permission from his debtors to let his 'Khandhas' go on for another year. They allow him to do so for the benefit of all beings who wish to learn his Vipassana method. When his task is finished, LP will enter Parinibbana in accordance with the wishes of those debtors.

Perhaps if Ajarn Robert had re-ordained in his later years and practiced Vipassana wholeheartedly, he would still be alive and well today. As a layman with a family it is very difficult to expiate one's karma indeed. Hopefully he will have the good karma to learn it in the future. May he be well and happy in the next existence, sadhu.

Why become a Monk?

Prince Siddhattha said:

"Why do I, being subject to birth, decay, disease, death, sorrow and impurities, thus search after things of like nature. How, if I, who am subject to things of such nature, realize their disadvantages and seek after the unattained unsurpassed, perfect security which is Nibbana!"

"Cramped and confined is household life, a den of dust, but the life of the homeless one is as the open air of heaven! Hard is it for him who bides at home to live out as it should be lived the Holy Life in all its perfection, in all its purity."

Prince Siddhattha was a person with everything; wealth, power, women, palaces, chariots, armies, servants etc - the whole kingdom of Kapilavatthu belonged to him. Yet he saw the uncertainty of all material possessions and chose to gave up everything to pursue a holy life instead. What good does all those possessions do, since you cannot take any of it with you when you die? The Buddha had set the best example for his followers and future generations. By renouncing all that is dear to the world, he showed us that true happiness cannot be attained by gathering more and more; it can only be attained by giving up. The path of a Samana or Bhikkhu is one of simplicity, contemplation and contentment with the bare necessities in life. Even after his enlightenment, the Buddha still refused to "own" anything. Scores of wealthy and powerful donors presented large pieces of land for he and his disciples to reside in, but did the Buddha ever taken those properties to be his? Never, he merely used them as a tenant for as long as he saw fit, giving any form of ownership back to the donors themselves. When it was time to leave, the Buddha could leave without any trouble or attachment. In this we can see the Buddha's profound wisdom when conducting himself in the ways of the world. However, things appeared to have changed a lot today for some of his "followers".
Which bring us to a monk in the news recently - Ven Shi Miaoyi, abbot of Long Hua Chan Si temple. Ven Miaoyi is a "millionaire monk". The papers report that his assets include 35% shares in a coffee shop in Yangon Road worth 3.5 million, a condo and flat worth a million, a Mercedes Benz, past dealings with up to 10 businesses and shares in 4 companies under his secular name Chia Eng Soon. He also had annual income of up to $600,000 in 1999 and $660,000 in 2001. All these were revealed in court as he is one of the parties sued by Poh Lian Development for a failed venture. In his own words to the Judge's query, he said he was a "hardworking man". A hardworking businessman - excellent trait for a householder, but worthless for a monk. Besides shaving his head, sporting a fancy Buddhist name and working in a temple, there is nothing else to differentiate him from any other layman. He lives in a big house, drives a big car and makes loads of money from religious and secular businesses alike; does he even understand the meaning of "renunciation"? Does he still consider himself a disciple of the Buddha?

Another famous monk in the news last year was Ven Shi Mingyi, abbot of Fu Hai Chan Si monastery and CEO of Renci Hospital. Renci was probed by the authorities for financial irregularities, arising from the Ven Mingyi's misappropriating of hospital funds for his private business interests. Although he had not been charged yet, this case had inevitably weakened people's faith in charities even further after the NKF-Durai debacle. Why do people like Ven Miaoyi and Ven Mingyi bother becoming monks, but end up not doing things that monks are supposed to do? Why do they keep the false appearance of a Samana, when they are still householders at heart? Temples, properties, businesses, hospitals.. what are these things worth compared to the Dhamma? If they enjoy heaping dust upon themselves, wouldn't it be wiser for them to disrobe and return to the lay life? They obviously make much better laymen than monks. Indeed, they would be doing the Sangha a favour if they disrobed. Such irony..

The Nature of Sentient Beings

The Diamond Sutra says:

"Subhūti, what do you think? You should not claim that the Tathāgata thinks 'I will deliver sentient beings.' Subhūti, do not think such a thing. Why? There are in fact no sentient beings for the Tathāgata to deliver. If there were sentient beings for the Tathāgata to deliver, it would mean that the Tathāgata holds the notions of self, person, sentient being, and life span. Subhūti, when the Tathāgata says 'I,' there is actually no ' I.' Yet ordinary beings take this to be an I. Subhūti, as far as ordinary beings are concerned, the Tathāgata says that they are not ordinary beings."

What is the meaning of these verses? What is the purpose for a Bodhisattva to teach and help sentient beings when they fundamentally do not exist? How could a Bodhisattva arouse tireless compassion when he realizes that these beings and the suffering they experience are all unreal?
Although an intellectual understanding could be gained, we should not try to conceptualize the answers to this Dharma riddle. The deeper meaning of this passage is beyond concepts. One can only point to it using a metaphor. It is as if you are dreaming lucidly. Many characters appear in your dream, going through all sorts of suffering because they are unaware that they are only figments of your own imagination. You try to "wake" them up out of compassion. Those who do disappear from your dream, those who don't continue to suffer. However, the truth is whether they appear or disappear they are all not real. You are also not real, your act of waking them up is also not real. Because everything in your dream is of the same nature, the compassion that arises within you is non-dual as well. Technically speaking, your dream ego and all the other dream characters are all in the same boat. You are all One, yet you are also not One. The only thing different about you and the dream characters is that you are "awake" to the truth that everything is a dream. This is what the Buddha was trying to point out to us. So if you wish to follow the Buddha's path, you must first awaken to this Prajna Paramita. Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha..

Powerful earthquake hits Sichuan China

The Dhammapada says:

"As rust growing out of iron itself eats that iron away,
even so, their own deeds lead evil-doers to states of woe."

When we do not take care of the body, the 4 elements that make up our body start to become imbalanced and sicknesses occur as a result. In the same way, when sentient beings do not take care of the world they live in, the same 4 elements that make up the world become imbalanced and disasters occur as a result. And the best way to take care of the body as well as the world is by refining our own mind. Following the cyclone in Burma, a powerful earthquake measuring 7.8 hit Sichuan province in China yesterday, causing extensive damage. The most recent death toll was reported to be around 9,600 and rising steadily. As the above diagram shows, the quake is so strong that tremors could be felt as far away as Beijing, Shanghai, Bangkok and Taiwan.
This diagram shows that the epicentre of the quake is at Wenchuan county of Sichuan province, not far away from Chengdu (the provincial capitol). Needless to say, Wenchuan and neighbouring counties are the hardest hit. Reports say that this earthquake is of the same magnitude of the Tangshan earthquake 32 yrs ago, in which hundreds of thousands people died. In Burma we see the destructive force of the unbalanced Wind element, and now in China we see the same force coming from the unbalanced Earth element. Thousands upon thousands of sentient beings lose their lives as a result. What is the cause of such unbalances?

A scene of devastation at the collapsed Juyuan Middle School in Dujiangyan town. Death toll not confirmed as rescue efforts still underway. Who knows how many school kids are buried under the rubble? Unbalances in the 4 elements in this world are caused by collective karma. This means those thousands of beings created the same causes in the past, now they are experiencing the same effects in the present. Because they went against the Way, they actually went against their own well-being and happiness. This is what it means by rust eating away the iron that it grew from.

Another collapsed building in Wenchuan County. It doesn't matter if those beings created the causes in this life or in previous lives, because karma drew all of them together to the same place to experience the effects in this very present moment. Yet in this collective karma there are millions of different individual karmas as well. Those who were supposed to die, die and those who were supposed to survive, survive. Everything follows it own Way, with no room for error whatsoever in the great scheme of things.

More collapsed buildings in Wenchuan. Those people there are just going about their normal lives, then wham.. suddenly they are buried under tons of concrete. This is a live example of the transient nature of existence. Whether they are the poor people living tough lives in the Irrawady delta or the well-to-do people living comfortable lives in Wenchuan, they are all equal when faced with the power of Nature.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao flying down to Sichuan from Beijing promptly to supervise the disaster rescue operations. Is there a way to be safe from the power of Nature? Is there a way to keep the 4 elements of the world in harmony? There is. The way is to live in accordance to the Way. To live in accordance to the Way means to refine the mind. A monk once asked Chan master Dazhu Huihai:

"Is there a Dharma greater than Nature itself?"

"Yes."

"What is it?"

"That which can know Nature."

Indeed, that which can know Nature is none other than our own mind. When our mind is obscured by delusion and clinging, we cannot know Nature. Only when the mind is refined, clear of defilements that the Way becomes evident to us. We will understand the rising and falling of all things, including the power of Nature, and immediately know what should be done. If we are supposed to avoid, we avoid. If we are supposed to save lives, we save lives. If we are supposed to die, we also die without any fear or regret. In that way, we are in complete harmony with the Way, such that we realize that we were never apart from the Way in the first place. Suffering ends right there. This is the true value of the Dharma that we seek.

Devastation of Cyclone Nargis on Burma

The Dao De Jing says:

"Heaven and Earth are not benevolent;
they treat all things like straw dogs."

What does this mean? It means that Heaven and Earth work according to their own Natural Law, without any affection or aversion towards all things nourished by them. This Law is known as the Way. Those who flow with the Way prosper, and those who go against it destroy themselves. It has been 1 week since the Cyclone Nargis hit Burma (Myanmar) on May 2nd, and up till now more than 100,000 are believed to be dead, not to mention the amount of houses, crops and physical infrastructures devastated. In the above picture we can see the path taken by Nargis through the Burmese coastal regions. The death toll is expected to rise as the days passing by. The power of nature always move in cycles; whenever this power accumulates up to a certain point, hitting its zenith, it will inevitably release itself explosively, until all the power is exhausted before beginning a new cycle all over again. And woe to those who are in its way when it happens. Whether this power manifests as tsunamis, cyclones, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, the process and result is still the same. All are simply following the Way. However, the Dao De Jing also says:

"The Way of Heaven is impartial, but it always benefits the good."

How do good people benefit from Natural Law when it obviously favours nobody? They do so by living in accordance with the Way. Because they live in the Way, the Way lives in them. This is the true meaning of prosperity. But if they abandon the Way, they actually abandon their own lives. How can they hope for anything good to happen? Above we see a satellite picture of Nargis swirling above Burma. The sad thing is although neighbouring countries like India have already detected the cyclone and sent urgent warnings to the relevant Burmese authorities 48 hours before it hits land, the Junta apparently did not understood or could not care less about the power of nature coming their way. The people in the coastal regions were neither warned nor evacuated, and so they bore the full destructive force of the cyclone in total cluelessness. Since the Junta chose to oppose the Way, the millions of Burmese people under them also involuntarily stood against it. How could they have survived?
The devastation in downtown Yangon. A massive number of trees are uprooted, blocking the already flooded roads. Although many countries have promptly sent in emergency supplies to help the victims and survivors, but most of the stuff have still not reached these people. The reason is the Junta will only admit their supplies, but refuse to admit the foreign rescue teams tasked to take them directly to the disaster areas. Many of the foreign teams, especially those from the US and other "unfriendly" Western countries are still stalled in Thailand, unable to fly over to do their work of saving lives. Every minute delayed is lives lost, but the Junta also choose to ignore that despite its own inability to help its people. The Junta policemen helping to clear the fallen trees on the roads, ill-equipped as they are. By making things difficult for the international community to help, the Junta is also making things more difficult for its own suffering people. By turning a deaf ear to widespread criticisms, they have not only opposed the Way of Heaven, they are also opposing the Way of Man. When one's heart is totally devoid of the Way, how long can one last?

The same monks who came out to protest last year are probably the same monks helping to clear the roads in Yangon now. But they are as ill-equipped as the military and police personnel.

Electrical and communication cables are also sustained lots of damage. Large parts of the city are still without power, and phone lines are mostly down as well. Many overseas Burmese are unable to contact their relatives in Burma to find out whether they are ok or not.

The completely flooded fields. Many corpses of animals and humans continue to rot in the open areas. The stench of death is everywhere even as the survivors wait in vain for help to come.

People trying to salvage what they can from the many sunken ships in the harbour. Who knows how many livelihoods are destroyed in this disaster?

A totally wasted jetty. It will take many years for the Junta to repair all that is damaged in the cyclone, if they even bother to try. They don't care about the people, they don't care about the country; all they want is to carry on the so-called referendum to pass the constitution that will only serve to consolidate military rule. Nothing more can be said about these Generals, for they have reached the peak of their own evil. Let us pray for the Burmese people. May they be free from suffering, may they be free from oppression and may they prosper in the Dhamma. Sadhu.

Kulikar Naga Sword

Those who have been to the Tooth Relic Temple in Chinatown recently would have seen the above sculpture at the back entrance, but not many know what it is. It is actually an Image of the Kulikar Naga Sword, a fearsome manifestation of Acala Natha, the Immovable One. On the left and right of the Sword are the 2 main servant boys of Acala, Kimkara and Cetaka. These 2 servants are Yakshas and also possess great power like their Master.

This is the classical Image of Acala with his Sword and Lasso, sitting in lotus posture on his throne of stone. There is an interesting story behind the Kulikar Naga Sword. According to the early tantric scriptures, once Acala was ordered by the Buddha to debate with 95 kinds of heretics. During the debate, Acala transformed himself into a flaming sword of wisdom to cut through their wrong views. But the heretics were stubborn and they too transformed into swords of wisdom to fight back. So Acala further transformed himself into the fierce Naga Kulikar, coiling around his sword. With its 4 powerful claws, it caught the surrounding swords of transformation and swallowed all of them into its belly. The heretics has no choice but to concede defeat. From then on, the Kulikar Naga Sword became a symbol of the invincible wisdom of the Dharma. This aspect of Esoteric Buddhism or Mikkyo is also deeply ingrained in classical Japanese culture, where the worship of Acala as an important Dharma protector is still quite popular. Some Yakuza gangsters take pride in having Acala or the Kulikar Naga Sword image tattooed on their backs, much like a symbol of invincibility. This is similar to the Thai Sak Yant (magic tattoos) culture, except that the former is more artistic than spiritual in nature. It is also interesting to note that the Tooth Relic Temple displays so many Mikkyo styled Images and Mandalas, when it is by no means a Mikkyo temple. Readers might want to take a closer look at them the next time you visit this temple.