Who will Guan Gong protect?

Recently somebody posted an old talk by Pastor Mark Ng of New Creation Church on youtube where he pokes fun at Chinese beliefs and customs. In that talk he raised an interesting point about triad gangsters and policemen in HK both praying to the deity Guan Gong, so if they clash, Guan Gong wouldn't know who to protect. So according to him there was no point praying to idols since they wouldn't protect you. But in reality, Guan Gong is very clear which devotees he would protect. There was also an article on 13/6/2010 discussing this topic (seen above).

For over 1,700 years, the Chinese have regarded the deity of General Guan as a personification of loyalty and righteousness. In Taoism he is revered as a high ranking warrior god, whereas in Buddhism, he is a well respected Dharmapala guarding all Mahayana temples. Triads pray to him for his loyalty, as they want the triad members to be loyal to the leaders and the underworld code of honor. Police pray to him for his righteousness, asking for protection while they do their jobs to maintain law and order. So there is no contradiction there as each side has their own objectives in praying to the same deity. However, for triad members who engage in highly unwholesome trades like selling drugs or assassinations, no deity can protect them from the consequences of their own evil karma. As for policemen, as long as they remain upright in their daily lives, they will be protected by the deity. This is because like all guardian deities, Guan Gong respect the righteous and disdain the wicked. Nobody can be immoral and disloyal and yet expect protection from such divine beings. That's the simple truth. Indeed, to say Guan Gong does not protect his devotees would be to deny the fact that the worship of this deity has endured from the end of the 3 Kingdoms era until today. As long as people remember the traditional values of loyalty and righteousness, Guan Gong will remain in their hearts forever.

Rediscovery of Lord Buddha's Skull Relic

On 12/06/2010, the precious skull relic of the Buddha, rediscovered in 2008, was finally displayed before the whole world in a grand ceremony at Qixia Monastery of Nanjing, China. It was found in an ancient King Asoka Stupa hidden in the ruins of Dabao'en Monastery, located in another part of old Nanjing. This skull relic is the only one of its kind existing in the world. It shall be put on display at Qixia Monastery for one month before being returned permanently to its original location - the rebuilt Dabao'en Monastery.

The skull relic was first brought to China from Northern India by Venerable Danapala during the early Song Dynasty, more than a thousand years ago. The Liuli Pagoda housing the King Asoka Stupa in Dabao'en Monastery was built during the reign of Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty. However it was destroyed during the Taiping rebellion of the late Qing Dynasty in 1864.

After centuries of turmoil, it was only until 2008 that a team of archaeologists managed to unearth the stupa, hidden underneath the ruins where the pagoda used to be. This rediscovery holds great significance in the history of Buddhism and will be rejoiced by men and gods alike for a long time to come.

Besides the Buddha's skull relic, his other crystalline relics were found within a glass bottle discovered inside the King Asoka Stupa. Both the skull relic and the glass bottle will be on public display together. It would be of great merit for all sentient beings in that region to go see and venerate them.

Visit to AJ Pachuab's house

Group photo taken with the famous Ajarn Pachuab, the successor of the late Ajarn Khun Phan. Now he is the No 1 white-robe master in Pattalung and Southern Thailand. One of our members was there to go through a luck changing ritual. The rest of us just took a flower bath at AJ's house.

The main altar inside AJ's house. The Jatukam altar is at the side.

One of the member's Jatukam bucha at AJ house. He left it here to do the gold plating and consecration by AJ.

Completed Chedi at Wat Sampowchey

Finally the Chedi at Wat Sampowchey, Pattani has been completed. It took a quite a few years to build!
The famous Phra Buddha Toh Hak statue of this temple, now gold plated.

Video of the amulet shop at Wat Sampowchey, Pattani. Some armed soldiers are stationed here to guard the temple from insurgents.

Behind me is the statue of LP Thong's master, LP Tuad Non.

The full view of the altar.

Meeting AJ Daeng at Wat Rai

Video of Ajarn Daeng Wat Rai, Pattani performing the flower bath ritual for a local boy. He was talking about making a trip to HK to meet the devotees there. Although I've come here a couple of times, this is my first time meeting him at the temple itself.
The large LP Tuad statue in front of AJ's kuti.
AJ giving me a blessing on the top of my head.
Having a group photo taken with AJ Daeng.

Ajarn Prasoot of Wat Naidao

A video of the surroundings at the cave temple Wat Naidao, Trang. This is the temple of the famous Ajarn Prasoot, who has learned Wicha from from great guru monks. He has recently been promoted to the rank of Phra Kru.



Video of the cave interior of Wat Naidao, Trang. Ajarn Prasoot is about to have his midday meal when we arrived there. The devotees are gathered there to wait for his blessing after their food offering.



Video of Ajarn Prasoot magically blowing 3 pieces of gold foil into my forehead. This blessing is for Metta and good luck. A maximum of 9 pieces of gold foil can be used.
Bird-head Lersi statue beside the main altar. He is called "Kru Mor Lek".
The 3 Buddha statues of the main altar.
A shot of the back of the cave. It leads all the way the back of the hill.

No Toilets in Heaven

I was reading the "Fruit of Karma" book by Sudassa Onkom sometime ago and came across an interesting anecdote. In the story LP Jaran's disciple Phra Buayao was offered divine food by a certain Deva who admired the progress he has made in meditation. The food looked like ordinary food, but the taste was beyond anything that he could imagine. The amazing thing was Phra Buayao was the only one who could experience it - to other monks it just tasted normal. A small amount of it was enough to satisfy one's hunger. Puzzled, Phra Buayao asked LP Jaran about this and LP explained it to him accordingly, as he too has been offered divine food by this Deva as well. LP mentioned that the food and drink of the Devas are so refined that they are completely absorbed by the body. Ordinary food and drink are only partially absorbed by our bodies and the rest comes out as waste matter. But for Deva food, it produces no waste matter at all. Thus the Devas have no need to urinate or defecate and there are no toilets to be found in the heavenly realms.

Furthermore, Deva bodies are very subtle and they do not sweat, accumulate dirt and become smelly like our gross bodies. The only time Devas sweat and become smelly are when they are about to die - one of the five major signs of decay. Otherwise they are always clean, radiant and good smelling. The clothes of the Devas are also always clean and pure, and their beauty depends on the merits that they have accumulated when they were humans. Because of this Devas do not need bathrooms as well, since there is no need for them to wash their bodies clean daily. As such, the heavens are places of perpetual purity and cleanness, as opposed to the hells, which are places of extreme impurity and suffering. That's why there's truth to the saying that "cleanliness is next to godliness". The Buddha himself placed great emphasis on hygiene and cleanliness, instructing the monks to bathe and brush their teeth daily. Hair and beard should also be shaved on a regular basis to maintain a neat appearance. He criticized those ascetics who made themselves naked and dirty in order to be holy as being foolish. So there's no question to how the Buddha perceived the merits of cleanliness.

Why is this so? Because the Buddha's teaching is about purifying one's mind, and keeping one's body clean has an undeniably positive effect on the mind. Toilets are places where we get rid of the filth and waste matter in our bodies and thus keeping toilets clean is also an act of great merit. I once heard another saying which goes, "If you want to know how civilized a country is, simply look at their toilets." Come to think of it, this is quite true. A good example would be Japan and its generally clean public toilets. This is directly linked to the refined and orderly manner which Japanese people conduct themselves in public. LP Jaran also taught that there's great merit to be gained from building public toilets and keeping toilets clean. He said that if parents want their children to grow up and become successful people, they should instill in them the merits of cleanliness and make them clean the toilet or bathroom regularly. Think about it; there's profound meaning to this teaching. If we can develop it into a habit and apply it to the mind, it will surely lead us to the end of suffering.

The Wicked Woman

Last week there was an article in Shinmin paper talking about a Taiwanese woman named Lin Yuru, who successively murdered her own mother, mother in law and husband in order to use their insurance money to pay off her gambling debts. Lin, aged 28, was addicted to betting on underground lottery since 2003. As a result she chalked up huge gambling debts totalling many millions of yuan. In 2008 she murdered her mother by pushing her down a flight of steps, gaining around 5 million yuan from a prior accident insurance policy. In the following year, she poisoned her mother in law while she was warded in hospital and in the next month used the same tactic on her husband, causing both of their deaths. Her wicked deeds were only revealed when she applied to receive 12 million yuan from the insurance company, arousing their suspicions. The company called the cops on her, prompting them to investigate this case and discover her crimes. Currently, being charged in court for the triple murders, the prosecutor is appealing for the judge to pass 3 death sentences on Lin. He rightfully reprimanded her for being inhuman, wicked and devoid of all conscience.
This woman reminded me of characters like Devadatta and Lady Cinca, who committed heinous sins during the Buddha's time and fell into Avici Hell alive. That was because the Earth was no longer able to bear the weight of their evil deeds and had to open up and swallow them. Even so, by killing her own mother and mother in law, Lin Yuru has committed 2 anantarika-karma and is thus destined to follow in the footsteps of those infamous ones. Furthermore there is the additional sin of killing her husband as well. Although she is still alive, her mind has already fallen into Avici Hell the moment she devised those wicked plans to murder her dear ones out of greed. In this case, greed is the defilement that has led her into the deepest hell. The minds of those who have committed the heinous sins can never find a single moment of peace while they are alive, nor will they be able to find a moment of respite after they die. This is the meaning of "Avici" - without intermission. They will suffer that way for an unimaginably long time, until all their evil karma is exhausted. Woeful indeed are the consequences of not keeping craving and greed in the mind under restraint. We must all take heed from such negative examples.

Great Drought in Southwestern China

"The water basin of the pure mind reflects clearly every moment;

But the broken basin that is the turbid mind of sentient beings,

Cannot reflect the Dharmakaya of the Tathagata."

- Avatamsaka Sutra

Currently, the Southwestern region of China is being hit by the worst drought in 60 yrs; and forecasters see no sign of it abating soon. The people in the provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou are affected most badly by this drought, suffering greatly from the severe water shortage. Although the Chinese government tries to use modern technology to create artificial rain, the effect of such measures cannot really do much to solve the problem.

What are the causes of such a disaster? Normal droughts are the result of natural climate cycles, but great droughts of such a severe scale are a result of collective karma. Let me cite a story - during the Han dynasty, there was a filial widow, who continued to take care of her mother in law with devotion even after her husband passed away. But later when the mother in law died, the widow's sister in law wrongly accused her of murdering their mother. They went to the magistrate and the widow protested her innocence. Unfortunately, the magistrate did not believe her and sentenced her to death. After she died, her spirit went up to the Heavenly Emperor to complain of the gross injustice. As a result of this injustice, the entire province experienced a great drought for 3 yrs, causing many people and animals to die. It was only after a virtuous official righted this wrong before the new magistrate and proclaimed it before the widow's grave that the drought finally ended with a huge downpour.

So as we can see, severe climate disasters in a region are usually a result of an unwholesome deed of deeds committed by the people living there. In order to expiate this type of negative karma, the Chinese Sangha of that region should meet and chant the Avatamsaka Sutra together. The merits of this mass chanting should be dedicated to all the aggrieved parties and suffering sentient beings. When they received these merits, their anger will be appeased and the drought will automatically be lifted. Therefore out of compassion for all sentient beings, I hope the respected Sangha leaders will come out to perform this great puja as soon as possible.

The Legend of 9-Face Buddha 九面佛

This year many temples in Thailand are coming out with the images and amulets of Phra Setthi Nawagot (9-face Buddha) as well as Chuchok. Who is this 9-face Buddha? The origins of the veneration of this Buddha began in Chiang Mai of olden times, when it was still called the Lanna Kingdom. It was a difficult place to live and its population suffers much. Out of compassion, a learned guru monk named LP Ariya advised his lay disciples to built the statue of Phra Setthi Nawagot to help overcome their economic difficulties. After completing the statue, a puttaphisek consecration ceremony was conducted to invite Phra Setthi Nawagot to come and receive great offerings from the lay disciples. During the ceremony, many miracles happened throughout the puttaphisek chanting. The lay disciples were afraid as they haven’t seen such occurences in their life before. However when the puttaphisek was over everything went back to normal. Believe it or not the lives of the lay disciples started changing for the better. After the lay diciples experienced such extraodinary power, they asked LP Ariya how did such a strange 9-faced Buddha came about and why is it so effective.

LP Ariya explained that Phra Setthi Nawagot consists of the 9 rich merchants whom have taken refuge under Lord Buddha. "Setthi" means millionaire in Pali and "Nawagot" means 9 times infinity. During Lord Buddha’s lifetime, these 9 merchants have supported the Buddha’s mission in building the Sangha and spreading the Dhamma. Besides being rich lay supporters, they have also achieved the various stages of sainthood. Thus they can be considered Ariyas or Noble Ones. Inviting and revering them sincerely we hope they can bestow upon us the bountiful merits and wealth that they have accumulated in their previous lifetimes. The 9 of them are:

1. Phra Dhananjaya, who bestows power of superiority in ranks and respect.
2. Phra Yasa, whom bestows success in our undertakings.

Also bestows unity of the hearts and minds of people around us.
3. Phra Sumana, who bestows intelligence.
4. Phra Jati Kassa, who bestows prosperity in property and luck.
5. Phra Anathapindika, who bestows good progress in life.
6. Phra Menda Kassa, who bestows prosperity in wealth and luck.
7. Phra Jotika, who bestows Metta and attractiveness.
8. Phra Sumangala, who bestows a steady and peaceful life.
9. Phra Upasika Visakha, bestows promotions in office and progress.

And the Phra Setthi Nawagot Heart Katha is:

U A Ka Sa
A Ka Sa U
Ka Sa U A
Sa U A Ka
Na Cha Li Ti (9x or 108x).

May you all benefit from the veneration of this 9-face Buddha, sadhu.

Wat Tham Promsawat in Lopburi

LP Suang is a Forest Monk of the Thammayut Tradition, and has learned under great masters like LP Khao, LP Tet, LP Chob and so on. He is a grand disciple of LP Mun. Last year, he has been awarded the rank of Phra Kru by Somdej Phra Puttajarn and is now the Sangha chief of the Pattana district in Lopburi.
Meeting LP Suang last Nov in 2009. The altar in LP's Kuti.
New batch of amulets consecrated this year.
The batch of amulets consecrated last year.

Group members having their photos taken with the Luang Pee at the amulet counter.

Inside the Maha Mondop of Wat Traimit

A video of Phra Buddha Maha Suwan Patimakon (The Golden Buddha) from the front. The Maha Mondop of Wat Traimit, Bangkok was recently opened.

Video of the Golden Buddha from the back. As we can see the place is thronging with tourists and devotees.
A 19" black bronze bucha of the Golden Buddha on display.
Another 9" brass bucha on display.

Recently consecrated amulets to commemorate the opening of the Maha Mondop.

The Legend of 9-Face Lersi 九面仙师

Recently in Thailand, quite a number of guru monks are making the amulets and images of 9-face Lersi, the latest one being LP Thongdam of Wat Tham Tapianthong. Who is this 9-face Lersi? He is actually a combined deity of 9 great Lersi, similar to the 9-face Buddha being the combined deity of the 9 great millionaires of Buddha's time. Which are the 9 Lersi? According to LP Thongdam's vision, they consist of:-

1 . Pra Lersi Parotmuni or Por Gae 婆洛仙师:
Every field of artists/stage performers will pray to him in Thailand because Phor Gae is the sagely secretary/scribe. Purpose is to transmit knowledge to the world.

2. Pra Lersi Narot 那洛仙师:
A musical Deva, purpose is to grant success for “Saneh Metta Maha Niyom” or attractiveness and popularity.

3. Pra Lersi Narai 那莱仙师:
A great wizard. Practitioners in every esoteric field must respect him, not only in the field of "black magic" or traditional medicine. Purpose is to grant influence.

4. Pra Lersi Tafai 火眼仙师:
Another powerful ascetic who achieved success in the Jhana meditation method of Fire Kasina. He is strongest in supernatural powers and authority, and very good in ceremony/rituals. Purpose is to inspire "Wicha" practitioners.

5. Pra Lersi Tawa 塔瓦仙师:
He who has achieved success in the field of alchemy. Purpose is to help alchemists.

6. Pra Lersi Ped Chalugan or Bull-head Lersi 牛头仙师:
This Lersi Deva possesses vast supernatural powers and knowledge and is believed to be the first incarnation of Pra Narai or Vishnu. Purpose is to grant supernatural power and high influence, as he comes with Metta for all humankind.

7. Pra Lersi Na Seua or Tiger-face Lersi 虎面仙师:
He is an expert in the suppression and subduing of enemies. Purpose is for leading and governing followers. Very good for authority.

8. Pra Lersi Promma Paramit 婆罗门仙师:
His supernatural powers are on par with the rest of the Lersi, and also possesses Metta despite being fierce and speaking with a booming voice. He is Lersi Brahma with 4 green faces and 8 arms, very huge and tall. Purpose is also for granting influence.

9. Por Lersi Chiwok or Jivaka 齐沃医仙:
The great physician who took care of Lord Buddha during his time. His expertise in medicine is very famous. Purpose is to grant health.

Thus with the blessings of these 9 great Lersi, one can expect good luck, popularity, influence, authority, and protection from black magic. The Katha for 9-face Lersi given by LP is:

Namo Tassa (3x)
Ahang Wantami Mahamuni Mahabucha
Jitta Jittang Phawantute (9x or 108x).

Correcting the misconceptions of Pastor Rony

Misconception 1: Pastor Rony commented about Buddhist chanting: “One could chant ee-ee-oo-ah- ah, ting-tang-wala- wala-bing- bang, it doesn’t mean anything.”

Buddhist chanting is definitely not meaningless. During chanting we recite the teachings of the Buddha and try to remind ourselves to follow accordingly. It is the same as Christians reciting the Bible - in order to understand the teachings of Jesus and follow them.

Misconception 2: Pastor Rony said, “The teaching is this, everybody is potentially a god … and you can be above God and be even more powerful than God.”

Buddhists do not believe in God. So there is no such concept in Buddhism claiming that we can be above God or more powerful than God. Instead, we believe that everybody has the potential to be awakened and bring an end to suffering.

Misconception 3: Pastor Rony’s interviewee (a former monk) didn’t know what Nirvana was, and said that his fellow monks didn’t know either, implying that Buddhists don’t know what they’re talking about when they refer to Nirvana.

If blind men cannot see the Sun, is it the fault of the Sun, or the fault of their own blindness? Likewise, if Joseph Wee and his former Buddhist companions do not understand what is Nirvana, is it the fault of Buddhism, or the fault of their own ignorance? Nirvana simply means "extiniguished". What is extinguished are the fires of craving, anger and ignorance, which are the causes of suffering as taught by the Buddha. When the causes of suffering are completely snuffed out, one reaches the end of suffering; a state of true happiness that is called Nirvana. As such, the Buddha said "Nirvana is the highest bliss".

Misconception 4: Pastor Rony said, “If something bad [happens], they say it’s because of your karma … If somebody falls sick, oh it’s because of your karma. It’s so easy to explain… It seems that you cannot do anything about the bad things that are happening.”

That is a wrong view rejected in Buddhism. According to Buddhist teachings Karma is but one of the 4 causes that cause things to happen the way that they have. And with regards to Karma, it is definitely not fixed and cannot be changed. If that was so then there would be no point in practicing the Buddhist teachings at all since we are all doomed to our fates. But the truth is quite the opposite. While it is true that we cannot change what we have done before in the past, we can certainly change what we are doing in the present for the better, which will influence our current lot and change our future destiny in a positive way.

Misconception 5: Pastor Rony claimed that Buddhism had simply ‘repackaged’ the doctrine of reincarnation as ‘rebirth’.

These are 2 different concepts altogether. Reincarnation is the concept of an immortal soul in us that moves from body to body during the process of birth and death. Buddhists reject the concept of an immortal soul. What we have instead are inconstant mental factors or a flowing mindstream that arises and dissolves during birth and death, in accordance to the causes and conditions that fuel it.
See my previous article http://waynedhamma.blogspot.com/2007/05/rebirth-without-soul.html for a more detailed explanation.

Misconception 6: Pastor Rony said, “How could you ever learn from your past life when you do not know what you were or who you were; whether you were a prince or a ****roach, you also don’t know… Surely there isn’t any past life because when you were born as a baby, you started with a new slate with no recollection whatsoever… There is no such thing as a previous life, or to be reborn into the next life.”

Such logic is flawed. If you cannot recall what you did yesterday, does that mean yesterday does not exist? Similarly, just because most people cannot recall their previous existences, we also cannot say that previous lives do not exist. The fact is that there are many documented cases of people (non-Buddhists) who can remember their past lives accurately and their stories can be verified by historical records. I myself was able to remember my past existence in Ayuttaya as a soldier during my Vipassana retreat in Wat Ampawan. Of course others can say I'm bias since I'm Buddhist, but surely they cannot dismiss the testimonies of those non-Buddhists who know nothing about Rebirth. To read more of those stories, one can go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Past_life_regression

Misconception 7: Pastor Rony said, “Ladies should be very offended [by the doctrine of rebirth]… One of the Buddhist persons who argued with me many years ago, he said, ‘…You are such an unbeliever, he said, next life ah, … you’ll be born as a woman!’ So you ladies, don’t believe in reincarnation.”

Buddhism is one of the first religions in the world to promote sexual equality. The Buddha clearly stated that women are just as capable as men in terms of the potential to reach enlightenment. He was the first religious leader to allow women to pursue the holy life in its fullness - as Bhikkuni or ordained nuns, despite strong cultural objection at that time. As such, the Sangha (Buddhist Community) is always made up of 4 pillars - Monks (Bhikku), Nuns (Bhikkuni), Laymen (Upasaka) and Laywomen (Upasika). And the Buddha also promoted equality among the different races, castes and even among humans and non-human beings. So there is totally no ground to accuse Buddhism as being sexist. Sexism comes from the Asian cultures that adopt Buddhism, not from Buddhism itself.

Misconception 8: Pastor Rony said, “The Buddha when he was about to die, said, 'I'm still searching for the Way', whereas Jesus comes and said, 'I'm the Way'.”

The Buddha never said such things. His final words were, "Impermanant are all compounded things. Strive on with dilligence." - Mahaparinibbana Sutta. With his last breath the Buddha exhorted those of his followers who have not reached the final goal not to be complacent, but to continue to work hard towards enlightenment. If the Buddha was still "searching for the Way" as the Pastor claimed, then he wouldn't be a Buddha at all!

Pastor Rony's attacks on Buddhism

The outrageous videos of Pastor Rony Tan reloaded on Youtube. He has really learned his lesson on respecting other people's religion the hard way.

To his own ruin the fool gains knowledge,

for it cleaves his head

and destroys his innate goodness. - Dhammapada

3-Legged Toad appears in Serangoon

Yesterday there was a report on a little 3-legged toad being found by Mr Ma inside the senior citizens corner at Blk 332 of Serangoon Ave 2 a couple of days ago. The Chinese believe that 3-legged toads are mythical wealth fetching creatures, and thus Mr Ma had decided to rear the toad in the hope that it would bring him luck.
Legend has it that the 3-legged toad was once a powerful demon with a strong craving for wealth. It wrecked havoc in the human world for a long time, until the Taoist Master Liu Hai subdued it with his magic. As Master Liu was fond of giving charity to the poor and needy, the supernatural wealth seeking ability of the toad was just what he was looking for. With the money that the toad gathered everyday, Master Liu helped countless people to escape from their poverty. Thus the 3-legged toad was revered as a divine wealth fetching creature by the ordinary people. Later a Fengshui tradition developed to place a gold or copper image of this toad in one's house or shop to bring luck. According to this tradition the toad should face outwards in the day, symbolizing it going out to find money for its owner; and when the night came, it should be turned to face inwards, symbolizing it coming back to spit money into the house. Does it work? Like all other wealth deities or mythical wealth creatures, it all depends on how much merit a person has. If a person regularly gives charity to the poor and needy, to monks and ascetics who follow the Dhamma, then like Master Liu Hai, the 3-legged toad will zealously fetch wealth for him or her. But if one is stingy and unwilling to make merit, then no deity or creature can help the person become rich. Indeed charity is the chief of the Paramis (Perfections), and we should constantly rejoice in giving. That is the sure way to wealth.

LP Thongdam of Wat Tham Tapianthong

LP Thongdam of Wat Tham Tapainthong is a well respected guru monk in Lopburi, famous for his Metta and Mahalap amulets. Here I've asked LP to bless the Sivali bucha I've chowed with his sacred powder.

I also asked LP to bless the other amulets I chowed.

Taking a photo with LP.

The altar inside LP's kuti, with a golden Phra Kaew as the main Buddha.

The amulet counter.

Outside the kuti.

The poster showing the latest batch of 9-face Buddha bucha, Somdej Chanaman and Phra Huyan amulets.

The 9-face Buddha roop lors, made of Samrit material.

The Somdej Chanaman with 3K takruts and rubies.

The cute-looking Phra Sivali bucha, made of hard clay material.

New photos taken with LP Thongdam on my 2nd visit (5.3.2010).

Wat Wangprongke in Lopburi

Wat Wangprongke is the temple of LP Lah in Lopburi province. Above we see a statue of Phra Buddha Sothon.

A statue of the respected LP Lah.

The current abbot of the temple Ajarn Thon. He is a disciple of LP Lah and recently consecrated a batch of Leklai amulets.

The Ubosot.

Phra Ruang and Phra Leela images at the side of the Ubosot.

9-tier Leklai Phra Somdejs chanted by Ajarn Thon.

Python Skin Takruts made by Ajarn Thon.
Inside the Ubosot.

Group members having their photo taken with Ajarn Thon on my 2nd visit.