THE END OF AN ERA
I've been sending out the below account of Luangta Maha Boowa, our teacher's, passing away to a few acquaintances whom I thought might be interested, and hoped Blogers might be too.
Luangta Maha Boowa being a positive giant in contemporary Thai consciousness, for several issues. Firstly, being the last remaining disciple of the famous Ajaan Munn, the popularisor of the Thai forest lineage [in the North East, the Isaan], his teacher being Ajaan Sao. Secondly his biography of Ajaan Munn did much to bring the Thai forest lineage to the attention of the general Thai public, as also did his collection of bio's, in a separate volume, of the Ajaan disciples who helped him in this project.
Thirdly, what could be thought of as his biggest achievement, the Tui Chai - Helping the Nation - project.
... "As I grew older, my exposure in Thai public life continued to expand with each passing year. When the economic crisis hit in 1997, [the handover of Hong Kong to China] I stepped in to help lift the nation from the depths of darkness: that is, from greediness on one level of society and from poverty on the other. I wanted Thais to focus on the causes of the crisis so that, by knowing the causes, they could change their behaviour to prevent such an event from recurring. So I used the Help the Nation campaign not to raise gold for the national treasury, but more importantly as a means to spread the Buddha’s teaching to a broader section of Thai society in an age when many Thai people are losing touch with Buddhist principles."
From "Samana", the Cremation Volume for Luang Ta Maha Boowa.
Composed and compiled by TanAjaan Dick Siilaratano.
From page 41 of .pdf version.
May be downloaded from www.forestdhamma.org ...
In this he raised the moral of the nation by declaring himself an Arahant whilst inviting all those who had faith in this declaration to donate, from personal possessions and savings, ten tons of gold together with ten million US dollars [well before the current crisis] to go to the Thai central bank. After the economy reestablished itself, the TCB then passed this on to the IMF so as to be of benefit to developing countries around the world in need of such help. This must have contributed to the reputation of the Thai economy as being "buoyant": which in it's turn, could well have had a knock on - domino - effect in the recovery of the entire Pacific Rim. Myself being privileged to have been present at the blessings for the ninth ton in Bangkok.
But the biggest single factor of his quite remarkable reputation is in his spiritual attainment as a fully accomplished Arahant. This, for me, becomes abundantly clear from the account of his cremation as I've tried to give expression to below.
... Below being brief notes on Luang Ta's passing into Parri Nibbana: at the dissolution of the body.
30/1/2011
Luang Ta finally passed away this morning at 03:53am. TanAjaan Dick Siilaratano [my principle teacher and benefactor] explained to me that his blood pressure was about half the normal level, when at this time it suddenly fell to half of that value, and over the next hour steadily diminished to nothing.
Her Royal Highness, the Princes Chulaporn [WatPa Baan Taad's principle benefactor and protector], was in attendance, together with the senior Bhikkhu Sangha. There wasn't any chanting, neither the Sattipathana Sutta nor the Akusala Dhamma. Luang Ta asserting that this was not necessary and his request was duly honoured.
Her Royal Highness has taken over responsibility for all funeral arrangements, to be held provisionally on 5th March 2011/2554. Though this schedule is more likely to be deferred rather than brought forward.
31/1/2011
Chanting this evening held in the main sala, TanAjaan Dick giving me permission to skip it. Tomorrow, the coffin/casket is to be moved to the larger sala in the new grounds.
Much earth moving activity in this area, contractor plant vehicles working in very close synchronisation. At a guess this may be the beginning of a super crematorium; or perhaps even a reliquary, though such things are traditionally planned some ten years ahead, so as to give an arahants ashes time to crystallize, [normal ashes don't].
1/2/2011
The casket move does not look likely to happen today. The big sala still looking very much like a tent city, supporters seemingly reluctant to shift.
The earth moving activity is just that. The plant moving it from an adjacent field, where it had been originally placed so as to raise cattle to a higher level during the annual flooding of these fields; the cattle since being moved to a fare more spacious grazing area, similarly raised, just across the road. The whole operation, plant so incredibly synchronised, looking like something out of a pre-fifties sci/fi movie.
4/2/2011
The decision was taken to not move the casket. The big sala has become an established tent city, at least until the day of the funeral, which will be when the casket is finally moved.
The earth moving project is quite literally taking shape. The mound begins to look convincingly like the base for both a future reliquary and, the more immediately required, crematorium. ...
...
2/3/2011
With the following resumption there is less denial of the subjective impact of this event.
We are fast approaching the zero day of Luang Ta's funeral - 5th - and as you can no doubt imagine the monastery has been absolute mayhem. We are planning on the basis of a million people turning up, though I suspect the numbers could be very much higher, maybe as many as three odd megs, say five percent of the Thai population. The entire monastery and surrounding - requisitioned - farm lands have been converted into a working and catering community; tent cities and clusters of cooking boutiques every where. Bottled drinking water is shuttled in on a daily basis, whilst sanitation water is provided by huge lakes excavated specially for the project. Though no doubt these will serve as irrigation lakes when things return to normal: it's the timing of their creation that impresses me, calling it coincidence rather over uses the word.
This isn't just the biggest day in WatPaBaanTaad's history, it is a national event and a large one even in that league, an early proposal being to stage it in one of Bangkok's largest stadiums. He has become a national treasure in his own lifetime, from any one of several issues, though the big one is undoubtedly his TuiChai - see above - project. I reckon the entire Pacific rim benefited from that one.
TanAjaan Dick has put together an excellent cremation volume for Luang Ta - see above - for all of us ferrungs. He tells me that a consignment has been earmarked for Amaravati [UK].
4/3/2011
Reflections on the eve of the cremation.
According to the Patimokha formula, 3.6K Bhikkhus were declared as present at the recital this morning [monastic confession and discipline]: though many think the count was too low, marshal Bhikkhus were giving out a match stick to each of us as an attempted reckoning! A better estimate would be closer to something like 4K in and around the old main Saala. This evenings chanting had all of these housed under enormous frame marquees around the newer big Saala in the outer area. I'm dreading tomorrow when numbers will be even higher. Pindapaat is literally "every Bhikkhu for himself", each of us going separately through the boutiques, our bowls rapidly getting overloaded and then emptying out into all kinds of sacks and large bowls, so as to circulate the offered food back into the community. It may seem like a strange procedure, but after seven years of this, it finally grows on one and the resulting joy becomes integrated into the practice and the rest of ones life here.
The area around my Kuti - my area - has been kept clear of camping Thai Bhikkhus so as to be available to our own Ferrungs. A group of whom arrived from WatPa Nanachat [international, i.e. ferrungs]. The meal was quite chummy, almost like a picnic. Tomorrows will no doubt be similar, after which I get my place all back to myself again.
I expect the noise and confusion will continue for a while after the event, as all these structures are dismantled and taken out, with things returning to an, as yet, unknown normality, at the dawn of a new era for the Thai Forest Tradition.
5/3/2011
00:07am
It is just after midnight at the time of writing and an hour or two after the entry above. Have just been out for a stroll around the preparation activities. The finishing touches seem to consist mostly of brilliantly sculptured floral monuments and structures. There also seemed to be firework parties going on too. Hot air paper balloons were drifting across the sky in enormous numbers, like stars except they were all red and moving in the night breeze. I took a walk towards where they were coming from and eventually got to see how they were started off. An object rather like a doughnut of soap was suspended on cross wires at the open base of the paper bags [approx cylindrical 1x4ft]. These would be ignited and the bag/balloon then had to be held until the air in it was hot enough to carry it up. The fun is all in the operator not having the patience to hold it long enough with the thing then drifting unpredictably. As I walked along someone recognised me, who was holding onto a balloon just as it was coming up to readiness. He bade me to hold it and release it so as to see it's splendid rise. I got quite a sense of exhilaration and some kind of communion with the deities, which could be how it all started and would explain the gleeful delight when they went awry.
5/3/2011
10:30am
Pindapaat this morning was very interesting indeed. I don't ever expect to see so many people so closely packed and so cool and happy with it, anywhere again in this lifetime. It was such a joy to be given all this super food, just to give it away again immediately after. I got so carried away with it, that I completely forgot the need to get back quick, the rapid build up of the crowd, my propensity for getting disoriented and loosing bearings. When I eventually regained my sense of direction, the temporary bridges across the so called "river" [draining what was swampland in the rainy season] were completely impassible. Those that were opposite the main Stupa were excellent vantage points and people were - quite literally - squatting them, mats spread out and all. It took some of the extra duty police to persuade them to lean their backs just so as to allow us to trickle through. Even then my return trip was rather circuitous, the police guiding me though all kinds of secret short cuts that required the occasional lifting of barriers, pulling back of razor wire and just appealing to the crowd for a minimal channel for the Pra Ferrung.
Right now am awaiting the main events for this afternoon. It is off to a brilliant start, in that one rumour says we should be ready for 13:00hr, whilst another says that the actual firing will be at 18:00hr. If Luang Pow Punya's [my original teacher and benefactor here, died 2004] funeral is anything to go by and scaling that up at least ten fold, the various procedures of robe offerings; incense, candle and flowers; plain cloth, plus anything else they may think of; it all could take five hours given the - by now - very much greater number of Bhikkhus, perhaps 5K, still arriving.
This next piece is written two days retrospectively.
I missed the main events, all of which turned around the Queen her self. I was getting rather overwhelmed with heat, whilst noticing that the marque was abundantly ventilated, the sun screening being something like twenty feet above our heads, and a not particularly hot day - old age? - so I slipped away for a rest and shower. By the time I got back, in the last light, all of her procedures had been completed, though I was just in time to see the Princess come up to the funeral pyre for ignition, followed be a [traditional] triple circumambulation. Having been to the funerals of both my parents as well as Ajaan Punya's I could easily relate to the release of grief that was then clearly evident. I will have to catch up on this part as soon as the DVD's come along: Ajaan Martin [a more junior teacher and enormously helpful to me] beavering away at this.
A few aerial shots showed the size of the crowd. Using what I recollect of our own Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee celebration in 2002 as a kind of a 'yard stick', a carpet of people from the gates of Buckingham Palace right down the Mall to Admiralty Arch and reported in the press as a million strong; I was guessing that there must have been something like 3 or 4 million people present on this occasion; some 5% of the Thai population encircling the big Sala and Chedi mount. A further unknown number - hidden from view - would have been on the bridges and fields behind them, watching on giant screens; so if anyone were to tell me that the final count was nearer to 5megs, I wouldn't be at all surprised.
TanAjaan Dick told me this morning - of the time of writing - that the Prime Minister and his wife, as also the chief Cabinet ministers with their wives too, had come. I did not know of this at the time, but did see some very VIP looking people seated within the Royal enclosure. As is usual in any Thai special occasion men and women are seated separately, but the monitor screen - and thus the cameras - where very much focused on the wives, who showed very much grief. Luang Ta was clearly much more than just a friend to them, very much more like a father. For those of us that new him, it is easy to think that he was just special to oneself. It is only on occasions such as this that it becomes abundantly clear that he was held as such by so many others. This in itself is not too surprising, it is just the magnitude of this energy so displayed, that staggers belief.
The rest of the night, for yours truly, was spent in a kind of vigil. The coffin was blazing away within an incredibly decorated casing that just required a minimal spraying to keep it from charring or melting. This meant that we could not see the coffin directly, but the incredible decoration was very inspiring itself, not so much the subject matter, but the intricate handwork that went into it, it was all floral. They had been working on this for the last couple of days and were beavering away at it quite late on the night that I took a walk around.
The entire Chedi construction was encircled by some very 'special' looking troops. Our own local border police weren't considered quite up to it, so what we had instead were what looked like highly trained combat troops. But they were very impressive. I reckoned that they must have been on exercise right up to the last moment in order to look that fit. Their alertness was very evident, but what I noticed was their ability to release any heightened readiness and return to a "standby" posture so fluently: it looked very much as though they were able to direct mindfulness to their hearts, just as Luang Ta would have taught.
The reasons for all this battle readiness was easily seen. Razor wire barriers would not have held back the crowd, had a surge got underway. People were very obsessed with collecting relics, absolutely anything relating to the cremation was a source of highly competitive collecting, near obsessive: though they did show a lot of restraint and cooperation, as though they could sense Luang Ta watching them, as the troops were most certainly doing.
By around 4:00am we called it a day and went back to our Kuties [hut accomodation]so as to prepare for the following days meal etc.
6/3/2011
Felt so drained today, the idea of writing this up just palled, so this too is retrospectively written. The main characteristic of the day seemed to be a sense of release that it was now over: though repercussions were still to come. This interlude found expression in the sorting out of Luang Ta's ashes for those considered auspicious enough to receive them, there being some 100 or so fifty punsa Ajaans present on the day.
An old friend from early Chithurst days showed up, Tom Stone - a Vietnam vet. - very pally with Aj's Anando and Pabaakaro [both since disrobed]. He had watched the whole thing on Television, deliberately staying away on the day, telling me that roads were impassible from 10kls away, something like six miles to those still not adapted to metrication.
7/3/2011
To day, events seemed to have finally caught up on me. I over slept, not hearing my - quite loud - alarm, and not waking until around 7:00am, thus missing the meal. Though Aaron, my Kuties previous occupant, and here specially for this project, offered to get me something nutritious. I remembered him getting this quite often during his residency, so he was perfectly qualified to make the suggestion, which I shamelessly accepted.
It is all a mopping up operation now, and will likely continue so for perhaps maybe as much as a week. So won't try emailing this until after that.
12/3/2011
Yesterday the relics were finally distributed. I was told about this the day before, but didn't really take it in, still being a little punch drunk, so I missed the procedure. However, that evening, I went to see TanAjaan Dick on some other business, and he presented me with a portion allocated to me. It blew my socks off. I can't tell you how gutted I was. TanAjaan was brilliant, just standing there waiting for me to regain some sense of propriety before we could continue. Apparently, the decision was taken to apportion some for those Bhikkhus who had spent the rains here at WatPa Baan Taad, which included yours truly. Even as I write this, I have to keep pausing to calm down again. TanAjaan warned me that there would be no end of people asking me for some of my portion; they having attended the ceremony and knowing exactly who was given what. He said that I should refuse all such requests and keep the portion intact. I replied that I would tell anyone who so asked, that he - TanAjaan - told me not to; his authority being such as to deter the most determined requests. I had an opportunity to test this out sooner that I expected.
I took a stroll around the Chedi mount latter on, as is my current habit, and took a seat at one of the few remaining boutiques still offering allowable refreshment to the enlarged Sangha still remaining in the clearing up. At first no one was taking much notice of me, so I thought I'd just wait awhile before moving on. Some other Bhikkhus soon came up and sat around, and as is fairly usual, one struck up a conversation asking about my background. When they learned that I was based here one of them became very agitated, so at a convenient moment I declined further offers for more allowable's and moved on.
TanAjaan had pointed out that even ashes from the fire were considered auspicious, indicating the fine powder in my own portion. This finally explained some odd behaviour among the lay community daily coming and surrounding the Chedi. There, still, being razor wire with troops ringing the mount, whilst laity were getting as close at this would allow, and scrutinizing the ground for something that I was quite unable to discern. I now realise that they were able to identify fragments of ash - thrown up by the heat of the fire - in amongst the normal dust of the ground and trying to collect it. Well, given the powdery nature of ash I can't imagine how they could tell it apart from normal dust, never mind actually picking it up off of the ground. But there are many, many of them doing just this, day after day. Perhaps they can identify bone fragments too.
All we await now is the hundredth day, May 10th maybe, by the Solar calendar.
13/3/2011
TanAjaan Dick has just told me that the fiftieth day is also auspicious. That will come in a week, 20/3. I asked because the peace and quiet is getting interspersed with verbose announcements over the PA system, though the sound level is much reduced now. He further added that Luang Ta's birthday may well become an occasion for future celebration in addition to the death day. Such is the stature of Luang Ta within the soul of the Thai nation. To be here at this time has a significance as yet to become fully appreciated: ever deepening perhaps, within what's left of this lifetime.
16/3/2011
Bhikkhu population is back to normal. We have returned to regular Pindapaat through the village, with everyone eating in the main Sala and Ajaan Suchai [our succeeding abbot] leading the very simple chanting. It's as near to normal as we will ever get, for quite some time to come. As for me, I'm more than happy to remain here for as long as Ajaan Suchai and the senior Bhikkhus choose to stay. Together, he and they are the perfect legacy of Luang Ta's training. The Yomes continuing to support us make it abundantly clear that they think so too.
20/3/2011
The fiftieth day seems to have happened without too much excitement. Pretty well par for the course, Baan Taad style. I missed Pindapaat, mind being very misbehaved, so skipped the meal, thereby missing the most significant part of the day. But took a stroll around, towards the end of the clearing up. Crowds were large compared to the last few Sundays and much larger than Sunday crowds during Luang Ta's time; police levels correspondingly higher. But, thankfully, the noise was minimal, no PA at all. The boutiques were busy providing Dana for Yomes, maybe I could have done a late, lone, Pindapaat but decided against it. If this stays out side of the inner wall, I guess we'll live with it well enough, sharing the joy of those participating.
Evening chanting could be heard coming from the main Sala, led by "external" Bhikkhus. This could all well become the pattern for the next ten years or so, maybe as much as a generation.
21/3/2011
The evening chanting of the previous day should have been a warning. Even as I prepared my place for this mornings meal, the extra large number of places still didn't alert me. Thus I found myself sitting at my place ready to eat, whilst having to sit through a pre meal Desana that went on for what seemed like an hour: the visiting - and senior - Ajaan talking from notes. The Yomes were trying to cut off the PA without it seeming to be a hint, the lights kept going off and on. Nothing could stop him. In the end Yomes were able to adjust the PA so as to make it sound a little bit Donald Duck. Maichese were giving the Sadhu acknowledgement, whilst others were even breaking into applause - utterly unheard of before! But nothing would stop him until he had completed his material. I had to take sips of - thoughtfully provided - iced tea to keep from heating problems again: see above. It all goes down to experience: Forest humour? Next time, an almost certainty, at least by the hundredth day, I'll set up my place outside as we did during the build up to, and for, the cremation itself. ...
