Luang Pu

The Most Ven. Phramongkolthepmuni – Luang Pu Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen
The rediscoverer of Dhammakaya Vijja of the Lord Buddha which had been lost since about 1043
Episode II

 

2.  Ordination
He was ordained in July, 1906 when he was 22 years old at Song Phi Nong Temple in Suphanburi province.  His monastic name was Candasaro.

Phradee from Pratusarn Temple in Muang district, Suphanburi province was his preceptor.
Phrakru Winyanuyoke (Niang Indajoto) from Song Phi Nong Temple in Song Phi Nong district, Suphanburi province was his senior examining monk.
Phranong Indasuvanno from Song Phi Nong Temple in Song Phi Nong district, Suphanburi province was his ordination–proclaiming teacher.

After the ordination ceremony, Luang Pu had lived in Song Phi Nong Temple for one year, then after finishing the criticism invitation, he moved to live in Phra Chetuphon Vimolmangklararm Rajwaramahaviharn Temple or Wat Pho in Bangkok to study Pali Studies.  

 

 

 

While Luang Pu was studying there, he had difficulty in getting food. Some days his food from the morning alms round was not enough, example, he got only an orange or even worse, he did not get any food at all.  Even though he did not have enough food, he did not ask his friend monks who got little food as well. Luang Pu thought that if he would pass away because of food, his death would have led the other monks to have more food because his death would be the talk of the town so that people would be pity on the monks.

Making the great offering
One day, Luang Pu went for the morning alms round and got only one ladle of rice and a banana.  He reached his residence tiredly because he had not had anything for two days.  When he began to eat, he suddenly saw a skinny dog which did not eat any thing for a few days.  Although he was very hungry, he was kind to that dog, he gave  remain rice and a half of banana to it.  It ate only rice, not banana. Luang Pu thought that he didn’t know that it would not eat banana. First, he wanted to take the banana back, but he thought that it was not suitable because he had donated absolutely and if he wanted to eat it again, nobody offered it formally to him at that time. From this event, Luang Pu made a wish that “May the starvation like this does not happen to me again.”  From that time on, every time he went for the morning alms round, he got a lot of food so that he could share some for other monks as well.

Studying the Pali Studies
Luang Pu began to study Pali from reciting the formula first. When he could recite the basic formula, he studied the Mulakaccayana (the Pali grammar textbook) and Pali Vocabulary. After that Luang Pu studied the fashionable Buddhist Scriptures which were Dhammapada, Mongkoldipani, and Sartsankhaha until he was skillful and could teach others.  However, while Luang Pu was studying, he found many difficulties such as the traveling.  After he had had breakfast, he went to study at Arunratchawararam Temple by boat.  When finishing the studying, he went to have lunch at Wat Phra Chetuphon Vimolmangklararm. But he did not do it continuously, he did it alternately.

While Luang Pu was studying, the textbooks were inscribed on the palm leaves.  The students did not study the same chapters.  Some studied the first chapter of Dhammapada, some studied the last chapter.  The more they studied, the more textbooks they had to carry.  Luang Pu tried not to absent.  He carried his textbooks and went on the boat at Pratu Nokyoong Port, Wat Phra Chetuphon Vimolmangklararm, and went off the boat at Wat Arunratchawararam Port to study there.  Luang Pu told us that he had found the difficulties for many years, but his effort caused Grandma Nuam, a resident at Pratu Nokyoong, believed and she offered food to him everyday so that his starvation was gone.

Luang Pu had studied in many institutes for many years, an attendant of Krom Muen Mahintharodom was faithful to him and offered lunch to him everyday so that Luang Pu could establish his school at Wat Phra Chetuphon Vimolmangklararm and the primary content was Dhammapada.  Later, the Pali studying was change fashionably, the monks who arranged courses set the students to study the Pali grammar first.