PART VIII
Plans for the festival celebrating 25 centuries of Buddhism became
more and more firm during the rainy season at Wat Asokaram in 1956.
Up to that point I hadn't decided where to hold the festival, because
it was going to be a large affair, but after looking around I decided,
"We'll have to hold it right here at Wat Asokaram."
There were going to be two celebrations: the one I would do in
conjunction with other Buddhists and the one I would do on my own.
//The celebration held in conjunction with other Buddhists// would
succeed on one of three levels, i.e., low, moderate or high. This was
a thought I didn't mention to anyone else, simply an observation I
kept to myself. When the festival was over, it turned out to have
been only a moderate success. Had it been a high-level success I
would have built a ceremonial umbrella for the Buddha image at Khao
Phra Ngaam.
//The celebration I would do all on my own//. Celebrating on my own
would be very good, but wouldn't be of any benefit to people at large.
This sort of celebration could be done in one of three ways:
a) The lowest level: Escape from humanity and hide away in the
forests and wilds for three years before returning to be involved with
people again.
b) The moderate level: Go deep into the forest alone and meditate in
earnest for three months with no worries or responsibilities.
c) The highest level: Tie a red cloth around my neck for seven
days. In other words, within seven days I would try to do good in one
of two ways: (1) attain all of the eight cognitive skills (//vijja//)
to use as tools in my work of spreading the Buddha's teachings. (2)
If I can't succeed at (1), may I go all the way on the seventh day, at
the same time relinquishing my life with no hope of return. Only in
this way would I have done with the karma I dreamed about having made
with my friends in the past.
By the end of 1956 the time for the festival was drawing near, but I
had already made some advance preparations, such as producing the
"Bodhi leaf" Buddha amulets copied from an image I had seen in Benares
when I was traveling through India. I had materials gathered from
scores of places: earth from the Buddhist holy places in India;
fragments of votive tablets once cached away in old chedis, donated by
friends and followers from various provinces -- Lopburi, Phitsanuloke,
Phijit, Sukhothai, Suphanburi, Ayutthaya, Phetchabun, Songkhla, Ubon
Ratchathani, Thaad Phanom district and Bangkok. I had fragments of
ancient Buddha images from Prajinburi and ancient lustral water made
by wise men in the past. These I mixed into a paste along with
powdered dried flowers and ashes of burnt paper on which Dhamma
passages had been written.
Using this paste we cast two types of images by (1) pressing the
paste into a mould and then allowing it to dry; (2) mixing the paste
with clay, pressing it into a mould and baking it in a kiln. I
thought to myself, "We're going to have to produce at least one
million images." When we were finished at the end of the rains in
1956, we counted to see how many we had. Altogether there were more
than 1,100,000.
Late one night when it was quiet, a strange vision appeared to me.
I was sitting pressing Buddha images from a mould when a relic of the
Buddha came and displayed a sign over my bed. It was similar to the
Bodhi leaf image I was making, but the image I was making represented
the Buddha delivering the Dhammacakka sermon -- i.e., with both hands
raised. But in the vision, the Buddha had both hands in his lap. I
had a new mould made patterned after the vision and named it the
"Bodhicakka." I still have this relic with me, and haven't yet
enshrined it. Later another relic the shape of a Buddha image sitting
in meditation came as well. This I also still have with me.
Another time, when I had been sitting in meditation at Lopburi, in
the quiet just before dawn, another Buddha relic had appeared; and at
around 5 a.m. a statuette of King Asoka made of dark, pinkish grey cut
glass came falling down in front of me, so I sketched a copy of it.
This, too, I still have with me.
After a number of strange events like this had occurred, I called
together the monks who were my closest disciples and announced, "We're
going to have to hold the festival celebrating 25 centuries of
Buddhism right here in Wat Asokaram." I came to this final decision
right then, during the middle of the rains, 1956.
Once I had made my decision, I checked to see how much money was in
my account. There turned out to be a little more than 200 baht.
Nevertheless, I made orders to begin construction: putting up
temporary shelters, making ceremonial umbrellas, etc. As soon as we
set to work, contributions started coming in. When we had finished
two shelters, our money ran out. At the time, I had gone to
Chanthaburi. When I returned to Wat Asokaram, Police Colonel Luang
Wiraded Kamhaeng came to inform me, "We're almost all out of money,
Than Phaw. Where are we going to get more?"
I laid out the following plans for the festival:
"I. Purposes of the Festival:
A. 1. To make 912,500 Buddha images (equal to the number of
days in 2,500 years) and then raise the number to 1,000,000,
each one inch tall and made of either stucco or baked clay, to
be distributed free of charge to all people who come and join in
the festival. Whatever images are left over will be buried in
the foundations of the chedi that is to be built.
2. To make five large images representing the Buddha at the
moment of his Awakening, delivering the first sermon (the
Dhammacakka), delivering the final sermon before totally
entering //nibbana//, totally entering //nibbana//, and sitting
in meditation. (This last is to be the major image in the
ordination hall.)
3. To make small images, 500 each of silver, gold and gold
bronze, each weighing about four grams, to be placed in the
chedi as a gift to our descendants.
B. To finance a complete set of the Buddhist Canon -- Sutras,
Vinaya and Abhidhamma -- translated into Thai.
C. To ordain 80 monks, 80 novices, 80 //upasakas// (lay men
wearing white and observing the eight precepts) and 80 nuns (lay
women wearing white and observing the eight precepts). If
larger numbers of people are ordained, so much the better. Each
person is to be ordained for at least seven days. Ordination
ceremonies will be held from May 12 to May 20, 1957. Whoever
desires to be ordained should give the following information to
the ordination committee: name, address, age, date of birth,
and whether or not you will be able to supply your own
requisites. The committee will arrange to find requisites for
all those unable to supply their own. Whoever would like to
sponsor an ordination of any kind is welcome to inform the
committee. The cost of requisites is as follows: for
//upasakas// and nuns, 100 baht; for novices, 150 baht; for
monks, 300 baht. Those wishing to be ordained may apply at the
Wat from now until April 15, 1957.
D. When the festival is over, there will be one further aim:
to build a chedi as a memento of our having participated in this
important anniversary, and to enshrine relics of the Buddha,
Buddha images, copies of the scriptures and other objects
related to Buddhism. This chedi will be a cluster of thirteen
spires built on three levels, four spires to each level, with a
central spire on the uppermost level. The central spire will be
the largest -- 6 meters square and 26 meters tall. The
surrounding spires will be smaller. The laying of the
foundations for the chedi will begin before the festival. The
location will be at Wat Asokaram, Samut Prakaan, which is
planned to be a center for instruction in the practice of
meditation for monks, novices, lay men and lay women in the
years to come.
II. Merit-making ceremonies to be held during the Festival:
A. Monks will chant consecration chants, eight monks a day, for
seven days. Monks will sit in //samadhi//, presiding over the
consecration of sacred objects, eight monks a day for seven
days.
C. Five sermons relating the history of the Buddhist Councils
will be delivered, one sermon per day. The passages in response
to each sermon will be chanted by 40 monks. This will be to
dedicate merit to relatives and ancestors who have passed away.
D. Food will be donated to the 500 monks and novices invited to
participate in the first seven days of the festival.
Afterwards, food will continue to be donated to monks and
novices until the two weeks of the festival are over. The
second week approximately 300 monks and novices will be fed each
day.
E. During the first seven days there will be a candlelight
procession in celebration each night.
F. On Visakha Puja -- May 13, 1957 -- a ceremony will be held
to enshrine objects in the foundations of the chedi.
G. Mahayana services will also be held, i.e., three days of
//kong tek// (merit-making services for the dead) and sermons in
line with Mahayanist beliefs.
There will also be other merit-making ceremonies in addition to
those listed here.
In addition, temporary shelters for monks and novices, as well
as shelters for lay men and lay women will be built, along with
a kitchen to be used for the duration of the festival."
After I had written down the above program, we set to work
implementing the plans step-by-step. I showed the plans to a number
of my followers. They would all shake their heads and say, "Than
Phaw, where are you going to get the money for a big affair like
this?" But I would think to myself, "We're going to do good.
Good-hearted people are sure to come and help. We won't have to go
canvassing for funds."
When I had returned from Chanthaburi and the date for the festival
was approaching, a stream of people started coming to help contribute
money. Altogether we received almost 100,000 baht. One person, Dr.
Yut Saeng-uthai, was afraid that we wouldn't be able to carry out our
plans, and so went on his own to ask for help from the government. He
got to talk with the Minister of Cultural Affairs, General Luang
Sawat, who at the time wasn't acquainted with me, but who was kind
enough to say, "If you need money, I'll make the arrangements." Khun
Ying Waad Lekhawanit-Dhammawithak came to tell me about this. My
response: "We don't need the money."
Construction work continued and contributions kept coming in without
our ever issuing any requests for funds. All we did was print up
flyers to let my followers know of the plans and schedule for the
festival.
Preparations within the monastery were virtually complete. Suni
Changkhamanon, Sawn Achakun, Thawngsuk and Mae Kimhong Kraikaan took
responsibility for building the sala in which the festival was to he
held. Seeing that it wouldn't be large enough, we added thatched
roofs on all four sides, which Colonel Luang Wiraded together with the
monks and novices helped build. In addition we built a temporary
kitchen and a large number of temporary shelters. The kitchen was a
little over 30 meters long, 6 meters wide and roofed with thatch.
There were five shelters for monks and novices, five each for lay men
and lay women, each shelter 80 meters long and 10 meters wide with
thatched roofs and walls. Construction of the shelters cost more than
100,000 baht; the festival sala, 165,000 baht; repair of the roads
around the monastery -- financed by Khun Ying Waad -- 60,000 baht.
Total construction costs thus came to more than 300,000 baht, and
there were a great many other things we had to purchase for the
festival as well. Our money kept running out, but at the same time
contributions kept coming in. [*]
* [People have asked why Ajaan Lee devotes so much space to
describing the Festival Celebrating 25 Centuries of Buddhism,
and in particular to the amount of money donated and spent.
Three points seem relevant: 1) Many of the people involved in
the celebration were still alive when Ajaan Lee wrote this book,
the celebration still fresh in their memories. They would have
enjoyed seeing that their efforts were not forgotten, and at the
same time Ajaan Lee may have wanted to remind them of one of the
purposes of the celebration that had not yet been fulfilled: to
build a chedi at Wat Asokaram. 2) The whole question of
fund-raising -- or lack of it -- for the festival makes for a
good read. Many of his followers felt that only by appealing
for funds from the public and the government would they be able
to carry out the ambitious program. Ajaan Lee stood fast by his
insistence -- and in the end was proven right -- that they could
depend on the purity of their intentions to see them through.
3) Several other groups, including the Thai government, held
celebrations of the year 2500 B.E. at the same time as Ajaan
Lee's, and in some cases -- the government's in particular --
there were unresolved questions as to where all the donations
went. Ajaan Lee may have wanted to show that in his case, at
least, all funds were well accounted for.]
* * *
By April, preparations were in full swing. A large number of monks,
novices and lay people began gathering from the outlying provinces.
The numbers of people applying for ordination -- both men and women --
kept swelling until they were well over the goals we had originally
set.
On May 11, 1957, we began the ordination ceremonies. To ordain the
monks, we invited a number of preceptors: Somdet Mahawirawong (Juan),
Wat Makut Kasatriyaram; Phra Phrommuni, Wat Bovornives; Phra
Sasanasophon, Wat Rajadhivasa; Phra Dhammatilok, Wat Boromnivasa; Phra
Dhammapitok, Wat Phra Sri Mahadhatu; and Phra Nyanarakkhit, Wat
Boromnivasa. In addition, we had preceptors who were old friends or
disciples of mine. The ordination ceremonies turned out to be a
large-scale affair, so I turned the whole program over to Ajaan Daeng,
who trained the new monks-to-be throughout the festival and who also
acted as preceptor. In addition, Phra Khru Wiriyang from Chanthaburi
and Ajaan Sila of Sakon Nakhorn helped act as preceptors, preparing
the monks-to-be and arranging their requisites until the end of the
festival.
All in all, so many people came to help financially with the
ordination ceremonies that we didn't have to spend any of the
monastery funds set aside for the purpose -- to the point where we ran
out of monks-to-be for them to sponsor. We had to announce over the
loudspeaker that we could no longer accept contributions from those
volunteering to sponsor ordinations.
Sponsors for the ordination ceremonies contributed altogether
138,000 baht. The ordinations lasted from the 11th to the 29th of May,
and the number of people ordained in each category was as follows:
637 monks, 144 novices, 1,240 nuns, 340 "Brahmanis" (women wearing
white, observing the eight precepts, but not shaving their heads), 34
//upasakas// (men wearing white, shaving their heads and observing
the eight precepts) and 12 "Brahmans" (men wearing white, observing
the eight precepts, but not shaving their heads). Altogether, 2,407
were ordained.
The daily schedule throughout the festival ran as follows:
"Morning: After the meal, 1) chanting in homage to the relics of the
Buddha; 2) chanting of blessings; 3) sitting in meditation.
Afternoon: 1) chanting in homage to the Buddha's relics; 2) chanting
in celebration; 3) sitting in meditation or a sermon. 4:00 Rest.
5:00 Gathering at the sala; chanting in homage to the Buddha's relics;
candlelight procession; consecration chants; chanting in celebration;
sitting in meditation until midnight. This schedule is to be followed
until the end of the festival."
* * *
During the course of the festival the thought occurred to me that we
should donate a //phaa paa// to the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, to
compensate for one of my plans that had fallen through: In the
beginning I had thought of setting up a central fund for the Thai
Sangha, and so had prepared a proposal that I submitted to Somdet Phra
Mahawirawong (Juan) of Wat Makut. The essence of the proposal was
that we would request every titled monk in Thailand to voluntarily
relinquish his monthly stipend for one month to form a central fund
for the Thai Sangha as a memento of our having celebrated 25 centuries
of Buddhism. I myself would gather additional contributions to add to
the fund. I asked the Somdet to take this matter to the executive
council of the Sangha to see whether or not they would approve it.
I was really pleased by the Somdet's immediate response: "I'll
gladly donate my entire monthly stipend. If there's anything else you
need for the festival, I'll be glad to help."
"That's the spirit!" I thought to myself.
The Somdet ultimately gave his approval to the proposal and so
presented it to the executive council. Later, though, I learned that
this and that member of the council had raised objections, and so it
fell through.
In that case, I decided, we'd do better to donate a //phaa paa// to
the Emerald Buddha. I contacted H.H. Princess Pradisathasari, asking
her to act as sponsor for 16 //phaa paas//, one of which would go to
the Emerald Buddha. She said she would be glad to help. She gave us
every form of assistance, having not only members of her household but
also other nobility -- including members of the Privy Council -- help
give a full-scale welcome to the //phaa paas//.
So we gathered together more than 30,000 baht in funds, from which
we gave a little over 300 baht to each of the 15 //phaa paas//. The
remainder -- 24,122.30 baht -- we donated to the Emerald Buddha to set
up an endowment fund entitled, //The 2500 Anniversary Fund, donated by
followers of Ajaan Lee, Wat Asokaram//. The interest from the fund
was to help with the upkeep of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.
Afterwards we gathered additional contributions that we added to the
fund, bringing the total endowment to more than 50,000 baht.
On May 20th we began the festive procession, carrying Buddha images,
relics of the Buddha and the 16 //phaa paas// from Wat Asokaram to
the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. H.H. Princess Pradisathasari had
given orders for officials from the Royal Household to welcome us.
After the procession circumambulated the ordination hall three times,
the Princess and members of the Privy Council arrived to accept the
//phaa paas//. She had given orders for the royal kitchens to prepare
food to be presented to the 15 senior monks invited to receive the
//phaa paas//. Most of the monks were from temples that had in the
past been under the sponsorship of Rama IV. After presenting the
monks with their mid-day meal, the Princess presented them with the 15
//phaa paas//.
With the ceremonies over, we led the procession from the Temple of
the Emerald Buddha to Wat Phra Sri Mahadhatu in Bang Khen district in
order to receive saplings from the Great Bodhi tree in India, which we
had requested and been granted by the government. Arriving at Wat
Phra Sri Mahadhatu, we conducted the ceremonies for receiving the two
saplings and carried them in a procession three times around the
ordination hall. Then we led the procession to the Buddharaksa Gardens
in Bang Bua Thawng (GoldLotus Town), Nonthaburi, where we held a
one-night celebration in honor of the relics of the Buddha and the
Bodhi trees.
The following morning, May 21st, after our meal, we took the Buddha
images, relics of the Buddha and Bodhi trees in a boat procession from
GoldLotus Town down along the Chao Phraya River to the landing at the
Provincial Offices in Samut Prakaan. There we were given a rousing
welcome by a contingent from Wat Asokaram, along with the provincial
governor, civil servants and other Buddhists.
Our procession then went from the Provincial Offices back to Wat
Asokaram, arriving in the afternoon to a welcoming contingent headed
by Chao Khun Amornmuni, ecclesiastical head of Chanthaburi province.
We circumambulated the sala three times and then entered the area
where the consecration services were being held. After paying homage
to the Buddha images, relics of the Buddha, Bodhi trees and chedis, we
stopped for a short rest. At 6 p.m. we rang the bell and met in the
sala for chants in celebration, consecration chants and a candlelight
procession. Huge numbers of people came to join in the celebration.
The following morning, May 22, we held ceremonies for planting four
Bodhi trees at Wat Asokaram -- the two we had received from Wat Phra
Sri Mahadhatu, plus two from India. Since then, my followers have
returned from India with two more Bodhi trees that they donated to the
Wat. At the moment there are altogether six descendants of the Great
Bodhi tree growing in Wat Asokaram.
* * *
The festival continued. One day funds started running out, and so the
festival committee met for consultation. Nang Kimrien Kingthien and
Khun Nai Tun Kosalyawit prepared a letter asking for help from the
government. They brought the letter and read it aloud to me. The
gist of it was that they were going to ask the Prime Minister, Field
Marshal Paw Phibunsongkhram, to help donate 50,000 baht. Before they
had even finished reading the letter, I told them to throw it into the
fire right then and there. "If there isn't enough to eat in this
festival," I told them, "I'm willing to starve." As it turned out,
the money kept coming in and our funds never ran out.
People came to provide food for the monks at the festival --
sometimes three days at a time, sometimes seven. Some brought Thai
food; others, Chinese food. The consecration ceremonies lasted for 15
days, with Major General Phong Punnakan, Chief of the Army
Transportation Bureau, acting as sponsor throughout the festival.
Khun Ying Waad Lekhawanit-Dhammawithak arranged transportation and
gifts for the ten Chinese monks who came to chant three days, and
provided food for 355 monks seven days running. There were two
Mahayana sermons, and //kong tek// services for three nights. There
was also a //loi krathong// ceremony and a raffle. Khun Nai Thawngsuk
Chumpairoad provided food for 300 monks for seven days. In addition,
a number of Chinese people came and helped provide vegetarian food for
several days. People came to sponsor, altogether, eleven
re-enactments of the Buddhist Councils and made donations totaling
5,000 baht at each re-enactment.
On top of all this, people came to donate cups, plates and saucers,
rice, firewood, charcoal -- everything -- to the festival kitchen.
For the most part, the kitchen didn't have to buy much. Most things
were provided by donors. As a result, the kitchen spent no more than
5,000 baht for food each day. My followers all helped to the full
extent of their abilities.
In the area of medical care we received help from General Thanawm
Upathamphanon, Chief Army Medical Officer, and his wife, Khun Ying
Sutjai, who sent doctors and orderlies throughout the festival to
provide medical treatment for those who needed it. And as for
security, Police Colonel Sudsa-nguan Tansathit, head of the Police
Public Safety Department, sent riot police and a fire truck to help
throughout the festival.
Time passed and everything went well. Money became less and less of
a problem, the daily schedule proceeded according to plan, the
ordination ceremonies continued every day, and the weather cooperated
throughout. There were no untoward incidents, aside from a few minor
occurrences not worth mentioning.
On May 13, Visakha Puja, a number of sponsors had four Buddha images
cast, each image 80 cm. across at the base. Khun Ying Waad sponsored
two images; Phraya Lekhawanit-Dhammawithak, one; and Colonel Luang
Wiraded Kamhaeng and his wife, Khun Nai Noi, one -- at a cost of 6,790
baht per image. Nai Kuanghang Sae Hia, along with his wife and
children, donated a fifth image that they had had cast on Magha Puja
at a cost of 34,000 baht, including the celebration costs. The Wat
didn't have to spend any money for the casting of these images. The
sponsors covered all costs, which for the five images totaled 61,160
baht.
As for the entertainment offered during the festival, hardly anyone
paid any attention to it because most of the people had come to
participate in the religious activities. A group of my Chinese
followers brought a Chinese opera company to perform three nights.
Wari Chayakun from Haad Yai brought a Manora dance-drama company and a
shadow puppet company to perform throughout the festival, two movie
screens were set up, and a //maw lam// singing group from the
Northeast came to perform one night and then had to close down from
lack of interest. None of these activities cost us anything, because
groups of my followers had sponsored them on their own initiative.
We continued to celebrate in this way, with chanting, candlelight
processions, meditation sessions and sermons. We invited a number of
high-ranking ecclesiastical officials, such as Somdet Mahawirawong of
Wat Makut and Phra Sasanasophon, to deliver one sermon apiece. In
addition, we had sermons of our own, some of which I delivered, and
some by Ajaan Tyy. These activities continued until May 29, 1957.
At the end of the festival our accounts read as follows:
Total income: 840,340.49 baht
Total expenditures: 533,326.75 baht
Assets remaining: 307,013.74 baht
All of this was money that people had donated on their own
initiative. In addition we also received non-liquid assets -- such as
ordination sponsors who arranged requisites on their own -- which were
handled by the finance committee. The re-enactments of the Buddhist
councils, food donated to the monks, gifts for the monks who chanted,
the casting of the Buddha images, the construction of the sala, the
repair of the road leading to the Wat, the Mahayana services: All of
these came in the form of non-liquid assets that, altogether, we
estimated roughly at more than 300,000 baht.
All in all, the monks and lay people who joined in the festival came
from 45 provinces.
Thus the Festival Celebrating 25 Centuries of Buddhism in the year
B.E. 2500 came to a close.
Afterwards, right before the rains, another sponsor -- Nai Thanabuun
Kimanon, along with his wife and children -- had another Buddha image
cast and donated to the Wat to celebrate the year B.E. 2500, at a cost
of 75,000 baht. The image was more than two meters across at the
base. They also built a dais for it and conducted celebration
ceremonies that, added to the cost of the image, totaled more than
150,000 baht.
A number of the monks, novices and nuns ordained during the festival
stayed on for the rains, continuing to practice the Dhamma together.
At the end of the rains many of them returned home, although a number
of them are still currently ordained. As for myself, when the rains
were over, I went to visit many of the places where there were friends
and followers who had come to participate in the festival.
Later I went to Lampang, in hopes of building a chedi at Phra Sabai
Cave. (This was when I first saw the three Bodhi trees that had
sprung up there, and it made me very glad. They are tall trees now.)
Chao Mae Suk of the Lampang Royal House, along with Khun Nai Kimrien
Kingthien, Mae Liengtao Janwiroad and a contingent of lay men and
women joined together with a group of my followers -- both lay people
and monks -- to complete the chedi. We then enshrined relics of the
Buddha there in the cave, and brought an Indian Bodhi tree to plant at
the cave's entrance.
From there I went on to Chieng Mai, Uttaradit, Phitsanuloke, Nakhorn
Sawan and Lopburi.
* * * * * * * *
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