markle Posted July 28, 2003 Report Share Posted July 28, 2003 A bit more to add anecdotally. I was fortunate enough to be hosted in Chachoengsao which is home to Luang Por Sothorn, not a monk but a highly regarded Buddha image of unknown origin. The image itself is rather plain to look at and the temple it is housed in until recently was rather ordinary but every weekend and especially on 'wan phra' (holy days) the place would be absolutely packed with thousands of pilgrims especiallly from Bangkok, due mainly to the perception that Luang Por delivered on the pleas of the people who went there to ask for things. So popular was it the the King himself commisioned a new whopping big temple built there. When the old temple that housed the image was demolished the bricks from the walls were pulverised and used to make hundreds of highly sought after buddha images. My Thai mother, with her connections, was able to get hold of a couple that are worth quite a bit now. Just as a side note about 'tan boon' there are stories about well off Thais (Setee) who go all out and built whole temples as a act of religious zeal, who then die somewhat prematurely. It seems that by giving so much they use up all the goodness in their life and die as a consequence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattaya127 Posted July 29, 2003 Report Share Posted July 29, 2003 gotta stop waffling now, i start getting carried away... ----------------------------- Ahaha. reminds me ot the time i was invited at dinner to my friends, a long time ago in France. one of their gueest was a famous music historian (Jean Massin). Anyway, at some point, the conversation (hear that, JJsushi ::!) went into the roma empire, and for one hour we were totally mesmerized by his lecture, all were mum listening to his riveting story-telling, and after an hour, he said to us "but go on, this is not a subject i really know well..." . Yeah...???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattaya127 Posted July 29, 2003 Report Share Posted July 29, 2003 About people rushing to see a holy monk, here a live one, i had this in my archives, wish to share it with you guys: Giving With One Hand Wat Ban Rai, Thailand Luang Phor Khoon Parisuttho knows that the politicians will soon be coming. General elections are on the horizon, and that's the time when prime-ministerial hopefuls travel to Khoon's temple in Nakhon Ratchasima province, kneel at his feet and ask for a blessing. "They never ask me how to help the people," says the frail 77-year-old monk, whose reputation for both goodness and spiritual powers is known throughout the country. "They're interested only in helping themselves." He blesses them anyway, though in decidedly eccentric ways. For former Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, whom Khoon addressed as "fatso," the blessing was a rap on the head with a rolled-up newspaper. Some 10,000 people a day used to come to Khoon's Ban Rai temple to be whacked or more gently blessed. That number is down since the Thai economy tumbled three years ago�although it probably should have increased. Most pilgrims come to Khoon for one reason: to get richer. "They believe he has magic powers," says Amporn Charnkuntawat, who capitalizes on that notion by selling prayer bracelets and wooden fertility phalluses in the temple courtyard. Khoon is a strange phenomenon: a Buddhist ascetic who donates sums of money to the poor, but is seen nationwide as the guru who can best bolster your bank balance. Many devotees ask Khoon to tap their outstretched wallets. A few have requested samples of his saliva or urine to drink. The monk's fame reached new heights in 1993, when a woman was pulled alive from the rubble of a collapsed hotel clutching an amulet with his image on it. Stories abound of Khoon followers who have won the lottery. Nonetheless, Khoon insists, "I have no magic, no powers at all." That's a message few heed and many are willing to ignore at a cost. The sale of amulets with the elderly monk's image is a big business. Posters with the words "Rich! Rich! Rich!" and a picture of Khoon holding fistfuls of cash can be found in homes and shops throughout Thailand. Many of the proceeds come to Khoon but don't stay with him. "I give it all back to the people," he says. He has built schools, hospitals, old-age homes, even roads and bridges around the country. "He is sincere, and a good person," says Buddhist scholar Sulak Sivaraksa. "It's the people around him who exploit him." Ask Khoon to pinpoint the chief cause of suffering in the world, and he has a quick answer: "greed." But he is aware of the paradox he presents to religious purists: "I tell them that if they want to be rich, then first they have to learn to give." Not just the politicians would do well to heed that particular sermon. �By Robert Horn/wat Ban Rai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 30, 2003 Report Share Posted July 30, 2003 i must say that i have a bit of an issue with luang por koon. he has said many times in the recent years that policemen killing drugdealers would not draw bad karma to themselves, giving out somehow a free pass to the horrors of the recent drug war massaker. :: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Hippie Posted July 31, 2003 Report Share Posted July 31, 2003 "...luang por koon..." Is this the same Monk who is often depicted smoking cigars? if not, what is that gentleman's name? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brink15 Posted July 31, 2003 Report Share Posted July 31, 2003 Is this the same Monk who is often depicted smoking cigars? One and the same. There are some great stories about him, one of which I can't share on the board but can PM you if you'd like. I saw him at Wat Rawai in Phuket. What a circus. Everyone wanted to have him touch at least one or two Baht notes to bless them with good fortune. Carabao, the Thai folk-rock group made a very famous song about him. He is quite the character. Talks to anyone, and I mean anyone using the very impolite ku and mueng. Even PMs aren't exempt. We have an LPK picture on our Buddha alter and I have a 500 Baht LPK note in my wallet I keep as a souvenir. Sorry to hear his stance on the drug killings. In reality it doesn't surprise me as he has been known to swat misbehaving politicians with his cane. He has pretty stronge views on punishment and behavior. Luang Por Koon, kor hai ruay, kor hai ruay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wiseone Posted July 31, 2003 Report Share Posted July 31, 2003 Markle... When the old temple that housed the image was demolished the bricks from the walls were pulverised and used to make hundreds of highly sought after buddha images. My Thai mother, with her connections, was able to get hold of a couple that are worth quite a bit now. I was interested in your comment that these images may be worth quite a bit. I have a 10" Buddha statue and 4 different types of amulets from this temple. I didn't fully appreciate the significance of this temple when being persuaded to visit with my TG at the time although I was led to believe that Luang Por Sothorn was one of the 'three brothers' - amongst the holiest of Thai religious icons. I visited about 10 years ago when the 'limited edition' images were being sold to raise funds for the new temple and so I was very non-plussed by the crowded corrugated metal building that was being used to house the temple between the old temple being knocked down and the new temple being built, especially after travelling the 5 hour round trip on a cramped bus from Pattaya. I believe that the limited edition Buddha images and amulets were made from pulverised roof tiles, hence the unusual sandy colour and graining. Each image, including amulets, have a unique reference number and the statues have an authentication coin on the base and various official stamps on the underside. The statue has pride of place on a display shelf in my home but the 2 of the amulets have been 'cheapened' by inserting them into those nasty gold and plastic pendant holders. I still have the original glossy colour brochure explaining the construction technique and picturing all the various designs, although I cant understand a word of written Thai. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 1, 2003 Report Share Posted August 1, 2003 i do kind of like the way how he adresses everybody with gu - mueng (in the old days actually a very polite form of adress), but his stance on the drugpolicy does somehow disqualified him for me. carabao is the same thing - i loathe them for their racist song texts and their hypocracy, and their very pro drug killing stand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattaya127 Posted August 1, 2003 Report Share Posted August 1, 2003 and their very pro drug killing stand. ---------------------- what did they have to say? all of them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 1, 2003 Report Share Posted August 1, 2003 ed carabao advertised his new energy drink with a TV spot where the army shot a group of hilltribes to pieces, and of course a large bag of amphetanines fell out of the backpack of the dead hilltribe guy. TATERATAAA... :onfire: lots of his songs take the piss out of farang in a very nasty way, and have generally a very very nationalistic tinge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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