Letter from the novice representative who is studying Pali Grammar

Letter from the novice representative who is studying the Pali Grammar
Edited from the Inner Dreams Kindergarten Program broadcasted via DMC

I pay the highest respect to Luang Phaw

I am Novice Sitthichai Dechkhamphoo, 15 years old, from Ubon Ratchathani province. My mother told me that I went to Dhammakaya Temple since I was in her belly.

Novice Sitthichai Dechkhamphoo
Novice of Dhammakaya Temple

My father and mother cultivated me to love merit since I was young such as they taught me to offering alms in the Morning Alms Round and meditate etc. They always meditated as the models for me and taught me to pray the Morning and Evening Chanting as well, so I can pray both of them since I was young.

When I grew up and studied at my previous school, my teacher asked us what we wanted to be. My friends answered that they wanted to be police, soldiers, etc. but I answered that I wanted to be a monk. When I finished the school, I have been ordained as a novice at Ubon Ratchathani Dhutangasathan. My teaching monk, Phramaha Sathien Suwannathito, had persuaded me to study at Dhammakaya Temple, I accepted at once because I had been waiting this chance, to be with you, for a long time. In the first year I lived in Dhammakaya Temple, I practiced myself about “Discipline, Respect, Patient, Love, Kindness, and Harmony.” When I passed the fundamental lessons, I have met the most important thing for being a scholar novice at Dhammakaya temple that is the Pali Study. And the requirement of studying Pali is to memorize the Pali Grammar. In the first time I saw the small Pali Grammar Book, I did not worry anymore because I thought that the book was small so I could memorize it soon. But, when I did it, it was very difficult. We had to get up at 3:00 a.m. for more available time to do it. While we were walking to have breakfast and lunch at the refectory, we had to memorize it. Whenever we had free time, we picked the Pali Grammar Book to memorize it at once. Luang Phaw, your novice sons had the Pali Grammar in mind all the time. We did it so much that we dreamed of it and some of my novice friends were deluded to memorize it at night.

Now my effort yields fruit, I can memorize all of four Pali Grammar Books, 297 total pages. When I can do it, I am so happy and proud of myself that I can do what many children cannot. I recall that during the first period I memorized the Pali Grammar, my senior novices told me that whoever could memorize all Pali Grammar, they would get a crystal ball named “The Honorable Crystal Ball for the Real Man like You” from Luang Phaw. I wanted to get it since the first time I had heard. I felt my fire of effort shining inside and I wanted to memorize all Pali Grammar at once.

I think that we can do it because you encourage us. You give the importance of the Pali Study very much, so we would like to make your dream come true that is “All of us pass the Pali Exam.” The second ones who encourage us to achieve are my parents. The other ones are the teaching monks who support us including our senior novices and friends who help one another for this achievement.

Dear Luang Phaw and congregations, please listen carefully. I would like to tell you that we, all of my novice friends and I, can pass the Pali Grammar and each of us is going to receive “the Honorable Crystal Ball for the Real Man like Me” from Luang Phaw. We are so happy.
Last but not least, we would like you to be healthy as soon as possible. Luang Phaw, please live long and be our merit leader and model forever. Please encourage and support us, we promise that we all will pass the Pali Grammar Exam again and make you proud of us. For congregations, please take care and keep our Buddhism well and sustainably and find available time to study Dhamma. We wish all of you to attain the real core of Buddhism which is Dhammakaya Vijja. Thank you and rejoice in your merit.

I pay the highest respect to Luang Phaw

Novice Sitthichai Dechkhamphoo

Translated by Chadawee Chaipooripat