Life and Time

Biography: episode 1

Life and Time of Luang Pu Sodh Candhasaro
(Luang Pu of Paknam Bhasichareon Temple)

Luang Pu Sodh Candhasaro

The Lord Buddha identified four different types of life path, birth until death, of people in this world.

There are in verses of Tama Sutta;
Tamo Tamaparayano:
literally, Ones were born from the darkness, in the darkness they died.
Tamo Jotiparayano:
literally, Ones were born from the darkness, in the vividness they died.
Joti Tamaparayano:
literally, Ones were born from the vividness, in the darkness they died.
Joti Jotiparayano:
literally, Ones were born from the vividness, in the vividness they died.

The darkness that referred above will be those who born out from the hell realm and reappear in the hell but some of those can conquer the defilements and reappear in heaven realm. On the other hands, those who born out from the heaven realm but they waste an opportunity for doing good deeds so they have to be reappeared in the hell. For those who came from the heaven and knew that the life is short, they perform the utmost effort of good deeds so that they can eventfully return to whence they came.

However, those who understand the working of life cycle and able to cross the junctions between vividness and darkness is rarely found out in this world. But out of those, who can stand out and teach every body to follow the way to achieve the fortunate destine is harder to find. Right from the birth, whenever the ones were born soon or later they will ask "why we were born?" Some of them glibly think they were born to raise a family and to earn a financial comfort of life. But Luang Pu Wat Paknam was born, 1885, as a normal human birth, he resolved his life with exceptional fortitude to dedicate his life in meditation and the revolution of Buddhism. When he was young he always sang song that related to the path of freedom or liberation, on the other hand called Nirvana"...

"Born in search of inner gems –but ones found them do not grasp.

Craving cheats, Falsity deludes and enrolls us in torture of mind.

Put an end to craving, abandon falsity and aside from sensuality.

Follow the three khanda (Components) of inner wisdom.

Complete the sixteen inner duties, no more rough at the end.

Please call them Nirvana..If you like”….

A Chicken’s Life

A full moon night in the mid September 1916, the moon’s bright face is suspended motionless against a backdrop of twinkle stars. The mirror surface of nearby water way is gently stirred by the night breeze and the ripples catch the light of the moon as they move towards the canal banks. It is in the late evening on the boundary province of Bangkok, Nonthaburi. The heavy rain just stopped; the raindrops still hang pendent on the leaves like jewels twinkling in the moon light.

Everything was quiet in the main area of Bangkuvieng Temple, monks and novices including quadrupeds living in the temple had fallen in a deep sleeping, except the rasping of crickets and the chirping of insects. From outside the temple area, the sound is carried on the breeze together with the warm smell of the dampened soil. A beam of moonlight shines through the window of the largest building illuminating the gigantic statue of the Lord Buddha in deep meditation posture.

A monk in front of the Buddha statue was sitting equally statue-like, motionless in meditation posture. Although he was sitting for a long time, his body remained erect. The moon moved across the middle of the night sky, became even brighter. The monk, worn the saffron robes, was in his early thirties. His forehead showed, as it was like, determination, intelligence and strength of his character. A heavy breath blew out from his mouth audible through out the building. A half-smile appeared from his mouth; showed his white tooth reflecting the moonlight. He murmured to himself".

"Ah!.....it is so hard like this. That’s why no one could attain an achievement. Sensation, memory, thought and cognition of the mind; all of them must be united into one single of innerspot. Once they are stopped still; it is extinguished. Once it is extinguished, the new one can arise".

The murmur was away and came the delight. Even he knew the delight was the enemy of success in meditation, but it was hard to stop it. Since this was a first achievement and new experience which he was waiting for more than decade in monkhood. He closed his eyes again in the same posture. Without rest, again and again in that night, he reviewed his inner revelation backwards and forwards in cycles. This achievement was the first fulfillment in eleven years of devotion of meditation.

Thirty one years earlier, on Friday the tenth of October 1885, in the village of Songpinong, Suphanburi Province, Thailand, Sodh Mikeawnoi was born just a same way of normal humanity. His birth was so different than other children since he did not cry even though he was hit by midwife on the day he was born; not even a whimper was passed his lips. As it is the propitious sign that he was born to dry tears of humanity.

His father was called Nguen and His mother Sudjai. His house is surrounded by Songpinong canal in all sides, made its shape like a lotus leaf. The Mikeawnoi had a river barge business with several crew members; his family was one of the wealth family in Suphanburi. Sodh Mikeawnoi was the second born in the family with elder sister Dah and three younger brothers, Sai, Phook and Sumruay. As referred from his diary found after his death, Sodh was very smart infant. One day he would like to know the origin of lying, he was cradled by his babysitter outside the eaves of the house; the infant turned his head and pointed to the moon while cried "Err..Errrr."...

The maid heard the infant’s gesture and thought he wanted the moon. She said that “Ah…You want the moon, it is ok. I will bring it down for you. On that day, the infant knew how people lied.

Moreover, he could teach himself since he was one year old. One day he was hungry and left in the baby hammock, his mother was working in the field. Instead of crying for food like other children, he told himself that his mother worked so hard for earning support to a family. He should be patient and waiting for his mother to come home. Crying out loud would interrupt his mother’s working.

When he grew up, he showed himself to be a very determined child- whenever he had his heart on achievement, he would always preserve until achieving it. He used to have his water buffalo been stolen, once he received where it was he would go out to find, he would not return home with empty hands even that work was so hard and dangerous. Not only a responsibility he had but also his compassion showed off from his character since he was a young boy. In Thailand, farmers on that time used buffalos for working in a paddy field. They usually used the buffalos without letting them to rest. But Sodh never did that deed, as the sun appeared in the middle of the sky or he heard the drum for meal from the temple, he would let the buffalos to eat and rest under the trees around there. He kept this principle no matter what anyone might have said or criticized.

As he matured, he traveled with his father for learning the experience in the barge business; he had to travel from Suphanburi to Bangkok since the age of nine. One day the barges passed the waterside spirit house, as many people knew that spirit house was so sacred. Everybody who passed the house had to make a vow or a least showing a respect. But Sodh did not do that, He thought to himself that "Why everyone have to do it, it is not a part of triple gems, so I will not show my respect". Once his thought was ended, he felt his chest was squeezed and it was hurt. But he thought, he admitted the death instead of paying a respect to something nonsense. This was such an uncommon thought comparing to normal children- but for Sodh’s cases, it was not uncommon, it showed that he had determination and faith to the triple gems before he came to know the real meaning of the "Triple Gems"

When Sodh was nine, he had a normal education with his uncle who became a Bhikkhu- monk- in Songpinong temple, Suphanburi, Thailand and moved Bangpla Temple, Banglain when he was eleven without knowing that Bangpla temple would be one of very important places in his life in the future. Sodh was fourteen when his father died. As soon as the news reached him in Bangpla temple, he had to go back home with his fallen burdens on the shoulders.

However, with his wisdom and leadership, he could manage his father’s business until it grew bigger and made his family became healthier. One day, showed the responsibility and leadership, the boat was anchored in Bangkok. His brother-in-law’s employee stole a thousand Baht, it was cost a lot on that time, which was the whole lump of revenue in that trip. Sodh knew that news and spied the thief at one of windows of the house nearby. The thief hid himself before the boat reached the shore but stupidly left the wet footprint to be noticed.

Once the thief knew that he was noticed, he dived into the water but was handcuffed by police later on and Sodh managed to retrieve every Baht back. Instead of making angry to the thief, he replied and taught the thief that success or wealth made by being cheat was not his type. Emulation and incorporation of virtuous characteristics were the way to achieve the success. If success occurred among his friends or relatives, a heartfelt of congratulation was the way that he did. Envy is an alien way of thinking in Sodh. In contrary, if anyone fall during a hard time or infringed the morality to consume the things in falsity; he would describe that lifestyle as a "Chicken’s life". Then he explained the better way to lead their life for wealthy to the thief and left the thief with the police. From that point, Sodh could show his and honest to everybody. It later brought him fortune; his business grew and finance prospered.

episode 2: The Ordination
episode 3: The Search of Study