Second to None
Khun Yay Maharatana Upasika
Chandra Khonnokyoong
"In this whole infinite universe, only Dhamma can keepus from suffering"
Amidst the turbulence of the life cycles of all the sentient beingsin the world, there was a person who stopped, meditated and then studied through to the core of Buddhism to bring peace to the world.
She did not know how to read and write, and she led a simple and easy life in her tiny Kuti, yet her knowledge was remarkable. She is the founder of Wat Phra Dhammakaya. She trained a group of people to spread Dhamma, the Teaching of the Buddha, in many countries. Her heart was so large, the whole world seems small in comparison. This person was Khun Yay Maharatana Upasika Chandra Khonnokyoong.
Her legendary life began on the bank of Nakhon Chaisri river. She was born in the early morning of January 20, 1909. She was the daughter of a farmer and had no chance to study in school, however, this never deterred her wish to learn --she made the vast paddy fields of her youth her school. When she was young, she often looked at the dawning sun and made a wish that someday she would go to reach it.
Her father passed away when she was only 13, and before she could ask for his forgiveness for any of her unintentional misdeeds. She made a resolution to reach her late father in his afterlife to apologise to him for her childhood wrongs. She grew up. worked diligently, and gave all her hard-earned money to her mother. She had no interest in decorating herself with fine clothes or perfume, as did the other village girls of her age. Not deterred by this world, shesearched for a way to reach her father in the afterlife.
She was 26 when she left her family and her mother. She moved to Bangkok after hearing that the Great Abbot of Wat Paknam had re-discovered the Wisdom of Dhammakaya that included the knowledge of heaven and hell. She entered domestic service in Bangkok seeking for someone who was practising meditation at Wat Paknam. Eventually, she dis- covered a family that had invited a nun from Wat Paknam, Thongsuk Samdaengpan, to teach meditation at their house. Khun Yay immediately applied to be a maid in their household, intending to practise meditation with the nun.
After practising meditation with Upasika Thongsuk for about two years, Khun Yay was able to attain the Wisdom of Dhammakaya. With the help and advice of the nun, she managed to harness the Wisdom of Dhammakaya to seek for her
late father. Deeply realizing the value of Dhamma, she decided to ordain as a nun, and was taken by Upasika Thongsuk to meet the Great Abbot. Once she had paid homage to him, the Great Abbot's first words to her were, "what kept you so long?"
Without further examination, he allowed her to join the most highly experienced group of meditation researchers in the temple. The following morning, Khun Yay was ordained.
Khun Yay was a very capable student, completing Luang Phor's assignments to the letter.Nothing Luang Phor asked her to do was beyondher ability. Luang Phor was not in the habit of praising his students, but once he praised Khun Yay publicly among the other disciples, saying she was "second to none".
