Luangpu was famous for his meditative power and the miracles associated with the Dhammakaya Knowledge. Anybody who has had the chance to study the nature of miracles will realize that they are just an ordinary byproduct of high-level meditation practice. Luangpu never intended that his disciples give much importance to miracles. His aim was to use the Dhammakaya Knowledge to reach an end of all defilements and to bring all beings to the sanctuary of Nibbana. He did, however, allow his disciples to apply their Dhammakaya Knowledge to help relieve human suffering.
There were many accounts of miracles related to Luangpu. If we were to mention all of Luangpu's supernormal activities and miracles it would fill up several large volumes. For the purpose of this book we will mention only a few examples.
Miracle of a Mango Seed
On one occasion, Luangpu brought a mango seed into the meditation workshop for an experiment on the mental power of meditation. Since the workshop floor was bare earth, he planted and watered the seed there. Without any warning the seed sprouted and grew to be a mango tree of full height within half an hour. It bore fruit which was golden in hue, exactly like the magical fruits of the Himavanta Forest described in Buddhist scriptures. Luangpu divided the mangoes so that everyone in the workshop had some. The taste of the mangoes was so delicious that it was "out of this world"!
Wrestling with an Otherworldly Crystal Ball
On three occasions Luangpu employed the spiritual power of those in the meditation team to secure a huge, supernatural crystal ball from the bowels of the earth.
The first occasion was during the period between 1935 and 1936 when Luangpu detected through meditation the presence of a crystal ball the size of a large durian fruit (larger than a coconut) deep beneath the 'white' building in the temple. Luangpu knew that this was the sort of crystal ball that was one of the treasures of such rulers as the universal monarch (cakkavatti).
He said: "If we could secure this crystal ball and if it would stay with us permanently, we would not need to bother with this bad old world any more. We could start out on a whole new world and turn everything around. We would all be able to live in comfort, sustained by the power of this crystal ball and would not have to work hard for a living."
He ordered half of his meditation team to dig a hole deep into the earth to capture this otherworldly crystal ball and the other half to meditate and use their meditation power to pull the crystal ball up from beneath the earth. Luangpu placed a clean white mosquito net over the mouth of the hole they had dug and then sat in meditation in the seclusion of his own kuti. At night, the crystal ball would come close to the mouth of the hole. Its green radiance illuminated the whole mosquito net. Each night a mysterious cat with a diamond eye would come and play in the aura of the green light illuminated by the crystal ball.
Among the diggers at that time was a temple boy of twelve who later on in life became the Abbot of Wat Lamphaya. Each time the nuns dug closer to the crystal ball it would sink deeper out of their reach. It moved freely through the rock with a groaning sound so loud that the young temple boy had fainted with fear. At that time the number of meditators in the team adept in the Dhammakaya Knowledge was only a few. They had insufficient power to overcome the crystal ball, and it escaped through the earth.
The second time the ball appeared was in the 1940's when Luangpu ordered his superadvanced meditation team to dig for it again. This time they sent a nun who had already attained the Dhammakaya down into the hole alone while the rest of the team meditated above. Again the crystal ball's green radiance gleamed from inside the hole. She managed to capture it in a white cloth. Luangpu picked up the crystal ball and enshrined it in the main chapel. The crystal ball, the size of a large durian fruit, was incredibly clear but gnarled. The crystal ball remained within the chapel for six days and then on the seventh night an unsea sonal storm whipped up around the temple. A tremendous flash of lightning struck the chapel and the crystal ball was gone leaving behind only the white cloth.
Luangpu mused: "Our Perfections"1 are still weak. We have still not conquered the dark side (1Perfections: perfected virtues; virtues cultivated as a way of purification in order to reach the goal of enlightenment). Our hardship must continue because we are still riddled with defilements. Our wisdom is still imprecise. For this reason the crystal ball has slipped from our grasp."
There was a third time Luangpu detected a crystal ball beneath the temple. Again the team dug as close as it could. Every time they came close it would sink deeper into the bowels of the earth with a tremendous groan as it moved unstoppably through the bedrock. As they came closer, the crystal ball disappeared and all that was left was a nest of cobras which attacked the nuns, biting them mercilessly. The crystal ball was gone for good. Luangpu used his meditation power to cure the nuns from their cobra bites.
A Nun's Psychic Power
Among the workshop meditators was a thin and clever nun called "Naag the Nun". Naag was one of the most gifted meditators. She had purified her mind to a high degree, so much so that she had the power to cause tremors. Her knowledge of the future was impeccable. Whenever she made a prophecy, it was bound to come true. Thus, on the day when Naag said that she herself would be bitten simultaneously by three cobras before 7.00 p.m., the temple attendant Plaeng was so concerned that he immediately prepared an antidote for cobra bites.
Between the dormitories at Wat Paknam there was an expanse of long grass on both sides of the path to the meditation workshop. Naag the Nun ordered that no one should leave his or her dormitory before 7.00 p.m. She herself retired to her dormitory and performed her evening chanting of 'itipiso' verse for 108 times. She finished her chanting and looked up at the clock. The clock said 7.00 p.m. She put on her shawl and went down the stairs to the path. She had walked only a few steps when she was bitten on the arm by three cobras. Her call of distress roused the others to her rescue. Everyone was surprised to find that Naag the Nun was the only one to disobey her own orders. When they took her back into her dormitory, they noticed that the clock did not yet read 7.00 p.m. Apparently, in spite of Naag's super insight, bad kamma had undermined her vigilance, causing her to read the time incorrectly so that she fell prey to the very misfortune she was predicting!
Healing the Sick
Luangpu was well-known for his ability to heal the terminally ill. In one occasion two severely sick patients were brought to Luangpu for his help: one a leper and the other had tubercu losis. Leprosy and tuberculosis are infectious diseases that were almost impossible to cure in those days. People who came down with these diseases were despised by society. Both patients had gone through many doctors who could do nothing for them.
Luangpu accepted them without prejudice. He used his meditative power to cure them, at the same time advised them to practice meditation to purify their minds. He taught them how to meditate the Dhammakaya way. Both patients practiced meditation earnestly. Soon they were able to reach the Dhammakaya level of attainment. Shortly afterwards, with Luangpu's meditative power and the power of their own meditation, both of them completely recovered.
News of Luangpu's ability to cure the incurable went far and wide. People from all over the country came to seek his help. Each day, particularly on Thursdays, hundreds of the faithful came to Luangpu for spiritual help. Those whose conditions seemed hopeless would be brought to Luangpu by their relatives. Luangpu's most advanced meditators would ascertain through meditation the cause of their illness. If the patient was approaching the end of his or her life, his disciples would tell them so. If the reason for the illness was the ripening of the effects of past evil deeds, they would heal the illness by having the patient perform an act of major merit to escape the clutches of his or her past evil kamma. If the reason for the illness was physical, they would use the power of meditation to adjust the patient's internal function ing along with the administration of herbal medicine.
Luangpu always maintained that he did not heal the patients from their illness through meditation but simply removed the illness from their bodies. Luangpu advised that the people most amenable to recovery were those already well-versed in meditation. In such cases, the mental energies of the healer and the patient would be in synchrony and the results would manifest themselves more quickly.
Luangpu had the reputation for being able to cure hopeless cases, irrespective of race or creed. On one occasion a Muslim family brought in a daughter whose neck erupted in septic boils, resistant to medical treatment, whether conventional, homeopathic, herbal, or blackmagic. The boils continued to spread uncontrollably, causing her extreme distress. The patient, a strict adherent of the Islam religion, was taken by her mother to several doctors, until finally she was advised to visit Luangpu Wat Paknam. The mother took her to pay respect to Luangpu and asked him for help. Luangpu observed the patient and, after a while, said to the family: "These are the sort of boils they call 'boils of mercy'. There is no need to visit a doctor." He told the patient, "All you need to do is meditate and recite the mantra 'sam-ma-arahang and imagine a crystal ball inside your body. In seven or eight days, you'll reach 'mercy'. Just carry on with this meditation exercise." He gave the family quick instructions on meditation and then told them to return to their home.
The daughter practiced meditation in earnest and found that the pain had abated. Whenever the pain returned, she would again meditate and it would disappear. Although the pain could be controlled, the feverish symptoms remained rampant and worsened day by day. The doctors were frightened by the hopelessness of her condition but the patient herself showed no sign of discomfort.
On the fifth and sixth days the daughter continued to meditate and recite the mantra 'samma-arahang'. The fever died down but the boils continued to spread. She refused the medicine others brought her telling them it would do her no good. She informed her mother that in two or three days she would be leaving.
On hearing these words, everyone in the house broke down in tears and tried to comfort her with soothing words. The daughter told them to save their words of consolation because she knew her time had come. She requested that everyone in the household should meditate on the words 'samma-arahang-but no one was interested.
On the last day of her life, the doctor came to call and after an examination pronounced her case hopeless. The mother and the patient's younger sister came to her and told her to recite the word 'Allah'. The patient said, "No, no! It should be 'samma-arahang!" She requested that after her demise her mother and sister visit Luangpu Wat Paknam and tell him that 'samma-arahang' really helped because now she could see the Buddha inside her body. She finished speaking, and a few moments later, passed away peacefully.
After the funeral, the mother and the younger daughter visited Luangpu and passed on the message of farewell and relayed that her daughter had seen 'the Buddha inside', whatever that meant. Luangpu advised them this would be the final lifetime in which the daughter would be plagued with this illness; from now on she would make her way towards Nibbana because she had already attained Dhammakaya.
The younger sister was inspired by Buddhism. She practiced meditation regularly from that day on and within a month was also able to attain Dhammakaya. Her mother followed suit and changed her religion to Buddhism, while culturally remaining within the Islamic community.
Luangpu was called upon to heal lay folk so often that in later years he made it known that the sick no longer had to come for audience in person. All they had to do was to send him a letter or leave a note in a request box located in the front of his kuti, stating their name, time and date of birth, and the nature of the illness. That was all that was needed. Long distance healing by the power of the mind continued to yield miraculous results in the case of the terminally ill. Even when Luangpu was advanced in age, he would still give great importance to providing for the guests to his temple, saying, "If I don't help them, then who will? They expect me to be their refuge."
While inundated by guests, Luangpu still had the compassion to ask after the health and prosperity of members of his congregation in their absence, taking responsibility for all of his disciples however lowly, like a shepherd tending to his flock. Luangpu always advised those meditators who helped heal others that they should always make sure that they themselves stay virtuous and pure.
A Lucky Number
It was a popular practice for laypeople in need of money to consult monks of repute before choosing their lucky numbers for the national lottery. When coming to Wat Paknam such people would be disappointed because they would be told: "Wat Paknam has no holy water, no lucky numbers, no spells, no fortune telling. All we have is the halting of the mind! What do you want from the Buddha's Teachings, the bark or the heartwood?"
Around 1955, black market lotteries were rife in Thai society. Normally anyone asking for luck on the lottery would be chased out of the temple at Wat Paknam. One day a regular in the congregation, who practiced meditation sporadically, came to Luangpu asking for lucky numbers so he could win the lottery. Luangpu did not say anything but turned to one of his novices for a paper and pencil. Luangpu scribbled briefly on the paper and sealed it in an envelope. The man put out his hand to receive the envelope but Luangpu withdrew it from reach, saying: "Don't you forget, this lottery is going to be the most important part of your life. It will help you and bring you riches in this lifetime and the next."
The man was ecstatic, smiling broadly and dreaming of his riches. Luangpu made him commit to this rule: "Don't forget... don't rush to open this envelope. Wait until you get home. Take a wash and freshen up. Have a good meal. Do your evening chanting. Sit for meditation until your mind is as clear as a diamond. Don't you dare open the envelope if your mind is not clear. Otherwise you'll miss out on your good fortune. As soon as your mind is clear, only then, should you open the envelope."
As soon as the man stepped down from the pavilion a crowd gathered around him. They fought with one another bidding to buy the envelope from him. He refused to sell it. There was no way he was going to give up his lifetime's riches! He went home and without telling anybody bathed and had a meal, and kneeled down to do his chanting. His wife and children noticed he was meditating with much more earnestness than usual. As soon as he thought that his mind was clear, he whipped out the envelope and prepared to receive his lucky number. He carefully opened the envelope and took out the slip of paper. On the paper were these words: "The more you gamble, the more you rob yourself."
The man nearly had a heart attack! He was upset and angry at Luangpu. If Luangpu was not going to help with the lottery, why not just say so? Why did he have to insult me too? Next he felt regret that he had not sold the envelope when all those people had offered to buy it. However, the peace of mind from having just completed his meditation still pervaded his being and he started to think, "If Luangpu has gone to such lengths just to teach me a lesson, it means I must be better off to do away with this lottery habit."
From that day on he lost all interest in the lottery. One by one, all his old lottery friends who used to be wealthier than he gradually went into financial ruin. Some never won the lottery. Others won but the lottery operators refused to pay. Some died in the ensuing violence. The man continued with the task of earning an honest living and saving his money. Having put his life in order, he eventually became well off. At last, he realized that Luangpu had not tricked him with promises of fortune but wanted him to gain wealth intelligently and in the rightful way.
Prophecies
Luangpu was famed for the accuracy of his prophecies. Unlike many others, he had the courage to make his prophecies public, whether they were matters concerning himself, his disciples, the temple, the nation, or even the world. He knew that his prophecies were reliable and would make them known so that those around him could prepare themselves. Some criticized him for risking his credibility by making prophecies in public but he maintained: "We know that what the Buddha taught is the truth. The Dhammakaya of the Buddha would never mislead anyone."
Luangpu knew what was going on in the minds of others. Audiences in his lecture hall often felt like his teachings were catered directly to them. He also knew how mature or seasoned his disciples were in the perfection of good deeds, or when they were due for attaining Dhammakaya.
Luangpu predicted that Phradhammadilok (Pun Punnasiri) of Wat Phra Chetuphon was to become the highest ranking monk in the monastic community. Thirteen years after Luangpu's death his prediction came true: Phradhammadilok was indeed elected to become the Supreme Patriarch of Thailand.
Luangpu predicted that Phramaharatchamangkhlachan (Chuang Worapunyo), a novice at Wat Paknam at that time, would one day become the abbot of Wat Paknam. This prediction also came true.
During those days, Wat Paknam was not accessible by car. There were no roads leading to the temple. The only means to get to the temple was by boat or by foot. Luangpu ordered a road to be constructed big enough for automobiles to pass. Many doubted his wisdom for building such an unusually big road. Some voiced their opposition: "People coming to the temple by car? There is no way this will ever happen-not in a hundred years!" But his prediction did come true: two years after he passed away people indeed drove their cars to get to the temple.
Once, Luangpu said to a congregation member by the name of Somjit: "My dear fellow, in the future you will no longer have to cook rice with an earthen pot. There will be magic pots that all you have to do is push a button and the rice is cooked perfectly." The man thought Luangpu was pulling his leg. But what happened afterwards, as we know it now, everybody is using an electric rice cooker to cook rice, and it comes out perfect every time-indeed, a "magic pot"!
Then he said: "... and we will also have magic ears and magic eyes." These "magic ears" and "magic eyes" are what we call telephones and televisions today.
He continued: "In the future, in your own lifetime, there will be mansions for all seasons (air-conditioned condominiums), canals will turn into roads (almost all canals in Bangkok were later replaced by roads), roads will intertwine like noodles (spaghetti junctions on expressways), and roads will pass through rice paddies and forests linking one city to the
next across the country (cross-country highways)."
Somjit must have thought Luangpu was going crazy. But these things that he predicted, which sounded farfetched and incredible at the time, have all come true!
Right before World War II came to an end, he predicted that the war would finish in seven days. Indeed, seven days later the war ended.
In 1954, Luangpu called a meeting of all his disciples-both within the temple and outside-and declared to them that in five years' time he would pass away. He urged them to carry on his missions: to propagate the Dhammakaya Knowledge and to teach Dhammakaya Meditation to the world.
Man from India
One afternoon, a dark-skinned man from India called "Bung" came to visit Luangpu after having heard of Luangpu's reputation. He bowed down to Luangpu and asked him if some one like him were to try meditation would he have any chance of attaining Dhammakaya. Luangpu said that he had a good chance because he had performed enough virtues in his past to have met up with Luangpu. Bung asked, "So how many days will it take me to attain Dhammakaya?"
Luangpu sat in meditation for a moment and answered, "If you sit in meditation for an hour a day it will take only a few months." Bung was disappointed, "Does it have to take months? I'm returning to India tomorrow. Can't I attain Dhammakaya today?"
Luangpu sat in meditation for another instant then opened his eyes and said, "It's possible. But there are certain conditions: you must sit for meditation with me here; for as long as I don't leave off from the meditation, you must not move." Bung agreed to the conditions.
Luangpu sent Bung to wash his face and freshen up, then taught him how to meditate. He re-emphasized, "So long as I don't get up, you must not move."
Determined to attain Dhammakaya, Bung did as he was told. After half an hour Bung peeked at Luangpu and saw him unmoved. After an hour his body was aching and he was bathed in sweat. He began to shake. He took another peak at Luangpu and saw him still unmoved. He thought to himself, "I'm a young man, Luangpu is old, yet he sits there unmoved like a rock while I'm struggling. I must endure and persevere." After a couple more hours Bung overcame his mind. A bright sphere emerged at the center of his body. All his physical discomforts disappeared. Luangpu told him to rest his attention at the center of the sphere. A little later he could see a transcendental image of himself sitting inside the center of his body. Luangpu told him to continue to keep his mind serene and still.
Finally, Bung exclaimed, "I can see the Lord Buddha inside my stomach!"
"That is it," said Luangpu, "you have attained the Dhammakaya."
It had taken Bung from 1.00 p.m. until 4.00 p.m. to attain Dhammakaya. He bowed down before Luangpu with utmost reverence. Luangpu asked Bung what time his flight was leaving because he wanted to see Bung off himself. The rest of the people in the meditation hall wondered what Luangpu was planning since he had never seen anyone off at the airport before.
Three to four months later, Bung came back to visit Luangpu again bearing a neatly wrapped gift. He paid obeisance to Luangpu and announced, "I've been to India and brought a present for you. Why not guess what it is?"
Luangpu laughed and said, "An apple-just what I wanted." Indeed it was an apple. A wave of excitement passed through the onlookers.
Bung asked, "How come the day I left Don Muang International Airport you were standing at the foot of the stairs at the airplane, but when I raised my hands in respect you disappeared from sight? And when I arrived in India, you were there to meet me!"
Luangpu responded, "Only my astral body went to send you off. The real me was here in the temple all the time."
Some people wondered why Bung attained Dhammakaya after only a single session of meditation. Bung shared his secret: "I saw how much older than I Luangpu was, yet he had the power to endure. And so I thought: soldiers know they may have to die in battle, yet they are willing to go to war; all I had to do was fight against physical discomfort, and if in such workaday conditions if I wasn't prepared to put up a fight, then it's better that I die!"
Someone once asked Luangpu what he should do if he wanted to attain Dhammakaya within three days. Luangpu told him: "All you have to do is to keep your mind still no matter what happens, even if you feel like you're dying. As long as you're not ill, you cannot die."
Amulet Powers
Although Luangpu Wat Paknam was famous for his meditation skill and healing power, to the people of Thailand he was most well-known for the miracles associated with the amulets that he produced. There have been countless accounts from holders of Luangpu's amulets that the magical powers of these amulets had saved them from various disasters, such as accidents, fire, floods, illnesses and misfortunes. A man fell down from a tall palm tree unscathed while collecting palm nuts when he should have died, all because he wore Luangpu's amulet. Some spoke of their homes escaping fire because of the amulets. Others spoke of finding lost valuables, winning lotteries, getting promotions, running into good fortunes-all due to the power of Luangpu's amulets that they possessed. Newspapers wrote detailed accounts of Thai soldiers in the Korean War who had miraculously escaped death-some from a heli copter crash, some from bomb attacks, some from gun fire and bullets-because all of them had Luangpu's amulets with them, while the other soldiers around them who did not have Luangpu's amulets had been killed.
Luangpu created the amulets to be worn by the faithful as tokens of worship to the Buddha, and also as a souvenir for donating money to the temple. The first group of amulets, number ing 84,000, was distributed in 1950 (Luangpu was then 66 years old) as souvenirs for those who came to make donations for the building of his Pali Institute. He mixed powder with various dried fragrant flowers along with his own hair. The mixture was then sunbaked and mixed with more powder before being stamped into amulets with the image of the Buddha on the front and Khom inscriptions on the back. Luangpu had consecrated these amulets himself over the course of three months through his meditation together with selected disciples who had already attained Dhammakaya. He told his congregation that he had invoked the presence of the Dhammakaya of the countless Buddhas from Nibbana to give "life" to his amulets and that the potency of the amulets was unimaginable.
The amulets turned out to be extremely popular with the temple-goers. Originally, the amulets were distributed only to the donors of the temple. The distribution was not publicized. It was only later when the word of the miracles associated with his amulets spread across the country that hundreds of people came to the temple daily to acquire the amulets.
Luangpu distributed each of the amulets himself. Only those who made donations at the temple were allowed to receive an amulet. As the word spread, even those from distant provinces came in huge groups to visit the temple. Some chartered passenger barges. If people came at the wrong time, they would have to wait until the next day before receiving their amulets. The temple started to receive an average of 1,500 people per day coming to collect Luangpu's amulets.
Whether a person made a donation of 25 baht (about $1) or of 10,000 baht, they would receive only one amulet. When Luangpu was asked why, he said it was not about the money; he wanted to treat everyone equally by their faith not by the amount of money they donated. He said the holiness of the amulet was beyond monetary value; a thousand baht or ten- thousand baht were nothing compared to the transcendental value of these amulets.
The first set of 84,000 amulets was exhausted in less than a year. Luangpu produced a second set to satisfy the supporters coming to the temple. Even when Luangpu was seriously ill, he still ordered more amulets to be produced. It was believed that the amulet was not so sacred unless collected in person from the hands of Luangpu himself. In spite of his old age and faltering health, he distributed the amulets in person. This was an exhaustive task, as it took a great deal of energy and time to give personal attention to each recipient. Only when his health was at its weakest did he delegate the task of distributing the amulets to his principle disciple monk, Venerable Samanathamm-samathan (Luangpu Lek, Thira Dham madharo), who had attained Dhammakaya since the time he was a novice, who could heal others through meditation and could teach meditation to Luangpu's satisfaction. The amulets continued to enjoy popularity even when Luangpu could no longer distribute them himself.
Luangpu did not like people to be inspired simply by miracles or sacred objects. He saw his own amulets as something higher, made special by the purity of those in the temple. He would never fail to remind those who received these amulets that the Buddha could do nothing to protect them if they themselves did not practice generosity, uphold the precepts and cultivate their mind through meditation.
To this day, Luangpu's amulets have continued to gain reputation for potency and are treasured by the faithful. The values of Luangpu's amulets have increased several thou sand-fold since the time they were first issued. Today collectors would pay tens of thousands of dollars to own one. The holiness of Luangpu's amulets is still felt by all who possess them today, sixty years after his passing.
