HEADING FOR VIENTIANE
TROUBLES APPEAR IN THE AND LENTEN SEASON AT JOMDRAI TEMPLE
INVITATION TO RETURN TO LAOS
LENT AT PET CAVE
PRACTICE OF THE DHAMMA IN THE LAND OF THE KARENS
After paying respect to the footprint at Pon Pang, Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai led the group across the river ti the Buddha footprint at Pon San. The Buddha image there is a very famous one, so Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai went to pray there. To test whether the group would have a safe and trouble free journey to Vientiane, Tan Phra Ajarn tried to life the image. He was able to it about a handspun of the first try. But after that, strange to say, he could not budge it at all.
Then Tan Phra ajarn Somchai led the group toward Vientiane. They had walked about 5 kilometers when a car came by and stopped. The driver saked, "Whre are you going, Venerable sir." Tan Phra Ajarn answered, "The group and I intent to go Vientiane." The driver told Tan Phra Ajran that he was going there and would be happy to take them along. Then, on reaching Vientiane the driver was kind enough to see them safely to their destination at Jomdrai Temple, Dongnasak Village.
When the Monks there came out to welcome thr group, it was strange to see that they were all elderly revered monks. After paying respect to the Abbot, Tan Phra Ajarn Awnsee, they went to the quarters assigned to them. Jomdrai Temple is a Dharmayut sect temple that is very famous in Laos. There were not many monks there, thoug; there were Luang Paw Lit, Lah Hom, Kim and 4 or 5 novices. At that time Tan Phra Ajran Awnsee was seriously ill with tuberculosis. Tan Phra Ajarn somchai Tidhawiriyo did all he could to help treat Tan Phra Ajarn Awnsee, even traveling to Bangkok to get medicine, but the disease was too far advanced and Tan Phra Ajarn passed away. This was in B.E. 2499.
Then the monks, novices, villagers, and high-ranking people in Laos asked Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai Tidhawiriyo to oddicate at the funeral rites and cremation of tan Phra Ajarn Awnsee. Following the grand cremation ceremony, it was Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai's intention to leave to seek an isolated location in Laos for meditation and dhamma practice. When the monks, novices and people learned of this they csame to beg Tan Phra Ajarn Somchsi to remain as the chairman of the temple and the leader of the Dharmanyut sect for all of Laos. They did this bacause of their strong belef and trust in Tan Phra Ajarn's teaching and ability. So Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai agreed, and he and the group stayed on. During the time there Tan Phra Ajarn was responsible for the building of a temple building, a pavilion and several concrete living quarters, as well as the introduction of over 10 sanitary toilets, the latter being a very advanced sanitation development for temples and housing in Laos at that time.
Lent in B.I. 2499 was spent at Jomdrai Temple, with Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai leading in establishing the same fine and orderly system that he had in Thailand. This included midday meetings of novices where Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai would read from the religious treatise and explain Buddhist discipline in meditaion practice. Each morning and evening there would be prayers and meditation practice on alternate days. At 3 p.m. the groupnds would be swept, and at night meditation in the seated and circle postures would be done.
As for the lay villagers, Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai gave a sermon on every religious observance, teaching the people how to maintain their relogious beliefs and institution, and how to meditate for tranquility of The mind. The Laymen who were supporters at that time came mainly from the leading or upper class. This propagation of the Buddhist faith in Laos during this peroid was rether successful, so much so that monks, novices and the Laotian people came to the temple in increasing numbers. The discipline of the monks was improved, and the people on seeing this happen because even more supportivein their charitable contributios.
At the end of Lent in 2499, Tan Phra ajran Somchai led the group who had followed him from Thailand to seek a suitable site for practice of the dhamma. The following months, until it was almost the Lenten season in 2500 were spent in moving from one place to another, first to Kwai Mountain, the highest point in Laos, where excellent site for meditation were easy to find, then on to Nonsaoek Mountain, Hawpookong Mountain, Pakhaed Temple, Bahn Nakua Temple, Bahn Koon Noi, Hinkanna Mountain, Kokma, Mahaodhao, and many other places including Talingchan, Namngoon, and Kern villages, Kuls Kom Town, and so on. Finally, as the Lenten season of 2500 approached, he led the group back to Jomdrai Temple to spend the second Lenten season there.
During the first Lenten season at Jomdrai Temple, Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai Tidhawiriyo had built up in the people a strong belief in the practice of meditation and the teachings of the Buddha, an occurrence that everyone had been able to observe. Througout that season more people flocked to the temple than ever before, leaving many other temples in Vientiane with no adherents or supporters. They had all come to support Jomdrai Tmple Temple, which resulted in the appearance of attacks on hte temple's teaching, with reports put that the monks therer were false monks or communists, or were spies from Thailand. Thses people even went so fir as to swear out arrants for investigation of the monks.
This second Lenten season was not as peaceful as the first one had been. Laos, which had been a democracy with a king as the national leader, and Buddhism as the national religion. They used the monks as their tools and the discipline that the monks once had under the control of the various religious doctrines disappeared. The monks were made to believe that the religious doctrines were not necessary and were restictive on their freedom. Many monks began to believe this, and attacked those who kept to their religious beliefs and practices. There weren't many who came out to defend their faith; most just kept everything to themselves and used their beliefs as their inner strength. Any way you looked at it, the stuation was certainly not very orderly.
So at the end of Lent Tan Phra Ajran Somchai Tidhawiriyo led the group back to Thailand, moving around looking for a suitable place for dhamma practice. The group spent some time ar Pasataram Temple in Korat. This happened to be during the year B.E. 2500, when the goverment was holding ceremonies to mark 25 centuries of Buddhism. After leaving Pasararam the group moved around for many months in the area of Nonsoong District and Donyai, Dern and Hua Nong villages.
Just as the meditation and dhamma practice a Korat was going so well, events transpired that made it necessary for Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai Tidhawiriyo to return to Laos. Laos had become a total communistic atate with no monarchy and no religion. The faithful Buddhist monks were attacked, some were driven from the country, and some went to re-education centers and never returned. Other monks allowed their faith to weaken so much that they attacked their own religion. All of the things were done to cause the people to become fed up with the monks and destroy the relogion in the process. So the leader of Thailand and Laos went to ask TanPhra Ajarn Somchai and his followers to return to Laos to tain the people and to improve the monastic order there. Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai agreed and toward the end of B.E. 2500 he Laos where he was able to restore and improve many aspects of the monastic orders there. he practice of the monks and novices was made more strict so that they could be a good example for the people, and the people were taught to have faith in the three -fold refuge of the Buddha, to love their country and religion. These improvements received the support of hte nation's leaders but there were those of the new '-ism' who attacked Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai because he was an obstacle to their operation.
They even ordered Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai's arrest and took him for re-education in Vientiane. Usually, from what we know, not one of those monks who were taken away to thses re-education centers ever returned. However, because they realized how important Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai Tidhawiriyo was, they did not dare do anything serious. Thy just locked him up in jail and then released him. This is what happened on 6 occasions. Each work as before, making himself an - obstruction to the '-ism' they were attempting to propagate.
From what we know, however, the next or seventh arrest of Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai led to the type of re-education from which no one usually returned alive. This time 3 important monks from Vientiane were also taken with Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai on a boat up the Mekong River. None knew where they were going: they knew only that people did no uaually return from this type of re-education. The three monks were very afraid and all during the boat trip they implored their captors to mercy on them and spare there lives. Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai Tidhawiriyo, however, sat quietly meditatio,. not saking anyone to spare his life; he was ready for whatever might happen. After a while, when the boat reached a spot on the river, which was far from the eyes of anyone else, the critical moment arrived. The captors raised their guns and pointed them at the heipless monks. One by one, they shot the three monks, creating a picture of horror. Then the guns came round to the fourth monk, the last one. And then for some inexplicable reason the executioners put their guns don and crawled to the feet of Tan ajarn Somchai and begged forgiveness for what they had done.
Then, instead of taking Tan Phra Ajarn back to Laos,they crosswd to the Thai bank of the Mekong River and released him, asking him not to return to Laos again because their leader would punish them if he did. Tan Phra Aajrn Somchai went to Srimuang Temple, Nong Khai, where he asked a group of followers to go over to Laos to bring his group of monks and nivices back to Thailand. After all of them ahead returned safely, they did not remain long at Srimuang Temple. They went on to practice the dhamma at Aroon-rangsee Temple, andremained there for about 8 months. During that time Tan Phra Ajarn led the meditation and dhamma practice. Also, he had a fence of concrete posts ith barbed wire put up around the tempe grounds, and constructed many places for sitting and dwellings as well. He was there until 2502, when he led the group back down toward Korat. He moved around many places, to Basaltaram Temple, and then ti Pakchong and Kaeng Koi District before returning to Khao Saisayan Temple in Pakchong, Korat, for the Lenten season.
At Khao Saisayan, Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai wasjoined by Tan Phra Ajarn Ngone Sarayo, and it was during the Lenten season there that Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai experimented with the results of deep meditation, i.e. he would eat half the morning meal for peroid of 7 days, then switch tohallf a meal for 15 days, and remain seated in prater al day throughout the season, not lyingdown during the day or night. During the daytime he and the group helped build a temple building on a hill nearby.
It seemed as though he wanted the monks and novices to realize the full results of meditation. Along with the seated prayers and half meals over the 7 - and 15-day periods, he helped carry bage of cement up the hill to the temple construction site. He was able to carry 42 bages of cement a day, two at a time,where ordinary workers would carry one bag at a time and 20 a say. What was so strange was the source of his strength: From my observation, t had to come from the results of his meditation because no ordinary person would be able to do such a thing. Not only did he carry cement up the hill, but he stayed on to see the temple completed. If you have a chance to pass by that way in Pakchong, you'll see the temple on the hill. While Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai was at Khao Saisayan Temple, he was supported by Luang Prinyayol Viboon and Dr. Ruang. Also, Luang Prinya ordained his son Lt. Tiwah and brought him to study with Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai. At the same time Aajrn Narong Saengmanee was ordained and spent the Lenten season at the temple,returning to his goverment post at the end of Lent. But Phra Ajarn Tiwah developed strong belief in the teachings and has remained in the monkhood to the present day.
At the end of Lent, Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai led the group to Poo Wua, with Tan Phra Ajarn Tiwah joining them. They - spent the first night at Pakgrading, and started out the next morning intending to reach Poo Wua by nightfall. Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai intended to go up by way of the northern trail, but as night fell the group was still facing th ehill. But Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai did not stop, moving further into the forest until finally stopping deep in the forest. The group had walked all day long and were very tired sp the umbrellas were set up fo rthe night. When I looked at watch I saw that it was midnight.
The next morning the group reached Klaeb Cave, Khao Cave and Foon Cave at about 8 a.m. and went out to Toong Saijoke Village with the alms bowls, each monk and novice receiving one small packet of sticky rice and fermented fish. The portions were small since the villagers had not know the group would coming. Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai, on seeing that the portions would not be enough to keep up the strength of the monks and novices, divided his portion and went without eating. This was his way always: To give of himself, to scrifice, to share with the group - so much so that at times his followes didn't know how to react.
The group stayed for a short time at Klaeb and Foon caves, then went on to Phra Cave, where the surroundings were excellent for meditation practice. The routine this time was much as before. The villagers brought rice up and the novices would prepare it, adding various greens found in the forest. One glass of rice was used to feed the 17 or 18 members of the group, just enough to sustain the daily life of meditation. The group stayed at Poo Wua for 4 months before leaving with Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai's inetation of spending Lent at Pet Cave, Songdao District, Sakol Nakorn.
It was in 2502 that Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai Tidhawiriyo led the group to Pet Cave, Poo Lek, Songdao District. Pet Cave, which was very suitable for practice of dhamma, was close to Tan Phra Ajarn Wan at Apai Damrongtham Cave Temple. Teachers of transcendental meditation could always be found there because of the many hidden places thatt were so suitable to uninterrupted meditation. Tan Phra ajarn Somchai had the the reposibility of teaching the people on Buddhist Holy Days, too. The people, including villagers from Nong Muan and Nong Waeng, under local leaders such as Kamman Tawn, Headman Jandee, Mr. Klai, Mr. Kwew, Mrs. Kian, Khun Sawai Siribut, etc., were very supportive of the temple. During the Lentern season there, when Tan Phra Ajarn Sila, who was at Chotkaraw Temple, Nong Bua Village, about 6 or 7 kilometers away, had been taken ill, he led the novices to help Ajarn Sila, who was widely respected in that area. Ajarn Sila's students and followers did all they could to try to prolong his life but to no avail. When Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai got news of Ajarn Sila's death, he met with the local people and asked them whether he should go to the funeral ceremonies empty-handed or take something along like bamboo shoots to feed the people attending those ceremonies. He asked the villagers to go out to collect 2 or 3 gunny bags of bamboo shoots so that he could take them to the funeral ceremonies.
The people responded by getting their machetes and sacks ready, and then they all left to he up into the hills to get some bamboo shoots. However, by noon they had been unable to find any at all since it was the end ofLent and most of the bamboo shoots had already been gathered by the local people. The only ones left were those that had just sprouted or were so high up that no one could reach them. So the people were unable to find the bamboo shoots to feed the people and, tired and seeing no way out, they finally gave up and returned to the temple where they reported to Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai, saying: "We've been out all day looking for bamboo shoots but have not been able to find a single one. The only shoots are high for us to reach. We've been ccutting them out every day fot our own food so we can't see any way that we'll ever be able to find enough to feed a lot of people."
Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai Tidhawiriyo listened to this and sat thinking: 'Now, what should we do? If we went empty-handed to a big ceremony like this, it would be very bad. So we shouldn't go if we don't have anything to take. What we should do is leave this place and get as far away as we can so it will look as though the group is not here. If we do go and aren't able to join in the ceremony, it will look very awkward.'
After thinking this over, Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai said to the villagers: "I don't think there's any way that I can go to the teacher's funeral, and I don't think I will be able to stay on here any longer, either." When the villagers heard this they were shocked and not knowing what else to do, tha implored Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai: "Just tell us how it will be possible for you to join in the ceremony, but whatever you do stay with us to protect us. Don't leave us like that."
Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai then made this suggestion: "I'll tell you what - I want all of you go to up there again to look for bamboo shoots. If you get bamboo shoots for the funeral, I'll stay on with you here, but if you do not find any I definitely will not be able to stay on here with you." So, despite being so tired from having just returned, every person there volunteered to set out again to search for bamboo shoots. They prepared their knives and gunny bags and started out, each person wondering to himself as he went up into the forest where they were ever going to find bamboo shoots fir Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai. There just weren't any shoots at all - they eyes were drawn to the same spot where something unbelievable and marvelous was transpiring in front of their very eyes.
A group of big monkeys suddenly appeared, so many that the forest seemed to be covered with them. And each seened to know that its duty was to get the bamboo shoots that were high up on the bamboo stalks and throw the shoots down to the ground. The ground was covered with bamboo shoots. Some monkeys were able to reach inside a bamboo stalk and pull out a bamboo shoot every time. It was truly a strange and amazing scene.
Wherever the villagers moved, the monkeys went ahesd to pluck the shoots from high above and drop them to the ground. Soon the sacks were full of shoots where the previous time none had been found. The villagers were all very excited and some cried, and all wondered: " We've been here for up to 70 years and we've never seen this many monkeys. There used to be a few but they all ran away to escape ua humans."
Thus that day had been the day of the mst miraculous event in the life of the villagers, with some telling the story like this: "This is the first time in my life that I've ever seen anying like this...after the sacks were full we went backk down to Pet cave and rushed to tell Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai everything that had happened."
And so Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai went to Tan Phra Ajarn Sila's funeral as intended, talking the bamboo shoots to use in the preparation of food to present to monks, novinces and people there.
The group stayed at the funeral all through the cremation and then Tan Phra ajarn Somchai led them back to Pet Cave to continue with their meditation practice. At that time Novice Prapai Rub-liam was ready to be ordained so Tan Phra Ajarn took him back to his home in Mukdaharn, with Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai staying at Poo Gao. Then after taking Novice Prapai to SriMongkon Temple he returned to Poo Gao before going on to Ahphraman in Am-nadcharern District, where he stayed for about 3 months. He moved on down to Ubon, then to Surin and Burirum. When the group reached Surin it was raining hard and it was very cold so they stopped for a while to rest. Just then a stranger named Ajarn Prayoon came along and invited Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai and the group] to go no to practic meditation at Prasart Khao Panomrung, which was only a kilometer away. So when Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai and the whole group wnet there they were very enthralled at the beauty of the place but it was a bit scary and they were dismayed that no one was looking after it. Anyway, it was an ideal place for meditation because it was so peaceful and isolated, so Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai decided to stay there for the Lenten season of B.E. 2503.
Altogether there were 12 monks and novices in the group. The local peoplw around Prasart Khao Panomrung were Cambodians but they were Buddhaists and were eager followers of Tan Phra Ajran Somchai's teachings off the 5 and 8 precepts of the Buddhist faith. Also, Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai taught them how to meditate and led them in restoration of the Prasart, cleaning it up and making it even more suitable for meditation practice. And during the time there Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai learned how to speak Khmer. However, only one Lenten season was spent there because as soon as Lent was over Tan Phra Ajarn led the group from Prasart Khao Panomrung, intending to go down south.
When Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai left Prasart Panomrung many villagers went to see him off at the railway station. When they arrived at Hualampong Station in Bangkok, Tan Phra Ajarn and the group took a car to Hua Hin and stopped at Rachaidhanaban Temple, where Tan Phra Ajarn Chaluey was the Abbot, before going on up to another temple on the hill where it was very peaceful. The group stayed there for 2 or 3 months before Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai led the group out into the forest and on into the deep jungle until they had reached a Border Patrol Police outpost which had about 5 personel stationed there to protect the forest. When Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai Tidhawiriyo said he intended to go on further, the Border Patrolpolice advised him not to cross into Burma as it was not safe. But the border police were veryhappy to have Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai with them there leading in meditation practice so they set up quarters for the group not too far from the camp. The border police prepared one plate of rice a day for each of the 9 novices. That was all the supplies they had to give. The novices went out in the forest to gather greens so that the group had just enough to eat to subsist on. After 4 months there, Tan Phra Ajarn told the novices to return to Hua Hin, but Tan Phra Ajarn left to go deeper into the forest, reaching Pranburi and going on to Tawai in Burma. That part of the countrty was inhabited by the Karens and Tan Phra Ajarn stayed at Padaneg, Padee and Pla-u villages. These Karens had never seen a monk before. They worshipped spirits and knew nothing about the Triple Gems. NO one had ever taught them about Buddhism.
Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai's life with the Karens was very difficult and sometimes he had only enough to eat to survive on. Before the time came that Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai was able to make the Karens understand, he had to suffer. He could understand very little of the language; even so he tried to teach them about the Buddhis faith si they would turn away from their spirit animistic worship. The headman of the Karens led the villagers in being supportive of Tan Phra Ajarn and they soon learned how to present food in the alms bowl. This happened even though there was still difficulty in communicating. Sometimes they would be told to do one thing, but they would turn around and do another thing. Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai told the novices of a funny thing that happened with the Karens. It seems that one day he told the Karens this: "Tomorrow I want you to bring your machetes, hoes and spades to prepare a place for me to meditate in a ciecle." Onhearing this the Karens departed, only to return sometime later with a great quantity of food which they placed at the feet of Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai. When Tan Phra Ajarn saw the Karens approaching, he had thought they were coming to prepare his mediattion site, so he had thought to himself: 'These Karens are wonderful. I asked them to do something tomorrow and here they come to do it today.' But now the Karens were there seated in front of Tan Phra Ajarn waiting for him to eat the food they had brought. Tan Phra Ajarn showed their true selves as being sincere, so he decided to save the situation by telling them to help themselves to the food. As they were eating, then, there was Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai Tidhawiriyo the sole Buddhist monk seated and smiling in there midst.
Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai Tidhawiriyo stayed with the Karens for about 4 months before returning to the group at Hua Hin. There he asked the group what they thought about moving on, whether to continue on south or return to the Northeast? Then Tan Phra Ajarn Tiwah said: " You should go east for a change, to Chanthaburi where there are many site that are suitable for meditation. The people in Chanthaburi are very faithful followers of the Buddhist faith. They have a good understanding of Buddhist practices because there have been many good teachers in Chanthaburi, e.g. from the school of Luang Boo Mun and Luang Boo Ted, Luang Boo Fun, Tan Pawlee, and Tan Phra Ajarn Mahabua."
Following this suggestion, Tan Phra ajarn Somchai decided to go to Chanthaburi. So it was that in B.E. 2504 Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai, with 10 monks and novices, arrived at Khao Noi Sammpan Temple, Song Pi Nong Tambon, Tah Mai District, Chanthaburi Province. This was an excellent site for meditation. It was isolated and peaceful, the local people were very supportive, and it was not too far to go out and back for the daily alms journey.
However, when contact was made with the head of the sect at the temple, it turned out that there was room for only 5 monks; any more than that would make the situation difficult for meditation practice. Tan Phra Ajaen Somchai's group was compaised of 10 members altogether and they had no desire to split up, so they knew they had to seek another place for meditation practice. Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai thought about looking foranother temple somewhere in Chanthaburi but he wondered whether they would have room for the whole group, especially since he and the group did not know anyone in Chanthaburi at all. And if they tried to return to the Northest, they might not make it back before the Lenten season. Anyway, there wasn't any money left for the bus fares.
Just as these worrisome thoughts were going though Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai's mind, two laymen appeared and came to pay respect to Tan Phra Ajarn in the traidtional way for those of the Buddhistfaith. After learning that their names were Mr. Jom Paetpatoom and Mr. Chalerm Taweetham, Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai asked: "What is your business in coming here?" Mr. Jom replied, "We've come to sak you to spend the Lenten season at Nern Din Daeng Temple." "Where is the temple?" "It's located in Tambon Toong Benja, Tah Mai District, Chanthaburi," Mr. Jom continued, We've come as the representatives of Nern Din Daeng and Boonbon Villages. Yesterday we went out to temples asking monks to come to spend Lent but they all said they preferred to stay where they were in order to continue their studies. Then, at the last temple we went to, Chantanaram Temple, we were told that you were here and that you did not have a place for the Lenten season. We were very giad to hear that so we hurried here to beg you to come to Nern Din Dang." Tan Phra Ajarn asked, "How many monks do you intend to ask to go?" "However many you wish, Venerable Sir, but at least 4 or 5 would be better." "There are 10 monks and novices in my group, and we wish to spent the Lenten season in the same temple." On hearing this Mr. Jon turned to consult with the other reprasentative: "What shall we do? If we accept the whole group we are not sure that the other members of our group will agree. Also, there may be a problem in supporting a large group properly because there are not many villagers in our villages." Finally, after taking it over, they told Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai that they would have to return to their villages to consult first, and then return the following day to inform him of their decission.
Mr. Jom and Mr. Chalern returned to their homes to consult with the villwagers. The result was that no one had any objection and thay all agreed to everything that Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai Tidhawiriyo and the group wished for in this matter. They then went by car to pick up Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai and the monks and novices who were at Khao Noi Sampan Temple. But when they got there they found that Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai had left to take care of some personal business at Paknam Kaem-nu in Tah Mai Districe. So they decided to take the monks and novices on shead so that they moght have time to prepare the place and a wait Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai there.
The monks and novices got their things ready and then got in the Jeep of Mr. Ree, who took them from Khao Noi Sampan to Nern Din Dang, The total distance was only about 20 kilometers but the trip took a long time because of the poor roads that formed the route to Nern Din Dang. It certainly was nothig like the convenience of traveling now a days.
The next morning the monks and novices went to work to prepare the place to receive Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai. The laymen, including Mr. Jom, Yuan, Boonchu, Sawaeng and others, arranged a car to mske the third trip to Khao Noi Sampan Temple to fetch Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai. They arrived back safely at Nern Din Dang Temple, just in time for the begining of the Buddhist Lent the next day.
Since there had not been enough time to arrange quarters for everyone in the goup, the monks and novices had to share a hut for many days until new quarters were ready.
So the 2504 Lenten season was spent at Nern Din Dang Temple, which was on a low hill, covered with red dirt and a dense natural forest. The trees provided cool and shady surroundings all say long.
From the time that Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai Tidhawiriyo first entered Nern Din Dang Temple, he started to make improvements, both internal and external. Internally, he taught how to meditate every day without missing a single day. He gave sermons to the lay people who because stronger and stronger in their belief in the teachings of the Buddha. There were many who gave up their vices and some who decided to take up a life of goodness in the temple.
Externally, Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai led the people in construction variuos temple buildings such as quarters for the monks, a pavilion, etc. The people had begun construction of the pavilion but it had only the post and about 10 wooden planks as flooring, wich was not enough space for the group to have the morning meal. Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai led the people in completing the pavilion. In fact, the Lenten season passed very quickly because everyone was so busy making improvements to the temple, including the building of sufficient quarters for all the monks and novices.
Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai Tidhawiriyo and his group of followers spent the tears 2504-2505-2506 ar Nern Din Dang, living a regular and happy life, continuing to improve the temple until it is knoown today as the first temple in Chanthaburi Province to have been built under the ledership of Tan Phra Ajarn Somchai.
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Developer by Mr. Taweesak Rattanakom Science Computer, Rajabhat Institute Rambhaibarni |