Exhibition of an important collection of Buddha Relics, Such as the Canine Teeth and the ‘Frontlet’ [A bone part around forehead] in “the Great Cetiya Somdej [currently under construction]” at Wat Luang Phor Sodh Dhammakayaram Between 5, 6 and 7 March 2012

Dear all Venerable senior and young monks and hello to all beloved ones:

I would like to make an announcement about many amazing things which have been happening in Wat Luang Phor Sodh Dhamakayaram, Dammoen Saduak district, Rajburi province, Thailand. Here is a brief story:

I retired from a foreign governmental office located in Bangkok, Thailand and became prepared to become a monk and serve Buddhism, when I was 57 years old. I ordained as a monk at Wat Paknam, Basijareon, Bangkok, and studied there for 5 years. In the fifth year of monkhood, I met with the abbot of Wat Paknam, Somdej Phramaharajmonggalajarn to say farewell to him and became the abbot of Wat Luang Phor Sodh Dhammakayaram, in 1991.

Since then, I have managed the Pali and Dhamma School and meditation retreats as well as encouraging everyone to study [both Pali and Dhamma] scriptures and to practice meditation. As a result, the temple was established and designated by the Sangha Body as an Exemplary Development Temple, with Noteworthy Success. The temple also became designated as the Sangha Ecclesiastical Region 15 Acadamic Services Units for Mahachulongkorn-rajavidyalai University offering undergraduate and graduate degrees.

Since 2008, I have served as the President of the National Coordination Center of Provincial Meditation Institutes of Thailand as well as being the director of the Center of Development of Virtues and Ethics for the Security of the Nation, Religion and the Monarchy (the head office is located at Wat Sakat, Bangkok).

In 1986, when I first became a monk, I asked King Sakka for the Hair (Kesa-dhātu) and the seven major Buddha relics which were not burned during the Great Decease (parinibbana). Those seven are four Canine teeth, one Frontlet or Frontal [a bone part of forehead] and two Collarbones.

King Sakka, who rules Tavatimsa, (the Realm of the 33 Gods), the Catummaharajika (Realm of the Four Great Kings), and the Human Realm conjured-up replicas of those seven Buddha relics and gave them to Wat Luang Phor Sodh. I had also promised King Sakka that I would build a Ceitya (stupa) in which to locate the relics of Lord Buddha, plus providing a golden-footed tray, as well, for the enshrining the replicas of the four Canine teeth. As a result, King Sakka has given me the replicas of those major relics, as well as the hair Topknot.

The Topknot belonged to Prince Siddhattha who after He left the palace for the Great Renunciation, cut off His Topknot and threw it to the air with the resolution: “If I become enlightened, may the Topknot stay in the air.” At that time, the Great King of the Gods, Sakka, received the Topknot and located it in the great Cetiya Culamani in Tavatimsa.

As promised to King Sakka, I started the Cetiya construction at Wat Luang Phor Sodh in 2008. Now, it is 65 % completed and thus-far 120 million THB has been spent. On October, 2011, people from Sri Lanka, one of whom was the relative of a senior monk, a Buddhist consultant to the President of Sri Lanka, helped perform the rites for an invitation, at Wat Luang Phor Sodh, of the seven major objects of the Buddha’s relics which had remained unburned at the time of the Great Decease (parinibbana) as well as other parts of the Buddha’s relics. During the rite, I paid homage to the Triple Gem and asked for the Buddha’s relics from Akanittha-brahman who was the supreme Brahman of Pure Abodes (suddhavasa), King Sakka, King Vessunna, King Naga, Quan Yin, and Sumana-deva, who protected the Footprint of Lord Buddha at mount Sumana.

Luckily, Akanittha-brahman, King Sakka and the great angels gave those relics to Wat Luang Phor Sodh to be located in the Cetiya [currently under construction], for humans, celestial beings and Brahmans to come to pay homage for great good fortune. Following a series of rites, I received the relics of Lord Buddha:

The first rite: On October 15th, 2011, in the meditation hall, at 5.45 am, a Buddha relic, like in the shape of the heart, appeared upon a container decorated with blooming lotus and covered with white cloth. The color was ivory. The relic was about the size of a little finger. I put that container on my head and mentally asked for the relics from deities mentioned earlier. Now, this relic is kept in the appropriate container.

During the rite, there were about 20 monks chanting the sermon, called Setting the Wheel of the Dhamma in Motion, (Dhammacakkappavattana-sutta), who witnessed what occurred.

The second rite: On October 16th, 2011, in the meditation hall, at 5.15 am, a Tooth (danta-dhātu), half a piece, without the root, appeared on a container decorated with jasmine and covered by white cloth. The Tooth is ivory in color. I put that container on my head and mentally asked that relic. There were about 10 monks who witnessed this rite.

The third rite: On October 19th, 2011, in meditation hall, at 5.30 am, I could feel the Buddha’s relics coming into the container which I had put on my head and mentally requested. The container was decorated with jasmine and covered by a white cloth. At that time, the relic was invisible to human eyes, but an angel said the container could be opened-up to the public at 10.10 pm on the same day. When I opened it up, there appeared a Canine tooth, half a piece (without the root). The color was ivory. The size was about that of a finger nail. I believe that the angels brought this one from Kandahar, Afghanistan. The angel, temporarily, put that relic in Cetiya Suwanmalika, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka before its coming to Wat Luang Phor Sodh. There were about 5 monks who witnessed this happening.

The fourth rite: On October 21st 2011 in Cetiya (stupa), at 5.30 am, I could feel that the Buddha relics had already come into the container which I had put on my head. The container was decorated with jasmine and covered by white cloth. When I opened it up, there appeared another Canine, half a piece (without root). The color was ivory. The Canine did not appear in the container as expected, but lay on the edge of my outer robe upon my lap. I believed that this Canine came from Naga-raja (the king of Naga) from Naga’s land. Before coming to Wat Luang Phor Sodh, the Canine was temporarily on the Cetiya Suvannamalika. This time, there were about six people who witnessed this event.

The fifth rite: On December 7th 2011, in Cetiya, at 05.30 am, the rite was in the 62th retreat at Wat Luang Phor Sodh. There appeared the relic inside a big cover, about the size of a lime. The relic with the cover was laid on the container which was decorated with jasmine and lotus. I put the container covered with white cloth on my head. The angel that brought the relic said that it needed to remain covered by the white cloth until December 23rd, 2011 at 10.02 pm.

When it was about time to open the container, there appeared the Frontlet [a bone part of forehead], about the size of a thumb, a little ticker than a bone. The relic was outside the cover itself. It was amazing that there was some Hair (kesa-dhātu) inside the Frontlet. I had someone find an appropriate container. Later on, the Hair came out around the Frontlet.

It was said that Atappa-brahman put the relics, into a cover, which looked like fiber of silk or red-brown hair in order to protect it from bad deities, from the second level of pure abodes (Suddhavasa) to human realm, who tried to obstruct this task.

Two days later or December 25th at 10.39 pm, the angels said to open up the covering white cloth one more time. There appeared another bone Frontlet (the bone part between eyebrows). This one was a little smaller than the thumb – smaller than the previous one. It is amazing that the Frontlet relic was outside the cover itself. It is heard that Sudassa-brahman (the third level of Suddhavasa or pure abodes) joined the rite and put this Frontlet [the bone part between eyebrows] inside the same cover of the previous Frontlet relic [the bone part of forehead].

The sixth rite: It was performed at the Cetiya on December 14th 2011, at 05.30 am, there appeared the Canine which came from Tavatimsa via King Sakka. He put the Canine on the container decorated with jasmine and lotus and covered by a white cloth. The Canine came with a cover similar to that of the Frontlet, but smaller – the size of Marian Plum.

There was a small hole which allowed a person to see the relic inside. It was heard that King Sakka accompanied by angels took the Canine to the Bodhi Tree in Bodhi-Gaya (India) to enshrine Lord Buddha for a while before bringing the Canine, with a white nine-tiered umbrella, being a symbol of royalty to Wat Luang Phor Sodh. So, the angels were told to bring the Canine in the container covered by white cloth to enshrine Lord Buddha at the Bodhi Tree (originally from Anuradhapura) on the south of the Cetiya at Wat Luang Phor Sodh, and then, to take the Canine tooth to my residence, to remain there for seven days before opening it up on December 21st at 10.02 pm.

When it was the 21st of December, 2011, I opened it up at 10.02 pm. There appeared a beautiful Canine (without root) which was ivory in color and about the size of a finger nail. The Canine came out from the cover itself and stayed upon the jasmine in the container. That is amazing.

And, on the same night, after seeing the Canine, I opened the white cloth which covered that container. I saw two relic objects of Lord Buddha. They were the heart parts, called hadaya-dhātu. They were round like pearls. The color was like silver mixed with pink. There was radiance. I had someone take a photo. The radiance is seen clearer in the photograph. This is very amazing.

The seventh rite: It was performed at Cetiya on December 28th 2011, at 5.32 am. There appeared the right Forehead, about the size of a thumb. The color was ivory. The angel recommended the relic to be shown to monks and people later that night around 9.32 pm.

In addition, on the morning of December 28th 2011, the angels allowed us to bring the relics of Lord Buddha which had already come previously as well as the right Forehead relic, which had just came early that morning at the meditation hall, at 9.32 am so that monks and people would pay homage for their great fortune.

It was heard that angels and Brahmans, who possess and protect other important relics of the Lord Buddha in celestial and Brahman worlds, will bring some more relics of the Lord Buddha to Wat Luang Phor Sodh.

It would also be allowable to show the relics of Lord Buddha which had already come to the public. The exhibition will take place on the first floor of the Cetiya, currently under construction, for three days, on 5, 6 and 7 March 2012.

Right now, I would like to invite everyone to come and pay homage to important parts of relics of Lord Buddha which have already come, between October and December, 2011, in the meditation hall at Wat Luang Phor Sodh. One of those relics is the Canine tooth, kindly given by King Sakka on December 14, 2011.

I would also like to invite everyone to make merit together, through making an off-season robe-offering for fund-raising to aid in the completion of the Cetiya. It is recommended to start with 5,000 THB per group.

To express gratitude for generous contributions, the temple is offering a variety of very sacred Buddha amulets as “Thank You” gifts. Especially, for a group of 500,000 THB, the temple offers the seed of jackfruit turned into gold by King Sakka and eminent celestial beings. And, if one person makes a donation of 300,000 THB, that person will receive one golden jackfruit.

Cetiya Model -- it is currently under construction at Wat Luang Phor Dhammakayaram

 

You can follow the progression of Cetiya construction at Wat Luang Phor Sodh as well as making a donation for its completion at www.cetiya.org. For any information and question, please email us at wlps4cetiya@gmail.com.

It is an opportunity for the great good fortune for everyone, especially Buddhists, to give to the Triple Gem by offering material donations -- and through practice -- acting with generosity, observing moral precepts and practicing meditation. These actions will help practitioners develop concentration and wisdom, leading to the end of all suffering, or Nibbana, the supreme happiness.

 

The construction of Catiya is 65% completed. For generous contribution to completion of Cetiya, please click here. 

 

 

Phra Thepyanmongkol
Abbot, Wat Luang Phor Sodh Dhammakayaram,

President, the National Coordination Center of Provincial Meditation Institutes of Thailand, and

Chairman, the Center for Development of Virtues and Ethics for the Security of the Nation, Religion and Monarchy.