One of my early blog posts was about an amulet commemorating the pilgrimage to places important in the life of Luang Por Sodh Wat Pak Nam.
Here I will share about the place of the master's birth in Supanburi.
Fun fact: according to this the two brothers 'Song Phi Nong' which serve as the name of the village were actually two elephants.
In these articles, I will mostly be refering to two sources, the first of which, published by Wat Paknam is "The Life and Teaching of The Ven. Chao Khun Mongkol-Thepmuni" written in english by Suratano Bhikkhu Phra Terry under his lay name Terrance Magness. The second souce I will quote is "The Life and Times of Luang Phaw Wat Paknam" published by Wat Dhammakaya.
The Life and Teachings begins:
"It is not uncommon for a great spiritual personality to be born in poverty in remote villages out in the country and to emerge from it gradually into the wider scope of the world at large. In any case, whether such circumstances and nearness to nature deflects such minds to the investigation of life and its meaning, is of no ultimate significance, for a great personality is something more than just the circumstantial background from which he springs, and natural conditions may leave their impress on the character or they may not, as the case may be."
The Life and Times embelishes this account a bit by adding that "his birth differed from that of other children" because he "did not cry. Not even a whimper was to pass his lips because he had been born to dry the tears of humanity" (page 19)
While Teachings notes that he was very kind to animals, Times includes some foreshadowing of his monasticism as he "disliked being picked up by womanfolk" saying it this was maybe "due to the influence of may previous lifetimes as a monk" (page 20)
The Life and Times remarks on the location of the master's birthplace saying that his "family house was in the north of the Songpinong commune. The house was located on a curious piece of land, the shape of a lotus leaf, surrounded by water on all sides. There had never been any outbreak of fire on this curious islet. The house was positioned to the south of the Songpinong temple on the opposite side of the canal. The temple was to the northeast of the commune, the house to the southwest."
Just one glace and it's clear who built it...
In these articles, I will mostly be refering to two sources, the first of which, published by Wat Paknam is "The Life and Teaching of The Ven. Chao Khun Mongkol-Thepmuni" written in english by Suratano Bhikkhu Phra Terry under his lay name Terrance Magness. The second souce I will quote is "The Life and Times of Luang Phaw Wat Paknam" published by Wat Dhammakaya.
The Life and Teachings begins:
"It is not uncommon for a great spiritual personality to be born in poverty in remote villages out in the country and to emerge from it gradually into the wider scope of the world at large. In any case, whether such circumstances and nearness to nature deflects such minds to the investigation of life and its meaning, is of no ultimate significance, for a great personality is something more than just the circumstantial background from which he springs, and natural conditions may leave their impress on the character or they may not, as the case may be."
The Life and Times embelishes this account a bit by adding that "his birth differed from that of other children" because he "did not cry. Not even a whimper was to pass his lips because he had been born to dry the tears of humanity" (page 19)
While Teachings notes that he was very kind to animals, Times includes some foreshadowing of his monasticism as he "disliked being picked up by womanfolk" saying it this was maybe "due to the influence of may previous lifetimes as a monk" (page 20)
The Life and Times remarks on the location of the master's birthplace saying that his "family house was in the north of the Songpinong commune. The house was located on a curious piece of land, the shape of a lotus leaf, surrounded by water on all sides. There had never been any outbreak of fire on this curious islet. The house was positioned to the south of the Songpinong temple on the opposite side of the canal. The temple was to the northeast of the commune, the house to the southwest."
Many of the master's family members still live in the area today and there is now a memorial commemorating the master's birth, the อนุสรณ์สถาน มหาวิหารพระมงคลเทพมุนี
The whole area is quite nice and well kept.
It felt like 5 or 10 degrees cooler as soon as we entered the area.
The golden master is seated on the throne which from a distance gives the appearance of levitation.
A map and photos of previous pilgrimages on display outside
