Wat Na Pah Pong: Undiluted Wisdom Takes Pride of Place | |||
UPDATE : 2 March 2010 | |||
When visiting a temple to attend dhamma sessions or make merit, most Buddhist followers receive blessings made with Holy water, amulets, or other forms of objects considered to be auspicious from revered monks. But visitors to the temple of Wat Na Pah Pong in Pathum Thani province’s Lam Luk Ka district, about 50 kilometers north of Bangkok, will only receive the wisdom of dhamma sessions based upon the original sayings of the Lord Buddha, or books pertaining to them. The temple’s abbot, Phra Kukrit Sothipalo, 47, says he wishes to emphasize study of the original sayings of the Lord Buddha among other Buddhist monks and lay persons in order to promote a better understanding of his teachings. ‘First source’ approach Phra Kukrit was first ordained in 1992 and ever since then has been encouraging Buddhists to understand dhamma from an individual perspective based on the original sayings of the Lord Buddha. This represents a ‘first source’ approach to dhamma. These distortions and misunderstandings have been major reasons behind the drive towards the use of objects deemed to be auspicious, a greater variety of meditation methods, discrimination among monks from different sects, as well as varying regulations for monks from one temple to the next. Modest approach The temple’s physical structure reflects a forest monastery approach, and the temple itself is made up of just a few basic brick and wooden buildings. The main wooden structure is used as a center, where people can listen to dhamma talks. Within the temple itself, there’s no sign of any stone tablets, which are usually used to mark a temple’s consecrated boundary. Phra Kukrit points out that according to the original teachings of the Lord Buddha, such an area can be marked using natural landmarks. Phra Kukrit says monks need to study the Lord Buddha’s sayings carefully in order to fully understand the true context of dhamma preaching. Over the years, the temple’s working committee has been involved in the presentation of excerpts of the Buddha’s sayings from the Siamrat version of the Tripitaka (the Pali cannon), which was published 1926-28. As well as distributing books containing these sayings, the committee has also produced them in the form of a searchable database, which can be downloaded via one of the temple’s websites at http://www.watnapp.com. To learn more about the temple and Phra Kukrit Sothipalo, visit http://www.watnapapong.com. |
วันอังคารที่ 2 มีนาคม พ.ศ. 2553
Wat Na Pah Pong: Undiluted Wisdom Takes Pride of Place
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