Nirvana. Funeral Of Revered Thai Monk.

[Lite Beer]

NIRVANA

By The Nation on Sunday.

Many tens of thousands attend funeral of revered monk Luangta Maha Bua

Tens of thousands of people flocked yesterday to Wat Pa Ban Tad forest temple in Udon Thani to attend the royal-sponsored cremation of highly revered monk Luangta Maha Bua Yannasampanno yesterday evening, which was graciously presided over by HM Queen Sirikit.

Donations given at the funeral totalled more than Bt330.5 million in cash and cheques, plus about 78 kilograms of gold.

At 5.15pm, HM the Queen went to the ceremonial ground and entered the temporary pavilion before hosting the robe-offering ceremony to 10 senior monks at the crematorium.

The Queen placed the funeral bouquet with Indian oak pieces in the crematorium, before the senior monks laid down the funeral robe and performed the cremation rite. The Queen left the temple at 5.45pm to board a plane to Bangkok.

After that HRH Princess Chulabhorn placed the funeral bouquet followed by 99 senior monks and VIP guests before general monks and public members were allowed to place funeral bouquets at designated spots around the crematorium.

Among high-profile guests were Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, Privy Councillor Surayud Chulanont, Deputy PM Sanan Kachornprasart, PM's Office Minister Ong-art Klampaiboon, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti, and Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij.

Prior to the rite, at 7.30am HRH Princess Chulabhorn

gave alms for the late monk's merit at the temple.

A member of the funeral committee, Phra Ajarn Inthawai Santusatko, urged people who were not able to attend to watch the cremation broadcast live on television and utter the word "Sangkho" (a Bali word for Buddhist monks) while observing the rite at home. Members of the public were allowed to pay their respects to the late monk until midday. Officials organised people in designated places around the ceremonial area.

Thousands of police and Army personnel provided security. The temple compound was crowded with Buddhist devotees seated around the temporary crematorium to attend the rite of the revered monk. Some 1,500 almshouses that handed out free meals were full. The 18 parking lots were packed with buses and vans providing free rides to people from parking lots to the temple.

Luangta Maha Bua was born Bua Lohitdee on August 12, 1913, in Ban Tad, Udon Thani's Mak Khaeng district in a well-to-do farming family and had 15 siblings.

Luangta Maha Bua, a student of the much respected Luangpu Man Phurithatto, is renowned for leading many fund-raising events for charitable causes and helping to restore the country's national reserves after they were depleted in the "Tom Yam Gung" financial crisis in 1997-98. Luangta Maha Bua passed away at the age of 98, on January 30.

-- The Nation 2011-03-06

[gotlost]

My mother in law from Kap Choeng south of Surin had the honor with 6 others from the village to be sent to Udon for this Funeral. All towns in Thailand participated .

[Xangsamhua]

Interesting headline: "Nirvana".

Being sent on your way via cremation or any other ceremony doesn't imply nirvana, which is an unconditioned state accessible only to those who have become completely unattached to the craving that leads to greed, anger, delusion and all their secondary effects.

It is said by many that Luangta Maha Bua had in fact attained this level of non-attachment, but no one in fact knows this.

And if Luangta Maha Bua had reached this stage of freedom from craving he would have attained nirvana before he died. On his death, his passing would be parinirvana, or parinibbana, the term used in Thai Buddhism.

[Steely Dan]

Interesting headline: "Nirvana".

Being sent on your way via cremation or any other ceremony doesn't imply nirvana, which is an unconditioned state accessible only to those who have become completely unattached to the craving that leads to greed, anger, delusion and all their secondary effects.

It is said by many that Luangta Maha Bua had in fact attained this level of non-attachment, but no one in fact knows this.

And if Luangta Maha Bua had reached this stage of freedom from craving he would have attained nirvana before he died. On his death, his passing would be parinirvana, or parinibbana, the term used in Thai Buddhism.

I know this is slightly OT but based on the definition of Nirvana you gave I would be doubtful as to whether the well known Monk who arrived at the Thai-Cambodia border in a Rolls Royce would qualify.

[ChiangMaiFun]

Interesting headline: "Nirvana".

Being sent on your way via cremation or any other ceremony doesn't imply nirvana, which is an unconditioned state accessible only to those who have become completely unattached to the craving that leads to greed, anger, delusion and all their secondary effects.

It is said by many that Luangta Maha Bua had in fact attained this level of non-attachment, but no one in fact knows this.

And if Luangta Maha Bua had reached this stage of freedom from craving he would have attained nirvana before he died. On his death, his passing would be parinirvana, or parinibbana, the term used in Thai Buddhism.

surely this is just the cremation of his mortal coil and unrelated in every sense as to whether he achieved Nirvana or not?

[sirchai]

Interesting headline: "Nirvana".

Being sent on your way via cremation or any other ceremony doesn't imply nirvana, which is an unconditioned state accessible only to those who have become completely unattached to the craving that leads to greed, anger, delusion and all their secondary effects.

It is said by many that Luangta Maha Bua had in fact attained this level of non-attachment, but no one in fact knows this.

And if Luangta Maha Bua had reached this stage of freedom from craving he would have attained nirvana before he died. On his death, his passing would be parinirvana, or parinibbana, the term used in Thai Buddhism.

surely this is just the cremation of his mortal coil and unrelated in every sense as to whether he achieved Nirvana or not?

Donations given at the funeral totalled more than Bt330.5 million in cash and cheques, plus about 78 kilograms of gold.

How can they send all this stuff to Nirvana?

[bdenner]

As we only live some 80 km from Udon most every mature Thai from our village went. Road blocks every where and took them 2 hours to get to the venue by free bus having had to park their cars on the outskirts of the city. A huge event and by all accounts extremely peaceful considering political factions up here verses attending dignatories.

TW has some half reasonable video of the event.

[Tywais]

[Tywais]

[surayu]

Wow, for a moment i thought it was something about Kurt Cobain, anyway, does anyone knows how comes this monk had such a huge amount of followers? From what i read, perhaps is because of the "sponsorships" ?

[jayjay0]

Interesting headline: "Nirvana".

Being sent on your way via cremation or any other ceremony doesn't imply nirvana, which is an unconditioned state accessible only to those who have become completely unattached to the craving that leads to greed, anger, delusion and all their secondary effects.

It is said by many that Luangta Maha Bua had in fact attained this level of non-attachment, but no one in fact knows this.

And if Luangta Maha Bua had reached this stage of freedom from craving he would have attained nirvana before he died. On his death, his passing would be parinirvana, or parinibbana, the term used in Thai Buddhism.

surely this is just the cremation of his mortal coil and unrelated in every sense as to whether he achieved Nirvana or not?

Donations given at the funeral totalled more than Bt330.5 million in cash and cheques, plus about 78 kilograms of gold.

How can they send all this stuff to Nirvana?

I am confused I thought the gold was being donated by the deceased Monk.

Can one be in a state of nirvana and have a fortune at the same time.

that being the case I am ready. Send the money.

[Jawnie]

Interesting headline: "Nirvana".

Being sent on your way via cremation or any other ceremony doesn't imply nirvana, which is an unconditioned state accessible only to those who have become completely unattached to the craving that leads to greed, anger, delusion and all their secondary effects.

It is said by many that Luangta Maha Bua had in fact attained this level of non-attachment, but no one in fact knows this.

And if Luangta Maha Bua had reached this stage of freedom from craving he would have attained nirvana before he died. On his death, his passing would be parinirvana, or parinibbana, the term used in Thai Buddhism.

surely this is just the cremation of his mortal coil and unrelated in every sense as to whether he achieved Nirvana or not?

Donations given at the funeral totalled more than Bt330.5 million in cash and cheques, plus about 78 kilograms of gold.

How can they send all this stuff to Nirvana?

I am confused I thought the gold was being donated by the deceased Monk.

Can one be in a state of nirvana and have a fortune at the same time.

that being the case I am ready. Send the money.

There is an out-of-date and mistaken notion that one must be poor to be enlightened or that one can't have a lot of money - that wealth and spiritual attainment are mutually exclusive. As I said, this is out of date and mistaken. There's a lot of reasons why a spiritual leader will have a lot of money, the main reason being that devotees traditionally provide financial support to a leader's organization. This is to support the person's activities and undertakings. Many religious leaders command vast wealth and resources with the Pope being the first to come to mind...there are others. The real question is how the leader handles the money and wealth and where does it end up. So, the question is not "why did Luangta Maha Bua have so much money?" but rather, what did he do with it? Now, the question is, "what will become of the wealth donated upon his passing?"

[ChiangMaiFun]

Donations given at the funeral totalled more than Bt330.5 million in cash and cheques, plus about 78 kilograms of gold.

How can they send all this stuff to Nirvana?

I am confused I thought the gold was being donated by the deceased Monk.

Can one be in a state of nirvana and have a fortune at the same time.

that being the case I am ready. Send the money.

There is an out-of-date and mistaken notion that one must be poor to be enlightened or that one can't have a lot of money - that wealth and spiritual attainment are mutually exclusive. As I said, this is out of date and mistaken. There's a lot of reasons why a spiritual leader will have a lot of money, the main reason being that devotees traditionally provide financial support to a leader's organization. This is to support the person's activities and undertakings. Many religious leaders command vast wealth and resources with the Pope being the first to come to mind...there are others. The real question is how the leader handles the money and wealth and where does it end up. So, the question is not "why did Luangta Maha Bua have so much money?" but rather, what did he do with it? Now, the question is, "what will become of the wealth donated upon his passing?"

I have to disagree - those of spiritual standing have no money (think H.H. Dalai Lama, Jesus, Buddha etc.) - anyway these are donations rather than his personal wealth (of which, being a monk, he should have zero).

[Xangsamhua]

Luangta Maha Bua began asking people to donate gold to be deposited into the country's reserves following the depletion of these reserves during the 1997 Asian economic crisis. He did not touch the money himself, but called for the donations as a penitential act on behalf of the donors. He saw greed and materialism as being at the root of Thailand's financial woes.

A writer on the Sanghathan.com website made the following comments:

As I read about Ajahn Maha Bua and observe current developments of Buddhism in Thailand, I cannot help but think of another kind of will: his will to resist the temptations thrown at him by the material world. A lot of his contemporaries, including some trained in the Forest Tradition by the venerable Ajahn Mun Bhuriddata, and younger monks have succumbed to such temptations. Many have built elaborate temples, accumulated vast wealth and lived in luxury, and supported the creation of objects believed to possess supranatural powers such as amulets. Ajahn Maha Bua had done none of those, although he could easily have. He preferred not to touch money and asked donors to put their funds into accounts that would finance worthy causes such as building hospitals. Ajahn Maha Bua is the last of the disciples directly trained by Ajahn Mun. His passing, therefore, signals the end of an era.

http://www.sanghatha...-08-27-18-01-06

Edited March 6, 2011 by Xangsamhua