Luang Pho Sot, gold weighing 1,000 kilograms
Wat Bot Bon, Nonthaburi
The ordination hall is simple, with no murals. There is a large principal Buddha image surrounded by 27 other Buddhas. In front of the principal Buddha image is a golden cast of Luang Por Sod, one and a half times the size of the real one. It is made of 1 ton or 1,000 kg of pure gold. It was created by a group of disciples on February 3, 2015.
Luang Por Sod attained enlightenment at Wat Bot Bon on the 15th day of the waxing moon of the 10th month (1917). After returning from alms round, the Venerable Luang Pu went to sit in meditation in the ordination hall. At that time, it was around 8 a.m. He began to strive, intending that if he did not hear the sound of the noon drum, he would not get up from his seat. When he had made up his mind, he closed his eyes and prayed “Samma Arahang” continuously until the pain and numbness gradually increased little by little and became more and more until he felt as if every bone was about to explode into pieces, until he almost lost all patience. Anxiety followed. He thought to himself, “Hey… I’ve never felt like this before. When I made a vow that I wouldn’t get up if the lunch drum didn’t sound, why did it increase my anxiety so much? It’s different from the previous times I sat in meditation. When will the lunch drum ever sound?” Thinking about it, his mind wavered and swayed even more. He almost gave up sitting several times. But when he made a vow, he endured sitting. Finally, his mind gradually calmed down and came to a single point. He saw a pure, clear orb the size of a chicken egg yolk. His heart was indescribably happy. His aches and pains had disappeared. At the same time, the lunch drum sounded. That day, Venerable Luang Pu was happy all day long. The initial Dhamma orb, which was a clear orb, was still seen at the center of his body at all times. In the evening, after listening to the Patimokkha with fellow monks, he went into the chapel and made a vow, “Even if my flesh and blood dry up and only skin, tendons, and bones remain, if I sit down and do not attain the Dhamma that the Lord Buddha saw, I will not get up from my place for the rest of my life.” When he had finished praying, he began to sit and pray to the Lord Buddha, “May Your Majesty be merciful to me, grant me the least and easiest Dharma that you have realized, that you have known. If my knowledge of your Dharma is a disadvantage to your religion, please do not grant it. If it is a benefit to your religion, please grant it to me. I will be a religious lawyer for your religion for the rest of my life.” When the Venerable Luang Pu made his wish, he began to sit cross-legged in meditation. He happened to think of ants crawling between the gaps in the stone slabs. He picked up a bowl of kerosene and dipped his finger in to draw a circle around the body to prevent the ants from disturbing him. However, when he had put his finger on the ground, before he had even reached half the circle, he thought, “I can sacrifice my life, but why am I still afraid of ants?” He felt ashamed of himself, so he put the bowl of kerosene down and sat back down for about half a night. When his mind stopped at the same point, he saw a pure, clear orb the size of a chicken egg yolk, which was still stuck in the center of his body since the afternoon. The more he looked, the clearer and brighter it became. And it grew as big as the sun. The clear star remained bright, but he did not know what to do next because all the schools he had studied had never experienced anything like this before.
While his mind was still there, a voice came from the center of the star saying, “Majjhima Patipada.” But as the voice grew fainter in his senses, he saw a small glowing point, shining brightly from the center of the star like the center of a circle. The brightness of that point was brighter than the surrounding circle. He kept looking, thinking to himself, “This must be the middle way. The small point that we just saw was right in the middle. Try looking at it and see what will happen.” That point gradually expanded and became as big as the original star. The old star disappeared. He kept looking and saw a new star rising to replace it, like a fountain shooting up to replace it, but clearer than the original. Finally, he saw various bodies emerge one after another until he reached the Dhammakaya, a Buddha image with a lotus bud, purer than any Buddha image. The Dhammakaya sounded in his senses, “That’s right.” Bliss arose like never before. He even thought softly, “Oh…it’s this difficult.” That is why we do not reach it. Opinions, memories, thoughts, and knowledge must come together at the same point. When it stops, it ceases. When it ceases, it arises.” The discovery of the true and genuine Dhammakaya knowledge is the path to enlightenment that the Lord Buddha has attained. It is very profound and detailed. The Venerable Luang Pu therefore considered that “The 3 Kamphi Rojayang Dhamma is so profound. Who can think and estimate? It is beyond the reach of contemplation and thinking. If you are still contemplating and thinking, you will not be able to reach it. To reach it, you must make yourself aware of contemplation, knowing and thinking. Stop at the same point. But when it stops, it ceases. But when it ceases, it arises. If it does not cease, it does not arise. This is the real thing. The connection is here. If it is not in the right place like this, it will not exist at all.” #VisitTemples #VisitThaiTemples #LuangPhoSod #VisitNonthaburi