DAY 8– Friday 14th
We said goodbye
to our new friends at BMV early the next morning. We travelled to the
first of three monasteries with highly respected Forest Monk traditions.
At the first monastery we paid respects to the relics of Luang Pouh Lui at a museum and practiced in a very unusual cave.
We then drove to Wat Pah Ban Tad which is Luang Ta Maha Boowa's monastery. He is a direct disciple of Luang Pouh Mun and was responsible for writing his biography.
He is very
elderly and in poor health so we were able to pay respects to him and
chant the
Bojjhanga Paritta; then reflect on our own impermanence.
During this visit Luangpoh Sudhiro recollected Luang Ta’s direct teachings to him and was able to share these with the group throughout the pilgrimage.
The final stop of the day was at the chedi of Luang Pouh Khao who was well known for his ability to communicate with elephants.
We met Luang Pouh Boon Peng, a direct disciple of Luang Pouh Khao as he was doing walking meditation around the chedi in his wheelchair.
We returned back to Wat Pah Kanjanabhisek to our familiar sleeping quarters and the chance to catch up on clothes washing the next day.
Day 9—Sat15th
On the Saturday evening we were invited to Wat Ming Mueng to take part in a practice with about 200 lay people. This was to mark the full moon and the monks in our party gave a Dhamma talk. Luangpoh Sudhiro spoke about the four foundations of mindfulness and his recent experience with a cobra.
At this stage we welcomed a new member of the group from New Zealand and prepared to say goodbye to another member from the UK who was leaving the next day. This provided an opportunity to reflect on and share experiences of the trip so far.