Chapter 06: Note Down, Twenty Minutes

Trirat Bhasavegin

During the 14th to 24th of July 1993, the Department of Religious Affairs had invited Luang Poh Jarun to make and official trip to Europe. So, I had an opportunity to accompany him. That trip to Europe was considered fortunate for me because I received the new and uncanny experiences. The most impressive story for me was the incident on the plane during our return flight from Europe. A phrase from Luang Poh made me unable to forget this story. It was when he turned around and told me, “Note down, twenty minutes.”

I thought I was fortunate to have an opportunity to accopany Luang Poh to Europe in order to be of his service. It was beyond my expectation because I had to have a cataract operation shortly before the trip. It must have been Luang Poh’ s virtues that made my condition improved day by day until I became normal before the travelling date.

I remembered that on the returning day, we boarded the plane from England to Bangkok. When the plane took off, it was late in the afternoon about 3 – 4 o ’clock. The plane headed east. Flying against the sun caused the atmosphere to darken sooner than what should have been for that particular time of day. Most of us, who had been tired from the trip, reclined the seat-back to rest.

In the aircraft, seats were arranged in three columns. The first column has three seats, the middle column has four and the third has three. Luang Poh sat on the left seat of middle column. I sat next to his left across the aisle. After taking off for a long while, from my experience I supposed that the plane was flying over the skycourse of Russia. The plane has to fly north according to the world’s slope in order to save distance. So, if anything happened then, it was Russia there.

I was awakened, at that time, although not fully awakened yet. Sweeping my eyes around the dimly lit cabin, I noticed abnormal state. A group of passengers on the right moved about in disorder, stood up and talked quite loudly. I remembered that they were the group of Khun Thawil and Dr. Chalankorn who sat exactly under the leakage.

Passengers started to look that way. I saw an airhostess ran excitedly bringing a container to receive the water and wipe it out with dry cloth. So, I began to notice some strange thing. Usually, those airhostesses, who worked on the aircraft all the time, should know what had happened to the aircraft and how serious it was. That was why they showed signs of being alarmed.

I began to look toward Luang Poh. I saw him closed his eyes meditating without paying attention to what happened on the plane. He sat with joined palms and eyes closed, for quite a while before he ended the meditation. He turned toward me, pointing his finger, telling me, “Note down. Twenty minutes.”

He stared at me fixedly and told me the same phrase, “note down, note down, twenty minutes,” repeatedly for four times. I was not frightened then, because I felt secured from being near him and holding his kitbag. I was sure that there would not be calamity occurred.

Another thing, I sat very close to him. So, I meditated when I saw him do so. But I did not raise my hands in joined palms because I was holding his kitbag on my lap. Another thing that surprised me was the quantity of water leaked. As far as domestic air-conditioners are concerned, if it leaked the water would drop. But there would not be streams of water like that day on the plane. Later, Luang Poh told me that in the compartment from where the water streamed down, were electric wires. I do not know how he has known. I am sure he has never seen inside the airplane. But he could tell that there were wires. When the water flooded inside, it could cause electrical short-circuit. Certainly, if there had been an electrical short-circuit, the aircraft could explode and crash over Russian sky course.

Luang Poh told me that if the dripping went on longer than twenty minutes according to his prayer, a misfortune would have happened to the aircraft.

After the happening, the flowing water stopped. Every one on the aircraft was glad. There was a relieved feeling, no longer frightened. Every one can smile. The staff was free of care. Male staff mopped up water from the floor and seats until they are in order. The situation returned to normal.

From then, I notice something unusual with Luang Poh. During the trip to Europe until return, if it was not really necessary, he had never disturbed or asked for help from any one. But after the incident, he often asked me to bring him hot tea. That made me suspicious. Later, after returning to Thailand and I had seen him in the state of being seriously ill, I no longer doubted the incidents. I am sure that his ailment happened because he spent his energy to save three or four hundred lives on the aircraft from that accident.

Credit: eBooks. Wat Amphawan.