Chapter 07: Time It

Sunee Pantasuporn

When the plane took off around 3 o’clock, we – the passengers on that flight felt at ease while returning home with valuable memories to have been able to accompany senior monks and the group from Department of Religious Affairs.

The plane accelerated its engine to soar up to the sky. That day the plane used a high flight ceiling because the weather below varied like it was raining. All passengers fastened their seatbelts and talked to each other. Some who had been tired from the trip reclined their seat backs to rest. Until the plane took off for about an hour, I heard noises from seats on the left side. I looked toward that noise and saw Dr. Chalankorn, whose seat was next to the right window, stood up and utter a voice as if something had happened. Khun Thawil who sat next to her also stood up and tried to rearrange the overhead locker. I noticed that both were wet and saw water leaked from overhead. I was thinking of something like roof leakage causing rain water to come through, or, containers in the overhead locker had cracked until water flushed down to both of them. But Khun Manop, who sat in the next seat was not wet.

When Dr. Chalankorn uttered a voice, I saw airhostesses ran with large aluminium container to receive water. The stewards used floor mop wrapped with pieces of cloth to block the leak because the ceiling was too high to reach. Another group of airhostesses dried the place where water splashed to. The water kept flushing down. Four airhostesses and two stewards were trying to stop the water. Some of us were frightened but did not showed anything much because the seatbelt sign was still on. Everyone was seated with seatbelt fastened.

For the concern about Luang Poh, because I was the disciple accompanying him, I turned toward the centre part where monks were seated. Other monks did not showed any sign. But when I looked at Luang Poh, I saw him sat with closed eyes like he was restraining his mind to pray, or something, I wondered what he was doing. While there is a disturbance going on, he just closed his eyes to meditate without paying attention to what happened around him.

Being his disciple, I restrained my mind to meditate when I saw him do so. I made a wish, inviting the virtues and merit I had performed protect us from bad occurrence.

Luang Poh closed his eyes to meditate for awhile then opened his eyes and said, “The water will stop in twenty minutes.” (I estimated that it was around 10 minutes or more from the time when the water started leaking, which was when he started meditating, until he opened his eyes.) When he said so, our group looked at the watches. I understood that they were timing it because even I did the same and waited for the outcome of his words.

A certain Phra Gru turned to tease Luang Poh, “Will it, really?” Luang Poh repeated, “Twenty minutes.” At that time, our group who had accompanied Luang Poh also waited anxiously. Some stared at the water some looked at the watch. Dr. Chalankorn seemed to be very confident turning to tell the airhostesses that Luang Poh said the water would definitely stop in twenty minutes.

When twenty minutes were over, the water stopped. Dr. Chalankorn seemed to be very glad and turned to speak to the airhostesses (in English). Some of them raised their thumps up to Luang Poh. We were so glad and started to converse joyfully, the uncomfortable feeling had all gone. The reverend Luang Poh Phra Dhammarajanuvatara, the leader of the monks in this trip praised Luang Poh, “This is surely reliable.”

After returning to Thailand, Luang Poh told that there was water leakage from the plane’s air‐conditioner. We asked him what would happen if the water did not stop. He said in that case, we had to sacrifice our lives. Then he told us the happenings when he made a trip to China.

On that flight, official from UNICEF came to solicit donations of small change in foreign currencies to give to organisations which helped undernourished children around the world. Luang Poh donated 100 dollars. Chief officer had come to express his thanks in person.

Credit: eBooks. Wat Amphawan.