Chapter 10: Luang Poh’s Resolution

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I have made a solemn oath, it is a task I have set for myself to achieve in this life. It is a task by which I can help to preserve Buddhism and develop Thailand at the same time. That task is to develop the Thai people, to make them higher in virtue. It is only when the Thai people have virtue that they will be active and strong forces for the preservation of the Buddhist religion as the national religion for ever more. Only those who appreciate virtue can be strong and active members of the process of advancement of the family and the Thai people in all walks of life. Conversely, any country which is void of virtue will certainly meet with ruin.

Bearing this deal in mind, I invited my brothers and sisters, my relatives in the Dhamma, to join in the building of the Bhavana-Kornsritipah Meeting Hall for aiding in the work of studying and teaching the Dhamma. It was an urgent task, designed to be ready for the 200 years of the Ratanakosin Dynasty celebrations, and it was finished in accordance with my wishes, as you can now see for yourselves.

It is a dource of great joy to see how enthusiastically this Hall had been put to use in meetings for Buddhist causes and as a place for moulding virtues into the people, government institutions and groups which have made use of it, such as:

• Meetings and training for Buddhist Youth Organizations from all over the country

• Training in morality and ethics for teachers and students

• Training for improvement in morality and ethics for civil servants, soldiers, police, etc.

Almost all the groups who have come to receive training and stay in the monastery, each for many nights, train in ethics and morality and also in meditation practice.

I would like to encourage this work and see it accepted on a wider basis, and so I have establish the Bhavana-Kornsritipah Foundation in order to use the interest accruing from its capital to support these activities by supplying essential requisites, living quarters, food, transport, and also supporting students who are from poorer families.

The task of developing the mind in virtues is one which both encourages the spread of the Buddha’s teaching, in accordance with the Buddha’s objectives, and also encourages education, especially in the field of ethics, which is the root of all learning. It is also a task which enables the treatment and nursing of spiritual ills through the medicine of Dhamma.

I would like to offer my blessings and inform you, my relatives in the Dhamma, of this great work for the growth and prosperity of the nation and the religion that we all love.

May all of you receive my blessings and kind wishes.

Phra Rajsuddhinanamongkol Abbot of Wat Ambhavan

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