Chapter 05: Somdech Budhacariya (Tow) Brahmarangsi In sitting Posture, Holding Font and Spraying Sacred Water

LOK6005

Phra Dhepsinghapuracariya

At Wat Ambavana, there is a vihara (shrine) to the south of the Uposatha Hall. This vihara accommodates the image of Somdech Bud.ha-cariya (Tow) Brahmarangsi in sitting posture, holding a font and sprinkling sacred water.

The organizers for the casting of this image were Mr. Seng and Mrs. Pongsri Jaiboon. They presented the image to Wat Ambavana in 1987, together with the image of Luang Poo Saeng. When the image was presented, there was no image hall. So the Venerable Somdech was invited to stay in the Uposatha Hall and Luang Poo Saeng at the meditation hall.

About a month later, a neighbour came to tell me that Somdech Tow would like to stay outside the Uposatha Hall. I noted that. Later, a person from Nakornsawan came seeking the Abbot of Wat Ambavana. When he arrived, he paid obeisance, asking, “Are you the abbot? Somdech Tow asked me to tell you that he did not want to stay in the Upostha Hall. People pass in front of him going and coming. Such a hustle and bustle! Please build him a shrine.” I still did not believe it. Later, a lecturer from Nakornsawan Teacher Training College came to tell me that he had a dream. He said, “Somdech Tow asked me to inform the abbot to build him a shrine, please.” In his dream he asked Somdech Tow, “Venerable Somdech, why don’t you go and tell him yourself?” He said, “It’s not influential. It is only influential when other people tell him because this abbot is very egotistic.”

Three separate individuals had come to tell me this. So, I went to pay Somdech Tow homage and lit incense and candles to tell him it would be done. It seemed like he smiled at me. It turned out that it took only a month to complete the building. After I moved him there, plenty of revenue streamed in.

Another thing, when he was in the Uposatha Hall, people who came in just paid obeisance to Somdech Tow. No one paid obeisance to the presiding Buddha image at all. Mrs. Pongsri had had a beautiful gold decoration made for Somdech’s image, which outclassed the presiding image even more.

So, I had to have the two presiding Buddha images decorated with gold as well. It just happened that Dr. Ginggaew Atthakorn told me that Luang Poh did not have a “working team”. It was necessary to have images of Phra Moggallana and Phra Sariputra placed in the Uposatha Hall as well. So, I invited them to be placed with the old presiding image and have them beautifully decorated with gold.

Credit: Page Link