Nirvana comes to Bangkok
**Newly opened Suan Mokkh Bangkok offers visitors a taste of dhamma heaven **
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[li]Published: 9/09/2010 at 12:00 AM[/li][li]Newspaper section: Mylife[/li][/ul]
B uddhadasa Indapanno Archives _ known as Suan Mokkh Bangkok _ was established this year, 17 years after the death of Buddhadasa Bhikkhu.
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In 1932, Buddhadasa founded his forest hermitage Suan Mokkh (the pleasurable place to go to nirvana), a centre for study and serious practice in Chaiya district, Surat Thani province.
On Aug 1, Suan Mokkh Bangkok was officially opened on a 10,000 square-metre plot in Suan Rod Fai, formally known as Wachirabenchatat Park, a vast and verdant park in the heart of the city.
Inside Suan Mokkh in Chaiya district, visitors encounter countless dhamma riddles that causes them to contemplate, so they can understand more about the main essence of dhamma. And Suan Mokkh in Bangkok is also full of dhamma codes that challenge visitors to interpret and decipher their hidden meanings.
“We wanted to create a recreation centre for all souls. We also offer a wide variety of useful activities under the concept of Spiritual Entertainment,” said Dr Bunchar Pongpanich, secretary of the Buddhadasa Indapanno Archives Foundation.
“We disseminate dhamma through modern means to allow more people access. Spending just two hours here, it is easy to achieve serenity and spiritual delight. In short, you can experience a moment of nirvana in the blink of an eye.”
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After Buddhadasa died, the monk’s disciples joined forces to gather all his printed and written documents, photos and cassette tapes of his preaching.
They collected 600,000 pages of documents. His disciples regard these as an inestimable legacy of the revered monk that should be preserved and disseminated to the public and generations to come.
The death of most venerable monks leads to the establishment of religious monuments, pagodas or memorial museums. But in the case of Buddhadasa, most of his disciples knew of his unwavering determination to be “a slave of Lord Buddha” throughout his lifetime, so they choose not to build a statue but instead disseminate the monk’s teaching.
Buddhadasa had a unique system for filing his papers. Before giving a dhamma lecture, he would make a draft and also jotted down the lecture in a notebook. The drafts and lectures are were both handwritten and typed.
His lectures were also committed to tape. Any letters he wrote to other Buddhists were also copied.
“The monk wrote regularly to Ajarn Sunya Dhammasak from 1936 and he kept all the letters. But it is difficult to preserve these letters as it is rather humid at Suan Mokkh Chaiya,” explained Dr Bunchar.
“With effective management of the archives and the assistance of many Buddhists, the monk’s teachings can bring immense benefit to the public. And Bangkok is the ideal place to establish another Suan Mokkh.”
Nalikay Coconut - Lan Hin Kong and dhamma riddles at Suan Mokkh Bangkok
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Some of Buddhadasa’s handwritten drafts which he prepared before giving dhamma lectures.
One balcony of the new building faces a large pond which was once part of a golf course. In the middle of the pond there is a small, seemingly pointless island. But take a closer look and you will see a small coconut tree thriving there.
That coconut tree is known as Ma Praw Nalikay, a kind of native coconut tree. This indigenous tree also grows on the middle of an island in Chaiya, too.
Anyone who had a chance to listen to the Buddhadasa’s preachings or read his books will be well familiar with his dhamma enigma hidden in the Nalikay coconut tree.
The monk interpreted a local lullaby concerning the Nalikay coconut tree. This lullaby mentions a Nalikay coconut tree that thrives in the middle of a wax sea, which is like the sea of birth and death.
The wax sea is hot and sticky and when people fall into it they have virtually no chance of survival.
However, anyone who thinks, speaks, and acts morally and also studies dhamma consistently have a chance to escape, exactly like the Nalikay coconut tree, which even storms can’t harm. Comparatively, this coconut tree is like nirvana.
“On weekends many people visit the archives and enjoy paddling in the pond where the coconut tree grows,” said Dr Bunchar.
"If we are observant, we will see that many couples or lovers who happily paddle in the pond are part of the cycle of birth and death.
“That sight can make us aware of all illusions and see the truth of life. Also, it makes us understand more about the gist of dhamma. That sight must not increase our desires and lust.”
The lower part of the building is called Lan Hin Kong, an outdoor stone platform which is much like the one at Suan Mokkh Chaiya. This serves as an activity forum where people can get close to nature.
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Dr Bunchar Pongpanich
It is like an outdoor temple hall used for making merit, giving alms and preaching.
At the back of Lan Hin Kong stand six South American Cannonball trees and an Indian sal tree, which signify the seven factors of enlightenment known as poch chong jed.
At the front stands a statue of Bodhisattva Avolokitesuan remodelled from the ancient statue discovered around 1,000 years ago during the Srivichai Period.
A statue of Bodhisattva Avolokitesuan is also installed at Suan Mokkh Chaiya. This reflects the fact that Buddhism has been prosperous in Thailand for a long time.
There is also a stone sculpture featuring the story of Lord Buddha’s life compiled by Buddhadasa while he visited three stupas in India in 1952.
There are many sculptures about Lord Buddha’s life scattered about the three stupas so Buddhadasa compiled all of them.
“What we have found in the sculpted stones are the stories of Lord Buddha, but there is no picture of Lord Buddha on the stones,” said Dr Bunchar.
"The area that should contain the images of Lord Buddha is left vacant. This shows that during the spread of Buddhism, no one sculpted or painted Buddha.
“This is because dhamma requires no existence of person. People didn’t depend on Buddha images but dhamma principles and themselves.”
On the second floor of the building, visitors can take in the Paticcasumuppada Garden, which is a kind of Zen garden. This garden is reserved for many activities like meditative walking and meditation. There is also a large prayer room nestled in a tranquil, well ventilated area.
The third floor, which is still under construction, will contain the archives of Buddhadasa’s stories, works and life.
Nirvana that can be tasted
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Lan Hin Kong, an outdoor display of stone friezes.
The second floor has different zones. The first is an exhibition zone called Taste of Nabbana which will open on Oct 3.
There is also a small theatre where visitors can watch a short movie about nirvana. The centre also allows people to produce their own short movie under the concept of nirvana which can be shown in the cinema.
The first nirvana movie that will be shown there is directed by Pen-aek Ratanarueng.
In the Taste of Nabbana room, there are also enigmatic dhamma pictures for visitors to consider and interpret the meaning of nirvana for themselves. There is also a balcony where people can meditate.
“The use of the space is mainly for studying dhamma theory, learning about dhamma, and then practising dhamma to see the result,” Dr Bunchar said.
"We believe that any mind that is trained frequently can reach nirvana.
"Buddhadasa Bhikkhu once taught that all lives that were born have attained nirvana. Peace of mind only for a short moment or a mind that is freed from any lust is regarded as being in state of temporary nirvana.
“If we persevere and are observant we can lengthen the moment of nirvana. Nirvana is not about death.”
Dr Bunchar believes that visitors who take their time walking around the area or joining an activity can possibly attain nirvana.
“Though it is a temporary nirvana, it is a good start to access dhamma further,” said Dr Bunchar. Bangkokpost