August 16th, 2007

Phra Ajarn Phothikun, the abbot of Wat Suan Moke, or Phra Ajarn Pho, is a well-known disciple who follows the dharma of Buddhathas Phikku. He is a native of Samui and has been studying the dharma and teaching of the Lord Buddha for almost all of his life. Phra Ajarn Pho believes Buddhist principles can cure every disease, so long as the patient is be ready to follow them with his heart. Phra Ajarn Pho is now 75 years old. He is the founder of ‘Theepapawan’, a new place for dharma practice on Koh Samui, which was built on land donated by Khun Siriwan Pongchababnapha. Dharma practice courses are organized twice a month, one for Thai people on 14th – 17th and the other for foreigners on 21st- 27th of every month under the guidance and instruction of Phra Ajarn Pho himself. Phra Ajarn Pho teaches that dharma is essential for life in the world today and also the cure for all ills. Those who become infected by physical or even social diseases will eventually gain access to dharma, but only when they are ready. For this reason, many people turn to dharma when they face problems and seek to fi nd a solution from inside. Samui is an international travel destination and at ‘Theepapawan’ visitors have the chance to experience deep spiritual relaxation and develop the tools they need to use dharma to detoxify their mind and enhance their mental strength. For many, this is a unique form of tourism. ‘Theepapawan’ is the only place on Samui that offers authentic Buddhist teaching to people regardless of their age, gender, race or religion. According to the Lord Buddha, everything has two sides. But there are three paths in Buddhism – satisfaction, the dark side of satisfaction, and dharma. People are often infatuated by the dark side of satisfaction because they reap instant gratification, but they don’t often know that there is danger in such benefits. We need dharma as the permanent truth, that is, to maintain mindfulness in everything we do, without infatuation or attachment to material things. We should make use of dharma to fi nd balance, because all our problems are caused by unawareness and infatuation. “We can take benefi t from what we have,” explained the teacher, “but should not let it control our heart. We should always be the masters of our hearts. Nowadays, people let possessions rule their lives and many problems occur as a result. People should know their own power and do everything within their own limit. As an easy example, Buddhism, sees debt as a sign of trouble, but Thailand’s modern economic system, business is based on a system of debt, which is not Buddhist value. Buddhism values the action of working for money and its subsequent expansion, not taking money from other people to invest in business. Some may succeed, some may not but people in debt are like slaves.” Phra Ajarn Pho sees an important way out for Samui people. It sounds easy but is actually quite diffi cult in real practice for those who are not mentally ready. “Samui has such a rich and abundant land,” he said, “which is ideal for an agricultural approach and subsistence living. Why does nobody choose that? Nobody wants to grow plants because they imagine other people earning millions from selling the land without any effort. However, once people are blinded by money they lose the power to work. Samui people in the past lived happily from the land. Nowadays we still have that land to grow plants and fruit and there are still possibilities because hotels and resorts here still need to buy these products.” Another product of this limited thinking is a jealous mind, which Ajarn Pho says will also make us unhappy. “We should live in harmony and show respect for each other so that we can live and survive together.” He says. “There are plenty of job opportunities on Samui and there are still many plots of land waiting to be developed. But this will bring more sadness. The coconut leaf stalk that we find falling on the ground can also be made into a broom and sold to earn a living, yet few people on this island bother to collect them. Samui has enough rain all year to build an agricultural society. If we live with sufficiency, there will be less problems.” “I believe that if Samui people realize the importance of a simple life then we can get back to our origins very easily.” Says Ajarn Pho. “We still have some land left. If we don’t sell it, we will enjoy great benefi ts from it and live happily. We should look back and see our land mindfully. It’s never too late to hold on to the ‘Buddhist Way’.”