Luang Pu Doo

Uncle Sit still vividly remembers the first day in his life that he went to pay respects to Luang Pu Doo. 

Uncle Sit and the fellow students of the Buddhist Society had stopped by to buy some lotus flowers to offer to Luang Pu. By the time they had arrived at the temple, it was early in the evening. 

The first thing Luang Pu Doo taught them was that, “You are still students. You have to stretch out your hand to ask your parents for an allowance. So you don’t really need to spend money to buy lotus flowers for me. On the way to the temple, you saw lotus plants growing along the road. Just think about offering the lotus flowers in the pond as an offering to bucha the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha.”

Before they left, Luang Pu gave the Buddhist Society members another reminder, saying, “Don’t keep wandering around to pay respects to the Phra in various temples outside your house until you neglect taking care of the Phra in your own homes. What about your own parents?”  

Uncle Sit recalls that in his time in Wat Sakae, he saw some people who go to the temple to bow to the monks very respectfully, and speak very politely with great courtesy to them, but when he saw them with their parents, they speak rudely and don’t exercise patience with them. 

Others he observed are Buddhist leaders who often encourage others to make merit together, yet these are the same people who do not bother to take care of their own parents. Instead, they push this responsibility to their own brothers and sisters, and don’t give money to support their parents.

Uncle Sit felt that it is a pity as the Buddha had clearly taught Sigalaka in bowing to the Eastern Direction one should recall how our mother and father had supported us and we should support them in return.

"In five ways should a mother and father as the eastern direction be respected by a child: 'I will support them who supported me; I will do my duty to them; I will maintain the family lineage and tradition; I will be worthy of my inheritance; and I will make donations on behalf of dead ancestors.'

"And, the mother and father so respected reciprocate with compassion in five ways: by restraining you from wrongdoing, guiding you towards good actions, training you in a profession, supporting the choice of a suitable spouse, and in due time, handing over the inheritance.

"In this way, the eastern direction is protected and made peaceful and secure. 

[Translated from the Pali by John Kelly, Sue Sawyer, and Victoria Yareham]