Luang Phor Jaran

Luang Phor Jaran

Around 43 years ago, on the 14th of October, 2521 - Luang Phor Jaran met with a "fatal" accident. 

By then, Luang Phor Jaran had already attained the Apinya of "perceiving" or "noting" after mastering the 4 Foundations of Mindfulness, taught to him by Luang Phor Dam, the mysterious master in the forest. 

6 months before the incident, Luang Phor Jaran was deep in his kammathan meditation when he perceived a nimitta - that he would die in a fatal accident on the 14th of October that year, at 12.45pm. This was to repay his debt of breaking birds' necks, which was a habit he had when he was a kid. 

Luang Phor Jaran considered this matter and felt that a person who practiced Vipassana and the Satipatthana is unlikely to have just fanciful nimittas, and therefore it is likely to be true, considering his heavy past kamma. Therefore he made arrangements for his death by bidding farewell to his relatives, giving away all his belongings and money to the mak naayok (deacon) and informing the Chao Awat about all his affairs. 

Luang Phor himself related at the time, "It’s possible to know one's death in advance. 

Meditation is so beneficial. If you know in advance you are not so taken aback and unprepared. 

Mindfulness (sati) is the factor that organized your work, clear comprehension (sampajanna) is that which does the calculations. 

Mindfulness and clear comprehension told me these things, so I took my leave of everybody, passed on all my duties and responsibilities."

Closer to the date, Luang Phor Jaran had received a letter from Luang Phor Dhammanana, the Sangha chief of Lopburi Province, who summoned all the ecclesiastical heads for a meeting at Wat Kavisraram on the 14th of October. Luang Phor knew that he could not refuse and his time had come. They left the Wat by car and turned right towards Lopburi. Finally, they had reached the Pak Bang market, when a tour bus smashed into 3 cars attempting to overtake a car that stopped and signaled that it was turning right at a junction. 

The force of the impact bent Luang Phor's neck towards his chest, and broke it. Luang Phor acknowledged this mindfully, as per his vipassana training. Then he perceived the Chao Kam Nai Wen (Kammic Creditor Lord) appear. Luang Phor knew that it was due to the evil deeds committed in the past and concentrated his mind to pae metta to him and ask for forgiveness for his immature actions committed as a child. 

His prayer was probably accepted as Luang Phor miraculously survived. 

However, he was severely injured and had to be placed in a cast, rendering it difficult for him to eat and drink. 

This again was due to the ripening of his bad kamma when he ate food that his Grandmother had meant to give to the Sangha, so he wasn't able to eat properly for 50 days despite being hungry and thirsty.

Admin: The moral of the story is that while we all have to accept the results of the kamma that we made in the past, if we practice well, pae metta to all beings and ask for forgiveness, there is a chance that we will be able to survive a crisis.