Luang Pu Khan Thanwaro

Luang Pu Khan Thanwaro

Luang Pu Khan Thanwaro was a great tudong monk who was a disciple of both Luang Pu Khao Analyo at Wat Tham Klong Ple and Phra Ajaan Juan Kulachetto at Wat Tham Chan. At the cave, he suffered a lot of hardship, including malaria, which gave him severe symptoms and pain. 

However, he did not give up and used the “Dhamma Osoth (medicine)” to heal his elements from the fever until he was completely cured. 

As Luang Pu Juan’s attendant, he would go and take care of Luang Pu until late at night. As it was getting close to midnight, Luang Pu Juan asked Luang Pu Khan to go back to rest. As he walked down from the kuti, he came face to face with a tiger (which are usually nocturnal). 

Luang Pu Khan said that he was struck by fear and helplessness but his sati arose, and telling him to sit in samadhi and pawana. 

Soon his mind was calm and converged into samadhi, contemplating the body in the body, and the Dhamma manifested in Luang Pu’s mind. When his mind withdrew from samadhi, it was already early in the morning and the tiger was nowhere to be seen. Luang Pu Khan lived in Tham Chan for 2 years, namely his 5th and 6th vassa. 

Later on, Luang Pu Khan became a meditation master and Ajaan in his own right, and he helped build Wat Pa Ban Lao. During this process, he found an old, small golden Buddha statue, which was presumed to have been built since the reign of King Kue Na. King Kue Na is the 6th Lanna King of Mangrai Dynasty and is also the person who brought relics now contained at Doi Suthep. 

When the news of a powerful and mysterious golden Buddha image was found spread, the local politicians all came together and urged Luang Pu to lend the statue to them as they wanted to worship it. Luang Pu Khan was at first reluctant but finally assented after some pleading. However, no matter whose house the statue was placed in, the family of that household would fall ill. This happened again and again. 

Finally, the Buddha was returned to Luang Pu Khan. But Luang Pu Khan told his luksits that he was not the true owner of the statue, he was just a safekeeper. Until one day, someone from Chonburi arrived and Luang Pu commented, “This is the true owner of the Buddha” and gave the golden Buddha to him. 

This story tells us that if we are not the true owner of something, no matter how we try to keep it by our side, it will still have to leave us eventually. We cannot force things but have to let them flow according to affinity due to cause and effect. But in the end, these are still worldly treasures that we cannot take with us after we pass away.