Place of the Lifelong Ordination Vow

     The Bang Nang Taen Canal Memorial Site in Nakhon Pathom Province is a place we have collectively established to pay homage to the teachings of the Most Venerable Phra Mongkolthepmuni (Sodh Candasaro), the Conqueror of Mara. This site represents the acknowledgment of his discovery of the Dhammakaya knowledge on the path of the Conqueror of Mara. It is at this canal where he made a profound determination at the age of 19, marking a significant turning point in his life.

When Phra Mongkolthepmuni was still a layperson, he was engaged in trading rice and traveled by boat for business. At the age of 19, on his return trip to Suphanburi, he sailed through the Bang Nang Taen Canal, which was a shortcut. This canal, in the past, was notorious for being frequented by bands of robbers who would plunder and attack boats passing through.

Thus, this canal led him to a crucial realization: everyone must experience birth, aging, sickness, and death, especially those close to us, like our ancestors. They had accumulated wealth but could take none of it with them after death. They could only carry their karma.

Phra Mongkolthepmuni reflected that if he followed in the footsteps of his ancestors and only pursued wealth throughout his life, he would end up like them, taking nothing but his karma. He decided to make the most of his human life by dedicating it to the highest purpose: ordination. He resolved to become a monk and remain in the monastic life for the rest of his life, seeing this as the most noble path in his human existence, particularly in an era with the presence of a Fully Enlightened Buddha to sustain the Buddhist teachings.

While traveling through the Bang Nang Taen Canal, he was at the front of the boat, with his crew at the back. He realized that robbers often targeted those at the rear of the boat, so he changed places, deciding to be at the rear himself. He made a solemn vow that if he survived, he would ordain and never disrobe, staying in the monastic life until his death.

This profound determination was not easily made and is akin to the Bodhisattvas, such as Prince Siddhartha witnessing the Four Sights. The commitment he made at age 19 led to his transformation into a monk, the realization of Dhammakaya, and the subsequent spreading of Dhammakaya knowledge and the conquering of Mara. This ultimately led to the expansion of Dhammakaya teachings worldwide at our Wat Phra Dhammakaya.

We honor and revere Phra Mongkolthepmuni by commemorating this site, as it represents the highest form of respect and the greatest blessing of our lives. The emergence of Phra Mongkolthepmuni was a monumental achievement, not easily accomplished, as Mara fiercely opposed his birth out of fear of the “Conqueror of Mara.” Therefore, it is fitting that we honor his teachings by establishing and commemorating his path.

We hope that the Bang Nang Taen Canal will inspire all monks participating in the Dhamma Yatra to achieve two levels of ordination and continue to cultivate their spiritual merits for a long time.”