BWR trip to Ayudhya.

Dear Ven.Podi Mehinin Wehansa,

It is a while since I last wrote to you, I am sorry but I hope this letter find you well and happy and that your Wassana (Vassa) this year is a time of learning and spiritual growth as mine is here at the Temple of Ven. Bhikkhuni Dhammananda. We have been here for just over six weeks, time has gone so quickly, yet I feel privileged to have had the opportunity of spending my first vassa here in Thailand. A land of such significant Buddhist history to us as ordained Buddhist nuns, and especially for me as a foreign nun, very newly ordained, and trying to understand the historical background from which Buddhism emerged and spread throughout Asia and South East Asia, including Thailand.

During our BWR excursions that we have all participated in every fortnight, we have visited very significant Buddhist temples and places of ancient historical importance designed to further our understanding of the intense suffering that we humans inflict not only on ourselves but also on our fellow human beings, causing the destruction that is war of killing, of harming, as a result of greed, jealousy and hatred of each other.

Yesterday, the 14th September, 2004 we visited the city of Ayudhya, the original capital of Thailand dating back to the 14th century. It is a very lovely old city and one gets the feeling of a city capturing the best of Thai religion, culture, history and lifestyle. Unfortunately though it was totally destroyed in the worst battle with the Burmese recorded in the Thai history. The devastation and killing of the Thai people and especially of the hundreds of monks was visible over the entire city. The first temple we visited was Wat Yai Chai Mongol. The stupa, the Thais usually call Chedi, was built by King Naresuan upon his victory over the Burmese crown Prince in dual fight on elephant back in the true style of Royal enemies. One intent on destruction and the other on preserving what was rightfully his land, to the bitter end in which the Thai king was victorious. Upon his victory he built and named the Stupa Chaimongol or Jayamangala, Stupa of victory.

The detailed information about the sack of Ayudhya was supplied by missionaries who happened to be in Ayudhya at that time, who were not killed by the Burmese because they were foreigners. They supplied eyewitness accounts of the torture and shocking cruelty the Burmese inflicted upon the Thai monks and people before killing them.

The beautiful Sitting Buddha image in the main shrine is an original which survived the destruction and was later placed when the building was completed. The Ayudhya style stupa is very beautiful and the feeling of peace in this temple was very comforting for me. To the left of the main Buddha image is a life size image of the previous abbot who was responsible for the complete restoration of this large temple. Surrounding the main temple are many statues of the Buddha which have been recently placed.

We also visited and paid respect to the huge statue of King Naresuan situated in a separate modern style Vihara in the same compound. He is one of the best known kings in Ayudhya period.

Our next stop was at Wat Na Pramaen Temple. This temple was the only temple that survived the destruction of fire because the Burmese soldiers used it as their barracks. Surrounding the temple one can still see very beautiful ruins of stupas and many, many temples.

Originally on the back wall of this temple there was a painting depicting a scene of bhikkhunis but with the repaint of the interior of the uposathagara, it was removed. Above the strikingly beautiful Buddha image Is a chatra or tiered umbrella which is only used for images of the Buddha or Royalty, mostly there are nine tiers, but the one covering this Buddha image is five tiered. They were very beautiful. The temple had lovely wooden ceilings and stucco walls. From this main temple we went to a small vihara--the entrance doors were particularly beautiful carved wood. In the vihara there was a beautiful sandstone Buddha image of reasonable size brought in 9 pieces from Sri Lanka. We lunched in the ground of the temple surrounded by lovely ponds containing colorful carp fish. You would have loved this temple.

After lunch we visited Bang Pa In Summer Palace built during the King Rama V of the present dynasty about 120 years back. The palace has a very colorful history, the grounds of the Palace are particularly beautiful. Many of the buildings are colonial design, the Prathinang Uthayan Phumisathian, a Swiss style chalet still used by the royal members. We visited the memorial dedicated to Queen Sunandakumarivatana who drowned with her two children when her boat capsized on the way to the Palace. The distraught King composed in Thai and English a very moving composition himself in dedication to her. The last four lines: "Her bereaved husband whose suffering from so cruel an endurance through those trying hours made death seemed so near yet preferable".

Last stop, we visited a temple, the only temple in the whole Thailand designed after a Catholic church with steeples, porticos, etc. The Buddha image is seated on an altar and the windows are of colored stained glasses as in the Christian tradition. We had to cross the river to get to this temple by a chair lift, and the monks here are of Thammayut sect. The temple also has a small museum which is normally open only on weekends, but as a group of monastics we were specially granted permission to enter. The walls of the museum depicted the major ten jatakas, the previous lives of the Buddha. There were many ancient showcases exhibiting the volumes of Tripitaka, very decorated alms bowls as well as photographs and souvenirs of monks and ancient robes and costumes. Such history both Buddhist and historical, the like of which our country does not have as it still is a very new colonized country (Australia), but Sri Lanka, the first country Buddhist traveled to after its inception in India, is also full of history and historical places and temples. They dated back to the 2nd century B.E. and despite the wars and turbulent times over the years, has this wonderful history and Buddhist culture on which to look back and to draw strength and faith in the real Buddhist teachings in the future, so we do not have to experience the horror of wars.

Well my friend, I hope this letter is as interesting to read as my excursion was yesterday. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Much metta, Teruwan Saranai, Sudhira bhikkkhuni