Amulets of No Importance
On the 8th of May, 1779, a group of about ten army officers came to pay their respects to Luang Pu (Dun) before running to Bangkok that evening. In this group there were two Lt. Generals who, after speaking with Luang Pu for a time, removed their amulets which they wore around their necks and put them on a tray for Luang Pu to admire and bless for the, Luang Pu did so and then returned the amulets to the officers. One of the officers asked Luang Pu, “We know that you have made many amulets at various times, which of these is the most famous?’
Luang Pu replied, ‘None’.
Different Outlooks
Once three young men from another province came to see Luang Pu as he was sitting in a pagoda. Their behavior indicated that they were influenced by some disreputable monk from the way they sat lazily and talked in whatever they wanted. Worse still, they apparently thought that Luang Pu was interested in magical amulets and they told him of the various great monks who gave them ‘good and extraordinary things’. Finally they displayed these ‘extraordinary’ things and began to compare the, each bragging to his friends in front of Luang Pu. One of them had an amulet made from the tusk of a wild boar, one a tiger’s fang and one of rhino horn. They argued amongst themselves as to which of these was the most powerful and exceptional in many ways. One of the young men finally looked at Luang Pu saying, ‘Ah, Luang Pu, which of these is the most powerful, huh?’, Luang Pu appeared to be particularly amused and said with a smile, ‘None of them are good, none are special, all of them are just parts of dead animals.’
Acting according to Social Norms
Sometimes, I felt uncomfortable and afraid of wrong doing in being party to those who coaxed Luang Pu (Dun) into doing things he was not interested in. The first time was at the opening of the Acarn Mun museum in the Province of Sakhon Nakhorn at Wat Pa Suthavat where Luand Pu was attending the ceremony. There were many senior meditation monks attending. The lay people went to visit the different teachers there to pay respects and ask for favors. There were many that asked Luang Pu to blow their heads. When Luang Pu did nothing but just sat there, I said to Luang Pu, ‘Please just do it and get it over with’. Luang Pu then capitulated and blew on their heads. After that, when he couldn’t get out of it, he blessed cars, and after being begged by many, he consented to having an amulet made. Finally he attended an event at Wat Thumongkol for the blessing of a new amulet.
I was relieved when Luang Pu said, ‘My doing these things is just external bodily behavior following social norms. There is no involvement of my heart which leads to states of becoming or effects the Way, the fruits or Nibbana at all.’
SOURCE: EXCERPTS FROM:
THE TEACHINGS OF LUANG PU DUN (ATULO)
(taken from the Web. Translated from the book ‘Atulo’ Bhikkhu Khemasanto)
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