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The day again started with the refuges, precepts and chanting and
visitors, now arriving in large numbers from all over Thailand,
were able to pay respect to the relics during the morning. At 11.00
am the monks were offered their meal followed by a group meal in
the open air for all present, with 'picnics' scattered all over
the grounds.
The person who were to receive the relics were carefully registered
in the early afternoon and seated outside the Uposatha Hall in order
(each with a large red rosette bearing a number!). Mom Rachawong
Thongnoi Thongyai, Secretary to the King of Thailand, and Chairman
of the Rama 9 temple Lay Buddhist Association acted as Master of
Ceremonies. After a talk and welcoming speech to the huge gathering,
there to witness the first major distribution of relics in living
memory, the recipients entered the Uposatha Hall in their own procession
to each pay respect to the relics and the temple's Buddha Rupa,
and to take one of the relic Chedis placed in front of the main
Buddha statue, witnessed by the monks seated along one side of the
Hall and guests of honour on the other side. On leaving the Uposatha
Hall each recipient was accompanied by two naval officer guards
of honour. For a further hour or so visitors were again eagar to
pay their respects to the relics before they were taken away to
the various temples throughout Thailand, and overseas.
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In the days leading up to the distribution, the total number of
recipients had increased as word of the relics spread to more far
flung regions, until finally in the last hours it reached 80, the
age of the Buddha when he died. 60 temples and centres in Thailand
were represented, including the Supreme Patriarch of Thailand who
received relics for his own temple Wat Bovorn in Bangkok, and another
20 temples and centres overseas. For Great Britain, an English Buddhist
monk based in Thailand received relics on behalf of Amaravati Buddhist
monastery in Great Gaddesdon, and Paul Dennison receieved relics
for our own Samatha Centre.
Of course this is a great honour, and is partly a recognition of
the patient work that has gone into establishing our particular
tradition of Samatha practice in England over the last 35 years,
since Nai Booman first started classes in London and Cambridge in
1964. More than that, though, it now establishes a direct connection
to the Buddha, and carries a responsibility to match this by developing
the Paths proper, in ourselves, for the benefit of future
generation of meditations.
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