SECOND TO NONE The Biography of Khun Yay Maharatana Upasika Chandrawww.kalyanamitra.org Khon-nok-voonp; ' SECOND TO NONE The Biography of Khun Tay Maharatana Upasika Chandra Khon- nok-yoong DHAMMAKAYA f o u n d a t io n PATUM THAN!, THAILAND 1 www.kalyanamitra.org from the same distributors Academic 9789748920931 Buddhism into the Year 2000 9789748235875 Palitext CDROM Database of the Entire Pali Canon Biography 9789748940946 The Life & Times of Luang Phaw Wat Paknam 9789749274668 Second to None: Khun Yay Chandra Khon-nok-yoong Childrens' 9789748237954 Lion & a Woodpecker 9789748237985 The Malicious Fox 9789748237961 Matuposaka Jataka 9789749162033 Buddha's Life 9789745195264 Values Education for Peace: Peace Ethics for Kids 9789744990914 Values Education for Peace: Peace Ethics for Youth 9789746435932 The Lord Buddha's History Scripture-Based Exegesis 9789749058732 Buddha's First Teaching 9789749095218 Vanijja Sutta 9789749058718 Fruits of True Monkhood 9789749099612 Reforming Society means Reforming Human Nature 9789748277707 Man's Personal Transformation 9789749313558 Manual of Peace 9789749423035 Visudhivaca Vol.l 9789743498152 Visudhivaca Vol.2 9789748761824 Blueprint for a Global Being Lifestyle, Meditation, Inspirational 9789749498415 Living in Peace without Worry 9789748785547 Start Meditation Today! 9789749360781 How to raise the children to be Good People 9789740938002 Pages to Happiness 9789810577575 Tomorrow the world will change 9789749498408 Right Understanding (Optimistic Wisdom) 9789740973768 Warm Hearted Family 9789749478301 Pearls of Inner Wisdom (pocket) 9789810585211 Pearls of Inner Wisdom 9789810596378 Journey to Joy 9789810800444 Lovely Love 9789745193109 Family Day by Day Foreign Language 9789749180914 De levensgeschiedenis van Luang Pou Wat Paknam (NL) 9782953405615 La vie et l'oeuvre de Luang Pou Wat Paknam (FR) Instructional 9789749229330 The Ordination 9789749455371 Little Book of Buddhist Chanting 9786167200071 Little Book of Buddhist Chanting (London Edition) Commemorative 9789749297414 Sharing is Great: Tsunami 2 www.kalyanamitra.org This book is dedicated to Kuhn Yay Maha Ratana Upasika Chandra Kohn-nobyoong through whose example we can appreciate the profundity of the Dhammakaya Tradition down to the present day. 3 www.kalyanamitra.org A Dhammakaya Foundation paperback First edition 2005 Second revised edition 2010 Published by the Dhammakaya Foundation Department of International Relations Khlong Luang, Patumthani 12120 Thailand Copyright ©1996-2010 by the Dhammakaya Foundation All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or other­ wise, without the express written consent of the publisher. National Library of Thailand Cataloging in Publication Data Dhammakaya Foundation. Second to None: The Biography of Khun Yay Maharatana Upasika Chandra Khon-nok-yoong Bangkok: Dhammakaya Foundation, 2005. 174p. 1. Khun Yay Maharatana Upasika Chandra Khon-nok-yoong (1909-2000) I. Title 294.30922 ISBN 974 92746 6 0 Printed and bound in Thailand by SMK Printing Co. Ltd., 5/1 Soi Wannawan 2,14 Charoen Nakom Road, Klongtasai, Klongsam, Bangkok 10600. Tel. +66-2-4389972 to 3, 8620133 to 4. Fax +66-2-4395405. [email protected] 4 www.kalyanamitra.org Contents 1 Prologue............................................................ 7 2 The Fields of Nakom Chaisri............................11 3 Stepping Stone to the Temple.......................... 21 4 Seas of Fire.......................................................31 5 Newcomer at the Temple..................................37 6 The Meditation Workshop................................47 7 The Real War to be Fought...............................55 8 Passing of the Pioneer Root Teachers...............63 9 A Teacher in Her Own Right............................71 10 Training a Successor.........................................83 11 Establishing Dhammakaya Temple................101 12 Khun Yay's Twilight Years..............................125 13 Her Demise & Funeral................................... 157 14 Epilogue.........................................................161 Index..............................................................163 Bibliography...................................................180 How to Meditate............................................ 181 Acknowledgements........................................189 Further Contacts............................................ 190 Contributors...................................................191 www.kalyanamitra.org Prologue Most people's lives are preoccupied only with the pleasures of the senses, spending all day thinking about the temptations of eating, sensuality and power. When one's intentions are impure, it leads one's speech and actions to be impure making one selfish and a puppet to one's emotions. The way of life of a person willing to 'swim against the tide' of the mundane and the profane is a demand­ ing one. It demands practice rather than chatter and a mind filled with merit and goodness — the marks of a person who keeps up meditation practice throughout their life. It can demand a life of perfect celibacy — the sort of life looked up to even amongst the commu­ nity of Buddhist monks. It is hard to find a person of such pure intentions anywhere in the world — and the chances of finding such a person diminish with the passing years and the current swing of society towards material values. One such person, however once walked the Earth in the form of a Buddhist nun called Khun Yay (Maha Ra- tana Upasika Chandra Khon-nok-yoong), the founder of Wat Phra Dhammakaya which is one of the biggest Buddhist temples in Thailand. 'Khun Yay' is a title meaning 'respected lady master of advancing years' — a name she was referred to by her closest disciples. 7 www.kalyanamitra.org This book is the story of her life — a woman whose every breath was filled with meritorious deeds, whose every mental moment was directed towards Nirvana — her main virtues being gratitude, respectfulness, cleanliness, discipline, compassion, perseverance and being a good friend to others. Under the tutelage of The Great Abbot of Wat Paknam, Khun Yay devoted her life to studying the knowledge of Dhammakaya1 - becoming as a result, someone who guided other peoples' lives towards spiritual wealth both in this world and the next, while elevating peoples' minds in the direction of Nirvana in the footsteps of the Buddhist saints. With others she shared something hard for most to give, which is inner virtue amassed through the self-training of many decades. She was more to her students than many of their own parents, giving them the spiritual dimension to their lives - linking the knowledge of Dhammakaya in the oral tradition from its founder down to the present day. The knowledge she trans­ mitted is at the core of a community of millions of meditators throughout the world in the present day who are striving to perfect and bring peace to the world through meditation. Khun Yay once said, "Although I'm single, I have fledglings all around the world." Indeed, her compassion and example reaches those of all walks of life, in keeping with her name 'Chandra,' (the moon) whose soft light enchants everyone's heart. In Thai Society it is often hard for people to break 1. known in Thai as ‘vijja dhammakaya ’, this tradition is based on wis­ dom gained by those practising insight meditation beyond the attainment of hte body of enlightenment. It can be equated with the Threefold Knowl­ edge, Sixfold Superknowledge and Eightfold Supranormal knowledge of the Buddhist Scriptures. 8 www.kalyanamitra.org out of the social context they have been born into — unless they are truly exceptional. It is only by as­ sociating with sages, or by doing exceptional amounts of goodness that upwards mobility be effected. Khun Yay had what it needed to make that transformation. Her wiry and aged appearance belied her might in conquering the defilements of the mind. Her illiteracy belied extraordinary spiritual wisdom. Her two wiz­ ened hands belied the majesty of the huge temple she created with them. Through her virtue, Khun Yay was like a beautiful lotus flower growing from roots embedded in worthless mud. Not being able to read or write was no bar to her mastering supreme knowl­ edge — allowing her to teach even disciples much better educated than herself. Being a nun in Thailand is often not the most well-accepted occupations yet Khun Yay fulfilled her duties so completely that by the end of her life she was accepted by the monastic community throughout the world. This biography of Khun Yay's extraordinary life is a testimony to the goodness we have experienced from her - and although this can in no way fully repay the debt of gratitude we have to her, it can go some way to inform the future generations who had no chance to meet her in person, of her life of virtue as an example to those yet to come. 9 www.kalyanamitra.org The Fields ofNakorn Chaisri Socati puttehi puttima Gomiko gohi tatheva socati Upadhihi narassa socana Na hi so socati yo nirupadhiti Those who have children will have sorrow because of their children. Those who have oxen will have sorrow because of their oxen. Such attachments are the origin of peoples' sorrow. Nandana Sutta (S.i.108) It was daybreak in the paddy fields of 'turn of the century' Nakom Chaisri. A group of young men clad in dried palm-leaf hats and the rag-tag, drab-coloured