Passing of the abbot of Wat Pa Ban Tad

[confusedlayman]

Bhantes, I didn't understand why the funeral service was so soon. I thought it was normal to have a week of mourning.

I've read three different (though not necessarily incompatible) explanations offered in the Thai language press: that Ajahn Sudjai had expressed a wish for a quick and unfussy funeral; that cremating the body without delay would serve to minimize the size of the crowds attending the funeral (i.e. only the locals would be able to make it) and thus reduce the risk of Covid infection; and that the condition of the ajahn's body would have been a health hazard if it wasn't cremated quickly.

Hi bhante, why he didnt escape or he was in deep meditation that he was not aware of fire? i think he was in good health to escape himself ? or he conciously exit the body by will?

[Dhammanando]

why he didnt escape or he was in deep meditation that he was not aware of fire? i think he was in good health to escape himself? or he conciously exit the body by will?

In the early afternoon of the hot season most monks at Wat Pa Ban Tad would have been taking a nap. I think it's most likely that the ajahn was too. His health was actually quite poor, having suffered with Parkinson's disease for some years. I don't know what he was taking for it, but I believe most of the medicines commonly prescribed for it have somnolence as one of their side-effects.

Though it's not official yet, it seems probable that the fire was caused by a faulty air-conditioning device, based on the location where the fire seems to have started. This is quite a common cause of fires in the Thai countryside because most rural electricians don't see the need to earth anything. Even heavy-wattage devices like washing machines are commonly run on two-pin plugs.

or he conciously exit the body by will?

How would I know?

[pegembara]