Luang Phor Thab, Wat Krabok Kheun Pheung, Rayong province
Luang Phor Thab, Wat Krabok Kheun Pheung, was a famous guru monk from Rayong province. He was known to be a good friend of Luang Pu Thim, Wat Lahanrai, and were known to share knowledge together. Luang Phor Thab was famous for using talcum powder to bless his devotees.He was so famous for his Wiccha on Metta that the local Rayong people have a saying for the 3 famous guru monks of Rayong, “Itthirit Luang Phor Pheng, Metta Mahaniyom Luang Phor Thab, Arkom Luang Phor Thim”, meaning Luang Phor Pheng is famous for his supernatural powers, Luang Phor Thab is famous for his Metta Mahaniyom wiccha and Luang Pu Thim is famous for his incantations and spells. Luang Phor Thab was always willing to help his devotees by bathing them in holy water (Up Nammon) and inscribe Yant Nak Nha Thong on them. After which he will give his devotees his See Pheung for their wishes and desires to be fulfilled but only in the size of one matchstick head.
The formula to create the See Pheung was learnt from a Karawat (layman master) named Khru Phu (Master Phu) from Ubon province. Luang Phor Thab met Khru Phu in his 30s during his 9th rain retreat and he expressed an interest in learning the Wiccha of creating this See Pheung as he felt it was very special. He visited Khru Phu regularly and after sometime, after sensing his sincerity, Khru Phu then imparted this knowledge to him completely. Luang Phor Thab only started creating his See Pheung in his 80s as he spent the past 50 years just to collect all the necessary ingredients to create his See Pheung.
Many of the ingredients were very rare and hard to find. These were some of the requirements necessary to create the See Pheung:
- The formula for creating Phra Somdej amulets with the 5 sacred powders: Phong Itthijae, Phong Patthamang, Phong Maharaj, Phong Trinisinghae and Phong Phutthakhun. Various minerals and auspicious wood and more than 10 types of rare herbs that Luang Phor Thab spent 50 years locating accumulating everything.
- One of the special ingredient used is a piece of wood known as Mai Gai Kook (or known as Mai Yaeng Yeh). This piece of wood is a piece of wood which a rooster held it in its beak and used it to hit the ground to create a “kook kook kook” sound. This was a rooster’s mating ritual to attract a female hen for mating and the difficulty of obtaining this wood is that only the person creating the See Pheung (meaning the person who has been imparted this knowledge) has to see the entire process with his own eyes and pick up the piece of wood himself. No one else can do it otherwise the formula will fail and the See Pheung will not be effective. It is believed that this piece of wood held by the rooster is a very powerful charm for Metta Maha Saneh and this wood will be used to stir the pot of See Pheung continuously. Many of these Mai Gai Kook were collected over the years to be used for stirring the See Pheung.
- Once the See Pheung has hardened to a solid state, Luang Phor Thab will use a piece of chalk to continuously write spells on the See Pheung then wipe them off onto a brass tray then repeat the cycle over and over again. Once the required amount of spells to be writtern were completed, Luang Phor Thab will then pour the chalk powder into several bottles to be kept.
- When Luang Phor Thab stirred the See Pheung with the Mai Gai Kook, for every 3 rounds, he will sprinkle some of the chalk powder which he had collected previously and will keep reciting incantations on the See Pheung. He will do this process daily for 108 times in the afternoon and after the process is complete, he will cover the pot with the lid and repeat it over again the next day.
Seepheung Kheow Geow Sao in the original vat created and blessed by Luang Phor Thab in Wat Krabok Kheun Pheung
A famous personal story recounted by Khun Pu, who received this See Pheung from Luang Phor Thab personally, recounted his experience of how he married his wife Mae Ai Yod.
When Mae Ai Yod was a very young girl, she was the most beautiful girl in her village. Many men, both young and old, from her village and from other villages, were captivated by her beauty and yearned to marry her. Khun Pu was one of them who was secretly in love with her but due to his inferiority complex, where he said that he had no talents and was an ugly man, he did not think he had a chance at all with Mae Ai Yod. She had never even once took a glance at him whenever they passed each other. He was also often ridiculed by his friends for lusting after someone who would completely not consider him at all. Every time this happened, he would feel very sad and depressed until one day, after a similar incident happened when his friends laughed at him, he was walking home when he passed by Wat Krabok Kheun Pheung. He saw Luang Phor Thab just sitting under a tree as if he was waiting for someone so he walked up to pay his respects to Luang Phor Thab. After giving Khun Pu his blessings, Luang Phor Thab seem to know what Khun Pu wanted. Luang Phor Thab said to him, “A person who is not good looking, it is very difficult for him to achieve what he desires. This is a result of not making enough merits in the past life and the merits in this life is also not sufficient to help.” Upon hearing this, Khun Pu started tearing and asked Luang Phor Thab, “What merits must I do in this life so that I don’t have to be ugly like this?” Luang Phor Thab said to him, “You have to stay in the temple for 1 month and sweep the grounds everyday to keep the temple clean. You will have to care for all the Buddha images and clean them daily. You must also assist and serve all the monks, regardless of senior monks or novice monks, during morning and evening chanting sessions and not miss any single one of this task that I have given. You must also dedicate these merits to the enemies of your past life so that your heavy Karma will be lightened bit by bit everyday.” Upon hearing this, Khun Pu immediately agreed to do so and began to stay in the temple from the next day onwards. Everyday he will perform his task and every time Mae Ai Yod came to the temple to make merits, he will avoid her so that he will not be reminded of his depression.
See Pheung Geow Sao in original traditional bronze container with a pair of Sarika Thakrud and a Look Om embedded in the See Pheung.
After 1 month when Khun Pu was supposed to leave, he decided that he wanted to stay on to perform these duties given to him. He was enlightened that it was better to stay in the temple and make merits to help in his future life than to be depressed at home all day thinking of the love that he could not have. Because of his dedication to his tasks and that his mindset had changed, he became to be well-liked by the devotees who came to the temple everyday. He stayed on for a whole year to continue making merits by serving the temple and the monks. He also never failed to take care of Luang Phor Thab and would massage him on his arms and legs daily. One day, he requested Luang Phor Thab’s permission to leave the temple as one of his relatives had repeatedly asked him to return home. Luang Phor Thab asked him to stay for 3 more days, which he agreed. After 3 days, Luang Phor Thab gave him his green See Pheung which was slightly more than what Luang Phor would usually give his other devotees. After Luang Phor Thab gave him instructions on how to use the See Pheung and the prohibitions that came with it, Khun Pu paid his respects to Luang Phor Thab and thanked him before leaving. Less than a few months later, the news had spread that an ugly man who stayed in the temple for a year had asked for the most beautiful girl’s hand in marriage and that her parents and herself did not object. Mae Ai Yod’s parents even built a matrimonial house for them and told them to start a new life together. Khun Pu recounted that when he left the temple and had to find work in another province, he wanted to see Mae Ai Yod for the last time before leaving. He had never spoken to her before and did not know what to say even when he sees her. He went to a nearby fruit stall to buy some fruits and before walking to her house, he applied Luang Phor Thab’s See Pheung on his lips. At the same time, Mae Ai Yod was on her way home when she saw a group of men asking for her hand in marriage. As she was not interested, she did not enter the house. Khun Pu then walked up to her outside her door and said to her, “I am leaving for another province to work and I wish to see you for the last time before I leave. These are some fruits that I bought for you to show my sincerity. I dare not ask for your hand in marriage as I know it is impossible between us.” As he said this to her, the group of men in her house who overheard the conversation started roaring in laughter. One of them even said, “Take a look at yourself, you are so ugly, which woman would ever want to marry you?” Upon hearing this, Khun Pu turned and ran home in sadness once again.
See Pheung Geow Sao in original traditional bronze container with a pair of Nok Sarika Lin Thong embedded in the See Pheung.
As he was prepared to leave for his new job the next day, he was approached by a servant of Mae Ai Yod, who informed him that he is invited to her home. Khun Pu followed the servant and entered Mae Ai Yod’s house, where he was greeted by everyone in the family, with Mae Ai Yod seated beside her parents. Her father said to him, “I’ve seen you before many times outside my house to look at my daughter. I have also seen you at the temple before where you diligently worked to serve the monks. We have no objections with how you look and neither does my daughter.” As Khun Pu turned to look at Mae Ai Yod, she smiled at him and said, “I’ll be happy to live with you and you do not need to wait for our next life to be together. I only see a good person for his heart, not how he looks.” They were then married and Khun Pu’s story is just one of many miracles of Luang Phor Thab’s See Pheung.