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The Spiritual Biography of Phra Ajaan (Chao Khun) Keng
By: Syzthesis Date: February 25, 2023, 3:11 am
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Today I'd like to share the story of a Singaporean Gaeji Ajaan
of the Thai Forest Tradition, foremost amongst us Singaporeans.
I am penning this piece not merely because of his kindness to
me, to which I am grateful for, but as part of propagating the
Dhamma to the international audience outside of Thailand. It is
rather long, but I hope that you will continue reading.
There are very few forest monks who can converse in English,
Mandarin, Hokkien, Cantonese etc. And there are even fewer of
such teachers who teach not solely based on the suttas, but from
their own experience of jhana and samadhi. Ajaan Keng’s samadhi
is so strong that beings of other realms, such as the Devas and
Petas (hungry ghosts), are able to make themselves known to him.
Even the great Luang Pu Thuad paid Ajaan Keng a visit. Despite
his abilities and monastic titles, Ajaan Keng remains as down to
earth and humble as a man could be, and carries himself in a
manner befitting that of your friendly Singaporean uncle.
For those who have spent time in rural or forest temples in
Thailand, you will notice that the life of a monk in a city is
very different. I don't want to go into detail for fear of
offending others, but you will notice how much more comfortable
it is. Despite this, and being close to the "retirement age" (62
in Singapore), Ajaan Keng still prefers to go on tudong in
forests and caves, and to do community work with rural tribes
and Dhamma propagation.
But why would a Singaporean become a monk, and a forest monk at
that? This is his story, (compiled from my memory of
conversations with Ajaan Keng, his talks, and also various
sources. I apologise unreservedly in advance for any
inaccuracies).
Phra Ajaan Keng was born Ong Kah Keng on the 13th of May, 1963,
at a time when Singapore was still a Crown Colony of Britain. He
was trained in jungle survival skills as a Commando when he was
in National Service, which served him well for the time which he
would spend on Tudong, living in forests and caves. After his
compulsory stint in the army, which all Singaporean men had to
go through, he worked as a chef, and if my memory serves me
right, cooking Italian food.
Unfortunately (or fortunately for us), he did not last long as a
cook. His parami (spiritual qualities and merit) ripened, and he
developed a terminal illness in his youth. He went to the
doctors, who could not provide him with any solution, and
instead told him he'd probably be dead in 2 years. Desperate for
a cure, he went around to various temples seeking spiritual
assistance, but nobody could help him. Without external support,
he was forced to focus his attention inwards, and, using a room
at Wat Palelai, he spent his time meditating. When he finally
attained samadhi, he gained full faith in the teachings of the
Buddha Dhamma. He knew that ordination was the right path ahead.
And hence, Ong Kah Keng became Khemako Bhikkhu on 29 July 2530
(1987), at Wat Asokaram, Samut Prakaan Province, Thailand.
Phrakhru Sunthorn Dhammarangsee (Abbot of Wat Phayaprap,Phra
Padaeng), was his Preceptor, Phrakhru Suvanna Dhammajoti (late
Abbot of Wat Asokaram) was his Kammavācācariya, and
Phrakhru Nanda Dhammakhun (Deputy Abbot of Wat Asokaram), his
Anusāsanācariya.
Immediately after his ordination, he headed to Wat Dhammasathit,
Rayong, Thailand to begin his monastic training under Phra Ajaan
Thānissaro Bhikkhu, who was a Westerner and could speak
English. After the first three years of monastic and meditation
training, he felt that he had gained enough spiritual strength
and grounding in Dhamma-Vinaya and was ready to undertake the
dhutanga practices (tudong) and to go on pilgrimage in the deep
forests for even more intensive training in meditation. As he
had often heard of the beauty and tranquility of the forests in
the Kanchanaburi province from Phra Ajaan Thānissaro, he
decided to head to that location for his first tudong
pilgrimage.
He spent a very fulfilling and eventful period of intensive
meditation, living in the open forest alongside Phra Ajaan
Sathien Samācāro.This first tudong experience gave him
the confidence and conviction that newly ordained monks should
live in forested areas to develop their meditative skills. As a
result, he decided to spend time in the deep forests and
mountains of Thailand, preferring the forest contemplative
lifestyle of the forest monk to that of living in urban centers.
The intention to live the forest contemplative life saw him
spending the next five years (from 1989) in the deep forests of
Mae Sot and Chiang Mai, living on the kindness and support of
the hill tribes. Around the year 1993, he crossed paths with
Luang Ta Ma Wiriyatharo, the principal disciple of Luang Pu Doo,
when he was tudong-ing northwards, as Tham Muang Na was known to
be a suitable cave for tudong monks to take rest in while moving
upwards. I spoke to Luang Ta Ma and he said that he also
remembers the Dhammayut tudong monks who stopped by the cave
then.
While Phra Ajaan Keng was residing in Mae Sot, he was under the
tutelage of Phra Ajaan Den Nandiyo, another disciple of Than
Phor Fuang and Luang Puu Jia. Phra Ajaan Keng began studying
under the tutelage of Luang Puu Jia in 1988 - he first met Luang
Puu Jia on the occasion of the transfer of Than Phor Fuang's
body back to Wat Dhammasathit.
Phra Ajaan Keng was also trained to recite the Bhikkhu
Pātimokkha (the Therevada monks' 227 rules of conduct) by
Luang Puu Oonla Thitadhammo, Abbot of Wat Paa Kaew Chumpol,
located in Tambon Kho Tai, Amphur Sawang Daen Din, Sakhon Nakhon
Province. Luang Phuu Oonla is considered a specialist in the
Pāțimokkha recitation by his peers in the Forest
Meditation Tradition. Pātimokkha recitation is an important
monastic skill, as the reciter of the Pātimokkha has to be
able to remember all 227 rules by heart and to adhere strictly
to the procedures for doing so.
Phra Ajaan Keng subsequently went to live at Metta Forest
Monastery, San Diego county, USA, on the invitation of Phra
Ajaan Thānissaro. Wat Metta is located in the hills outside
of San Diego county and was founded by Phra Ajaan Suwat Suvaco
in 2533 (1990). Phra Ajaan Keng spent three Rains retreats in
Wat Metta, assisting Phra Ajaan Thānissaro in teaching the
members of the growing Sangha and lay community.
Upon returning from the USA, Phra Ajahn Keng spent time in
Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. With a growing following of
monastic and lay supporters, he founded Santi Forest Monastery
in the Ulu Tiram area of the State of Johor, Malaysia. While
working on the project to set up Wat Santi, he continued to look
for secluded forests in Thailand to continue his practice. This
took him to a tribal village in Omkoi, in Chiang Mai Province.
After four years in this area, he decided to help the villagers
by setting up a monastery there. He named this monastery Wat Paa
Doi Charoentam.
His intention in setting up a monastery in this remote village
was twofold: 1) to create a conducive environment for the
training of monks in the forest contemplative tradition, and 2)
to show gratitude and compassion for the villagers, giving them
the opportunity to make merit for a better life here and
hereafter. He considered the younger generation of monks not
mentally tough enough, and because most of them used to live in
city areas, as he had, they were not prepared for the harsh
conditions of living in impoverished conditions. The villagers
were mainly surviving on sticky rice and salt in addition to
chillies, so that was all that they could offer to the monks
during their alms round.
However, Phra Ajaan Keng felt very strongly, through his own
experience, that practicing under such conditions would create a
strong foundation for the monks. The founding of the monastery
in Omkoi helped not only the monks. The lay community from
Singapore and Malaysia also benefited from hill tribesmen had to
live in. A member of the Management Committee of Wat Santi once
visited Omkoi and commented that he realised how rich he was,
when compared to the poor the villagers, to Phra Ajaan Keng,
such harsh conditions were the perfect places for developing the
quality of Khanti parami (patient endurance).
Although he kept to the forest contemplative lifestyle,
preferring to dwell in forests and caves, Phra Ajaan Keng was
still active in propagating the teachings and practice of
Buddhism to the Peoples of Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. He
has acted as a mentor and guide to other monks from Singapore
and Malaysia. Over the years, he has helped more than 150 men
obtain ordination in the Thai Buddhist Sangha and is continuing
to do so.
To give more Singaporeans and Malaysians the opportunity to
obtain ordination and to enable the Sangha of Wat Santi to
conduct their official duties in accordance with the Dhamma-
Vinaya, Phra Ajaan Keng established the ordination hall in Wat
Santi, the first ordination hall of a Dhammayut monastery in
both Singapore and Malaysia. The consecration of the hall was
attended by 135 monks from both the Dhammayut and Maha Nikaya
sects of the Thai Buddhist tradition, along with more than 1,000
lay people from all three countries. Immediately after the
consecration, 68 men were ordained as monks in the ordination
hall, this is testimony of Phra Ajaan Keng's sphere of influence
and is indeed a first on all counts, in the history of Malaysia
and Singapore.
In 2015, in order to celebrate Singapore's 50th Anniversary of
Independence, Phra Ajaan Keng organised a mass ordination of 58
men in Singapore. As there was no appropriate sīmā
hall to ordain these individuals, a 'water sīmā' was
used to conduct the ordination, with a rented yacht dedicated to
the purpose. This was followed by nine days of monastic training
for the newly ordained bhikkhus. Together with the lay
community, the new monks participated in an overnight chanting
of protective discourses on the eve(8th August 2015) of
Singapore's National Day. Phra Ajaan Keng also arranged for the
minting and consecration of a special-edition amulet of the
Buddha blessing the island of Singapore to commemorate this
special occasion.
Phra Ajaan Keng's compassion is not just towards those who are
ordained or seeking ordination. He has also helped many
individuals in facing the challenges of daily life. One example
is that of a lady named Patricia from Singapore. She had
contracted cancer for about six years and although it was in
remission, it returned to attack her in 1991. As she was a close
friend of Sis. Wendy (Bro Sebastian's wife), Brother Sebastian
advised Patricia to seek out Phra Ajaan Keng. Together with her
brother, Kelvin, Patricia sought him out while he was residing
near a hill tribe village called Huay Pla Lod, in Maesot,
Thailand. He was on a retreat in an area called Saam Meung
Thung, Doi Puu Kaa, which was a branch of Luang Phor Daen.
When Patricia arrived at Luang Phor Den's main monastery and
told him of her purpose, Luang Phor Den sent a jeep with her
brother Kelvin to fetch Phra Ajaan Keng. After meeting at Huay
PlaLod and being briefed on Patricia's condition (terminal
cancer), he decided to help her out of compassion. He encouraged
her to constantly meditate to prepare for the final stage when
she had to face death. Subsequently, a fellow monk of Phra Ajaan
suggested that Patricia consult his uncle (who is also a monk),
a reputable holistic medicine practitioner who has been treating
cancer patients for a long period of time.
Together with his brother monk, Than Pok, and two other laymen
(Mr Toi and Mr. Chumphon), Phra Ajaan took Patricia to Wat
Khamyak, located at Tambon Khamyak, Amphoe PhoThong, Ang Thong
Province. Phra Ajaan attended to Patricia with the help of the
local people for 45 days, until her death. After her death, he
contacted Patricia's family and made the necessary arrangements
for her funeral.
Exhausted from the long stretch of having to attend to Patricia
earlier and then to her funeral, Phra Ajaan decided to go into
seclusion and stayed alone in the forest of Pang Ng at Tambon
PaPae, Amphoe Mae Taeng, Chiangmai Province. One night, during
this period of seclusion, while he was doing his walking
meditation at about 2 a.m., a glow of light brightened up the
forest near the end of his walking path. Phra Ajaan walked
towards the light and discovered that it was Patricia. He was
delighted to see her and quickly asked her what realm she was
residing at. She told him that she was among a group of Dhamma
emissaries and she came to thank Phra Ajaan for tending to her
while she was sick. Because her friends were waiting for her,
she had to leave. She vanished in an instant, and the whole
forest was darkened again.
Her taking rebirth in the celestial realm may be partly
attributable to the fact that she had a very compassionate heart
for others. For example, even though she was suffering from
cancer, she continued to volunteer her time to bring old folks
(who had no family support) for their medical appointments and
to help them communicate with doctors and nurses. Even though
Patricia was a total stranger, Phra Ajaan was willing to help
her tackle her illness. Such indeed was the extent of his
compassion for a fellow human being facing the last days of her
life.
Somdet Phra Wanarat of Wat Bovornnives Vihāra, in Bangkok,
commented to one of his lay supporters that Phra Ajaan Keng
impressed him by the fact that he came from an urban and
materially rich society yet was able to undertake severe ascetic
practice, keeping strictly to the tradition of the forest
masters.
This is something that a majority of modern-day monks find so
challenging that many of them never even attempt it. The Somdet
was also present at the ordination hall consecration ceremony
and had confirmed for himself the extent to which Phra Ajaan
Keng had motivated and aroused the faith of the laity.
In recognition of his contributions to the Sangha, the lay
community, and his missionary work for the promotion of
Buddhism, Phra Ajaan Keng was appointed a Thananukrom
(Assistant) to Somdet Phra Wanarat of Wat Bovornnives, with the
title of Phrakhru Phalad Samphiphathanasudhajaan Yanakosol
Vimonseelajaan Mahakhanatikan Nayok Bidoethammarakkhit on 17
September 2556 (2013), at Wat Bovornnives Vihara.
Later that year, on 5 December, Phra Ajaan Keng received the
ecclesiatical title of "Chao Khun" from the King of Thailand and
was given the name, "Vinaya Dhamma Videsa." This was further
recognition of his deep devotion to the practice of the Buddhist
path, his leadership of both ordained and lay members of the
Buddhist community, expressed in his mentorship and support to
his fellow monks and his propagation of Buddhism to the lay
community as a whole.
Just over a year later, in 2558 (2015), Phra Ajaan Keng attended
a training course for Preceptors (Upajjhāya), to gain the
necessary skills and certification to conduct Bhikkhu
ordinations. With this certification, Phra Ajaan has the
authorisation of the Thai Sangha to ordain monks in the
Southeast Asia region outside of Thailand.
In recent years, he has also been invited to many parts of
Malaysia, China (Fujian Province), India (Andhra Pradesh) and
various cities in Indonesia (Jakarta, Medan, Pekan Baru) to
teach the lay and ordained communities. There is a growing
interest in the teachings of the Forest meditation tradition in
these countries, and Phra Ajaan has been very motivated by their
keen interest to study and practice the Dhamma, Phra Ajaan has
indeed been living for the welfare and benefit of devas and
human beings.
Ajaan Keng currently resides in Wat Samphanthawong Geelong.
Cr: Wat Palelai Source, Ted who provided the softcopy version,
Kelvin for getting the Palelai book, original photo sources
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