My second trip on the river towards Wat Mahathad.

The first visit to Wat Mahathad, close by the Grand Palace, was very interesting and engaging for my fuzzy mind on that day. That’s probably why I forgot my reason for visiting the temple. Wat Mahathad was having the 338th Anniversary celebration so there would ge free performances, flea market, food plaza and free entry to all the halls in the temple. My objective was to see the newly discovered sword of King Rama l’ s brother who was the commander of Siamese army. He was highly respected for his fierceness and skills in battle fields.

His sword which was gifted to this temple as a candle holder had disappeared many years ago during a renovation of the temple. A Thai historian spent years hunting for this missing sword at various antique dens. One day last year he saw a photo of this sword shown to him by a Thai antique dealer. He couldn’t afford the high price so that man sold it to a collector. The historian could track down the sword and had to sell all his cameras and lenses to buy this old sword.

This historian was a teacher and expert on antique or old weapons. He had a big collection of old weapons but he didn’t want to keep this historical sword and wanted to return it to the temple as candle holder. So, the day before the temple’ s anniversary celebration, he returned this famous sword to the abbot of Wat Mahathad.

I was very impressed with his sacrifice and intention to show his gratitude towards the deceased Viceroy for saving Siam from being defeated in various battles with Burmese and Cambodian invasions. The sword was put on display after a religious ceremony to welcome the sword back to the Ubosod (main hall. This news brought lots of old generations of Thais to visit the temple and pay respect to this sword.

The Viceroy (brother of King Rama l) used to be the right hand man of King Taksin who fought for independence of Siam from Burmese rule under nine months. When his brother, who used to be the commander of King Taksin’s army, became the first king of a new dynasty, the younger brother became the Viceroy and lived in the palace opposite the Grand Palace. He continued to fight with invading armies sent by the Burmese kings and Cambodians.

He knew he had taken countless lives with his sword and felt that he needed to do lots of good karma when there was peace in the lands. He had built and renovated several Buddhist temples as offerings to the spirits of those perished in battles. One evening, as he was inside the Ubosod, he was moved to make an offering of his beloved swords to the Buddha as a candle holder. So, when people came to pay respect to the Buddha statue, his sword would hold lighted candles.

That’s why later on, people who appreciated the tough life of sacrifice by the Viceroy, built his statue holding the sword in his palms as an offering gesture. He had the sword modified as a long ‘boat’ with Naga design and cups for holding candles. His life was an amazing journey of an eighteen years’ old man who entered into King Taksin’s army amd became one of the best sword men in Siam.

The more I researched on stories about his life, the more respect and gratitude I had for him. I wondered why I missed the display of his sword during my first visit. One reason could be that I was overwhelmed by the strong vibes of the big Buddha and the main hall; there were so many ‘sacred’ items in one place. The other reason could be that many people were surrounding the display corner so I didn’t see the sword and just wanted to get away from the crowd.

But while I was walking around the temple, my feelings were quite ‘muddled’ as if I was ambivalent as to the ‘right’ reactions towards the viceroy statues in the temple. I had the feeling that I should have been there to pay respect to him a long time ago. Yet when I was in front of his statue, I couldn’t bend my knees or sit on the floor before paying my homage. There’s something preventing me from being openly accepting of him. That’s why I had to go back to the temple the second time to resolve my strange inner conflict.

After doing more reading, I began to understand why I couldn’t surrender my total ‘trust’ and dedication to either King Rama I and his brother. I had known through seceral dreams and psychic messages in the past that I was a soldier very close to King Taksin. So, the controversy on the demise of King Taksin and the enthronement of a new dynasty on the right side of the river always kept me at arm’s length, though I knew they did a good job at keeping Siam free from Burmese invasions.

When there’s a change of a dynasty or king, it’s customary to execute all the entourages and families of the previous king. All young members of King Taksin were executed and some forty close bodyguards were beheaded. I could havd been one of them. Although the new king and viceroy did ask these soldiers and bodyguards to change side and swear their royalty to the new king; no one accepted the offers. They chose to die with the old king. I admired and respected the chivalry of those old Siamese soldiers.

That’s probably why there was always a gap between me and the old King Rama I and his brother. In the old days, the three men were best friends who fought togetger side by side. I still haven’t found a credible account of what actually happened during the last year of King Taksin’ s reign. The historical reports and records were contradictory and begged more questions. Many Thai people wanted to have the whole truth on this matter. But I’m afraid this topic had become weaponised to create a rift among people and political parties.

If the Viceroy’ spirit were still in the other dimension, he would know about my past life and my role in that period. But I wasn’t allowed to know about the details of my past life. I really had to let go and practice good karma to pay for my bad karma of killing so many soldiers in battles. I could tell that some men and monks, who quietly came to pay respect at the temple, felt some past connections to the old King and Viceroy. These people still had the manner of trained soldiers from the past, they knew their places and stations with total loyalty and dedication. It’s a bit like the old Samurai who would be totally loyal and knew their duties.

During my train journeys I came across several people who used to be soldiers in the past. I could talk to them with ease and discovered that their family homes were from the old cities where troops were often involved in year long fighting. I often asked about their ancestors and the numbers of generations they had been in those places. They were probably under my supervision as they seemed surprisingly passive and respectful towards me. These men were usually very proud and independently guarded against strangers. I was lucky that they felt comfortable telling me about their families and ancestors.

The old world of honour, chivalry and loyalty had gone completely from the modern digital world. My trip to the temple was a nostalgic yearning to go back to the past to discovered some lost stories. I had to be satisfied with what I was allowed to perceive, as knowing too much wouldn’t be helpful any way. Some people still argued and tried to unearth historical evidence to support their beliefs about what actually happened in the past.

I had to remind myself to live in the present and be prepared for the uncertain future. This year will be quite a dramatic year for most Thai people. We would probably have political and financial crisis at the same time. So, I shouldn’t procrastinate or get distracted by silly issues any more. Hopefully, by praying and doing walking meditation regularly, I could help to add some positive vibes to the world and to send compassion to all sentient beings.

Wishing you peace, good healthy and prosperity.

Stay strong and cheerful.