Doorway to Heaven

Go to the temple that is the

This temple takes a bit of getting to, as you will will understand as you read this story, so only the really keen Buddhists take the trouble to actually get all the way there.

The location is about 30km west of Chantaburi, and the drive there from Bangkok takes about 2.5 hours. All easy highway and motorway driving for the most of the trip, and a rented car is about 1,000 baht for the day, and on this trip, we used 900 baht worth of petrol. Quite cheap really, as there was five people in the car, so per person, not a lot for the travelling cost. (fuel prices now, at 2008 have more than doubled)

Upon arrival, that is, as far as you can go in your own vehicle, there is a large array of makeshift tents and even some shade cloth erected over the parking area. Lots of the usual food and drink stalls. Also, any other marketable stuff is sold here like orchids, bags of tiny gravel that is supposed to be rubies from the local mines, and Buddhist trinkets.

The first noticeable thing is the large contingent of pick-up trucks that are made as Song-taows, that is they have gates on the sides, and two seats on the long sides.Then, wandering around a bit, you can get the hang of what is happening here.You cannot drive your own car up the mountain to get to the temple, and have to pay to go for a ride in one of the pick-ups. Interesting prospect that, as they load a standard vehicle with as many people as possibly can fit in there, and point the thing up a very, very steep hill and hit the throttle. Fortunately, these are reasonably powerful, and do seem to be up to the job.

The fare is 35 baht per person, and that takes you up the end of the first stage of the journey. This is about two-thirds of the way to the top, and at the point where the vehicles that you are in are not up to the really rough and even steeper last section.

So, again, you have to line up for tickets, this time 45 baht, to carry on to the top. By the way, these are not return tickets, so walking down is always optional, but not very often done.

As it turns out, it is a three stage journey to the site of this Buddhist shrine. This place is now quite widely known throughout Thailand. It has acquired a reputation for passing on very good luck to all who bother to make the pilgrimage. Every person that I spoke to had the same story about the very high monk who blesses people and things up there. It is said that whatever you fervently wish for when you are in the presence of the monk will come to be – but only one thing – you cannot make multiple requests. And asking for lottery wins don’t count and will not work.

Fortunately, on this day, it was a little overcast, and even threatening to rain later in the afternoon, which I was thinking would not be such a bad thing, as it should keep things a lot cooler. However, later I was to think that the trip back down would be incredibly dangerous after rain, as the road was entirely made of clay, which I would have thought would become very slippery when wet.

So, with great anticipation, off we set for the top of the hill. Holding on so as not to have the last person be pushed out, the truck roared along and all aboard not seeming very concerned about the possibility of the vehicle not having enough grunt to get us all the way up there. I guess they all believe that it does this all day long, so the chances of having a problem are not that great. There are signs all the way up to show that we are actually going to find the right place, but the condition of the road got gradually worse. The driver often had to revert to the lowest gear to get up some of the steep curves and hair pin turns. By this point, of course, you are committed to the journey, and there is little option but to put your faith in experience of the driver, and hold on.

No real problems though, and there was a lot of interesting things along the way. The very dense jungle growth all around was cooling but the roar of the engine obliterated any of the natural sounds.

Finally, we near the top of the first stage. The road, although steep, was mostly reasonably good. Upon arrival, there is a mad scramble to get off, because all want to be first in line go get their tickets for the second stage of the journey. Line up, get your tickets, then get to the boarding point for the next truck headed to the top. Not much here, some food and drink stalls and some trinket shops, but all very temporary looking buildings.

Stage two, and this being a much stronger and tougher looking pick-up, you have to know that it is going to be a very interesting ride. I was already a bit tired, and my arm aching from holding on for the first trip, it was good to have some rest time. However, the wait was not so long, and pretty soon, we were crowded into another truck to continue the assault on the summit. A hastily taken photo here, while trying to avoid becoming a real spectacle for the locals by falling out of the truck. Also, wanting to be sure not to lose the camera, hat, bag, and all other lose items.

The driver did warn us to make sure that all bags were secure before we departed. If anything falls out, a stop to recover items would not be so easy. Another hastily taken photo does not show a lot other than that the track wandered up the mountain. There were a few people walking at various points on the way. I think that their job was to quickly fill in any pot holes in the road that could cause a problem.

Also, there are various flags dotting the way up, and occasional signs advising of things that only Thai people needed to know as they were all in Thai only.We foreigners were not catered for, but then again, I was the only foreigner there at the time. So, here you are! This place, as ramshackle as it looks, is the destination that you have paid the money to get to. But of course, this is only the end of stage two on the way to the shrine. There is no road access to the top, so the last stage is on foot, and still uphill – very much so up hill. Only the fit pilgrims get to go up to the shrine.

Now the shrine,well, actually this mountain is composed mostly of very large boulders, and near the top of the mountain, there is one particular stone that is balancing on top of another boulder. At the start of the walk, everyone has to be fully kitted out with incence, candles and flowers to put at the various little shrines along the way. Each large stone or unusual formation takes on special significance, and so worthy of your gifts of a flower and a candle and some incence sticks. Make a wish, and place your offerings at the shrines, and you are sure to have lots of good luck.

Also all along the way are placed temple bells, and to ring the bell three times will surely bring good luck. To tap the bell with a coin is very good luck for your money affairs.

Above is the first shrine, and I would think it a good idea at this point to wish for lots of energy, strength, and protection from fainting on the way.

Then, there is another rock formation which, when covered with the golden cloth, vaguely resembled the reclining Buddah, so, of course, this was a very special place, and much honored with flowers, candles and incense sticks.

Occasionally, on the way, there was some glimpses of the countryside.You cannot go this high on the mountain and not get some very spectacular views. Although it was still a very overcast sky, the view was wonderful.

 

 

 

Now, getting very near, we come to this sign.Thai script for “Doorway to Heaven”.

 

 

 

 

This sign lets you know that the shrine is not very far. This is painted onto the rock where the path goes between two large rocks which do indeed look to form a doorway.

With the summit in view, the weary pilgrim can take a break at various resting spots along the way. For a very small sum, you can buy Chinese tea to bolster your energy and strength. It was very good, does a great job of quenching the thirst, and refreshes the mouth.

Also along the way, there are many beggars. One could not help but to question how these people actually got up on the mountain. Some of them were severely incapacitated, one was in a wheelchair, others with limbs missing, and most looking like they could never possibly make such a climb. So, a few coins to them just for making the effort seemed totally in order.

At last, here is is – this is what it has all been for. One bloody great rock (BGR) stuck fair on top of an even bigger bloody great rock (EBBGR). Now, to approach the BGR, one has to take off one’s shoes, because to walk on the EBBGR is the same as walking within a temple. So, respect must be shown for this special place.We did arrive at just the right time though, because there was the start of a very large ceremony.This special place is only open for two months right at the end of the Thai lunar year. As this was the very last day, what was about to happen was like closing ceremonies for this period. No fewer than forty monks turned up and started to take their places for the ceremony.

The large rectangular cement box placed in front of the shrine is for the placement of flowers, incence sticks, coins and any other offering that people wished to make. Now, this was starting to get quite interesting.We made our offerings of flowers and other suitable things, then took our places for the events about to unfold. Now, being the only foreigner, I did tend to get noticed, I could hear lots of comments about me, mostly favorable I think. I moved to a place that seemed to offer a good view of all the proceedings but what I did not know is that I was would be sitting right at the top, next to the three very senior (I guess senior) monks at the top of the offering box.

I was unintentionally becoming something of a celebrity here. So, here I am, sitting under the BGR and on on the EBBGR, and it was not really very comfortable at all. The position was sloping down, the surface very rough, and the most appropriate sitting position not really natural for guys like me.

I am sitting directly on the left of the guys here. They did all seem to be quite pleased with me being here, and all smiled their approvals every time I looked up.This did make me feel okay a about being there, but it was obvious that the seating arrangements would get quite uncomfortable after a while. Now I could fully understand why there were a lot of blanket like mats all around where the monks were sitting. They had been here before, unlike we, the uninitiated, who got to sit directly on the EBBGR and get very sore bums in the process. This ceremony was to take more than one hour, so by the end of that time, I was very pleased to be getting up.

One of the monks was the master of ceremonies, and he let the proceedings.There was a very long period of chanting and many of the other spectators joined in.There was one older lady who chanted along with much gusto, and seemed to know very well the entire routine by heart. Many of the others followed it along from the book that most seemed to have with them.

There is the string that is quite common when there is the Buddhist ceremony going on. At other such occasions, I have only seen this strung between the monks participating, but on this occasion, it was also passed through the crowd, and so I was first in line after the monks to be holding the string. I think that it is ceremonially linking all together with the devotions, so adding strength and unity. It has never been explained to me officially, so this is really just my take on why they have this incorporated into the service. Just as the ceremony was drawing to a close, and the MC monk was addressing the crowd, I became aware that the entire crowd and all the monks were looking at me, mostly smiling. I started to listen more attentively to the Thai that he was speaking. My Thai language skills are pretty basic, but if I listen very carefully, I can get enough words to get a fair idea of what is said. He was telling all the people about what a great bloke I had to be. I was sitting there throughout the whole thing, and he acknowledged that I was not comfortable, could not understand much of what was going on, but was trying hard, much more so than many of the locals.

Quite a tribute to me, and all that I thought I was doing was to hang out and observe the locals for their customs, culture and religion. So, with all that formality out of the way, I am very glad to be standing up, and stretch my legs. Here you see me standing under the BGR, still barefoot on the EBBGR, which is at quite a steep slope. Actually there is a real danger of falling and it was quite difficult to walk around on here. There are children behind me checking out what is under the BGR. Many people throw coins and flowers and other offerings under the stone. I guess this is because this being no ordinary BGR, but this is a very special place. Now I cannot comment on if they kids were pocketing the coins that they found under there, but that would seem to be a non kosher thing to do.

There are also other, smaller shrines around in the same area. All these seemed to attract the attention of the people, and offerings were frequently made here.There are also the temple bells which you can ring for good luck. Again, I am no expert here, but I believe that three chimes is preferred, or if there is lots of bells, one strike against each of the bells is enough to allow some of the good luck to come your way. I rang my share of bells, but still did not feel super lucky.

Perhaps it is that I am lucky enough just to be here. After the ceremony, and all the monks left, we moved out of the “temple” area, and on to see some of the other activities of the place.We were expecting the main guy, the top monk for this place, to turn up later. This would allow us the opportunity to have our personal belongings blessed and this was the part of the whole day that would bring us the best luck.This monk was the one with the reputation to be able to allow people to receive the one thing that they focussed on the most while he would bless them then throw the “holy” water around.

This place is also well known for the special oil that is produced here. Monks will issue you with oil, which you can even swallow, as well as rubbing on your hands, hair and anywhere else that you felt would allow it to bring you good luck. The process starts that you approach the monk, and show your respect. He will then be happy to allow you some of his oil, and this oil has been heated up to a quite warm temperature.

Now I have no aversion to having a go at most things, but this lot did take a little extra courage. But, what the hell, I did get a top rap from the monk doing the MC work in the main ceremony, and it was probably expected that I could go the whole distance and take on a bit of this “special” oil and enhance my good luck. It was hardly a great flavor, and I can only describe it as a blend of machine oil and very old cooking oil. Hardly delicious, and I did not see any of the locals lining up for a second shot at it either. But it is amazing what many of folks will do in the name of attracting good luck if they truely believe. Am I luckier now? Maybe so… I ingested the oil without any ill effect.

We were then able to go and get an audience with the most respected and highest ranking monk. He arrived, took up his position and many people gathered around him.With all the people sitting on the floor in front of him, there was no room at all by the time that we arrived. However, I was spotted by one of the younger monks who was acting as sort of an usher. He immediately beckoned to me to come forward, and sit in front and a little to the side of the monk. That was fine, but I do always feel a little self conscious when that sort of thing happens. (Actually it does happen quite often because of the novelty of having a foreigner join in the ceremonies.) We then gave our handbags, jewelry, and anything else that we may have wanted blessed, over to the “usher” be placed in front.The monk then started a chant and placed his hands on all the gathered personal effects.This process went on for some five minutes or so.

There was quite a stack of bags and other goods from the crowd that were all passed in for the blessing. After the monk was satisfied that everything was sufficiently blessed, and he threw a heap of water all over the gathered crowd for good luck, he then proceeded to hand back all the bags and personal items now properly blessed. This did really remind me of a Christmas day with Father Christmas handing out the presents, much to the delight of the recipients. He held up each item in turn, the owner of the item then somewhat excitedly identified themselves, and the monk threw the item to them.This is especially important for ladies, as the monk must never touch a woman – at all. Even inadvertently, such a touch would require the monk to have some ritual performed by another monk to ensure that there was no effect to the monk because of that touch.This is taken very seriously, and so there is probably more to it than I have heard, but I guess that it affects their spirituality should any immodest thoughts creep in. So, a policy of total untouchability from any woman is strictly maintained. (That kicks me right out of being a monk, I guess, and you gotta wonder about how this works in the real world, or behind closed doors.) With the blessings being now concluded, our top monk tried to engage me in conversation, but with his minimal English, and my mostly bad Thai, the conversation did not last long.

So, now it was time to head back down the hill.The one kilometer hike up felt like about five kilometers, but the walk down felt like only a couple of hundred metres.Very easy walking, but did take some concentration on the path, as much of it was not very well made. People are also expected to keep an eye out for any monk travelling the walking track and make way for him. I did make a mistake and move in front of a monk, but it was not a serious infraction of the protocol and I think that the monk and the people near me did understand that it was unintentional.

Once back at the base camp, we purchased our tickets for the ride back down the mountain in the pick-up trucks. Now I was very thankful that it had not rained, as I was certain that the road would be extremely treacherous when wet, and I am not sure how they manage to get the people down after rain. Sufficient to say that I was happy not to have to find out. It was actually quite uneventful and we arrived back at the car park without any problems at all. After a nice enough meal, we headed back to Bangkok. As a parting sign from this place, the lady who served our food again told us that it is quite true that whatever you wish for in this place, in presence of that monk, you will surely receive. Hmmm, the jury is still out on that one, so have to just wait and see what happens.

No, I will not tell you what I wished for. This story written with apologies for my terminologies, and I mean no disrespect for any monk, pilgrim, or Buddhist person who may read this account. I respect the people, their views and culture enormously, and am very happy, and even feel highly privileged to have participated in this day. I will remember it always with great fondness.

The Doorway to Heaven……. an adventure and an experience.