Dear June,
Actually I should know but I can't remember right now, he only had a
small group and was not famous though.
I can tell you another story though about a very famous monk.

Anyone in Thailand in the late 1980s to early 90s will remember the
Phra Acharn Yantra sensation.
I met him in 1990 in New zealand where he had an entourage and was
very famous. I went to several talks and asked questions and was
invited on a trip with him and a few devotees. We left in the early
morning and arrived back evening and I was fortunate enough to be
able to chat with him most of the day, one to one.
I found him very personable and reasonably knowledgeable on Dhamma.
He told me how he became an ascetic and walked around tHailand and
stayed in caves - even before becoming a monk. It was a pleasant
day. The only qualms I had was that other members in our group -
both monks and laypeople- were making comments about how he had gone
beyond desire and so on (i.e. he was an arahant). This was not
within his hearing but he probably knew they regarded him this way.
To me he seemed like a normal and devout monk but I had not the
least idea that he had attained any stage of enlightenment.

The next year I went back to Thailand and was amazed how his fame
had grown. In 1989 he was well-known but now he was like a
moviestar. It seemed like every second taxi or bus had a photo of
Phra Yantra hanging from the drivers mirror. And several Thai
people that I visited had pictures of the venerable on their walls.
I think on his birthday it was reported that major traffic jamms
occured when 100,000 devotees tried to attend his temple in
Kanchanaburi. If I wanted instant admiration all I had to mention
was that I had spoken with phra Yantra.

I especially remember one occasion. I used to visit a Thai primary
school and have lunch with the teachers to practice Thai language.
They knew I was a student of a famous layteacherand also that I knew
phra
yantra. So one day the headmaster asks - with trepidation- who I
preferred, Ven. Yantra or the layteacher. I hesitated and eveyone was
silent-
it really was a question of importance. I said that actually I
prefered the layteacher becuase she could explain details of the six
doors in
a way I found very helpful. The headmaster never again had lunch
with me.

A couple of years later phra yantra was involved in a scandal and
his fame turned to notoriety. The headmaster - much to my surprise-
started attending discussions at the house of the one the layteachers
students and I think he is still a keen listener to her radio
programs.

Anyway the point of all this long story was that it let me see how
easy it is for people to project their hopes onto others.

So I see again and again, on every internet group, this or that
person is an arahant, etc etc etc,. I just shows the person writing
such things has no confidence in what the path realy is. They want to
put their faith in some living (or recently dead) symbol. Natural to
do this, but not the way.

I don't really study pali, just pick up many words from reading Nina
and others. Although about 15 years ago I had classes with Peter
masefield in sydney, that was my only energetic spurt.
Robertk

In Pali@yahoogroups.com, "junet9876" <junet9876@...> wrote:

> Thanks for sharing that. What's his name do you remember?
>
> How long have you been studying Pali? It is really taking me a

while.

> It's been like 2 years, and I think I'm still on the fifth page in
> Warder's book.
>
> Cheers
> June
>
> --- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, "rjkjp1" <rjkjp1@...> wrote:
>
> > Dear June,
> > I've visted Thailand 30 or so times and met a fair number of

buddhist

> > teachers. One enthusiastic student took me to meet one who had

all

> > sorts of powers (she said). I could't speak much Thai and so I

was

> > daydreaming during most of his long public talk. Anyway though,
> > according to the student this teacher knew every thought I had,
> > everything, and would know that I wasn't listening properly .

Funnily

> > enough later I met him a few times but we could barely

communicate, he

> > had trouble trying to decipher my poorly ennuciated Thai. Had to

get a

> > translator.
> > Robert