Humble to the very end

 

Whenever an older monk walked into his room, he would prostrate himself, pressing his palms together to show respect. 

“He did so even when the other monk was just one day older,” his protege Phra Shakyawongwisut said.

The Nepal-born Phra Shakyawongwisut, 53, said, “He was truly a great example to monks”. 

He said the late Supreme Patriarch had never taken anything from those who invited him to a ceremony. 

“He would give back all donations and ask them to continue making merit,” Phra Shakyawongwisut said. 

Phra Shakyawongwisut was by the Supreme Patriarch’s side until his very last breath. 

“I respected him not just as my mentor, but he was also like my father,” said Phra Shakyawongwisut, who was in the service of His Holiness since 1975.

Phra Shakyawongwisut said that at around 4.30pm on Thursday, the Supreme Patriarch’s heart rate became slower and his blood pressure dropped. By 7pm, his health had clearly deteriorated. 

“During the critical stage, he appeared calm. It’s as if he had been meditating,” Phra Shakyawongwisut said.

The Supreme Patriarch passed away peacefully at 7.29pm on Thursday, at the age of 100.

Phra Shakyawongwisut, who holds a doctorate in anthropology, considers himself fortunate to have had the Supreme Patriarch as his mentor. “He had analysed Dharma and pointed out that even after decades of reading the Tripitaka, the book of Buddhism still offered new knowledge.”

As assistant secretary to the Supreme Patriarch, Phra Shakyawongwisut said he was sad about the much-revered monk’s passing away. 

“But just like Buddhism tells us, nothing lasts forever,” he said.