When it comes to the Four-Faced Buddha, we can hear all kinds of rumours that make inevitably make many people sceptical about Thai Buddhism. There are also many unlearned fools who are fond of fabricating many unfounded stories to describe the Four-Faced Buddha, depicting the deity close to the characteristics of demons.

Who actually is Four-Faced Buddha? Do we make vegetarian or non-vegetarian offerings to Him? Do you really need to strip dance or perform an erotic dance in making thanksgiving? The source of the The Origin of Phra Prom (“Four-Face Buddha”)…

When it comes to Thai Buddhism, many people, especially the HongKongers, Taiwanese, Singaporeans and Malaysians, often mistook Phra Prom, commonly referred to as Four-Face Buddha, to be representative of the religion oblivious that Phra Prom is rooted in Hinduism. Thai Buddhism, as the noun denotes, is centred on Lord Buddha. In Hinduism, Phra Prom is known as Lord Brahma and is He is the God of Creation.

In our upcoming article on Phra Pikaniat, we will introduce to our readers the Hindu concept of Trimurti comprising Lords Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu as Supreme Gods. When these three Supreme Gods combined into one single super Being, they are collectively known as Phra Trimurti represented by a Three-Face God symbolising Creator, Preserver, and Destroyer in toto. According to the Puranas, the origin of Lord Brahma is varied and incoherent but it is not the interest of this article to delve into each and every version contained therein but suffice to summarise Lord Brahma as the leader of Phra Trimurti. The Siva Puranas, however, claim Lord Siva as the leader and, of course, the Vishnu Puranas also claim Lord Vishnu as the leader.

Lord Brahma, owing to his supreme position, is less portrayed in myths just like the Jade Emperor in Taoism. Both Gods in their initial stages do not have any visual conceptualisation whilst other Gods in both these religions are oftentimes represented in human forms and take on human characteristics in their spiritual voyages to connect with human believers. Visual depictions were all later creations. Lord Brahma is subsequently depicted as having four heads of which represented wisdom and where-from all the four Vedas originated, four arms, and has a peacock as vahanam (‘坐骑’).

To the astonishment of many people is that despite being the leader of the Supreme Gods, Lord Brahma is not widely worshipped amongst Hindus.

Legend of Curse of Lord Shiva

According to SivaPurana, once Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu were overwhelmed by pomposity as to who was the superior of the two. Their argument became impassioned and intense that Lord Shiva had to intervene and arbitrate. Lord Shiva transformed himself into a gigantic lingam (the phallic representation of Lord Shiva which is known as Palakit in Thailand). The lingam stretched in both directions from heaven to hell. Lord Siva told both Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu that whoever finds the ends of the lingam will the greater of the two. Both Lords Brahma and Vishnu took on the challenge and set out in opposite directions to find the lingam’s end. The search went on for many earth years and both their Lordships realized that the lingam had no end. Lord Vishnu then realized the fact that Lord Shiva was the greatest of Trimurti. However, Lord Brahma decided to deceive Lord Siva. He collaborated with the flower of Ketaki at the uppermost part of the lingam to lie to Lord Siva that He had reached the uppermost part of the lingam and had seen the end. When summoned, the Ketaki flower falsely testified that Lord Brahma had indeed seen the end of the lingam. Lord Siva became so infuriated by the dishonesty that He cursed Lord Brahma that He will thereafter never be worshipped by any human being. He also forbade the Ketaki flower to be used in any future Hindu ritual. Therefore, not many Lord Brahma’s temples survived in India today.

However, among the few Lord Brahma’s temples surviving Lord Siva’s curse is a fourteenth century temple in Pushkar, Rajasthan, India which sees large number of pilgrims annually. Lord Brahma may not have much remaining temples in India and may not have retained as many Hindu believers as He should, however, He undoubtedly did well in exile and has gain a wider and diverse base of believers in Thailand which helps Him expand territorially throughout the whole of SE Asia especially in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and now, in Taiwan.

Lord Brahma in Thailand

Although there is no Lord Brahma’s temple in Thailand but you are able to see statues of Lord Brahma worshipped in many temples and shrines across the Kingdom of Thailand. Perhaps the largest statue of Phra Prom measuring 7.8 meters high and 4.99 meters wide is located in Wat Chong Samaesan Sathirhip, Chon Buri, a historical temple constructed during the reign of King Chulalongkorn.

Another gigantic Phra Prom statue may be seen in Wat Saman Rattanaram Chachoengsao which has became a top tourist attraction in recent years.

Most foreigners who are not familiar with Thailand have only heard of the shrine at Erawan Hotel and are oblivious of other prominent places which housed and worshipped Phra Prom on larger scales. Besides those afore-mentioned, Wat Bangkudeethong also houses a majestically constructed statue of Phra Prom.

Foreigners are mostly familiar with the Thao Maha Phrom Shrine at the ceremonial court in Earwan Hotel at Ratchaprasong intersection. However, most, if not all, of them mistook the Thao Maha Phrom Shrine as a temple.

There are two stories in relation to the Thao Maha Phrom Shrine. One was pre-Internet version and another post-Internet version.

Post-Internet version

The latest version of the story relating to the Thao Maha Phrom Shrine omitted all mysticism from it. It was said that in 1951, Pol. Gen. Pao Sriyanon was appointed the Police Commissioner of Thailand. The Erawan Hotel at Ratchaprasong intersection was scheduled to be built to accommodate foreign guests. However, during the early stages of construction, many accidents occurred. Finally, after five long years, the project was completed at the end of 1956 and Rear Admiral Luang Suvachan was invited to the opening ceremony. Rear Admiral Luang Suvachan, however, complained that no proper ritual was conducted prior to the construction and the foundation stone was not laid in accordance to auspice of astrological requirement. Furthermore, the name of the hotel “Erawan” is the name of Lord Indra, the God of heavens, lightning, thunder, storms, rains and river flows and, hence, sacred. More misfortunes were prone to occur without appropriate blessings. Rear Admiral Luang Suwachan instructed that it is necessary to seek the blessings of Phra Prom, the Creator so as to absolve all obstacles.

The Phra Prom court was immediately built. The initial intention was to cast a bronze statue of Phra Prom and has it coated with gold leaves but, due to want of time, a gilded stucco statue was constructed instead. The Phra Prom shrine was finally completed in front of the Erawan Hotel on November 9, 1956.

Pre-Internet Version

The pre-Internet version of the story was infused with mysticism instead of astrological perceptions. It was speculated that the location in which the Erawan Hotel sits was an elephant burial ground during ancient time. The construction of the hotel, its pile caps and columns construction had disturbed the spirits of the elephants which thus ran amok causing accidents in the construction site. A monk was invited to perform some rituals at the site and saw the cause of problem. He, therefore, instructed that Phra Prom’s shrine be constructed to subdue the elephant spirits.

Whichever the version of Thao Maha Phrom Shrine is correct does not really matters because it is believed that the worshipping of Phra Prom helps dispel bad luck and frustration, and at the same time, promote good luck and success.

Today, the Thao Maha Phrom Shrine houses a new Phra Prom statue made in May 21, 2006 exactly two months after the original statue was destroyed in an isolated incident of vandalism. Nonetheless, the current Thao Maha Phrom Shrine serves as a generator of myths and tales for foreigners and a source of livelihood for some Thais who facilitate the needs to fulfilling the religious fantasies of foreigners.

As consistently mentioned in our other articles, sacred artefacts must be properly created and consecrated by Thai temples. It has all along been part of the Thai temple culture to make statues and amulets of Buddhas and Gods for believers to own and Phra Prom is also among the legion of highly demanded sacred objects. There are many temples making statues and amulets of Phra Prom but the most famous of them are Wat KiaoJamfar and Wat Noak.

Statues and amulets made and consecrated by Luang Pu Phrathep of Wat KiaoJamfar are quite pricey including the several batches of Phra Prom made. In contrast, those made and consecrated by Ajahn Jet of Wat Noak are more reasonably priced. Nevertheless, Phra Prom originating from both these temples are highly sought after for their effects.

Praying Phra Prom at Home

Another aspect of Phra Prom commonly misunderstood by foreigners is the setting up of a shrine at home. It is commonly misapprehended that Phra Prom must be worshipped outside of the house because He has four faces and neither must face the wall. His shrine should be analogous to that of the Thao Maha Phrom Shrine. Only if believers were to take a step back and look at Lord Brahma’s images in temples, it is not difficult for them to understand the above-mentioned misapprehension arose from stupidity. Once this stupidity is uncovered, the same will go for walking around Phra Prom’s statues when praying. Otherwise only the very rich people with their own yards may worship Phra Prom.

It is our culture and conceptualization passed down from our great teacher Luang Phor Somjit Sukkho that Phra Prom should be honoured on the same altar table as any other Buddhas and Gods unless for specific purposes such as that of Thao Maha Phrom Shrine.

Thanksgivings

When it comes to thanksgiving we are never short-supplied with funny actions from funny people. It is already sinful to offer meat to Phra Prom who is vegetarian and it is even more aberrant to strip dance before Him. The advocacy of strip dancing is probably influenced by the Hindu Story of Sarawati which is not within the discussion of this article but suffice to advise believers herein to discard such foolish act.

Actually offerings to Phra Prom are simple. The primary offerings comprise all types of flowers, fruits (especially coconuts), brown rice, sesame seeds, bean sprouts, herbs, pepper seeds, coriander leaves, basil leaves, fresh vegetables, incense, and frankincense. Just remember not to mix offerings.

History of Peejok Kumanthep

Peejok has been with Wat Suan Luang for a long time, approximately some 200 years. Wat Suan Luang is located near the Mekong River. In the past it can only be reached by boats. The river curves right in front of the temple and the water erodes the river bank. One day, a piece of wood was seen floating in front of the temple. A villager paddled his boat towards that piece of wood and noticed it resembled the image of a naked boy. Since then, that piece of wood has been located at Wat Suan Luang.

Since the time of Abbot Phraku Samut Viriyaporn or Luang Pu Perk, he had moved the carving of the naked boy next to the altar table in his room. Upon the passing over of Luang Pu Perk, the new abbot noticed the old kuthip has been damaged and has to be demolished. A new kuthip needed to be built. The ubosot project started by Luang Pu Perk was also incomplete. Furthermore, the temple also needed a bell tower. Other wear and tear also needed repairs. It was obvious that he needed money to carry out those renovations and repair works. But he did not have the money. One night the new abbot prayed then sat and meditated in front of the altar. It was almost midnight and in a vision, he saw a little boy 7-8 years of age who called out to him and said: “Luang Por, make images of me. I will help will help you rebuild this temple”. In the past, the temple has not made any images of PeeJok.

“Luang Por, make images of me. I will help you rebuild this temple.”

The new abbot decided to make PeeJok’s images. Firstly, Luang Por created 259 images. PeeJok told the new abbot that he did not need to invite any guru monks to help him consecrate those images and all he needed was to meditate. The new abbot mediated in front of those images for three months before he released that batch of images to raise funds. Quickly, those images were snatched up by devotees and the abbot had to come out with several other batches. Most of the money received from the sales was spent on building the temple. It was pleasant to learn that those who invited PeeJok have their wishes fulfilled be it business, luck, or career. Even the sacred temple hall that enshrines the Buddha statues to allow the Buddhist monks who pay homage there are all built from PeeJok’s money.

The name of PeeJok came from the vision of the new abbot.

“I am no longer a little boy. I am aged. Call me PeeJok.”

He could possibly be 200 years-old. Since PeeJok said he is aged, then let him be addressed as “Pee”.

The miracles of PeeJok may be categorised into wealth, sales, and career. First, it’s wealth. Some of the wealth received is wealth due to devotees whilst some are from the request made to PeeJok. The second is sales. Most business people ask PeeJok to help bring customers to their shops and help them sell more items. The third is most common, devotees asked for promotion and help when they meet obstacles in work. This is evident by the donations devotees made to the temple.

What is the best way to do Kumanthep? Kumanthep are usually made from a variety of materials and usually takes the forms of children. PeeJok Kumanthep also comes in a variety of forms. He is made as a baby figurine or a young boy. Whichever the form, PeeJok Kumanthep comes to help those who respect and truly believe in him.

Vongphong Eiamlao (Miss Maekong), researcher and writer

You can copy the text by entering the writer’s name.

To honour the writer.

In our previous article “Kumanthong”, we tried to introduce a rational approach towards Thai Buddhism through dispelling misinformed falsehood, an over-emphasis on mysticism, and indulgence in superstitions. Coincidentally, on July 20, 2018, a conversation with a couple of Taiwanese customers prompted us to explore the subject matter in more depth. What prompted our decision is…perchance, our market ignorance. We had been in this trade for more than two decades but we have not heard that Kumanthongs have a big brother or a chieftain known as big brother Jook. Our bewilderment was probably ludicrous. We did some information search over the Internet and, as usual, there is an abundance of unverified information available. However, a search with the Thai language “พี่จุก” fortunately led us directly to the Website of Wat Suan Luang  and an article titled “Prawat PeeJook Kumanthep Kaithip” written by Ms Vongphong Eiamlao pertaining to the origin of “PeeJook”.  We have republished the said article with full credit to Ms Vongphong Eiamlao and Wat Suan Luang. The translation of “พี่จุก” into “大哥族” in Chinese has probably also resulted in misrepresentation. If anyone needs a literal translation, here is it. “พี่” is brother and “พี่จุก” is pacifier and, therefore, “พี่จุก” means brother “pacifier”. Anyway, we will provide an update in both English and Chinese versions soon. Nonetheless, in summary, the article neither support nor affirm any falsehood postulated by other writers. PeeJook is the name of the Kumanthep of Wat Suan Luang and not the “Big Brother” of “Chieftain” of Kumanthongs as speculated. The only correct information is that PeeJook appeared before Luang Phor Mai and offered to help raise fund for him to repair the temple. Other than that, PeeJook is like any other Kumantheps and helps to enhance believers’ luck, business, career and protection. Furthermore, it is specifically stated in the temple’s website that PeeJook is not a ghost or spirit and has to be honoured on the same altar table as “Guan Yim, Lord Ganesh, Rama V, Brahma or other gods” if an altar table already exists.

Many aspects of Thai Buddhism, especially those pertaining to the obscure, are an interesting subject which has left many people nonplus, bewildered and even paranoid. Kumanthong tops the list of mysticism in connection thereto. We are not going to sell you any “plaster” but to share with readers our conceptualization of the association between Thai Buddhism and the obscure. It is about the possibility of life associated with the law of karma, interplay of the two sciences where things begins from physical existence and impacts on continuation into the obscure and vice versa. Kumanthong exists within this wavelength.But it has to be reiterated at this instant that the existence of Kumanthong is equivalent to devas as mentioned in our earlier article and whose existence may be calculated according to the Lifespan of Celestial Devas. Unfortunately, the term “Kumanthong” has been used in the catastrophe of human rebirth to illustrate karmic retribution in many stories with Buddhist underpinnings, the cyclical process of pre-birth as a ghost to birth as human being and ultimately back as ghost again upon death. The cycle restarts with rebirth and repeats itself until one reaches nirvana that is enlightenment. In these stories, albeit the objective is usually novel, the delineation between Kumanthong and Pee Dek is unfortunately obliterated leading to terrible misinformation and the evolution of certain evil by-products. What is usually depicted in these stories stemming from abortion is a baby ghost (Pee Dek) and not Kumanthong (golden boy). If readers are observant, scriptwriters prefer a girl ghost to a boy ghost which they also call Kumanthong. Let us provide readers with a side-dish here. In Thai culture, there is a female counterpart of Kumanthong known as Kumarithong. This is something not known to many people, especially foreigners, and probably Kumari is not as popular as Kumanthong that scriptwriters gave her a pass. Moreover, what is missing in these occult stories is a ritual necessary to bring about a baby ghost that is controlled by a mantra. A baby ghost is not a natural consequent of abortion otherwise in this contemporary world we will have too many baby ghosts running amok! The preconditions of Pee Dek are, among other things, a fully developed fetus which died together with its mother that needs to be removed from its mother’s womb through black magic and its spirit summoned back into the fetus. So far, only the Story of Khunpaen has introduced these procedures to the audience.

Khunpaen: Legend of the Warlord

The process is complex and the product is naturally rare and expensive. Frankly, it is an offense in Thailand and, probably, in most other countries. If you think you can get a baby ghost for a couple of hundreds or thousands, we advise that you might as well buy yourself a Chucky collectible.There is more value for the amount spent.

Chucky Collectible

Despite these fallacies more and more ludicrous additions were subsequently added by scriptwriters. If you are aware, in these stories, karmic retribution usually set in within the next ten years and the baby ghost has grown up with time to be a little boy or girl. Probably, scriptwriters find a baby or even a toddler is incapable of inflicting much terror so the baby ghost needs to grow up. This line of story is picked up by people purportedly “selling” baby ghosts. This, however, in itself raises many questions and, among others, is a very intrinsic question that, assuming the truth of the said propagation, then would the baby ghost ultimately grows up to be an adult ghost, an old ghost, and a dying ghost? Funny, isn’t it? Or, no, it’s scary…to be shallowly fooled! These are all loopholes and adversities unforeseen by storytellers but still many people got duped.

Kumanthong in reality is neither about a ghost story nor a literary story as seen in the story of Khun Phaen. It is about the law of universe pivoting on the cycle of life which are depicted in these stories. This law of the universe is explained through Buddhist philosophy about Karma. It is perplexing to those who do not understand the concepts of Buddhism, especially Theravada Buddhism, and consequently deciphering surface value thereof inevitably leads to wrong understanding about Thai Buddhism and Kumanthong. This may sound hurting to the unlearned souls, but unfortunately, truth is never pleasant especially when it contradicts one’s make-belief. As a believer and practitioner of Thai Buddhism with a little academic foundation, allow me to posit that this world cannot exist on pure-science alone. Despite the advancement in both science and technology there is something lingering in the obscure which has not disappear with these advancements. Science can neither explain nor cover this subject matter. However, denial also does not serve any beneficial purpose save to conceal ignorance and dejection. Similarly, superstitions have no positive contribution both physically or spiritually. Moderate academics began toying with the theory of dual-existence which I view as an attempt to compliment spirituality whist simultaneously provides a gloss over science and nothing more. It still does not explain the scientifically obscure. In lieu of the dual-existence theory, I am more inclined to view the world as well as Thai Buddhism through the lens of dual-sciences, which is a co-existence of two sciences, pure science and mental science.

I do not deny the existence of mystique falling within the realm of obscurity which I classify as mental science but I reject superstitions which are primarily based on falsehood and ignorance. As a Thai Buddhist, you have to know a basic tenet of Thai Buddhism and that is “punna”, a Pali term which literally means wisdom. You may not be equipped with a library of knowledge but you must have, or at least cultivate, the ability to identify and reject falsehood. Stories may be entertaining but they must not be confused with facts and become a part of or a way of life. Take another example. The Buddhist tenet of rebirth states explicitly that all spirits shall return to the wheel of reincarnation after death and who then, within the Buddhist community, has the authority to disregard this tenet? A simple analysis like this will tell you that tampering with the spirits of deceased beings is un-Buddhist and cannot have any relation to Thai Buddhism. Therefore, do not let yourself be misled into a un-Buddhist way of life.