Not far from there, we arrived at a place near the river. This place was enclosed by a
laterite stone fence. Along every side of the fence were intricate wood carvings. At the
top of the fence posts were bamboo lanterns with paper shades, hanging about 4-5
meters above the ground. Each post had a small pavilion for holding the lanterns
because I could see people starting to light them. It was almost dusk. The sun was
beginning to set, and the sky was a reddish-orange color. We arrived at the entrance
gate of that place, which was a large gate. This type of gate had decorations above the
gate with carvings of various deities. As far as I could see, there were Brahma,
Narayana, and various male and female angels, all made of carved wood covered in
shimmering yellow gold.

Walking through the gate, I felt the sacredness of this place even more. Along the
walkway leading straight to a large wooden palace with tiered roofs, the ground was
paved with bricks. On both sides of the walkway were beautifully carved wooden
pillars. At the top of the pillars were lit oil lamps, illuminating the path. On the ground
below were small earthenware lamps with cotton wicks, also lit to brighten the
walkway. Looking towards the building at the end of the path, there were lights lit in
the openings all around it, making the building glow and look very magical.

To the right of the palace was a separate walled area. In the middle of the wall was a
gate leading to hundreds of exquisitely built wooden houses, which, judging by their
size, could be called a village. Reaching this point, everyone dispersed to their own
houses. I walked into one house. Upon arriving, a servant brought water for me to wash
my feet, and my wife brought a damp cloth for me to wipe my face. The house had a
large family structure, with several small houses connected to each other, so it was full
of relatives: parents, grandparents, and other family members.

Soon, I heard the sound of a bell. It was a very familiar sound, like the routine bell
ringing in Buddhist temples for morning and evening chanting. Hearing the bell, all the
Brahmins walked out of their houses towards the large building. Walking up into the
building, which was reserved only for men, it was raised on stilts. The floor was made
of large wooden planks, each plank no less than 80-90 centimeters wide. The building
had hundreds of large wooden pillars. Each pillar had a container of oil for lighting,
placed inside paper lanterns attached to all four sides of each pillar, making the
interior of the building bright. At the back of this pavilion was a brick and plaster
pagoda. Inside was a large stone carving of a deity, about 5-6 meters tall, standing with
4 faces and 4 arms, each hand holding different objects. The deity was clearly carved
from granite. Below the deity were many offerings, including fresh flower
arrangements and hundreds of small deity statues.

Walking up to the pavilion, I found many Brahmins already waiting. Judging by sight,
there were probably a thousand people. My group and I walked towards the seats at
the far end. In the center was a platform, which was the seat of a large, special
individual. My group had personal cushions, next to that special platform, with a total
of 16 seats. So, we hurried to our designated seats. Soon, an elderly Brahmin walked out from behind the group of deity statues. He looked to be around 70 years old but
still looked strong and agile, with bright skin and sparkling eyes, and a kind demeanor.
As he walked to sit on the large platform, all the Brahmins bowed to him.

Then, the elderly Brahmin raised his hands in a prayerful gesture and began chanting
something. As soon as his first verse ended, all the Brahmins chanted together. The
sound of 1,000 voices echoed throughout the pavilion and probably throughout the
nearby residential area. I also chanted along with them, and it seemed that I was
proficient in chanting because I felt that I knew all the verses very well. The verses
were about praising Brahma. This chanting lasted about an hour.

After that, the elderly Brahmin opened the floor for questions and reports on daily
events. This was a conversation between me and 15 other people with the elderly
Brahmin only. Each Brahmin had 16 close disciples, or subordinates. So, when
announcing public matters, the elderly Brahmin would communicate with us 16 people
to relay the information to our 16 disciples, and those 16 disciples would relay the
information to their 16 disciples, and so on. Even though at that time we were all
gathered together, thousands of people, the communication was still done this way
because one person couldn’t communicate to a thousand people at the same time since
there were no loudspeakers. Those who were close might have heard what the elderly
Brahmin said, but they still had to wait for their Brahmin teacher to confirm it.

‘I have something to inform you… Tomorrow I will go to see King Pasenadi Kosala to
inform him that I will request to become a monk,’ the elderly Brahmin said to us 16
people as soon as the daily discussion ended.

‘Lord Phoche… who is this elderly Brahmin? Why does he say he wants to become a
monk again? Isn’t he already in a state similar to a monk? As far as I know, in the
Brahmin religion, Brahmins are monks,’ I asked Lord Phoche.

‘This elderly Brahmin is named Master Bavari. He is like a sworn brother to your father,
who served the king since the reign of King Pasenadi Kosala’s father, that is, King Maha
Kosala. When your father died and King Maha Kosala’s reign ended, Master Bavari
Brahmin became the great teacher of both you and King Pasenadi Kosala, who is his
son,’ he replied.

‘And what you’re wondering about, why a Brahmin would want to become a monk
when they are already monks, the role of this elderly Brahmin is the high priest and
royal teacher. He advises the king on all matters, is a scholar in the royal court, a
teacher who imparts knowledge to the king’s children, a successor of knowledge from
the various Vedas to the next generation of Brahmins like you, and a royal astrologer
who checks the horoscopes of both the king and the country, as well as determines
auspicious times for various ceremonies held in the palace. The king consults Master
Bavari before going anywhere or doing anything with anyone, to determine its
appropriateness. So, this elderly Brahmin has many roles, duties, and matters to
consider and decide. Another reason why Brahmins don’t consider themselves monks
is that they still have families, wives, and children, but they work differently from ordinary people, acting as representatives for people to contact the gods, performing
various rituals to worship Brahma, Narayana, Shiva, and other deities.’

‘The elderly Brahmin’s feeling at that time was that he wanted to cut off from all stories
or tasks to seek peace, so that he could achieve the highest goal in life, which is to
discover the truth and attain Nirvana,’ Lord Phoche explained.

‘Does that mean there are other religions besides Brahminism during this time? Is that
why he wants to become a monk again?’ I asked.

‘Actually, at this time, there are two types of Brahmins. The first type is Brahmins who
use knowledge from texts, priestly Brahmins who have knowledge from studying
various curricula, masters of rituals, with many ceremonies that are strictly adhered to,
under rules and regulations that portray piety. To become a Brahmin, one must strictly
observe 8 precepts, always wear white clothes to show purity, and there are knowledge
standards measured by exams in various subjects to advance to different levels. Anyone who passes all the exams is honored as a teacher, can establish a school, and
have disciples. These Brahmins are mostly close to kings, royalty, millionaires, and
urban communities, to be a refuge for the people. If in the meaning of the word religion
that you are talking about, this first type of Brahmin is considered the most religious
because it has a clear institutional form.’