The cliff of hidden glass,
the search for
purity of the mind
Wat Phra Thart Pha Son Kaew Temple, Phetchaboon province, Thailand
On the top of the mountain resting along Tha Daeng Village of Khao Kor district of Phetchaboon province stands the astounding work of Buddhist architecture of Wat Phra Thart Pha Son Kaew Temple. This sacred ground houses Pra Thart Pha Son Kaew Sirirajdhammanaruemitr Chedi and the Five Buddha Shrine Hall, manifesting the magnificence of the Buddhist faith through the majestic architectural beauty along side the serenity of its surrounding.
The cliff of hidden glass,
the search for
purity of the mind
Wat Phra Thart Pha Son Kaew Temple, Phetchaboon province, Thailand
On the top of the mountain resting along Tha Daeng Village of Khao Kor district of Phetchaboon province stands the astounding work of Buddhist architecture of Wat Phra Thart Pha Son Kaew Temple. This sacred ground houses Pra Thart Pha Son Kaew Sirirajdhammanaruemitr Chedi and the Five Buddha Shrine Hall, manifesting the magnificence of the Buddhist faith through the majestic architectural beauty along side the serenity of its surrounding.
“Wat Phra Thart Pha Son Kaew” is located on Pha Son Kaew cliff, an ideal spiritual ground embraced by the veil of fog and peacefulness of nature. Led by Master Amnart Opaso, the establishment of the temple is made possible by the helping hands of Master Amnart’s disciples and faithful Buddhists. The collective force had turned the deserted, withered cliff into a spiritual place that offers the peace, comfort and solitude for the practitioners.
Pha Son Kaew Cliff was long known as the place where monks in the Thai Forest Tradition stopped by during their meditative practice journey. Master Amnart Opaso was one of the people who travelled to the cliff to practice back when he had not even joined the monkhood.
Having decided to leave behind life as a layman, Master Amnart was ordained to become a monk in 2003. The day following his ordination ceremony, Master Amnart set off on a journey to Pha Son Kaew cliff, where he built a small shelter he would live and practice. He ultimately gave up the fame and money and began the practice in solitude. Time passed, and the people who used to practice Dhamma with Master Amnart when he was not ordained heard the news and asked for his guidance in Dhamma. More people came as the faithful followers began building monk cells, pavilions, and meditation buildings for the monks of the monastery and the visiting practitioners. Buddha Dhamma Sathan Pha Son Kaew then was conceived within that very same year
The following year, the then Supreme Patriarch, Somdet Phra Sangharaja Chao Krommaluang Vajirananasamvara, granted Master Amnart the Buddha’s relic to be placed at Phra Buddha Lert Rattana Chot Manee or the Green Jade Buddha, the Buddha Statue made of jade sculpted in Pang Man Vichai artistic style of the Chiang San Era. This event led Master Amnart to design and construct Phra Thart Pha Son Kaew Sirirajadhammanarumitr Chedi in 2006, where the relic is placed at the top. Kept underneath the base of the Chedi’s are many puzzles of religious precepts and collection of Buddha’s teachings, with inside spacious enough for the Dhamma practitioners to practice.
The Five Buddha Shrine Hall designed by Master Amnart himself was constructed and dedicated to the Buddhist faith as a merit for King Rama 9 on the occasion of his 85th birthday. The structure, which was completed in 2014, is a 7-story shrine hall with a dimension of 41-meter-width, 72-meter-length, and 45-meter-height. It has been used to accommodate visiting practitioners, conduct religious ceremonies such as praying, Dhamma teaching, and mindfulness meditation practice. The work is one of the most monumental creations of Spiritual art by Master Amnart. It is known for its unique architectural and artistic characteristics.