“The second type of Brahmin mostly comes from the first type, who begin to discover
that what they adhere to as a practice cannot lead them to the highest state because
they still have to deal with the chaotic worldly affairs, wealth, fame, praise, jealousy
among Brahmin schools, showing off the grandeur of the structures called temples,
who has the biggest, who has the most expensive, who gets more support from the
king. If you could see the form of the temples in the central regions, you would know
that they are hundreds or thousands of times more magnificent than the city you live
in. The materials used to build them are the best, the most expensive, and the most
durable—that is, stone. It is chosen to build large and tall palaces, then covered with
intricately carved gold leaf. If you could see them in the evening sunlight or during
ceremonial events when they are decorated with oil lamps, you would see the dazzling,
shimmering beauty, like heaven in the land of gods.”

“Wow… I want to see that,” I interjected.

“You will definitely see it,” he replied.

“And what is the characteristic of this second group of Brahmins?” I asked.

“This second group of Brahmins has a long-held concept and practice that if you want
to seek liberation or find the truth, you must leave worldly life for solitude. There are
various practices, so many schools have arisen. Most of them live in areas far from
cities, in forests and mountains, far from people and society. Or if not far, there must be
a peaceful and quiet environment, free from distractions, suitable for meditation.”

“I think there are still groups of people who use this concept today,” I suggested.

“It disappeared for a while, but it has been brought back into use.”

“Why?” I asked.

“I will gradually explain. For now, let me give you an overview of the events that are
happening so that you can understand what’s what first,” he said.

“Okay.”

“All the Brahmins who set up schools like this have the same goal: liberation. This path
is not new, but has existed for tens or hundreds of thousands of years. There are people
who renounce the world, leave their families, leave their wealth. And you were one of
them. You used to be a forest hermit, even a naked ascetic who didn’t wear clothes,
with hair reaching the ground and a beard reaching your genitals.”

“Wait a minute, Master… was I really like that?” I interrupted.

“Yes… people who have vowed to seek liberation usually seek these paths. Wherever
there are interesting practices and beliefs, they will choose to learn and experiment
with those methods. This is the origin of the diversity of your thoughts. At that time,
many schools arose with very different methods. Some used fire worship, some used
animal sacrifice, some used methods to refine defilements by fasting, sleep deprivation,
torturing the body, sitting in uncomfortable positions or creating pain, isolating
themselves in caves in the forest, practicing meditation with great perseverance. At
that time, your society called this second type of Brahmin ‘ascetic.'”

“This is the method that this elderly Brahmin chose and decided to renounce the world
in the twilight of his life, even though in the eyes of ordinary people, this Brahmin is
considered to have achieved the highest success in life. He has titles, power, and
influence, respected and honored, known as a knowledgeable teacher in the royal
court, with great fame and wealth. If he wants anything, people are ready to find it and
offer it to him. An ordinary person would think that this kind of life is the highest
success, what else would he seek?” he explained.

“If the teacher wishes to renounce the world, I will also renounce the world,” I, in the
body of Brahmin Achita, said to the elderly Brahmin with my hands in a prayerful
gesture.

“We will also renounce the world,” the other 15 Brahmins said in unison.

“If it is your wish, I will not object. Tomorrow we will go to inform His Majesty
together,” Master Bavari said.

That evening was the latest night all the Brahmins stayed up because after the
discussion with Master Bavari, the various Brahmin groups dispersed to hold meetings
to inform everyone. There were also intense discussions about this situation because
this was a big deal for them. The leader would be leaving, who would take over, and
who would be promoted. Especially the group that would be most emotionally affected
were the wives and children of the Brahmins who decided to renounce the world with
Master Bavari. This news was like lightning striking their hearts, and the result was
negative. There was sadness, grief, resentment, and even curses against Master Bavari,
who was the cause of their families’ separation.

The next morning, this became the topic of conversation among the servants who
worked in Master Bavari Brahmin’s residence. The cooks, cleaners, and gardeners
gathered to talk tensely because it would indirectly affect them. They began to
speculate who would be chosen to take over the position of the elderly Brahmin, and
what the new person would be like, what if they didn’t like them, because it seemed
like the head Brahmins were all renouncing the world together.

That day, all the Brahmins gathered at the dining hall early in the morning. This dining
hall was a large wooden pavilion raised about one meter off the ground. The pavilion
was square, about 30 meters on each side. The interior was open. The first level had a
low, brick-paved veranda about one foot high, with low wooden seating around the
edges. Before going up to the pavilion, there were hundreds of large wooden pillars, each about the size of one person’s embrace. The floor above was made of large,
polished wooden planks. The roof was shaped to taper towards the center, with three
tiers. The final tier had pointed gables decorated with gold at the four corners. And
along the eaves, there were gilded wood carvings. The interior of the pavilion was
divided into four sections, with walkways leading to the center from all four directions.
At the far end, the floor was raised another foot, clearly separating it. On this raised
area, there were five small tables, similar to the Lanna ‘Khantoke,’ each with covered
dishes. My group of 16 Brahmins divided into four groups of four and walked to those
seats. One table in the center was for Master Bavari. Looking around, there were many
Brahmins sitting in groups of four in the four corners of the pavilion, but they didn’t
have food placed for them like my group. One of the four Brahmins had to go down to
the kitchen to carry up small tables with dishes.

We sat for a while, and then the bell rang. When the bell stopped ringing, the Brahmins
who had gone to get the food hurried to their seats. Soon, Master Bavari appeared from
the east. As he walked, everyone was silent. When he sat down, he raised his hands in a
prayerful gesture and recited something. As soon as he finished the first sentence, all
the Brahmins in the pavilion began chanting that prayer together for about two
minutes. When the chanting ended, Master Bavari told everyone to eat.

The atmosphere of the meal was very orderly and solemn. Everyone ate carefully,
without making any noise. The food consisted of various types of curry, fresh
vegetables to eat with chili paste, and grilled meat seasoned with various spices. Rice
was shaped into balls with hands. I felt that the eating culture was similar to that of
northern and northeastern Thailand, where most people eat sticky rice.

‘Lord Phoche, this is the same eating culture as in northern and northeastern Thailand,’
I commented.

‘Actually, at that time, the entire region had this kind of eating culture. You have been
eating rice shaped into balls like this for hundreds of thousands of years. But in recent
times, about four or five hundred years ago, you had more trade with other regions,
and it became easier to transport goods. So, a new type of rice was imported for trial.
Initially, this type of rice was consumed only by royalty because it was expensive. But
later, it became more popular, so it was grown for people in the palace, and the rice
grown was called royal rice or “Khao Chao,”‘ he explained.

After the meal, servants came to clear the tables of my group and the teacher, while one
of the four Brahmins from the other groups volunteered to carry the tables down to the
kitchen. The atmosphere was tense, and everyone looked worried. We were silent for a
long time before Master Bavari spoke.

‘Today, all 16 of you will go to see King Pasenadi Kosala with me,’ Master Bavari said in
the silence.

‘Yes, Teacher,’ I replied as the head Brahmin.

Then Master Bavari got up and walked down the pavilion towards the exit. The other
15 Brahmins and I got up and followed him immediately. During the journey, some
understanding arose, which I immediately knew came from the knowledge of Brahmin
Achita. That is, I understood his practices because he was me in the past, and I was him
in the future. What I learned was that every day, 8 out of the 16 Brahmins from my
group would go to the palace to advise on minor matters that the palace needed. We
would rotate like this every day. If I went in with seven others today, two of those who
went today wouldn’t go tomorrow. We would rotate like this. So, in one week, I would
have three days off. But if the king had an important matter, he would send a message
inviting Master Bavari to see him. The other Brahmins in the school, thousands of
them, had tasks according to the wishes of the townspeople, such as performing
various rituals, housewarming ceremonies, baby welcoming ceremonies, naming
ceremonies, casting horoscopes, teaching various subjects, performing ceremonies for
animals used as transportation, such as elephants, horses, cattle, and buffalo, for the
prosperity of their owners.

Another duty of the Brahmins was to perform funeral rites. When someone died, the
body would be kept at their home for the ceremony. Every day, Brahmins would be
invited to chant to send off the spirit of the deceased. This ceremony would be held
every day from the day of death until the final day. The Brahmins would chant specific
verses to guide the spirit of the deceased to a good place, and then the body would be
taken for cremation at a designated place called the ‘cremation ground.’ There would
be a large pavilion to receive guests and a raised platform to place the body. Under the
platform, there would be a space for firewood. In this city or cities in the north,
surrounded by mountains and forests, most structures would be made of wood. But in
cities in the south, which are mostly plains, these ceremonial structures would be
made of stone.”