..续本文上一页 to be complicated by the fact that the war was newly over. When I got ready to apply for my passport, I asked the person who looked after my funds, Khun Amnaad, how much money there was. His answer: "70 baht." But just the application fee for a new passport was 120 baht. This being the case, the lay people who knew of my plans came to dissuade me from going, but I told them, "I have to go."

　　"But 70 baht isn”t enough for the trip!"

　　"The money isn”t taking the trip," I told them. "I am."

　　With this, my followers understood that I really did have to go, and one by one they began to gather funds for my travel expenses. One day Phraya Latphli Thamprakhan, along with Nai Chamnaan Lyyprasoed, came to stay at the monastery. When they learned I was going to India, we had the following exchange: Phraya Latphli put two questions to me: "1) Why go

　　 Each of us already has the Dhamma inside. 2) Do you know their language

　　"

　　I answered, "Burmese and Indians are people, just like me. Are there any people in the world who don”t know the language of people

　　"

　　Phraya Latphli: "How are you going to go

　　 Do you have enough money

　　"

　　"Always enough."

　　Phraya Latphli: "What will you do if your money gives out

　　"

　　"It”ll probably give out the way cloth gives out: a little bit at a time. Don”t you think I”ll know in advance before it”s all gone

　　"

　　Phraya Latphli: "Do you know any English

　　"

　　"I”m 40 years old. If I studied English or Hindi, I bet I could do better than English or Hindi children."

　　We didn”t have the chance to talk further, so Phraya Latphli added, "I was just testing you."

　　"No offense taken," I told him, "but I had to speak that way."

　　Not long after that, when the lay people, monks and novices had canvassed among themselves and come up with a little more than 10,000 baht to help with my travel expenses, I left Chanthaburi for Bangkok, where I stayed at Wat Boromnivasa. With the assistance of a number of my followers who were policemen — headed by Police Colonel Sudsa-nguan Tansathit — I started to apply for my passport and visas.

　　Getting my money exchanged took a lot of running around, and almost didn”t succeed because at that time the price of the British pound on the black market had risen to 50 baht, while the official exchange rate was 35. We were sent from one place to another, and as things got more and more complicated we began to give up hope. So I made a vow: "I”m going to visit friends and the spots where the Buddha once dwelled. On my last trip things still weren”t clear, so I want to go once more. If I”m really going to get to go this time, may someone come and help get my money exchanged."

　　Four days after I had made my vow, Nai Bunchuay Suphasi (now a lieutenant with the Mounted Police) showed up and asked me, "Than Phaw, have you been able to exchange your money yet

　　"

　　"No, not yet."

　　"Then I”ll take care of it for you."

　　For a week after that he went around making contacts with the Treasury Ministry, the Education Ministry and the Interior Ministry. He received letters of recommendation from his friends and a letter of guarantee from the Assistant Minister of the Interior, Lieng Chayakaan, now a member of the Lower House, representing Ubon Ratchathani province. He then went to the National Bank, where at first he was told that my case "didn”t qualify for permission to exchange at the official rate." So he went to consult Nai Jarat Taengnoi and Nai Sompong Janthrakun, who worked in the National Bank. Finally I was given permission to exchange at the official rate on the recommendation of Nai Jarat, who supported my request on the grounds that my trip was for the purpose of spreading Buddhism abroad, which was in the interest both of the nation and of the religion. I thus exchanged my money for, altogether, 980 pounds ster…

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