FATHER KASEM KEMAGO Part-1

BUDDHIST MONK,WHOSE LIFE OF BLISS AND RELIGIOUS MEDITATION,
NEVER FAIL TO BE A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION.

Father Kasem as we Thai call him resides at Trilak,Lampang province,has been known to be a highly devout and well-disciplined member of Buddist Order,Whose faith and practice have been respected by people from all walks of life.
He is directly related to the aristocratic Na’Lampang family.His father was Prince Noinu Na’Lampang and his mother,Princess Buajon,niece of Prince Boonvat Vongmanit,the last ruler of Lampang.Father Kasem entered the monkhood in 1920 for the first time just for seven days and his devout faith remained with him.Acouple of year later he was re-ordained as a novice at Wat Boonyun.Lampang.

In 1931,the yong novice passed ecclesiastical exam. He took interest in Khmer language,dialects and Pali,the latin of Buddhism,so he could study the religion more fully.He was then under the mentorship of Phra Kru Pichaimongkol,abbot of Wat Pichaimongkol,and practiced meditation in different cemeteries to the extent that he could develop his understanding and realization of the world and the path towards peace and compassion.

In 1932 Father Kasem was ordained as a monk and has been known by his religious name as “Kemago” meaning person of happy and well-contented Dharma.Four years later,he passed another high level of ecclesiastical exam where he learned Buddhist language more thoroughly.With firm belief in the law of evanescence and impermanence, Whether it be praise,honour,groly,blame or whatsoever,he practiced meditation to be delivered from the worldly concerns. The abbot of the monastery passed away.The monks and the people unanimously voted that he should be the abbot.He finally accepted it as good successor of Buddhist teachings,though he preferred to be delivered form worldly preoccupations.
In 1951,he decided to resign from being an abbot but was held back by senior monks,Eventually he left away quietly leaving the following
message:- Everything I taught is fine.But please don’t accompany me since I have renounced the worldly pleasures.Being an abbot may be compared to being chief of the household who is responsible for several things though not appropriate for me. I would go towards peace and serenity and I shall never return”.