About This Teaching
In the hot season of 1948, resting at a monastery in the northeast, Luang Por Chah grew aware of the glances and smiles of a widowed lay supporter. Echoing a common theme of Isan folklore, she drew closer by endearing her son to him, and his attraction became mixed with tenderness for the boy. He told no one how strong his feelings had become.
His resolution reveals their force. Early one morning he woke the postulant travelling with him, robe on and bowl packed. When the old man pleaded to wait until the next day, he cut him off: they were leaving now.
The narration links this to his later teaching: monks should be honest about their weaknesses and not swayed by pride. Lacking the resources to meet a challenge, they should make a tactical withdrawal and develop them. Lust, though deeply ingrained, is not fixed; it depends on causes and conditions that can be eliminated through the Eightfold Path.