In the evening of 14 th July B.E. 2548 (at Suan
Saeng Tham, Bangkok)
“…..This story can go with the story of a guy, living at Mai Village,
a large jungle around Muang District or Muang Village, something
like that deep into the large jungle. This guy had learnt how to
ride tigers. There was also a person at Phadaeng, who could ride
tigers. During that time, Than Wan (Venerable Monk Wan) stayed
there for a meditation. Then, this guy came to give patronage to
monks in that monastery. Rumor had it that he was good at riding
tigers. Being questioned directly, he accepted that he did ride
tigers. When asked how he learnt to ride tigers, he said that he
crossed over to Laos to take lesson from those tribes of So, Kha.
This guy gave us a detailed account because he had been a tiger-rider,
and then came to this monastery for Dharma practice. When seeing
someone riding a tiger, one must not make any exclamation, but
just keep quiet. Otherwise the tiger will give the person a slap
and ran away. This guy crossed over to that side, four of them,
to learn tiger riding. They went to find a teacher, telling him
of their aim. The teacher accepted them as his students, teaching
them how to ride tigers. When it was the time, they went into the
jungle.
This guy told us four of them went together. Upon getting there,
they did honor to their teacher, and watched him go through his
ritual. He chanted some incantations, the incantations to lure
tigers. When it was up, we waited for no long, the tigers then
came. Walking intently, they came and lay down there just like
domestic animals, not afraid of men. That day there were four tigers
coming.
They came and lay down, just like domestic animals. Upon seeing
the tigers, they were shaking with fear. All of them were so big,
and how could one manage to ride these tigers. The teacher, then,
told each of them to ride the tiger up to him. None of them dared
to ride any of those tigers.
This guy said he prepared to sacrifice his life, to get this lesson
of tiger riding. He obeyed his teacher. If the teacher were not
really capable, he wouldn’t have been able to call all these tigers.
So, if he told us to ride them, there must be no harm in doing
so. The first time, he was so afraid that he had to force himself
to walk over to the tigers. When getting there, he got on its back.
He felt so feeble with fear. But he obeyed his teacher.
To ride this tiger up to the teacher, then another one. With the
second tiger, he was not so afraid as the first one. Then, the
next one, he felt more fearless. The other three could not get
the lesson. Now, the teacher took only this guy to practice. The
teacher was here, with his student at the pavilion, chanting incantations
to lure a tiger, and then riding the tiger up to the teacher.
They made it step by step. The second step, he had to chant incantations
himself to lure a tiger, then, riding the tiger up to the teacher.
The tiger did come. This time he was not so afraid. Upon the coming
of the tiger, he rode it up to his teacher. After that, when he
was more courageous, with his assurance, the teacher let him do
it on his own. From then, he regards tigers as dogs. That was what
he said. He had no fear, riding tigers from that time.
However, tigers have a sense. It was the same with that teacher.
They know, neither by ears nor eyes, that there are people coming
up. That’s why tigers and men never run into each other. When riding
a tiger in the jungle, at some point the tiger would be restless,
trying to get out of the way. This meant that there were people
coming up. When letting it go, after a while, there would be people
coming up. For ordinary people, it was likely that they talked
and made noise, causing the tiger to know of their coming. But
this was a hunter, who was normally walking stealthily.
The tiger knew that there were people coming up. When letting
it go, after a while, a hunter appeared. The hunter didn’t know
that this guy was riding a tiger, as the tiger had gone. So, tigers
must have some sense to know that people are coming up, even for
a hunter, walking stealthily. It is not easy to come upon a tiger,
unless it’s aimless. Now, about the hunter who could ride tigers,
wherever he went, tigers are like dogs to him.
Sometimes he went hunting quietly, there a tiger followed him,
out of the blue. When he shot an animal, hearing the sound of gunshot,
the tiger ran after it straightaway. If the animal was not dead
yet, it chased and bit the animal. If it was already dead, the
tiger sat on its back, e.g. deer, pig. Cutting some flesh for the
tiger, when full, it would leave instantly. It had always been
like that. The hunter, who rode tigers, said that it was just like
a dog. Sometimes he went hunting and stayed overnight in the jungle,
when waking up, a tiger was lying on his side.
And how is it today? Is he still riding tigers? Oh! No, stop already.
He said he had stopped that several years ago. And is he afraid
of tigers now? No, he’s not afraid. Do tigers still come to see
him? No, since he stopped riding, they have never come again. Than
Wan (Phra Acharn Wan) told me this story about tiger riding. He
could really ride tigers. This is sorcery. It can calm down animals,
like tigers losing fierceness and can be ridden.
For our lesson, we have learnt it very hard. The tiger - riding
lesson is defilement. None can ride tigers, only ridden by defilement.
Riding and also shitting: see! On the back, it’s full of shit.
Defilement is on our back. We are ridden by defilement, failing
to ride on defilement. That’s why we are in suffering. Defilement
shits on us. If bitten, that will be death. Sorcery is like that.
This guy could really ride tigers. He said he rode them innumerable
times. When he got lost, he called tiger. The tiger did come and
took him to the way.
Tigers have different strength, the guy said. Young tigers could
not go long, going aimlessly and falling. Big tigers could go long.
If any tigers fell down, it meant that it couldn’t go any longer,
then, just let it go. There are several sizes of tigers. Surin
Province has a lot of sorcery. It can’t be denied that there is
sorcery in the world. It depends what one finds out, something
like invulnerability, killing others, etc….”
