The Authorized Founder of Maha Panya Vidayalai —Venerable Ongpotjanagongosol

Venerable Ongpotjanagongosol, the Authorized Founder of MPV cum the abbot of Wat Thawornwararam (Taworn Temple) was borne in the year 1962 at Kanchanaburi, Thailand– a small town about 100 kilometers away from Bangkok. Venerable is a Chinese-Thai mestizo. Having trained and cultivated by his beloved mother since young, he was able to manage his time as well as living very well. Venerable possessed very distinct talent in languages and with his diligence and hard work, he could acquaint languages of many countries at his twenties.

Venerable came from a poor family. At the age of sixteenth, while he accompanied his mother to a temple for prayer, the abbot of such temple told his mother as such, “This child is predestinated to renounce from family life”. This benign mother instantly inquired for his child's will. Then and there, as Venerable possessed very strong curiosity in pursuing knowledge, when he learnt that he was allowed to continue his study after ordination, he resolutely adieux his parents and attended his tonsure at the Ts’ao Tung Sect (one of the Mahayana Buddhist Sects).

During the few years as a novice, Venerable abide strictly to all the rules and regulations of the temple as well as observed the “Four respect-inspiring” disciplines. As such, he gained trust and nurture from the old abbot. At his twentieth, Venerable undertook his precepts as a Bhukkhu. For the old abbot felt that he is a tamable talent, he was therefore sent to Taiwan to accept Chinese Sangha education.

Exceeding his five years study in Taiwan, Venerable once stayed in Fo Guang Temple for few months and after which, he also stayed in some other temples. Within the five years stay in Taiwan, he has accomplished his Diploma Course in Chinese Language in the University of Education. Not only has he gained mastery in spoken mandarin, but also, he’s able to write beautiful Chinese characters. Following that, Venerable also stayed in Chao Chou, China for nine months and the subsequent few years , he also visited some occidental countries (such as England, Germany, French and etc) to learn their languages as well as to study the general phylogeny of Buddhism in those countries.

Nine years has past and Venerable has peregrinated many countries. Things that had happened were sometimes beyond imaginary and interesting, and till now, Venerable still takes delights to talk about these fascinating incidents. For example, once when he was penniless yet needed to pay for his new term’s tuition fees. While sweeping the monastery, he was pondering on how he could manipulate his financial predicament. While he was in fugacity, an old lady suddenly stuffed him a parcel wrapped with a layer of old- newspaper. However, the old lady was totally out of sight within a glance time. Venerable opened up the parcel and was surprised to see bank notes in it. He counted the money and found that it was exactly the amount needed. This incident leads him to a deeper faith in the blessing from the Bodhisattva. Also, he dare not show a trace of nonfeasance in his study and embalm all that Lord Buddha has taught.

While Venerable was studying aboard, though he has to face financial predicament due to the demise of the old abbot, every time, he handle the problem imperturbably and each time the problem seemed to resolve readily. Venerable also regret for having no chance to recompense the late abbot who has nurturing him. Nevertheless, he earnestly practice what one has advocated and determined to uphold the Buddha’s undertakings as a mean to reciprocate his late guru a little.

In year 1991, Venerable went back to his hometown, Thailand. Due to his educational background as well as his competence in managing his work and proficiency in socializing with people, he was therefore regard very highly by the Supreme Patriarch of the Anamikaya and was soon entrusted as the Secretary General of the Anamikaya. (For the past many years, Venerable was entrusted with the above-said post by the Committee during the Anamikaya Annual Sangha Meeting and that is a special case that has never occur ever since the time of Rama the Fifth.

In year 1994, the Supreme Patriarch of Anamikaya deputed Venerable as the Abbot of Wat Thawornwararam. (Taworn Temple — situated at Hatyai, Songkhla, Thailand). At the age of 33, Venerable was befallen with lots of crucifixion when he has just succeeded as the abbot. He was first intimidated by some local tyrants and desperadoes. Follow by that was the harassment of huge debts left behind by the ex-abbot. However, Venerable was able to resolve all these thorny consumption one after another within a short period. In year 1996, Venerable also made used of his legal knowledge to take back a piece of land (where Maha Panya Vidayalai is now situated) which was rented out by the ex-abbot under unjust lease regulation. After receiving a great compensation, he demolished the existing single-storey timber constructed temple which was more than tatty and constructed a four-storey reinforced concrete temple (as what it is now). The same year, due to his commiseration to the local underprivileged children, he therefore started the Taworn Secondary School and later, he also started a course for the High School students. And his only demand is that all these children must ordain as novices and such requirement was actually his hope that these boys can be ploughed with the Buddha seeds (meaning the possibilities of being able to attain Buddhahood) the earliest possible, and that other than the normal academic knowledge, these children can also fortified their pneumatic diathesis. On the other hand, this act also served as kind of commemoration cum recompense to the benign, late abbot who fostered him.

In year 1998, Venerable started to reclaim the repossessed land from land of wilderness into a piece of bare land. As he erected 222 Ksitigarbha (Dizang) Bodhisattva statues, it was then named Dizang Land (The Land of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva). Within the same year, due to the prominent accomplishment in the Buddhist Circle, Venerable was vouchsafed the title as Onganatasoranat by His Majesty, the King of Thailand during the Annual Sangha Feudatory Ceremony (5th December), becoming the youngest Sangha who has, in Thai History, bestowed entitlement by the king.

The following year, Venerable further his exploitation on Dizang Land almost round the clock, preparing for the construction of 33 meters high Ksitigarbha (Dizang) Bodhisattva unceasingly. In addition, he also started the construction for the Hall for Guan Yin Bodhisattva as well as the Hall for the Three Hua-Yen Bhadra (namely Amitaba Buddha, Sakyamuni Buddha and Medicinal Buddha) almost concurrently. During the same year, Venerable accepted the inheritance from the Most Venerable Dao Xuan, becoming the 42nd Dharma child of the Hsien Shou Tsung (Sect.). Also fallen on the same year, Venerable once again bestowed entitlement by His Majesty, the king and his feudal title is Ongpotjanagongosol. (With accords to the Sangha Feudatory System in Thailand, only those who have given much contribution to Buddhism, should Such Bhikkhu receive a re-nomination, he would then be bestowed with a Feudality two years after his first Feudality. However, Venerable Ongpotjanagongosol has once again break Thai record for he was entitlement on the subsequent year.)

In the late 2000, the Supreme Patriarch of Anamikaya was having a long chat with Venerable Ongpotjanagongosol the whole night. He sighed with emotion that in his late seventies, though he has devoted his life time in Sangha education, he was unable to fulfill his long-expected dream to establish a Buddhist University. After expressing his wish, tears fall from his eyes helplessly. For Venerable appreciated what the altruistic late abbot has done for him, and also commiserated Supreme Patriarch's inaccessibility in fulfilling his ambition, he therefore shouldered this albatross.
In mid 2001, Venerable took pain to forgo his plan to construct a 52 meters high Sakyamuni Buddha Statue. The abortion of this project evocated vituperation as well as arraignment from lots of his unwitting disciples, but Venerable never reproached any of them. Instead, he dedicated his entire pneuma into establishing a Buddhist University that suits this epoch. For he understand dearly that those who revere the Buddha statue merely chanced to plough good karmas, but the establishment of Buddhist University mean to the possibilities to cultivate unlimited number of Sangha Ratana (talented Buddhist monks) who can help propagating Buddha Dharma far and wide and to benefit even more people. After rounds of toilful ins and outs and numerous legal documentations and submission, Maha Panya Vidayalai (The University of Wisdom) who is the affiliation of Maha Chulalongkorn Rajvidayalai is finally inaugurated in year 2002, June the tenth, and her affiliated Chinese Language Centre is also launched on the same day.

Also fall on the same year, December the twelfth, Venerable called for a historical based Convocation at the Hatyai College (now upgraded as Hatyai University) which is inaugurated by His Eminent, Somdej Phrabuddhacarya. This Convocation was entitled Five Years Development Plan for Maha Panya Vidayala by Most Venerable, Phra Tepsophon - Rector of Maha Chulalongkorn Rajvidayalai. This congress not only marshaled both Mahayana and Theravada Sangha, but also participated by specialists and researchers of all fields, bestowal MPV with lots of precious deliverance. All these inputs served as an enchiridion for MPV to attain the international standard. Furthermore, this convocation also served as an important prelude for the Mahayana and Theravada Sangha to collaborate as well as an prominent instigation for MPV to wedge into the Buddhist Educational sphere in Thailand.

There was a saying “It’s easier to establish a business than to maintain it! To maintain a Buddhist University is even harder. MPV is just like an infant struggling to put forth her first step, and Venerable is also yet to strive forward vigilantly. From the scheming of MPV’s construction (both the software and hardware), the construction design, the recruitment of teaching staffs, academic issues, fund raising, management of the construction progress and so on. For during the initial stage, both financial as well as manpower are far beyond sufficient, Venerable was therefore force to perform each and every of these tasks. In year 2003, due to both the SARS and the Birds influenza crises, with addition to the sedition of the Islamic extremist, the economy of the Southern Thailand was confronted with paralysis. All these manmade adversities as well as catastrophe were really additional burden to Venerable. For the sake of enabling MPV to remain rock-firm in this great environment, he therefore decided to advocate and fund-raised at those countries which are financially well.

In mid 2004, with the assistance of the disciples in Singapore, Venerable was able to set up the Sheng Shou Buddhist Centre in Singapore and sent all he as raised back to MPV in succession. Contemporaneity, as he witnessing the arising of the global turbulence as well as the humane adversities and catastrophe, he therefore initiated the idea of constructing a 9-storeys “World Peace Pagoda” hoping to impetrate for world peace with the blessing from the miracle potent of the Bodhisattva.

Managing education is a laborious drudgery. The effort required in managing Buddhist education is even worse. However, Venerable Ongpotjanagongosol possessed a strong convition, that is: should things be done with accords to the path of the Buddha Dharma, for the good sake of the society and the commoners, how ever hard and difficult the work could be, he will perform it unwittingly, even if it's reaching the last second of his life! So, shall fate (Karma) be handed over for the administration of the Bodhisattvas, and what he is concerned most is that the possibilities of he possessed a mind heart of compassion as like the Ksitigarbha, always!