Pubdate: Sun, 14 Apr 2002 Source: Arizona Daily Star (AZ) Copyright: 2002 Pulitzer Publishing Co. Contact: http://www.azstarnet.com/star/today/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/23 Author: Denis D. Gray, The Associated Press FORMER THAI SOLDIER LEADS 'LITTLE BUDDHAS' Boxing Monk, Youths Join in Anti-Drug Effort GOLDEN HORSE MONAS-TERY, Thailand - He was a soldier and champion boxer, but now the burly abbot leads a band of "Little Buddhas," some as young as 7, who practice martial arts and meditation, then ride into the mountains to fight the scourge of drugs. There are nearly 33,000 Buddhist monasteries in Thailand but not many like this remote retreat set in limestone crags and bamboo thickets in the country's northern sector. Most of the country's sanctuaries are defined by a languid atmosphere and little physical exertion by the clergy. The Golden Horse Monastery resounds with the neighing of some 100 horses, the thwack of body punches and the barking of orders at ranks of disciplined youngsters. "Before I was just a soldier of Thailand. Now I am a soldier of the Lord of all the world's people. Now, I fight against lies, theft, hate and violence," says Abbot Kru Ba Nua Chai, seated in a simple hall stacked with religious icons. Army of former addicts, orphans His little army consists of the sons of impoverished hill tribe families, most of them orphans, some former drug addicts. Its mission, Kru Ba says, is to spread the Buddha's teachings and combat widespread drug abuse among tribal people in an area where narcotics are as common as cold pills. The 40-year-old monk, accompanied by some of the novices, spends about half of each month trekking through the rugged region along the Myanmar border in the northern province of Chiang Rai. They ride horses, which fare better than vehicles, especially during the monsoon rains. "We don't like to mix with city people," Kru Ba says, his forceful voice accompanied by the tinkling of temple wind-chimes. "There are some good people in the cities but they are hard to find. People in the hills have a great sense of honesty." Their day begins at 1 a.m. It's from the hill peoples - the Akha, Lahu, Hmong, Lisu, Shan and others - that he draws his recruits, from villages without schools but with grim futures as a burgeoning population faces shrinking farmland, ravaged forests and infertile soil. "We don't speak all their languages but we can speak the language of the heart," Kru Ba says. Some ethnic Thais also come, like Manop Indhamot, 31, who says he had been a drug addict from his youth until two years ago, when his parents brought him to the monastery with its mix of rural peace and regimentation. Wake-up call is at 1 a.m. followed by meditation, religious teaching and the chanting of prayers until dawn. Then, standing in military formation, the novices - there are currently 17 - count off before calisthenics and immersion in a pool of frigid mountain water for more meditation. There are periodic fasts, lasting up to three days. Days are spent cleaning the monastery grounds, cooking and caring for horses and ponies, which the novices gallop, their loose yellow robes flapping. Thai-style boxing is practiced every evening and Kru Ba, tucking his robes between his legs to reveal a powerful, densely tattooed torso, happily demonstrates techniques. Using knees, elbows, feet and fists, the monk shows how he could disable his young sparring partner if he applied real force. Such behavior ordinarily would be considered unmonkly, but instilling discipline and mastering self-defense are needed for the ventures into lawless border areas, Kru Ba says. Thai boxing is also one of the few escapes out of rural poverty for skilled boys. Kru Ba, who spent five years in the army, fought his last bout in 1991 - "Never got knocked out," he proudly notes. A year later he left his wife and two children to meditate alone in the forest and establish the monastery. Thai Buddhism has suffered from rogue monks and others who have stretched the Buddha's teachings beyond all bounds. \ But Kru Ba's credentials are solid: The monastery is in part supported by the office of the Supreme Patriarch, the country's Buddhist leader. Manop, the former drug addict, escorts a visitor to a hilltop cave. "It is so peaceful here," he says. "I never want to go back to where I came from." - --- MAP posted-by: Alex