This is a very rare shrine, you do not see it at many Temples. But, since this Temple has incorporated many different things into one place, they have a place to honor and respect Traditional Medicine Practitioners.
There is a tradition referred to in Thai as “Luesii”, in India this is pronounced as “Ruesii”.
A Luesii is a Traditional Medicine Practitioner, and they oftentimes practice The Teachings of The Buddha. There thought is, that through learning and practicing his Teachings, it will help their medicine to be more potent.
In reality, it is through training one’s mind to be more focused and concentrated that they would then make wiser decisions to ensure they are more effective at providing a remedy for their patients.
The tradition of the Luesii is said to have started during the lifetime of The Buddha with his doctor being the first Luesii.
In Thai, we refer to the doctor of The Buddha as “Mo Shivok”. In Pali, he is referred to as Jivaka Komarabhacca.
This individual treated The Buddha during his lifetime for an aliment that needed medical attention.
At one time, The Buddha became ill so he decided to go see a doctor. The Buddha would typically walk most places so, he embarked on the long journey to see the doctor.
As he traveled, word got ahead of The Buddha to the doctor as people were excited and exclaimed to doctor Jivaka Komarabhacca that The Buddha was coming to see him.
The doctor was unsure whether the person coming to see him was actually a Buddha or not so, when The Buddha came to visit him, he listened to his symptoms, provided an herbal remedy, and shared with him that he would poop twenty-nine (29) times and if he was truly a Buddha, he would know what to do next.
The Buddha knowing he was a Buddha and being appreciative for the medical care, accepted the herbal remedy, thanked the doctor, and left.
He took the remedy, pooped twenty-nine (29) times, and figured out what to do next to heal himself.
Not long after, The Buddha traveled back to the doctor to thank him for his great care and show his appreciation.
The doctor asked him what did he do to heal himself.
The Buddha shared, he pooped one more time, a thirtieth (30th) time.
The doctor understood that his patient was indeed a Buddha and decided to honor him with the donation of the construction of a Temple, built on his mango grove.
Doctor Jivaka Komarabhacca donated his land and had a Temple built for The Buddha to share his Teachings.
If you would like to take your shoes off and go inside the main area of the Temple, there is a wonderful mural around the walls that will help you to understand the life story of The Buddha. I will meet you inside and guide you in enjoying this artwork and learning his life story. This is a real highlight of this Temple.
If you enter through the doorway on the left, you will find the first station of The Life Story of The Buddha just inside to the left.