NAKHON RATCHASIMA: A revered 72-year-old monk is nearing the end of his 1,500-kilometre barefoot pilgrimage from Phuket to his home province of Nakhon Phanom.
On Tuesday morning, Luang Ta Bun Chuen arrived in Bua Yai district, Nakhon Ratchasima. Many people waited by the roadside to receive his blessing.
The monk gently tapped their heads with a stick he carries, imparting good fortune. (continues below)
Those waiting to pay homage to Luang Ta Bun Chuen said he was a monk devoted to doing good deeds and had renounced all material possessions. He accepted only gifts of drinking water, which he mostly donated to local schools and hospitals.
The monk was due to arrive at Waeng Noi district, Khon Kaen province, later in the day.
Before entering the monkhood in 2009, Luang Ta Bun Chuen served as a military conscript and fought in the Vietnam War in 1969. He married and had four children and then told his family he wanted to become a monk and study Buddhism.
Every year he undertakes a pilgrimage, in accordance with Buddhist monastic code.