Van De Bogart in 2002 in Banphot Phisai

Thailand - 2002 in Banphot Phisai


Rice field in Ban Photphisai


Beautiful Banphot Phisai - Photographs by Willard Van De Bogart

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Photo of man is Dort Fakchar from Banphot Phisai, Thailand - Click here for story.

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Photos of the gold Buddha in Wat Mongthongsathit, Banphot Phisai and native flora


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Journal Entries

January 11, 2002 - San Francisco

Coming back to America on December 4th, 2001 after having lived in Thailand for over a year I can experience a very big change in how American's live as compared to Thai people. Banphot Phisai is a very quiet village town set on the Ping River with beautiful Wat Mongthongsathit. Children play freely daily, and the pace is associated with the land. America on the other hand races to and fro on its super highways, forever drowning their thoughts with the radio or favorite CD.

My own feelings also have changed. I sense an overwhelming sense of calm and inner peace as a result of living in a Thai village with my family. America is so very busy working hard that I think a great many people have very little time to really enjoy their own life and what it can offer them. Many of my friends in San Francisco work to pay an extremely high rents.

The Thai lifestyle in a rural community is tending to the land and the rice crop. My Moringa tree has been doing very well and I plan to grow many more as a dietary supplement for the village.

The Sept. 11th attack on America has really changed the mood of most people I meet. There is a real psychological change in the way people think as a result of this attack. The news and policies take up a great deal of media time and the mood is very uneasy.

February 18, 2002 - San Francisco

I am preparing to return to Banphot Phisai where I will once again be living in a village environment with my wife Suwanna Fakchar.

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The experience in America with the aftermath of the attack on the World Trade Center, the Enron bankruptcy, and the on-going threats to the United States as announced periodically by the FBI leaves many Americans in a new state of fear and uncertainty. For example, many businesses that were on Filmore Street in the Pacific Heights district of San Francisco have gone out of business such as Filamento and Mike's Furniture. The global economy is very uneasy and people are not spending. People also have to work very hard to make all their bill payments. This sort of life style, although awarding the individual with material things, takes away from a quality of life I believe is missing from the American landscape. Man does not live by money alone.

When I return I will try and resume teaching English to Thai children at Wat Nahub in Banphot Phisia with the help of Phra Chamnan Tapasilo (Yajai). Chamnan also writes for the Bangkok Post Student Weekly, and is very helpful to me in Banphot Phisai.

Willard teaching English with Chamnan Tapasilo at Wat Nahub in Banphot Phisai
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May 25, 2002 - San Francisco

Life in Thailand is so completely different from anything in the USA that there is no need to make comparisons. SE Asia is an ancient culture with more depth than can be fathomed in a short time. For me, the temples provide a place for complete serenity, and an opportunity to experience the environment of the Theravedic sect of Buddhism in Thailand.
Soon, Lang the 21-year-old brother in the Fakchar family will be entering the monkhood. Being a part of the family I had to contribute money to this ceremony. For me it is a way to feel deeply the commitment to the lineage of Thai Buddhism in the family. For this family, the amount of money needed would be hard to come by, and if I did not pay for the majority of the ceremony the family would loose face in the eyes of the village, and the brother would not be able to go into the monkhood. This whole aspect of the Thai belief system is about making merit for the after life, and it is an integral part of the way the Thai's think about life and life after death.

June 1, 2002 - San Francisco

On May 30th, Na informed me over the telephone that she was pregnant, and we were going to have a baby. My initial feeling was one of happiness, as well as my concern for how Na was feeling about her having the baby. She feels lucky to have a baby with me, and I think the same. My own concerns for Na seem to have become a natural part of my life, even though I am half way across the world in Bolinas, California as I write this. Perhaps it's because I am from this world in America that I can appreciate the simple life in the village in Banphot Phisai. My on-line business with the Portal Market is very demanding, and it keeps me being dedicated to the on-line world, which seems like sitting in front of a computer all the time. Even this writing is composed in front of the computer screen. However, this is an evolution of the human race, and with this new human development I am making sure I share my own personal thoughts into the digital matrix as I did with "LadyVDB is in a Computer in Paris". Now a real Lady VDB is in a village in Thailand. I am also offering into this virtual matrix new products to help enhance the human mind, body and spirit as well as presenting ideas on new metaphors of consciousness. It will be this digital world that will offer support for a world less connected to the digital planet in the hot countryside of central Thailand. I will be returning to Thailand within the month. Tomorrow I am in the annual Stinson Beach fair where I will be selling Buddha necklaces.

June 14, 2002 - San Francisco

Trying to bridge the world here in America and in Thailand is very difficult for me at the moment. I have financial concerns with keeping the Portal Market running, as well as tending to the concerns for Na and our new baby with me being in America. I make money in America, and send it to Thailand, but at the same time incurring financial responsibilities in America. The on-line e-commerce business is a worldwide effort, and to do it with only a staff of two people, who both have financial obligations, is very demanding on both our time. Currently I am looking to expand the staff and the international effort.

International orders are on the increase, and developing new international markets is one of my biggest concerns. I am particularly interested in helping the products created from the indigenous people, and from third world countries. The new globalization effort in my mind displaces the small crafts oriented person and small cottage industry effort. Creating a market that can create commerce for this indigenous segment of the planet is I feel the direction I would like to take the on-line e-commerce effort. I have created a World Music Instruments section that will feature native musical instruments from around the world. In the meantime, I will soon be returning to the family in Thailand where I have developed a Moringa Tree Farm to market moringa tree powder.

July 1, 2002 - Banphot Phisai, Thailand

The ceremony is over for Lang Fakchar (21 years of age) who entered into the monkhood. It took place on June 29-30th here in Banphot Phisai, and I was able to videotape and photograph the whole ceremony with a Canon ZR40 Digital Camcorder. It was a special treat to see the conferring of the monkhood by the head ajhan at Wat Mongthongsathit along with the rest of the monks who chanted inside the main temple where the solid gold Buddha sits, and which is rarely seen except for these special ceremonies. (videotapes or CD's available for purchase) Indeed, this was a privilege to see such an ancient custom still enacted today.

The Theravedic sect of Buddhism is the most popular in Thailand, and has spread throughout SE Asia. My next expedition will be to Angkor Wat in Cambodia. This will be an easy journey from the border town of Aranya Prathet. My reasons for wanting to visit Angkor Wat stems from the knowledge imparted to me by Graham Hancock's quest for Lost Civilizations. Hancock's book "Message of the Sphinx" and co-authored with Robert Bauval, uncovered the relationship of the constellation Sirius to the construction of the pyramids on the Giza plateau, and the Sphinx represented the Constellation Leo the Lion. Likewise, Hancock has also discovered the relationship of the constellation Draco to the ground plan at Angkor Wat. Little did I suspect from my journey in March 2001 to Cambodia, which resulted in a short story titled "Listen to the Chanting", that I would once again be returning and fulfilling the line of the first verse that came to my mind "Come over to our side".

As it turns out my expedition is to experience the temples at Angkor Wat as a living reminder of how the Khmer Civilization had an uncanny devotional relationship to the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. The great bas-relief of the churning of the great Milky Ocean now takes on new meaning for me. As we all approach the end date of December 21, 2012, as written in the calendrical system of the Mayan's, it becomes apparent that all the great ancient civilizations knew of this coming alignment to the center of the galaxy. My quest is to walk among the ruins of Angkor Wat, and try to feel this devotion and understanding of the destiny of the human race as it is represented in stone for us to see today. I am also indebted to Thierry Zéphir, for his book "Khmer - The Lost Empire of Cambodia", which has made me appreciate how little is known of this great civilization. Thierry Zéphir teaches at the Ecole du Louvre in Paris France, and specializes in the art and technique of Khmer bronzes. My understanding of the Galactic Alignment has been enhanced by the work of John Major Jenkins, and his book "Galactic Alignment". My scheduled expedition to Angkor Wat is the last week in July 2002.

Thailand Profile Series

October 18, 2002 - San Francisco, California, USA

Over three months have passed since my last entry. One of those months was in Thailand and Cambodia, and the next two months were in the United States beginning August 5th, 2002. It has become intolerable to constantly be bombarded by the threat of war with Iraq living in the USA. During the last two months the one-year anniversary of 9-11 was recognized as a time of reflection, prayers, and fear. It was a one-year recognition of the attack on the World Trade Center, and also brought that experience ever closer to every American exposed to the media in the United States. The fear and political psychopsychotic actions by the current administration is creating bizarre social behavior attributed to terrorism. It has been a constant threat of war and heavy moods, which permeates the American culture. Protests are on the increase against the Bush administration, and on the West Coast the dock strike threatens the American economy.

In all of this, Na is soon to have our baby in two months in Banphot Phisai, and my studies on the history of Angkor Wat have grown immeasurably. I long to return to my life on the banks of the Ping River in Banphot Phisai. The serenity and mindfulness that exists in this part of Thailand is truly sublime. Being mindful with nature is truly a Buddhist teaching, and compared to the Christian Fundamentalist movement or Opus Dei growing throughout America, Buddha's teachings seem far more conducive for peace of mind.

So, I continue to work and support Na with money for the baby, and will return in two more months. The world feels frightenly fragile to me. The balance and harmony, which all people seek, seems to be eroding daily. Could it be that the Kali Yuga is nearing its final fulfillment where destruction is more the norm at the end of this age? Will there arise out of these social ashes a new divinity on this earth where cooperation and peaceful growth will be the legacy to all life?

I have come to know the innocent lifestyle in the village of Banphot Phisai, Thailand . The village lifestyle seems like a better choice than the choice to live in a war prone culture that flaunts the concept of eradicating the Axis of Evil. It is my wish that my newborn will feel the calm village, and hopefully be able to be taught that peaceful co-existence is what this earth needs, and not the constant dissatisfaction that comes about by not having enough material goods. Somehow, I will try to keep the innocence of the newborn alive, and also try to point out as many paths as possible along the Milky Way.

In two months time I have prepared myself to speak on Galactic Alignment at the in Carmel, California on October 26-27. I will be sharing my story on the concept, which I have developed concerning the understanding of the galactic alignment. In two more months I will have prepared myself to live in the village with Na and the children.

But in all this time it was my visit at the end of the first month to Angkor Wat that triggered everything,... everything. I saw star temples and female divinities carved in stone. Now I know what a star temple is. Alignment is everything. I am now planning on conducting tours to Angkor Wat.

November 16, 2002 - San Francisco, California, USA

A 7.5-pound baby girl was born on November 11, 2002 (11:11) at 8PM in Banphot Phisai by Suwanna Fakchar. I am now a father of a baby daughter. Her nickname is "GaDa" and the given name is "Nanteta". The meaning in Thai is...may the baby have eternal good luck. I am now planning to return to Thailand on January 13th to be with Na and all the children.

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December 29, 2002 - San Francisco, California, USA

This is my last entry for the year 2002. Only two more weeks remain before I return to Thailand, and only two more days until the 21st Century inches itself up into the year 2003.

The last five months in America have been very intense for me, as the threat of global war looms ever more before the media. People in America have become confused and bewildered trying to understand the war on Iraq. Israel, Pakistan, and every other country seem to have enormous political and social problems that pose a threat to the United States. What is fermenting all this mistrust and hatred? Is it as simple as the need for oil? Is it as simple as world domination?

I suppose ones personal life would be so much happier if the only concerns were the ones closest to you. But, in such an interdependent world everything seems somehow connected.

For me, I now return to a rural village in Central Thailand where my family needs to grow and become secure knowing that there will be a better life for the children. I have created a New World removed from the superpower of the United States. My New World is a world where people depend on their land to bring them a daily sense of continuity. My New World is a culture that has depended on the land for hundreds of years. The world of international commerce, advanced computer applications, and the cloning of human beings seem very removed from the simple rice dependent village I live in. The accumulation of wealth in order to buy into this advanced world is killing the planet, ruining the global environment, and making extinct a great portion of the plant and animal kingdom. Humans are contracting more cancer, and the underdeveloped nations are dying of aids at an unprecedented rate.

Yet war and religious hatred continue with no end in sight as do the global markets penetrate every social niche to gain percentages of growth and market share. The current economic model is flawed, and most people have no clue as to how globalization operates or even why it operates. All people can see are corporations stealing the workers money, and the government stopping unemployment compensation, while the military budget reaches an all time high.

Solutions are hard to find especially when foreclosures on personal property and bankruptcys are more the norm than not. Quieting the mind is essential in bringing insight into this magnificent creation of life that we all enjoy on this planet. When I sit on the banks of the Ping River in Banphot Phisai I can only wish whole communities would just sit and reflect on natures sublime movements. And even that divine experience is being threatened due to the imbalances in our global atmosphere as it becomes warmer, and temperatures rise in the oceans, and the rains become ever more damaging each year.

Now the rivers are out of control mirroring the insanity humankind has brought to itself by paying no attention to the effects of ignoring the planet for the sake of progress and money.

It is more important to move slowly than faster. It is time to do everything slowly. There is no where to go anymore. We are all here, forever, on this planet enjoying its diversity and wonders. But at the rate of growth currently taking place we will all be consumed by our own fire. There is no need for new cars, new houses, and new ships just for the sake of creating a consumptive lifestyle for the human race.

It is time to turn to the stars and begin to notice that a remarkable event is now occurring in our solar system, which is effecting all life, as we know it. We are all slowly entering the main energy stream coming from galactic center. Streams of highly charged radiation are impinging on everything and slowly the change of direction of our earth in relation to galactic center is under full swing.

The ancient Vedic doctrines knew of it as the yuga cycles. A long time ago temples were built honoring this awareness. A long time ago the formative powers of our galaxy were understood, and from that understanding great civilizations were created. Now is the time to listen to the ancients for they were speaking of a time of great change and powerful spiritual insights by acknowledging our relation to galactic center. From Egypt, to Central America, to the mountains of South America or the river deltas of SE Asia there were people who erected monuments that are only now being fully understood even in the 21st Century.

Somehow our sights to our true beingness has been robbed and buried only to be replaced by military and corporate rule. Humans now know that there must be a new movement to reclaim our heritage as cosmic beings in a universe with more mysteries which govern our psyches than do current day psychologys are aware of. We are entering an age of trans-psychological spiritual enlightenment unprecedented in recent historical times. Lets Remove the Veil with readings from Ken Wilbur.

So, in order to grow with our local galaxy we must be still and listen to these new forces impinging on our planet and most assuredly on our lives.

Nanteta, my daughter, will see this river flowing gently by, and watch the rice grow and the ducks gently lay their eggs. I will be extremely careful not to infiltrate the New World order on her mind. She will see quiet temples, and the grandeur of a time past etched in stone, and honored for its majestic beauty. The year 2003 is around the corner, and I truly hope is not a year, which begins with war.

On-line Journal - 2001
On-line Journal - 2003
On-line Journal - 2004
On-line Journal - 2005
On-line Journal - 2006
On-line Journal - 2007
On-line Journal - 2008
On-line Journal - 2009
On-line Journal - 2010


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