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**floadaVonfoli** · 09-21-2012, 04:08 PM

How to become an ‘Aajaan Yai’ (Principal teacher)

My wife’s aunt died a couple of weeks back. Well into her 80's, she had lived a long and full life, and it puzzled me when my wife and several other relatives told me she was now going to be an ‘Aajaan Yai’
ÍÒ¨ÒÃÂìãË*è 'principal teacher'
I was well aware that Auntie had donated her body to the Siriraat Hospital after her death, but I never thought much about it until she died. Now my wife tells me that she too wants to become an ‘Aajaan Yai’ when she eventually dies. It works like this.
A person can formally sign papers instructing their family that after death the deceased person’s body has been donated to a suitable educational institute, eg Mahidol University Faculty of Medicine, Siriraat Hospital etc etc. Donor accepting institutes are all over the Kingdom eg Khon Kaen, Chiang Mai etc. The chosen institute has a registration office where the arrangements can be made by the donor. A card is issued that the donor carries with him/her in case of accidental death. Once death occurs the normal Buddhist family temple mourning ceremonies are carried out, the chanting of prayers over several nights etc etc, but instead of cremating the body, a time is set, usually in the morning, where the monks will again chant final prayers.
Shortly after this, the hospital/university van arrives, the driver and his assistant take care of the paperwork and then relatives and friends lift the coffin from the bier and place it into the van. Flower petals and coins are then strewn over the coffin into the back of the van. Last farewells are called out to Auntie and the van slowly makes its way out of the temple grounds. Auntie is on her way to being an Aajaan Yai. The idea in Thai culture is that even after death a person can become a valuable teacher by allowing his/her body to be used as an anatomical teaching aid to help medical students become doctors, and so whilst ever the person’s body is in the dissecting rooms it is treated with great respect by the students who now refer to it as their Aajaan Yai. A group of students are allocated a body and are required to treat it with the utmost respect. Waiing the Aajaan Yai before the day's lessons start and again after the lessons end, when the body is wrapped in cloth and a garland placed on it.

There are lengthy treatment processes before the body ever gets to the dissecting rooms and the whole subject of becoming an Aajaan Yai is covered in fascinating detail from start to the finish, when the body is finally returned to it's family, also with ceremony involved, in a sometimes mildly graphic VCD produced by the Kob Nok Kala ¡º¹Í¡¡ÐÅÒ TV program.
Before I was aware of what is involved I wasn’t all that happy about my wife’s wish to donate her body but after she bought the CD for me to watch, I feel happier about it, and I can understand why it would appeal to some people.

09-21-2012, 04:08 PM	#3
floadaVonfoli Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 417 Senior Member	How to become an Aajaan Yai How to become an ‘Aajaan Yai’ (Principal teacher) My wife’s aunt died a couple of weeks back. Well into her 80's, she had lived a long and full life, and it puzzled me when my wife and several other relatives told me she was now going to be an ‘Aajaan Yai’ ÍÒ¨ÒÃÂìãË*è 'principal teacher' I was well aware that Auntie had donated her body to the Siriraat Hospital after her death, but I never thought much about it until she died. Now my wife tells me that she too wants to become an ‘Aajaan Yai’ when she eventually dies. It works like this. A person can formally sign papers instructing their family that after death the deceased person’s body has been donated to a suitable educational institute, eg Mahidol University Faculty of Medicine, Siriraat Hospital etc etc. Donor accepting institutes are all over the Kingdom eg Khon Kaen, Chiang Mai etc. The chosen institute has a registration office where the arrangements can be made by the donor. A card is issued that the donor carries with him/her in case of accidental death. Once death occurs the normal Buddhist family temple mourning ceremonies are carried out, the chanting of prayers over several nights etc etc, but instead of cremating the body, a time is set, usually in the morning, where the monks will again chant final prayers. Shortly after this, the hospital/university van arrives, the driver and his assistant take care of the paperwork and then relatives and friends lift the coffin from the bier and place it into the van. Flower petals and coins are then strewn over the coffin into the back of the van. Last farewells are called out to Auntie and the van slowly makes its way out of the temple grounds. Auntie is on her way to being an Aajaan Yai. The idea in Thai culture is that even after death a person can become a valuable teacher by allowing his/her body to be used as an anatomical teaching aid to help medical students become doctors, and so whilst ever the person’s body is in the dissecting rooms it is treated with great respect by the students who now refer to it as their Aajaan Yai. A group of students are allocated a body and are required to treat it with the utmost respect. Waiing the Aajaan Yai before the day's lessons start and again after the lessons end, when the body is wrapped in cloth and a garland placed on it. There are lengthy treatment processes before the body ever gets to the dissecting rooms and the whole subject of becoming an Aajaan Yai is covered in fascinating detail from start to the finish, when the body is finally returned to it's family, also with ceremony involved, in a sometimes mildly graphic VCD produced by the Kob Nok Kala ¡º¹Í¡¡ÐÅÒ TV program. Before I was aware of what is involved I wasn’t all that happy about my wife’s wish to donate her body but after she bought the CD for me to watch, I feel happier about it, and I can understand why it would appeal to some people.
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