PENAMPANG: “Lek Lai”, the mythical Thai-originated magical metal amulet said to possess supernatural powers against evil elements and life-threatening situations, must not be abused or it will lose its effectiveness.

Issuing the terse warning was none other than Luang Pho Watchara Ekawanno, the abbot of the renowned Watthamfad Temple in Bangkok, Thailand.

His master, the late Luang Pho Samrit, founded the Watthamfad Temple in 1957.

Samrit was the one who first introduced the mystery art of Lek Lai, some 40 years ago.

He later passed on the exclusive knowledge and skill of inserting Lek Lai to Watchara, thus making the latter the only person in this world who could perform such rituals without causing any harm to the person later.

“The person who has Lek Lai inserted in his or her body must strictly observe the 10 Precepts of the Buddha – that is practice non-violence and do not kill.

“They must also not steal; do not abuse sexuality; do not deceive; do not abuse drugs; do not gossip; be humble; do not covet or indulge in envy or jealousy; do not indulge in anger; and do not defame the Three Treasures i.e. the Buddha, Dharma (wisdom and teaching of Buddha), and Sangha (the Order of monks),” he stressed.

Watchara stressed this after performing the Lek Lai insertion ritual on some of the devotees at the premises of Watthamfad Sabah branch here, recently.

He was responding to a question by this reporter on the possible abuse of Lek Lai by those of bad character, or even the triad members.

Watchara was here from October 6 – 9. It was also his first visit to the temple since its establishment in July this year.

The said temple is located at the third floor of a shop house in the Beverly Hills Commercial Plaza, along Jalan Bundusan here.

He noted that Lek Lai would quiver moderately to warn its owner of potential danger ahead, and makes one feel itchy to indicate a good omen.

Its owner is normally advised to chant special ‘Buddhism verses’, as frequently as possible, in order to preserve and further enhance its supernatural endowment.

Apart from protecting one from the harm’s way, Lek Lai is also known for possessing the endowment to enhance its owner the chances of success in his endeavors.

The 53-year-old former banker also conceded that Lek Lai was very difficult to find, as it can only be found in some caves deep in the mountain, coupled with the fact that only those who possessed ‘spiritual power’ could find it.

Lek Lai literally means fluid metal in Thai. It usually comes in various shapes, like a capsule, a tiny ball, a turtle, etc. It exists in the crevices of some caves.

Legend has it that if one is in possession of a genuine Lek Lai, he would be able to survive three consecutive gun shots.

Lek Lai is thus said to be a favourite talisman among the Thai enforcement officers.

To prove its effectiveness, Watchara conducted a demonstration, in which he used a razor sharp knife to slit the throat and neck of the devotees who had undergone the rituals of Lek Lai insertion.

Amazingly, they survived unscathed, except for a minor burning sensation.

To further substantiate the supernatural power of Lek Lai, he also accepted the challenge of conducting the demo using any sharp object brought by the challengers.

But, so far no one has done so.

He then disclosed more than 2,000 people had been inserted with Lek Lai ever since he inherited the knowledge and skill from his master, about seven years ago.

Almost every week, there would be people from all over the world who would go to the Watthamfad Temple in Bangkok, to have Lek Lai inserted into their bodies.

Sometimes, he would also travel to other countries to perform such rituals, upon invitation.

To perform the ritual of inserting the Lek Lai, he would first ask the devotee concerned to recite some sacred Thai verses, after him.

After that, he would use a ‘sacred wooden hammer’ and a metal hole-puncher to punch a hole through the skin near the upper arm of the devotee concerned.

He would then insert the Lek Lai, which usually measures slightly smaller than a “tic-tac”, into the devotee’s body through the said hole.

The devotee concerned would then be treated by his assistant, Archarn Watnik PhaCru, who is also the monk-in-charge of the branch temple here.

According to those who underwent the rituals recently, even though it caused bleeding, it was less painful than having one’s body tattooed.

A total of 23 men underwent the Lek Lai insertion rituals, which spanned over four days.

Meanwhile, apart from performing the Lek Lai insertion rituals, Watchara also conducted the unique rituals called the “Buddha Crown” to bless some of the devotees.

In addition to this, he also performed ‘spiritual healing’ on those who were plagued by some strange ailments believed to be associated with the evil spirits.