Chakkraphat White Cement/Crystal Balls ลูกอมผงกัมมัฏฐาน

[photo credit: Palungjit]

The Chakkraphat cement/crystal balls of Luang Pu Doo should not be mistaken for the crystal ball of Luang Pu Thuad. While the images of both gurus are usually depicted in a meditation posture holding a crystal ball – there is no correlation between the both. Each guru has his unique crystal ball history.

The Chakkrapat balls (also known as Maneenopparattana (Thai: มณีนพรัตน์), or Luk Om Phong Kammathan (Thai: ลูกอมผงกัมมัฏฐาน) (Trans. balls made from meditation powder) was the creation of Luang Pu Doo. As white cement is widely available, inexpensive, durable and bonds well with other materials – it is the perfect base material for amulets/statues and also for mass production. In addition, the color ‘white’ is highly regarded by the Thais as a color of purity. Until today, white cement is still the primary material for Chakkraphat amulets made by Luang Ta Ma of Wat Tham Muang Na (Luang Poo Doo’s most prominent living disciple). 

(*Chakkraphat powder is a post-product of white cement powder and a few other holy materials. After consecration/blessing, the powder mixture would be known as Chakkraphat powder). 

Luang Poo Doo would mold small balls out from white cement paste*, each ball is then drilled and painstakingly threaded one by one to form a necklace. The Chakkraphat ball necklaces were later given to children who visited Luang Pu Doo at Wat Sakae. This is one great example that positively portrays the compassion of Luang Pu Doo towards his devotees and disciples.

[photo credit: Baansuanpyramid, Thaimisc]

As time passes, miracles showered upon those who wore the Chakkraphat ball necklaces. One true incident was about a boy who was playing with his friends by the river bank. He slipped and fell into the river by accident. He could not swim but was floating miraculously. He survived. And, he was wearing the Chakkraphat necklace. Unexplainable phenomenon started to surround the Chakkraphat balls and this drove up demand – everyone wanted a Chakkraphat ball as it was considered highly auspicious.

Fast forward to today, when one sees an image of Luang Pu Doo with a white cement or crystal ball – it serves as a spiritual affirmation that the compassionate energies of Luang Pu Doo will be compounded within the round object, and, it is also a tribute of great respect for the creator of the spiritualistic Chakkraphat balls. Devotees believe that this necklace would bring them good luck, and subsequently, everyone treated the Chakkraphat ball as a wish-fulfilling object.

Luang Ta Ma, disciple of Luang Poo Doo inherited the art of making and consecrating Chakkrapat balls. In the past, only small batches could be produce since the process was time consuming. Fortunately, as technology improves, modern machinery has sped up production to meet national and global demands. Luang Ta Ma once explained to his disciples and devotees that any solid round object could be consecrated into a Chakkraphat ball and there is no difference in energy between a white cement ball and any other consecrated round object. From then on, the younger generations of disciples and devotees have flocked to Luang Ta Ma with multicolored off-the-shelf crystal balls for blessing into Chakkraphat balls. Crystal balls, after all, are more aesthetically pleasing compared to white cement balls.

[photo credit: Chayut4299]

Usage of the Chakkraphat balls 

Apart from wearing the Chakkraphat ball like an amulet, it could also be used to make Chakkraphat holy water for drinking, bathing, blessing (cleanse all negative energies, receive blessings, etc). 

“Just a single drop of the Chakkraphat holy water into the largest jar of water or liquid will turn the whole content into Chakkraphat holy water” – Luang Ta Ma

[photo credit: Wat Tham Muang Na]

References: 

1) Wat Tham Muang Na (Wat Prompanyo) วัดถ้ำเมืองนะ 

2) Phudit Sisanamchai