27. Worlds apart

A group of three or four young men from a distant province came to see Luang Pu as he was sitting on the porch of the meeting hall. You could tell from their behavior—in the casual way they sat and spoke—that they were probably familiar with a rogue monk someplace. On top of that, they seemed to believe that Luang Pu was interested in talismans, for they told him of all the great tantric ajaans who had given them talismans of extraordinary magical power. Finally, they pulled out their talismans to display to one another right there in front of him. One of them had a tusk of a wild boar, another a tiger’s fang, another a rhinoceros horn. Each of them claimed extraordinary powers for his talisman, so one of them asked Luang Pu, “Hey, Luang Pu. Which of these is more extraordinary and good than the others for sure?”

Luang Pu seemed especially amused and said with a smile,