37. Those with no fault by way of speech

On February 21, 1983, when Luang Pu was seriously ill and staying at the Chulalongkorn Hospital in Bangkok, Luang Pu Saam Ākiñcano came to visit him in the hospital room. At that time, Luang Pu was resting. Luang Pu Saam sat down near him and raised his hands in respect. Luang Pu responded by raising his hands in respect. Then the two of them sat there, perfectly still, for a long time. Finally, after an extremely long time, Luang Pu Saam raised his hands in respect once more and said, “I’ll be leaving now.”

“OK,” Luang Pu responded.

For the entire two hours, those were the only words I heard them say. After Luang Pu Saam left, I couldn’t help but ask Luang Pu, “Luang Pu Saam came and sat here for a long time. Why didn’t you say anything to him?”

Luang Pu responded,