Phra Maha Thongrattana Thavorn, a Thai Buddhist monk, passed away in the early hours of November 10th. His life exemplifies a path of dialogue between religions and his commitment to working for a united world, mutual understanding, and peace.
His contact with the spirituality of unity took place in 1995, during a visit to Loppiano (Florence), the international citadel of the Movement. 1 , where he met Chiara Lubich. Years later, recalling this first face-to-face meeting with Chiara, he would say:
“I was fascinated by him, by his eyes, by his simplicity, his promptness, his respect for who I am, his deep listening, the indescribable atmosphere. […] He spoke to me about his Christian life, about the charism of unity… I too feel like his son, because of the light I have received, but also because of his passion for spreading the light of unity among everyone.”
For her part, Chiara recognized in him a soul of extraordinary depth, capable of illuminating with authenticity and respect the path of interreligious dialogue, hence the name "Burning Light" by which many know him.
From then on, the Thai monk became a close friend of the Movement, participating in numerous events in both Asia and Europe. His presence was discreet yet impactful, and his message was always clear: religions should not compete, but collaborate for the good of humanity.
The news of his passing spread rapidly among Focolare communities worldwide through a letter that Margaret Karram, president of the Movement, sent to everyone in remembrance of him. Among other things, it said:
«He lived to the fullest the name Chiara had given him, being everywhere an instrument of light, comfort, and hope. To the very end, he loved and lived to build fraternity. Throughout his life, he spoke of unity in a unique way, with wisdom and passion, through books, magazines, radio programs, and meetings with Buddhist monks and laypeople—something that also brought him difficulties. One day, a monk asked him, perplexed, “Master, do you follow a Christian woman?” He replied, “I don’t follow a woman, but her Ideal of universal fraternity. She is not only for Christians; she is also for us.””.
In his last message to me he wrote: “Margaret, I suffer, but I endure, I endure, I endure, because my suffering is nothing compared to that of Jesus on the Cross. I endure because I am a son of Mama Chiara. Remember: we will not see each other again, but one day we will see each other again. I will soon be with her.”.
Personally, I cherish every word she wrote to me and every piece of advice she gave me. She taught me what it means to "endure for love," and her unity with me was a precious gift I will never forget.
Turn on subtitles – The original is dubbed in Italian.
