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10 A Passing & A New Hope "Place your mind at the centre of the Buddha inside — that's equivalent to touching upon the incalculable myriad of Buddhas (in Nirvana)." (Phramongkolthepmuni) It is evident from the teaching of Luang Phaw Wat Paknam that his wisdom and compassion were beyond measure. When the first signs of illness started to manifest themselves, Luang Phaw seemed anxious, not because his own life was coming to an end, but, as he later confi ded to close relatives, because he had no heir to the Dhammakāya Tradition. He was afraid the tradition would disappear soon after his death. One day in 1944 five relatives come to visit him and in spite of his illness, they detected a smile on Luang Phaw's face. When asked why Luang Phaw was smiling, he explained that he was relieved to say that the one who would perpetuate the Dhammakāya Tradition had just been born in Singburi province. He said that to find an heir to this tradition was the hardest thing in the world — but that heir had been born— his adeptness in meditation would be unrivaled and his power more potent than Luang Phaw’s— sufficiently powerful to spread Vijja Dhammakāya throughout the world. Luang Phaw knew his disease was incurable. He took medicine only to postpone death. He said calmly: