The story of a Khmer monk in Ca Mau

Born in 1939 in Vinh Thuan district, Kien Giang province, Mr. Lam Nuol, a Khmer ethnic, was a revolutionary soldier and a political activist in the resistance war against the US for national independence and unification. In his daily life, he was also a typical monk of Khmer Theravada Buddhism, a keeper of Khmer culture and national identity. Throughout his life, he silently devoted himself, sacrificed, and lived up to the ideal of "Good life, good religion" in the beloved land of Ca Mau.

From a master...

In 1966, when the country was still engulfed in the flames of war, the young monk Lam Nuol, then only 27 years old, moved to Ca Mau , taking on the role of abbot of Tam Hiep Pagoda in Tran Van Thoi District. While being a monk who preserved the Khmer Theravada Buddhist beliefs, he also participated in the Association for Solidarity of Patriotic Monks and Monks - an organization that mobilized monks and Khmer people to support the revolution.

He not only took care of Buddhist affairs but also shouldered political responsibilities, propagating the revolution, and spreading patriotism to the Khmer people in the region. In the cassock was the image of a monk entering the world, blending into the revolutionary flow of the nation.

In the memory of him and those who fought side by side, Tam Hiep was not only a temple for religious activities, but also a meeting place for revolutionaries, a shelter for secret cadres. In July 1966, Tam Hiep temple was heavily bombed by the US-puppet AD6 aircraft. Venerable Huu Nhem - his close comrade sacrificed his life in that battle while taking shelter in the basement of the main hall. That sacrifice was deeply engraved in Lam Nuol's heart, becoming an unforgettable part of his memory.

It was from that loss that he became even more determined: even though he was a monk, he still joined the ranks of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam, devoted himself to military work, propaganda and maintaining the revolutionary spirit in the hearts of the Khmer people.

Mr. Lam Nuol recalled that every time he went to a village, he changed his robe and returned to the appearance of a monk to gain the trust and welcome of the people. During the conversations, he told the people about Uncle Ho, about the revolution, about the future of the nation. Some people cried when they heard it. “When Uncle Ho passed away, the whole Tran Van Thoi area was immersed in grief. The memorial service for Uncle Ho was solemnly held at the pagoda, in the pouring rain… That pain cut into the heart. The Buddhists stood crowded in the pagoda yard, everyone was silent, heads bowed, tears falling in the sound of the rain,” Mr. Nuol recalled.

Not only did he preserve the Dharma, he was also the one who directly translated the Front's documents into Khmer, explained the revolutionary platform to the re-education classes, and trained monks. He was the bridge between the Khmer people and the ideals of the Party and Uncle Ho, a job that required intelligence, trust, and loyalty.

Mr. Lam Nuol (left cover) and other prestigious people took a souvenir photo at the 2024 Congress of Ethnic Minorities in Ca Mau Province.

Monk in the world

After the victory, Mr. Lam Nuol returned to secular life. But his path of service did not stop there. He worked at the Khmer Movement Committee of Ca Mau, then became Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ca Mau province, and became a National Assembly Delegate of the 6th, 7th and 8th terms.

The Khmer people of Ca Mau often call him “Luc Thum”, a respectful way of referring to a virtuous and talented person. To them, he is not only a person who once wore a monk’s robe, but today he is a person who has made great contributions to preserving the cultural soul of the Khmer people.

At the age of 86, he still lives simply in a small house in Ca Mau City. In his family's living room, he hangs many pictures and parallel sentences written in Khmer. Receiving us with a friendly smile, he said: "My daughter Huong is a teacher, every summer, the two of us teach Khmer to the children in the neighborhood."

Mr. Lam Nuol is a living symbol of the combination of religion and life. As a person who had entered a retreat, he studied religion, had compassion and charity from Buddha...; As a revolutionary cadre, he was imbued with the ideals of the Party and Uncle Ho. He said: "Whether entering a retreat or entering the world, in any position, first of all, one must fulfill the duties of a citizen, of a previous generation, to preserve and pass on, and set an example for the next generation."

Mr. Lam Nuol kept every issue of the Ethnic and Development newspaper given to him during his years as a Prestigious Person.

Not only did he contribute in his youth, he also preserved the Khmer language and writing, an inseparable part of the nation's soul, in his old age. "Language is the soul and identity of the nation. Losing language means losing roots and losing oneself," he always kept this in mind.

Venerable Thach Ha, Head of the Provincial Buddhist Sangha Executive Committee, President of the Association of Patriotic Buddhist Monks and Monks of Ca Mau Province, testified: “The life of Mr. Lam Nuol is a testament to the motto of life: “Good life, beautiful religion”. From the Zen monastery to the National Assembly forum, from the revolutionary trenches to the small classrooms in the hamlets, wherever he went, he sowed faith, respect and national spirit in the people. Despite his old age, he still continued to teach and contribute. The story of Mr. Lam Nuol is not only a memory, but a living legacy of the courage, intelligence and morality of a Khmer ethnic person who always turned towards the nation and the country…”.

Mr. Trieu Quang Loi, former Head of the Ethnic Minorities Committee of Ca Mau province (now the Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religions), shared that when I was still working and had not yet retired, Mr. Lam Nuol was a prestigious person among the Khmer ethnic people of Ca Mau city. After that, he did not participate anymore due to health reasons. However, he always actively participated in local emulation movements, activities of the Church and the Provincial Monks and Monks Solidarity Association. Recently, at the 2024 Congress of Ethnic Minorities of Ca Mau province, he was awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Minister, Chairman of the Ethnic Minorities Committee (now the Ministry of Ethnic Minorities and Religions) for his outstanding achievements in implementing ethnic work and ethnic policies of the Party and State in the period of 2019 - 2024. A worthy reward for a Luc Thum who is now 86 years old and still contributing his efforts to the community and the nation.

Source: https://baodantoc.vn/chuyen-ve-vi-su-nhap-the-nguoi-khmer-o-ca-mau-1748570785934.htm