At
a temple outside of Chiang Mai, near the town of Mae Rim, the body
of the monk has been placed in a coffin sheltered by a temporary
mock temple--designed to be flammable.
As
guests arrive--and there will be hundreds of them--they light incense
and make a prayer before a portrait of the monk as a young man.
Nearby
is a photo board that documents the life of this monk, from
childhood photos up to the preparation of his corpse for incineration.
This monk has not died recently, however. His body has been
preserved for about a year. I was told that the more senior
the monk, the longer his body is saved--up to two or three years
for the very important.