LuangPu Thuad

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Biography

Active: 3rd March 1582 - 6th March 1682

According to records, Luang Pu Thuat was born to Mr. Hu and Mrs. Chan, who were slaves working under debt bondage (ruan bia) to a wealthy man named Pan during the reign of King Borommatrailokkanat (Somdet Phra Maha Thammarajathirat). Luang Pu Thuat’s birth name was Pu. He was born in the village of Wat Liap, Dee Luang Subdistrict, Sathing Phra District, Songkhla Province. At birth, unusual events reportedly occurred, such as thunder and earth tremors, signaling the arrival of a great being. After his umbilical cord was cut, his father buried it at the base of a Liap tree where the Wat Liap monastery now stands. While an infant during the rice harvest season, his parents went to work in the fields about 2 km from home, near dense growths of palm and meao trees (known as the Meao Field, now called Na Plo Monastery). His mother found a large king cobra or bonger snake coiled around his cradle. After praying for protection, the snake loosened its coils and disappeared. A large, shimmering glass bead was found on the child’s chest where the snake had been; this bead later became a sacred relic enshrined at Wat Phako. When the wealthy Pan demanded the bead, misfortune struck his family until he returned it and forgave his debtors, freeing Luang Pu Thuat’s parents from slavery and improving their fortunes. At about age 7 (B.E. 2132), his parents entrusted him to study at Wat Kut Luang (now Wat Dee Luang) near his home, where the abbot was his uncle, Somphar Juang. The boy was intelligent, quickly learning Khmer and Thai. At age 15, Somphar Juang ordained him as a novice, returning the sacred bead to him. He continued his studies under high-ranking monks sent from Ayutthaya, such as Somdet Phra Chinnasen, abbot of Wat Sikhu Yang (now Wat Si Yang) about 4 km north. He completed the curriculum and then traveled to Nakhon Si Thammarat to study further at Wat Sema Muang under the abbot Somdet Phra Maha Piyatassi. At the appropriate age, he was ordained as a full monk and studied under various masters, becoming highly learned and reputed for miraculous powers. He received the royal ecclesiastical title Somdet Chao Phra Rajamuni Samiram Khunupapamacharn from King Ekathotsarot. At age 80, he returned to reside at Wat Phako, his birthplace. Before his death, he instructed disciples that upon his passing, his body should be placed at Khok Pho District, Pattani Province, which would become a tourist site. Luang Pu Thuat is mentioned in early regional histories of southern Thailand, but much of his life is preserved through oral tradition. His stories include Buddhist elements such as early signs, alleged miracles, travel, study, meditation, and eventual “sainthood.” His pilgrimage route across the southern Thai peninsula remains a spiritual journey for followers.[citation needed] He is also said to have saved countless lives in situations such as battles and armed robberies, with his sacred amulets playing a protective role