Biography of Luang Phor Khan (Phra Khru Wisutthithammarat)
Abbot of Wat Phra Sri Ari, Ban Lueak, Photharam District, Ratchaburi Province
Born on October 27, B.E. 2468 (1925) in Ban Lueak, Photharam District, Ratchaburi, the boy who would be known as Luang Phor Khan carried the lay name Khan Phumkasem. His childhood was the quiet rhythm of rural Thailand—rice fields, temple bells, the cadence of Pali chants drifting from the ordination hall. He was observant and inward-looking, drawn early to the Dhamma and to the steady example of village monks who lived simply yet radiated strength.
At twenty, on March 25, B.E. 2488 (1945), he entered the monkhood at Wat Ban Lueak, beginning a lifelong commitment that would span 46 years. Under the guidance of senior teachers such as Luang Phor Rod (Wat Luang), Luang Phor Yaem (Wat Ban Lueak), Luang Phor In (Wat Both), and Luang Phor Boontham (Wat Phra Pathom Chedi), he deepened in Vipassana meditation, Pali studies, and the sacred sciences associated with consecration. The young monk’s reputation grew quietly but surely: disciplined in conduct, compassionate in counsel, and unwavering in meditation practice.
During an intensive retreat, a turning point arrived. In meditation he perceived the guardian spirit of Wat Phra Sri Ari, urging him to remain and restore the temple’s spiritual center. The experience did not puff him with pride; rather, it gave him clarity of duty. In B.E. 2493, he accepted the responsibility of abbot at Wat Phra Sri Ari in his home community of Ban Lueak, where he would shape both the temple’s renovation and the moral fabric of village life.
The Sangha recognized his steadfast service. In B.E. 2514 he was conferred the ecclesiastical title Phra Khru Wisutthithammarat. He became Ecclesiastical Head of Ban Lueak–Nong Pho in B.E. 2521, and in B.E. 2522 was appointed an Upachaya Preceptor (พระอุปัชฌาย์), entrusted with guiding new generations into the monkhood. These were not merely titles; they were the institutional reflection of a life grounded in kindness, restraint, and scrupulous observance.
Alongside administration and teaching, he devoted himself to the careful preservation of sacred materials and ritual knowledge. Over time he assembled more than a thousand distinct sacred powder components (nuea phong) and holy substances—materials from Wat Sam Ploem and Wat Rakhang, celebrated powders associated with Phra Somdej B.E. 2497 blessed by Luang Phor Sodh of Wat Paknam, and rare ingredients passed down by Luang Phor Boontham. With these, and through long cycles of consecration grounded in Dhammakaya meditation (the Paknam lineage), he produced his hallmark amulets, including Phra Yod Khun Phon, first released in B.E. 2527. The pieces bear the calm weight of careful curation—blessings layered year after year, never rushed.
As a teacher, he was approachable and exacting in equal measure. Younger monks sought him for precise instruction in chanting and meditation technique; laypeople came for counsel that was practical, never theatrical. The stories that circulate about him are modest ones: a timely word, a ritual conducted without fuss, a blessing given with the unspoken assurance of someone who has done the work inwardly.
On February 3, B.E. 2534 (1991), Luang Phor Khan passed away at the age of sixty-five, having served the robe for 46 years. His legacy endures in the temple he strengthened, in the monks he ordained and mentored, and in the amulets he consecrated with patience and clarity. For devotees across Ratchaburi and beyond, his name evokes a steady kind of faith—the kind that returns one to the breath, to the chant, and to the quiet work of living well.