Luang Phor Kittisak Kittisaro
Former Abbot of Wat Pa Nong Lhub, Khon Kaen Province
Known in lay life as Phuchong Chaloemsak Piowleuang (ภุชงค์เฉลิมศักดิ์ ผิวเหลือง), Luang Phor Kittisak Kittisaro was born at Ban Nong Lhub, Daeng Yai Subdistrict, Mueang District, Khon Kaen, to Mr. Narong and Ms. Thongthin Piowleuang. His mother, a devout Buddhist who later became a nun and lived to the age of ninety-one, nurtured in him a quiet faith that would shape his life’s path. As a youth he studied at Khon Kaen Wittayayon School; music pulled him toward the guitar, night-stage lights, and songwriting—creative echoes that never quite left him, even as his journey turned inward.
Frequent illnesses and surgery became a turning point. From childhood he had recurring dreams of flying to heaven in monk’s robes; when recovery finally arrived, he followed the pull of those dreams. On Asalha Puja Day, 16 July 1981 (BE 2524), he entered the Sangha—precepted by Phra Khru Wimonpanya, with Phra Khrumaiy Suthto as chant master and Phra Insm Chandacho as novice mentor—ordaining at Wat Phra That Sadej, Lampang.
The newly ordained monk immersed himself in Vipassana and the discipline of the forest tradition. He practiced under Luang Pu Sim at Wat Tham Phaplong and sought teachings from revered elders such as Kruba Thammachai and Luang Pu Ruesi Lingdam. An intensive eight-month retreat at Wat Maha That, under the aegis of the Supreme Patriarch, refined his insight; periods of solitude—one rainy season on Ko Sichang, four rainy seasons in Chachoengsao under a senior teacher—tempered that insight with patience, restraint, and metta.
Returning to Wat Pa Nong Lhub, the small forest temple of his birthplace where his mother had settled, he was invited by the villagers to take up the abbotship. Out of gratitude he accepted, channeling donations and community effort into a program of renewal: new kutis, a dignified vihara and ubosot, a serene white Buddha image rising over four meters, and a chedi to enshrine scriptures and relics. Under his stewardship the temple gained legal sima and became a recognized meditation training center, drawing lay practitioners seeking precepts, mindfulness, and straightforward instruction.
He taught simply and lived simply: morning chanting, measured alms, long hours of practice, and time given freely to those who asked. Retreats were held across provincial temples; villagers recall holy-water blessings, herbal remedies, and gentle counseling that steadied households as much as it eased ailments. In this balance—forest discipline and practical compassion—his reputation grew across Khon Kaen and the Northeast. By the late 2000s he passed from this life, leaving a temple restored, a circle of students formed, and a memory of leadership defined by humility, clarity, and service.