Biography of Luang Phor Parn – Wat Bang Nom Kho
Ayutthaya • Phra Khru Wiharakhitjanukarn (Parn Sunantoe)
Luang Phor Parn Sunantoe—later honored with the ecclesiastical title Phra Khru Wiharakhitjanukarn—was born in BE 2418 as the youngest child of Mr. Aaj and Mrs. Im Sutawongs. Family recalled a small red mark on his left little finger, an auspicious sign that seemed to foreshadow a life steeped in Dhamma. He entered the Sangha on 1 April BE 2438, and from his earliest years in robes, his practice carried the imprint of clarity, kindness, and resolve.
His teachers shaped both craft and character. He trained under Luang Phor Niam of Wat Noi, Suphanburi, and Luang Phor Hnoeng of Wat Klong Madan—two revered masters whose undecayed remains are still spoken of with respect. In time, the same grace would surround Luang Phor Parn’s own passing in BE 2480, when his body likewise resisted decay, intensifying the devotion of those who had long looked to him for guidance.
His path combined Vipassana with the traditional disciplines known as Wicha. Among the teachings he carried forward, none became more closely associated with his name than the Yant Grao Paetch—the “Diamond Armour” yantra—together with a protective incantation that devotees fondly called the “Millionaire’s Kata.” He taught that sincere recitation should be matched with right action: generosity, restraint, and truthfulness—wealth as a by-product of virtue, not its substitute.
Years of study widened the foundation beneath his practice. He learned gammatarn (meditation and healing arts) and Vipassana with Luang Phor Sun at Wat Bang Pla Moh; undertook Bariyatti Dhamma and Pali–Sanskrit with Ajarn Jeen at Wat Jao Jed; and completed Abhidhamma studies at Wat Srakaet in Bangkok after five dedicated years. He trained in traditional Thai medicine at Wat Sangwaes and received the Diamond Armour transmission from Ajarn Jaeng. On Tudong (forest wandering), he met the unexpected—accounts tell of six sacred clay forms from “Chi Ba Khaw” that later became cherished rarities among disciples.
As Abbot of Wat Bang Nom Kho, his leadership was practical and unadorned. He established a Pali–Dhamma school, rebuilt the monastery to a standard that honored both community and craft, and is credited with assisting in the reconstruction or building of more than forty temples across Thailand. His days were full: receiving the sick, easing fears, offering words that landed like cool rain. Whether a farmer with a worry or a dignitary with a burden—each was met with the same even warmth.
His amulets carry a signature that connoisseurs recognize on sight: designs such as the Buddha seated on Garuda, on Hanuman, as well as iconic motifs of fish, porcupine, cockerel, and birds. He once said three months of concentrated blessing endowed them fully; if blessed for three years, he joked, “the Garuda and birds would fly.” Stories grew around that line—one much-told tale mentions a CCTV capture of a bird-form “leaving” an amulet and returning to a drawer. Whether read as miracle or metaphor, the lesson endured: faith is alive when practice is alive.
Near the end of his life, he spoke quietly of impermanence and, it is said, foretold the date and time of his passing five years in advance. When the day arrived in BE 2480, he was sixty-two. In the temple where his duties were never too small and the queue for help was never too long, gratitude lingered—and still lingers—in the routine of chanting, teaching, and care that he left behind.
Those who study his lineage often mention Luang Phor Ruesi Ling Dam of Wat Ta Sung among the few who inherited his Wicha. But the most accessible inheritance is simpler: a way of living that ties strength to compassion, protection to ethics, and prosperity to merit. In the memory of devotees and in the daily use of his kata and yantra, Luang Phor Parn remains a steady lantern—clear, useful, and close to hand.