Luang Phor Pern (Phra Udom Prachanat)
Wat Bang Phra, Nakhon Pathom • BE 2466 – BE 2545 (1923 – 2002) • Age 79
Luang Phor Pern Suvachano — later honored with the ecclesiastical title Phra Udom Prachanat — was born on August 12, 1923 in Nakhon Pathom. Raised in modest circumstances, he gravitated early to the temple precincts of Wat Bang Phra, where at age 15 he ordained as a novice under the guidance of the abbot, Luang Phor Him. A quick mind and a steady temperament marked his early years; scriptural study, meditation discipline, and temple service formed the rhythm of his youth.
Seeking deeper training after initial formation, he left his home monastery to study with eminent teachers. With Luang Phor Opasi of Wat Ratchasittharam he refined concentration and the protective sciences of wicha; with Luang Pu Waen Sucinno of Wat Doi Mae Pang he absorbed the rigors of forest contemplation and the clarity of Vipassana. These apprenticeships prepared him for years of thudong practice — walking the old paths through jungles and mountains across Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar, meditating in caves and remote sanctuaries. Lore from those wanderings tells of poised encounters with wild animals, especially tigers whose ferocity seemed to soften in his presence; whether taken as miracle or metaphor, the stories reflect the composed fearlessness that would define his ministry.
In 1953 he returned to Wat Bang Phra and succeeded his mentor as abbot. The monastery soon became a regional anchor: buildings were repaired and raised anew, study halls opened for monks and novices, and community programs expanded under his insistence that contemplation and service belong together. His presence drew villagers and city visitors alike — some for counsel, many for blessings, and increasingly for the sacred art for which he would become renowned.
That art was Sak Yant — the consecrated tattoos of geometric yantra, Pali invocations, and powerful animal forms, most famously the tiger associated with courage and guardianship. Under Luang Phor Pern’s hand the practice was never merely decorative: each design was selected for ethical purpose, inscribed with mindful breath, and sealed with ceremony. Chanting, meditation, and invocation framed the rite, the power held not in ink alone but in the disciplined compassion that informed his blessing. Word spread, and Wat Bang Phra became a pilgrimage site for seekers from across Thailand and far beyond.
Parallel to tattoo consecrations, he created amulets whose iconography often echoed that tiger guardianship — pieces cast or pressed from sacred metals, herbs, and powders gathered from holy sites and ceremonies. To devotees they offered protection from harm, the drawing of auspicious opportunity, and a renewal of inner steadiness. For the abbot, they were a reminder to keep precepts and cultivate mindfulness: outer forms pointing the heart back to practice.
His leadership bore the marks of quiet diligence — building works completed without fuss, scholarships raised for the young, relief organized for the poor. Sermons emphasized compassion, restraint, and the daily keeping of the Five Precepts. Many monks and lay practitioners traced their paths to his counsel, remembering a teacher who joined clear instruction to practical care.
On March 30, 2002, at age 79, Luang Phor Pern passed away. The mourning that followed filled temple grounds and city streets, a measure of the life he had poured into the monastery he loved. His relics are enshrined at Wat Bang Phra; his teachings endure in memory and in the annual Wai Khru rites each March, when disciples gather to honor the lineage and renew their tattoos under blessing. In the decades since, his name has remained a byword for courage joined to compassion — the spirit of the forest carried back to the town, and given to the people.