Luang Phor Sodh (Phra Mongkol-Thepmuni)
Abbot of Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen • Founder of the Vijja Dhammakaya Tradition • B.E. 2427–2502 (1884–1959)
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Known nationwide as “Luang Phor Wat Paknam” and affectionately as Luang Phor Yai (“senior father,” “meditation master”), the Venerable Chao Khun Phra Mongkol-Thepmuni stands as the foremost teacher of the Vijja Dhammakaya path. Born on 10 October 1884 (B.E. 2427) in Suphanburi to a modest rice-merchant family, he was given the name Sodh, the second child of Nai Ngern and Nang Sudjai Meekaewnoi. Like many Thai children of his time, his first learning came from the temple schools. When his father passed away, the fourteen-year-old Sodh shouldered the family livelihood and managed rice trading with notable success—yet by nineteen he had resolved to dedicate his life to the robe.
After securing his mother’s well-being, he entered monkhood in July 1906 (B.E. 2449). At age twenty-two he was ordained as Bhikkhu Candasaro at Wat Song Phi Nong near his home; his preceptor was Phra Ajahn Dee of Wat Pratusarn, Suphanburi. The very next day he began earnest meditation alongside Pali study. Seeking broader instruction, he moved to Bangkok—studying and practicing at Wat Bodhi (Wat Phra Chetuphon Vimolmangklararm) and visiting centers devoted to meditation and the Pali canon. His aptitude was quickly recognized by teachers such as Phra Khru Yanavirati (Wat Bodhi) and Phra Ajahn Singha (Wat Lakorn Tham), who regarded him as a gifted meditation instructor.
In the dry seasons he undertook dhutangavatta—austere wanderings for purification—living simply in forests and caves, joining restraint with contemplation. After ten years he set aside formal Pali exams, having reached fluency sufficient to read the Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta, and turned wholly to meditation.
A decisive turning came in his twelfth vassa at Wat Bang Khu Wiang on the Bangkok Noi canal. On a full-moon night in September, he made a solemn vow before the Buddha image not to rise until he understood the Dhamma as the Buddha had realized it. Centering the mind at the body’s midpoint, he experienced a profound breakthrough: the realization of the Dhamma known as the Dhammakaya. From this awakening flowed the Vijja Dhammakaya—an inner method he would teach for the rest of his life.
He soon began guiding practitioners at Wat Bang Pla; monks and lay devotees alike reported clear insight through his method, and word of his teaching spread widely. Recognizing both his vision and character, Somdet Phra Vanarat, head of the Bhasicharoen Sangha district, invited him to assume the abbacy of Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen—then a deteriorating monastery. Though initially reluctant, he accepted. With patience and firm leadership he rebuilt Wat Paknam into a vigorous center of scriptural learning and contemplative practice. In 1949 (B.E. 2492) he was elevated to Phra Bhavana-Kosolthera, later to Phra Mongkol-Rajmuni, and in 1957 (B.E. 2500) to Chao Khun Phra Mongkol-Thepmuni.
Vijja Dhammakaya became the living heart of his daily work. He spent days and nights meditating with the monastic community, guiding nuns, leading ceremonies, offering public instruction on Thursdays, giving Dhamma talks on holy days, and overseeing the Pali Institute. His disciples numbered in the thousands, and his influence reached far beyond those who met him in person.
Luang Phor Sodh passed away on 3 February 1959 (B.E. 2502), aged seventy-five. His legacy endures in the continued practice of Vijja Dhammakaya and in the rebuilt Wat Paknam—a testament to disciplined compassion, rigorous method, and the promise of the Noble Path.