Biography of Luang Phor Taem Panthito
Ecclesiastical Title: Phra Khru Banditanurak • Temple: Wat Chanrangsi, Mueang District, Ang Thong • Known for: disciplined Dhamma practice, Dhammakaya meditation lineage of Luang Phor Sodh (Wat Paknam), and sacred powder amulets
Luang Phor Taem’s story begins in modest circumstances. Hardship came early and shaped a temperament that was steady rather than severe—patient with others, exacting with himself. From boyhood he was drawn to the temple rhythms: the soft cadence of morning chants, the quiet attention of elders teaching scripture to children. When he entered the monkhood, he did so with the clear intention to live closely by the Dhamma and the Vinaya, letting practice—not personality—carry the weight.
The decisive chapter of his formation unfolded in Bangkok at Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen under the great meditation master Luang Phor Sodh Candasaro. There he trained in Vipassana Kammatthana and, more specifically, the Dhammakaya meditation system for which Wat Paknam is renowned. Alongside scripture and ritual competency, he learned the careful discipline of consecration—the “Phra Khong Khwan” or gift amulets made from sacred powders—and received transmission in practices related to Buddha-relic concentration and blessing rites. These years gave his practice its distinctive tone: quiet depth, meticulous method, and a refusal to rush what should be ripened slowly.
When he returned to Ang Thong, the Sangha entrusted him with the restoration of Wat Chanrangsi. The temple was tired—buildings in need of repair, routines gone thin. He began with what he knew: morning and evening chanting to gather the community, study circles to revive confidence, and simple work on roofs and halls until the place felt like a monastery again. Under his care, Wat Chanrangsi became a center where the Wat Paknam lineage of meditation was taught with clarity and where the laity found services that were both dignified and accessible.
In B.E. 2514 (1971) he created a series of sacred powder amulets rooted in the very materials and methods of his training. The mixes drew on Wat Paknam’s original Phra Khong Khwan powders and included hair relics (kesā) of Luang Phor Sodh. Consecration was not a single event but a careful sequence: rites at Wat Paknam Bhasicharoen, participation at Wat Pradoochimplee under Luang Phor Toh, and further blessings at Wat Kasattrathirat in Ayutthaya. The principal image of the issue was called “Luang Phor Yok”, named for the temple’s main Buddha image. Distributed to the faithful, these amulets carried both devotional feeling and documentary value—the record of a lineage carefully honored.
As abbot, his leadership style was consistent: strict with the rule, gentle with people. He encouraged meditation before opinions, service before speech. The community knew him less for dramatic tales than for reliability—weekday sermons that met people where they stood, quiet counsel to families carrying private burdens, and a temple whose order gave everyone a little more room to breathe.
Today, Luang Phor Taem Panthito (Phra Khru Banditanurak) is remembered as a monk who held together discipline and compassion without theatrics. His Wat Paknam lineage, the renovation of Wat Chanrangsi, and the B.E. 2514 amulets remain points of reference for practitioners and collectors alike—works of devotion made with care, and still regarded for their spiritual presence.