Luang Pu Khaek Phabhaso
(Phra Mongkhon Suthi)
Former Abbot of Wat Sunthon Pradit • Bang Rakam, Phitsanulok
Born on Friday, 19 September BE 2467 at Ban Krungkrak in Bang Rakam, Phitsanulok, he was given the lay name Lamyong Nathitongphithak. The family lived on the floodplain; yearly inundations taught him endurance early. As a boy he rowed a small boat through swollen canals, bartering vegetables and fish for rice in nearby Sukhothai. He studied at Sala Wat Krungkrak School and completed Grade 4—brief schooling tempered by hard work that shaped the calm, steady temperament he carried into the robe.
At about twenty-one he sought ordination, entrusted by relatives to Phra Khru Phutthisunthon (Luang Pho Run), abbot of Wat Sunthon Pradit. He spent more than four months committing principal chants and the Seven Legends to memory before taking full vows in BE 2487 within the temple’s phutthasima, with Luang Pho Run as preceptor and Phra Ajahn Pliang and Phra Ajahn Rueang as ritual teachers. He studied diligently and soon passed the second level of the Dhamma examinations.
His service unfolded over decades. In BE 2501 he was appointed abbot of Wat Sunthon Pradit, also serving as preceptor and head of the temple school. Two years later, BE 2503, he became ecclesiastical head of Bang Rakam District; in BE 2514 he acted as head for Mueang Phitsanulok District. Royal recognition followed: BE 2536 he received the title Phrakhru Sunthonthammapraphas (Phrakhru Sanyabat), in BE 2541 elevated to first class in the same dignity, and in BE 2552 promoted to third-class royal rank as Phra Mongkhon Suthi.
He was a builder in the quiet, practical sense. Under his abbacy the ordination hall, vihāra, kutis, refectory, and study spaces were renewed or erected until Wat Sunthon Pradit stood as a well-equipped centre for the district. He helped neighbouring temples that lacked facilities, mobilising patrons and villagers to raise pavilions, prayer halls, and dining halls. The Department of Religious Affairs later cited Wat Sunthon Pradit as a model development temple.
Education remained a priority. In BE 2503 he joined hands with locals to fund a new building at Bang Rakam School to meet rising enrolments. At the monastery, Buddhist studies for monks and novices were organised systematically. He co-chaired scholarship programmes to assist high-achieving students in need, and often rallied support to repair and construct school facilities across the district.
His name became familiar in consecration halls. In major ceremonies for sacred objects throughout Phitsanulok and beyond, he was regularly invited to preside or join the blessing, respected for measured chant and meditative composure. Elders recalled his serious study of wicha, notably with Luang Pho Pui of Wat Pak Rat, Pho Thale, Phichit. Outside public duties, he preferred stillness: when free from invitations he retired to meditation, keeping to steady precepts and quiet counsel to juniors—integrity in Vinaya, diligence in study, and service to the laity without self-promotion.
On 20 October BE 2561 he suffered a sudden, severe headache and lost consciousness. Disciples rushed him to Phitsanuvej Hospital, then to Phutthachinnarat Hospital for emergency surgery. His condition did not improve. He passed away peacefully at 15:25 on 2 November BE 2561, aged 94, having completed 74 rains in the robe.
On 19 September BE 2563, the community marked the ninety-sixth anniversary of his birth. His legacy endures in the institutions he strengthened, the students he supported, and the confidence he lent to consecration halls—a provincial abbot in the best sense: close to the soil, steady in the robe, and unwavering in service to Bang Rakam.