Luang Pu Moon Bhuridhatto (หลวงปู่หมุน ฐิตสีโล)
Wat Ban Jan, Kantararom, Sisaket Province • Birth: May 15, 1894 (Thu) • Passing: March 11, 2003
Born on May 15, 1894 in the quiet rice-growing village of Ban Jan, Kantararom, Sisaket, the boy who would become Luang Pu Moon Bhuridhatto grew up in the Sri Songkram (Kaew Pak Pin) family under the care of his farmer parents, Mr. Dee and Mrs. Ua. From an early age he showed quick intelligence and a steady, contemplative temperament. Recognising his bent for the Dhamma, his family encouraged him to enter monastic training; at age 14 he ordained as a novice under the abbot Luang Pu Sida of Wat Ban Jan, receiving firm grounding in meditation and scripture.
In 1917, at age 23, he took full ordination and the Pali name “Thitasilo” — “one established in virtue.” Four years of disciplined study with local teachers were followed by a lifelong period of tudong wandering practice. He travelled on foot through forests and mountains, enduring the rigours of the wilderness and the folklore of spirits and wild beasts, using challenge as fuel for mindfulness.
Seeking higher knowledge, he studied at the Taksila Academy of Ban Jik Yai in Piboonmangsahan, Ubon Ratchathani, delving into the Maha Buddhakom Tome and advanced manuals such as the Patamang, Itthijay, Maharat and Trinisinghe traditions. Through the 1930s he continued his quest in Bangkok’s great monasteries — including Wat Thepthidaram (where he attained Parian 5 and the Mulgadjaiyana syllabus), Wat Suthat, and Wat Arun — refining both scholastic and contemplative disciplines.
Luang Pu Moon also taught Mulgadjaiyana (pure Pali studies) for many years, before resuming his wanderings in the north, spending a year across the border in Myanmar, and later heading south to exchange practice with Luang Pu Tim of Wat Chang Hai. Over decades he sought instruction from renowned masters: Phra Ajahn Man Phurithatto in the forest tradition’s exacting meditation; Luang Pu Si Chantasiri near Nong Khai in Lop Phong Si methods traced to Somdet Phra Buddhachan (To); and Ajahn Klai Wajasit of Wat Suan Khan, Nakhon Si Thammarat, from whom he received the treasured Chan Mark Med Yai.
His practice is remembered within the Sai Wet Witthaya Buddhakom stream, associated in lore with Somdet Loon of Nakhon Champasak (Laos). To inherit this demanding lineage, he trained under Teacher Chan and Luang Pu Dam and underwent rigorous tests among dozens of aspirants — trials of endurance and concentration that only a handful passed. The result was a synthesis of deep meditation with the ancient disciplines of sacred science.
In the 1940s, at about age 50, he stepped back from administrative posts to devote himself fully to contemplation and teaching. Yet his commitment to community never waned. Returning in 1977, he spearheaded restoration works at his ancestral monastery, Wat Ban Jan (a 200-year-old temple), and supported nearby sanctuaries such as Wat Nong Lom, Wat None Phueng and Wat Sub Lumyai, anchoring them as spiritual centres for devotees.
Throughout his long life he emphasised mindfulness, virtue, and the weaving of meditation into daily conduct. His consecrated amulets became widely revered — not merely as objects, but as extensions of practice, sought for protection, prosperity and moral remembrance. Students remember his instruction as plain yet penetrating: cultivate steady awareness, guard the heart, and let compassion guide every act.
Luang Pu Moon passed away peacefully on March 11, 2003, at the age of 111. His century-spanning journey — from novice in a Sisaket village to elder master revered across Thailand — remains a testament to unwavering discipline, quiet courage, and the enduring power of the Dhamma.