Yesaṁ sambodhiyaṅgesu, sammā cittaṁ subhāvitaṁ
Ādānapaṭinissagge, anupādāya ye ratā
Khīṇāsavā jutīmanto, te loke parinibbutā.

Those whose minds have achieved full maturity in awakening, delight in renunciation, and rejoice in not clinging to things are blessed to attain the mental state of freedom. Since they have eliminated defilements, they have glowed in wisdom and have attained Nibbāna even in this very life.

(Verse 89, Paṇḍita Vagga, Dhammapada)

Thailand boasts some of the oldest examples of Buddhist culture and heritage. Today, nearly 93 per cent of Thais follow in the ancient footsteps of the Buddha. Thai devotees and benefactors have constructed approximately 50,000 monasteries throughout the country. There are about 300,000 male monks and 41,000 active monasteries. Because of the impressive numbers of Buddhist monks, some people call Thailand the Land of Yellow Robes. Since Buddhism was transmitted to the land of Siam, Thai devotees and practitioners have cherished their rich culture, heritage, and tradition of faith in the three treasures. 

Ven. Phra Thepyanmongkol (1929–2018), also known as Phra Ajahn Maha Sermchai Jayamanggalo, was a prominent Thai meditation master who dedicated his life to teaching Buddhism and insight meditation. For nearly 30 years, Phra Thepyanmongkol was the abbot of Wat Luang Phor Sodh Dhammakayaram and director of the Dhammakaya Buddhist Meditation Institute. Wat Luang Phor Sodh Dhammakayaram is a vibrant modern Thai monastery known for its unique meditation practice. It is located on Bangpae-Damnoensaduak Road, Paengpuay Sub-District, Damnoensaduak District, in Ratchaburi Province. Ven. Phra Thepyanmongkol founded Wat Luang Phor Sodh Dhammakayaram on 9 July 1991.

Ven. Phra Thepyanmongkol’s lay name was Sermchai. He was born on 6 March 1929. He studied commerce and arts in public administration at Thammasart University. He also received a certificate in social science research from the Institute of Social Science at the University of Michigan. Sermchai worked as a research specialist at the United States Information Service (USIS) in Bangkok, Thailand. At the same time, he was a visiting lecturer at various academic institutions in Thailand.

Since 1970, Sermchai had been practicing meditation. Inspired and guided by an eminent Thai master, Ven. Phrarajbrahmathera (Veera Kanuttamo), Sermchai became an advanced meditator. Ven. Phrarajbrahmathera was the former vice abbot and head of the Vipassana meditation department of Wat Paknam in Thailand. He had studied the Dhammakaya meditation method directly from another meditation master, Ven. Phramongkolthepmuni, or Luang Pu Sodh Candasaro (1884–1959), who was widely known as Luang Phor Wat Paknam. After Sermchai started his spiritual journey, he decided to follow in the footsteps of the Buddha, and he renounced lay life. He entered a Theravada monastic order as a bhikkhu on 6 March 1986. According to the Buddhist monastic code (Vinaya), Sermchai relinquished his lay name and assumed the monastic name Ven. Sermchai Jayamanggalo, being later renamed Ven. Phra Thepyanmongkol.

After becoming a monk, Ven. Phra Thepyanmongkol committed himself to deepening the practice of monastic discipline and studying intensive Buddhist teachings. At the same time, he dedicated his time to studying Pāli bhāṣā, a scriptural language of the Theravada tradition. The Theravada’s core text, the Tipiṭaka, is compiled in Pāli. Phra Thepyanmongkol studied the higher levels of the Tipiṭaka and passed level six of the Pāli curriculum. Phra Thepyanmongkol became skilled in the tripartite division of pariyatti (theory of Buddhist doctrines), paṭipatti (the practice of the Dhamma), and paṭivedha (insightful exploration of the Dhamma). In 1996, after many years of study, he was appointed as a certified preceptor (upajjhāya) for newly ordaining Buddhist monks by the Thai Sangha Supreme Council.

Five years before this honor, in 1991, Ven. Phra Thepyanmongkol had established Wat Luang Phor Sodh Dhammakayaram. It developed into a well-known institution for meditation practice, studying Buddhist scriptures, and learning Pali. The well-organized monastery gradually drew Thai and non-Thai laypeople and monastics to study there. Nowadays, the temple holds training at four levels: locally for Ratchaburi Province, regionally for Ecclesiastical Region 15 (four central provinces, namely Samut Song Khram, Ratchaburi, Petchaburi, and Prachuapkhirikhan), nationally for the Thai National Office of Buddhism, and internationally for the World Buddhist University. At the provincial level, Wat Luang Phor Sodh is one of the very few temples in Thailand designated as both a Provincial Pali Studies Center since 1999 and a Provincial Meditation Institute since 2000.

Wat Luang Phor Sodh is an affiliated institution with Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University (MCU). Since 2008, Wat Luang Phor Sodh has been the coordination center for all provincial meditation institutes throughout Thailand. Wat Luang Phor Sodh’s Buddhist Meditation Institute (BMI) has also been recognized as an Associated Institution of the World Buddhist University (WBU) since 2006.

Ven. Phra Thepyanmongkol delivered Buddhist teachings and published Buddhist texts throughout his life. According to his monastery’s records, he published more than 80 books, 250 articles, and two journals. He consistently produced monthly radio and weekly TV broadcasts nationwide and internationally in Thai and English. More than 900 Buddhist lectures contain recordings of his talks. He also taught in 17 universities and Buddhist monasteries around the US from 1986–89.

This prolific monk received multiple recognitions and titles from Thailand and abroad. He was bestowed the ecclesiastical title of “Phra Bhavana Visutthikhum” in 1998, before being promoted to “Phra Rajyanvisith” in 2004, with his third promotion being “Phra Thepyanmongkol” in 2011. Furthermore, two prestigious universities honoured Phra Thepyanmongkol for his contributions to enriching Buddhism. In 2007, MCU awarded him an honorary Doctorate in Buddhist Principles in Management for the first time. Mahamakut Buddhist University (MBU) awarded him an honorary Doctorate in Religious Study in Buddhism for the second time in 2009. In 2018, Venerable Phra Thepyanmongkol became an associate professor at MCU.

Because of his unwavering compassion and thoughtful teachings, his disciples and followers called him “Luang Pa” as a respectful epithet. On 7 October 2018, at the age of 89, he drew his last breath at Wat Luang Phor Sodh Dhammakayaram, Ratchaburi Province. A large number of Thai and international followers mourned the loss of their beloved meditation master. Phra Thepyanmongkol’s legacy profoundly impacted the propagation and preservation of Theravada Buddhism throughout Thailand and the Buddhist world. His light of Buddhism rests in the hearts of the Wat Luang Phor Sodh Dhammakayaram community in Thailand and beyond.

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