H.H. Somdet
His Holiness Somdet Phramaharatchamangkhlachan
(Chuang Varapunyo, Pali Scholar Level 9)
The Former Acting Supreme Patriarch of Thailand
Birth
His Holiness’s given name is Chuang,
and his family name is Soodprasert. He
was born on Wednesday, 26 August 1925, the 9th waxing moon day of
the 10th lunar month in the year of ox. His hometown address is 32 Rajadheva
Sub-District, Bangplee District, Samut Prakarn Province. He is the second son of Mr. Ming and Mrs.
Sampao Soodprasert. He has four siblings
as follows:
1.
Mr. See Soodprasert (1923)
2.
Somdet Pramaharatchamangkhlachan (Chuang Soodprasert)(1925)
3.
Ms. Chalaem Soodprasert (1928-1949)
4.
Mr. Champee Soodprasert (1930-2004)
In 1932, Mr. Ming Soodprasert passed
away, so Mrs. Sampao had to be responsible for raising her children by herself. Later on, she remarried with Mr. Kod
Charoenpol and had four more children as follows:
1.
Mrs. Aroon Nakmeepit (1933)
2.
Mr. Boonsong Nakmeepit (1936)
3.
Mrs. Tongbai Sanantoong (1939)
4.
Ms. Sangwien Choroenpol (1943)
Ordination
Becoming a Novice Monk
When His Holiness was 7 year old, his
father passed away due to scurvy. So,
His Holiness and his elder brother had to be ordained on the cremation day of
his father according to the Thai tradition.
After the ceremony, his elder brother disrobed right away, but His
Holiness remained in his novice monkhood for a little longer. Then, he disrobed and became familiar with
the temples in his neighborhood namely Wat Sangharaja Temple and Wat
Lardkrabang Temple. When he was 14 year
old, he became a novice monk again on Monday, 1 May 1939, the 13th
waxing moon day or the 6th lunar month in the year of hare. His preceptor was Phra-kru Silabhirat (Tong)
from Wat Lardkrabang Temple in Bangkok.
After his second ordination, he studied Dhamma until passing the
intermediate level of Dhamma study at Wat Sangharaja. By then, he heard about the story of Luang
Por who could cater meals to his resident monks everyday without the need to
walk for alms round. His Holiness wished
to become a resident of Wat Paknam Temple, so he moved to Wat Paknam in 2484
with the recommendation of Venerable Jam who brought him to meet Luang Por
personally as accompanied by Mr. See, his elder brother.
Becoming a Buddhist Monk
His Holiness entered the higher
ordination on Friday, 11 May 1945, the 1st waxing moon day of the 6th
lunar month, in the year of cock, at the Buddha Hall of Wat Paknam in
Bangkok. He was given the monastic name
‘Varapunyo.’ His preceptor was Phra-kru
Boriharnbaromadhat (Puan Kesaro) from Wat Nangchee. Luang Por was one of his co-preceptors. Since His Holiness was a diligent person, he
could study until completing the Pali study level 7. Then, Luang Por brought him to further his
study at Wat Benjamaborpitdusitvanaram, under the supervision of His Holiness
the Supreme Patriarch (Kittisophonmahathera).
After completing Pali study level 9, be served the Supreme Patriarch as
a secretary for a period of time and returned to Wat Paknam to assist Luang
Por.
Education
1937 – Finished Grade 4 at Prachabal School, Bangkok
1941 – Passed intermediate level of Dhamma study at Wat Sangharaja,
Bangkok
1947 – Passed advanced level of Dhamma study at Wat Paknam, Bangkok
1949 – Passed Pali level 7 at Wat Paknam, Bangkok
1954 – Passed Pali level 9 at Wat Benjamaborpitdusitvanaram, Bangkok
Special Education
Study and practice Samatha and Vipassana
Meditation according to the Dhammakaya Tradition when he was a novice monk
until the present
1949 – 1965 Becoming a memorizer and recitor of monastic
codes at Wat Benjamaborpitdusitvanaram and Wat Paknam
Ecclesiastic Order (Monastic Rank)
1956 – promoted to the primary monastic rank of ‘Phrasrivisudhimolee’
1962 – promoted to the ‘Raj’ monastic rank of ‘Phrarajvedhi’
1967 – promoted to the ‘Thep’ monastic rank of ‘Phrathepvaravedhi’
1973 – promoted to the ‘Dham’ monastic rank of ‘Phradhamtheerarajmahamuni’
1987 – promoted to second to the holiness level of ‘Phradhampanyabodi’
1995 – promoted to the holiness level of ‘Somdet
Phramaharatchamangkhlachan’
Governing Work
1952 – Served as the secretary of His Holiness the Supreme Patriarch at
Wat Benjamaborpitdusitvanaram
1956– Served as the deputy abbot of Wat Paknam
1957– Certified to be a preceptor
1964– Became a deputy chief monk of region 3
1965– Became the abbot of Wat Paknam
1965 –1973 – Became the chief monk of region 3
1974 –1985 – Became the chief monk of region 17
1985 –1994 – Became the chief monk of region 7
1989 – present – Became a member of the Supreme Sangha Council
1990 –2005 – Became a board member of Por Sor Por
1990 – present – Became a board member of Sor Tor Por
1994 – present – Became the chief monk of Northern region
2005 – Became a member of the Acting Supreme Patriarch Council
Works on Education
1944 –1949 – Became an instructor of Dhamma school at Wat Paknam
1946 – Served as a Dhamma examination committee
1948 – Served as a Pali examination committee
1950 –1954 – Served as a Pali instructor at Wat Benjamaborpitdusitvanaram
1955 – Served as a Pali examination supervisor in different provinces
1956 – Served as the headmaster of Wat Paknam’s Dhamma school
1965 – Served as the director of Wat Paknam’s Dhamma school
1985 –1994 – Served as the director of basic Dhamma examination of region
7
1989 – Served as the first vice chairman of the National Pali examination
board
1994 – Served as the chairman of the National Pali examination board
1995 – Served as a committee of monastic education board
Domestic Propagation
1994 – Served as the second vice
director of domestic missionary division and served as the first vice president
of mountain missionary monks
1994 – Served as the president of
mountain missionary monks
Propagation Abroad
1984 – Established ‘Wat Mongkolthepmuni Temple’ in Philadelphia, USA.
1997 – Established ‘Wat Paknam Japan Temple’
2002 – Established ‘Wat Paknam New Zealand Temple’
2007 – Patronized the building of Wat Buddhamongkolbhavana in Ohio, USA,
which was established by Venerable Samak Samakko since 2004. Later on, the venerable was promoted to the
rank of ‘Phra-kru-palad Suwattanavisudhhikhun’ at the Buddha Hall of Wat
Paknam. His Holiness had renamed the
temple to be ‘Wat Paknam America Temple’ which formally became a branch of Wat
Paknam.
Works on Facility & Infrastructure
Since His Holiness became an abbot of Wat Paknam in 1965, he had launched
many projects to improve accommodation, facility, and infrastructure of the
temple in six major ways as follows:
1. Renovated the old facilities and
infrastructures
2. Built new facilities and
infrastructures
3. Preserved and maintained the old
things
4. Bought additional plots of land
to enlarge the temple area
5. Built a bridge to be the
temple’s entrance
6. Built electricity and water
system to serve the whole temple
Charity Works
1981 – Founded ‘Luang Por Wat Paknam
Foundation’ Trust. The money gained from
trust fund has been spent on many charity projects. The amount worth as much as 230,000,000 baht
(1981 – 2005). The money spent on Wat
Paknam’s construction project is 400,000,000 baht and the cost of construction
outside Wat Paknam is 230,000,000 baht.
1986 – Provided 72 Phramongkolthepmuni
funds to Dhamma schools all over Thailand as much as 100,000 baht per school in
order to support their Pali language instruction.
Hall Mark Projects
1989 – Commenced the construction of
the Marble Buddhist Scripture Inscription Hall at The Buddhamondol or Buddha
Mandala in Nakorn Pathom Province in order to commemorate the 60th
birthday anniversary of His Majesty the King of Thailand on 5 December 1987.
1991 – Commenced the construction of
Mahasirinat Buddhist Library at The Buddhamondol in Nakorn Pathom Province in
order to commemorate the 60th birthday anniversary of Her Majesty
the Queen of Thailand on 12 August 1992.
1999 – Commenced the construction of
Library & IT Center of Mahachulalongkornrajavidhalayala University in
Ayudhaya Province.
27 August 2004 – Commenced the
construction of Maharajamongkol Pagoda at Wat Paknam, which is 80 meters in
height and 50 meters in width, in dedication to His Majesty the King on the
occasion of his 80th birthday anniversary on 5 December 2007.
Special Projects
1955 – Represented the Thai Buddhist monastic order to attend Tripitaka
Revision Conference
1981 – present – Served as the president of Luang Por Wat Paknam
Foundation
1991 – Served as the monastic president of The Buddhamondol Fund Raising
Subcommittee
-
Served as a committee in examining the revised
Tripitaka, Chaloemprakiat Edition
-
Served as a monastic board member of the Sangha
Hospital
-
Served as an advisory subcommittee on fund raising of
Wat Thai Lumbini, Nepal
Foreign Monastic Rank
1977 – Promoted to the rank of ‘Phrasasanatachamahapanyasara’ by the
Sangha order of Bangladesh
1981 – Promoted to the rank of
‘Phrachinvarasasanasophontepitakavisaratakanapamokhajariya’ by the Amornpura
Nikaya Sect of Sri Lanka
1982 – Promoted to the rank of
‘Phrasasanachotikasaddhammavisartvimolkittisiri’ by the Assakiriya Sect, Siam
Lineage of Sri Lanka
1982 – Promoted to the rank of ‘Phradhammakittisiratepitakavisaradho’ by
the Mullavatta Sect, Siam Lineage of Sri Lanka
1983 – Promoted to the rank of
‘Phratipitakapanditadhammakittissiriyatisanghapatti’ by the Raman Lineage of
Sri Lanka
1983 – Certified to be a preceptor of Kotte Side, Siam Lineage of Sri
Lanka, at Phra Upalivamsalankara Uppajjayadhammadhiramahamunithera
1995 – Promoted to the rank of
‘Phratheravadavamsalankarasiamdhesasasanataja’ by the Amornpura Nikaya Sect of
Sri Lanka
Honorific Recognition
1989 – Received an honorary doctoral degree from
Mahachulalongkornrajavidhalayala University
2000 – Received an honorary doctoral degree from a university in Sri Lanka
2003 – Received an honorary doctoral degree from the Indian Sangha Council
2008 – Received an honorary doctoral degree from
Mahamongkutrajavidhalayala University
2010 – Received an honorary doctoral degree in linguistics from Thammasat
University
Passing Away
2021 – Passing away peacefully at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok on 9 December 2021 due to aging and kidney failure.
Image from http://www.ranongcities.com/index.php?cmd=news&cate=1&id=3525
Content from www.watpaknam.org
