PHRA LP TUAD
LP tuad was born in 1582.More than 400 years, the Legends of him was told again & again from generation to generation.One of the most famous story is " He step into the sea to make the water un-salty so the thirsty sailors could drink pure unsalty water from the sea ".
Many people in Thailand , Singapore , and Malaysia
The history and background of the legendary Phra Luang Pu Thuad had been published in various magazine articles and web sites. In this article, we have gathered all relevant info pertaining to the life history of this great master for all SimplyBuy members and amulet hobbyist to know more about this great Buddhist master. We are not able to ascertain the stories gathered from various sources are 100% accurate. Therefore, we strongly recommend that readers should use their own discretion in authenticating the relevance of truth and write to us if there's any comment.
To begin with, Wat Changhai is situated at Pattani, South Thailand. It was built more than three hundred years ago. LP Thuad was a legendary monk from the past and he is still very much revered by many people especially in Southern Thailand. In our present generation, he is famous for amulets made in his image which many believed hold great protective powers which have been proven to be very effective.
On 24th April 1963 AD (1st day of Chinese 4th Moon), the abbot of Wat Chaiya Mangkalaram, Penang, the Venerable Phra Kru Prasit Chaiya Mongol (Phor Than Daeng) invited the learned monks from Bangkok to Penang to officiate the opening ceremony of the holy image of LP Thuad.
At about 6 pm, Luang Pu Thuad suddenly revealed his presence in the body of a monk, presumely while the monk was in meditation. Impressed, many devotees asked for guidance and advice. Out of curiosity, one devotee inquired about his life history, Luang Pu Thuad kindly revealed the following details:
He was born in Singora, Thailand. His ancestors had migrated from Fujian Province in China many centuries ago due to the turmoil situations back then in China. His ancestors had eventually settled down in Singora, South Thailand. His parents were also born in Singora, Thailand. His mother was of Chinese origin. His parents were very poor but they were faithful devotees of the Buddha. They stayed in a hut near an old temple, Wat Khokosan and were employed by a rich family as farmers.
Luang Pu Thuad was born at Ban Suan Chan, Chumphol district, Sathing Phra in Songkhla, Southern Thailand in the year of A.D.1582 (B.E.2125) when his parents had passed their 40s. When he was less than 6 months old, he was placed in a towel under a shady tree near the paddy field while his parents are working. At noon she ceased work for break time in order to breast-feed him. As she walked towards the baby, she saw a huge cobra snake curled around him. Alarmed, she called out for help. The neighbours quickly gathered whatever weapons they could and came round.
The python was stern and motionless. The people around did not know what to do. No one dared to initiate an attack. His mother, however, had an idea. She remembered the ancient belief that this snake might be an avatar of the gods. So she plucked 7 wild flowers of different colours, put them on a leaf, and offering rice cakes,threw herself down at the ground and bowed to the cobra. After a while, the cobra spit out a crystal ball of manifold colours on the baby’s chest and slithered away. His mother kept the gem and brought him home.
The farm's rich man offered a very handsome price for the crystal ball. But LP Thuad's mother did not wish to sell it. The wealthy man then tried to force her to sell it using undue pressure. At last LP Thuad's mother relented in the face of the rich man's pressure.
The rich man was elated, but only for a while. Within three days, all members in his family fell ill. Consulting a medium, he was told that he had kept something which did not rightfully belong to him. Only the baby boy (LP Thuad) could keep it. The rich man became frightened and returned the crystal ball to the baby’s mother.
Luang Pu Thuad began to learn about the Buddhist teaching in a temple nearby at the age of 5 years old. Being naturally talented, he mastered all subjects his teacher could guide him within a year. He went to other temples over the hill and across the jungle to acquire further teaching every day. He became a monk named Samanera Pu at the age of 12 years old and devoted a full time study in the Dharmma. Samanera Pu was fully ordained at at later stage and was given the Buddhist Monastical name Samiramo. His father passed away at the age of 72 years old when he was in his early 20s. In order to further his studies in Buddhism, he left his mother and went to other Ayuthaya the old Thai Kingdom.
From his present location, Wat Phra Ko, South Thailand, LP Thuad took a boat bound northwards to Ayuthaya province (a former capital of Thailand). After sailing for half a day, the boat met with great storms. The crew were frightened. The boat did not arrive at its destination after drifting for several days. The supplies of drinking water were running low. The boat crews, being superstitious, unfairly blamed their misfortune on the presence of LP Thuad. They planned to throw him overboard into the sea.
Sensing their ill intentions, LP Thuad calmly consoled them that they needed not to worry about drinking water as there was plenty around. As he stretched his leg out of the boat, the storm suddenly abated. Using his leg, he drew a circle on the sea and told the boatmen to draw water within it to drink.
The crew were furious! They thought that this monk was trying to trick them. After LP Thuad's assurance that the water is actually drinkable, one of them decided to give it a try. He found that the water was indeed fit for consumption. Soon the rest of the boat crew went to drink the water to verify it for themselves. One curious crew member purposely tasted the water outside the circle and shouted that it was salty. The crew soon abandoned their thoughts of harming LP Thuad.
On the next day, the boat arrived at Ayuthaya province. LP Thuad walked for a few miles and was happy to come across a grand temple. The monks in the temple refused to accept him as he was poorly clad. He then turned to an old temple not very far away. The old keeper welcomed him and offered him board and lodging. He stayed there to study Buddhist scriptures, to pay homage to the Buddha and to practise meditation. He did this for half a year.
The ruler of a neighbouring Buddhist country, the King of Ceylon, eyeing the growing wealth and power of the kingdom of Thailand, sent seven monks to Ayuthaya province to test the achievements of the monks in Thailand. They brought with them 12 bowls containing 84,000 words. These words puzzle were to be arranged into a certain sutra within 1 week. If the task was accomplished, King of Sri Lanka would present Thailand with 7 boats made of gold. However, should the task be unsuccessful, Thailand would have to surrender its sovereignty to Sri Lanka. The Thai King found it difficult to reject such a challenge as if did so, Thailand would be the laughing stock of the Buddhist world and of the world at large. The Thai King then gathered all his country's well-known learned monks to deal with this problem. Many tried but were unsuccessful to solve the puzzle.
A Royal Announcement was made to look for someone capable of dealing with the puzzle. All the King's subjects were discussing about the country's current crisis. On the fourth night, the King dreamed of a white elephant trumpeting in a brillant light. He consulted a medium and was told that it was a auspicious sign as a sage was likely to appear to solve the problem. The King was, nevertheless uncertain about the meaning of his dream as foretold by the medium.
On the sixth day, LP Thuad left the temple in the morning to ask for alms in the form of food. He arrived at a rich man’s house. They saw him holding a bowl standing in front of the door. The rich host reverently offered him food. He sensed that the monk in front of the door was rather extraordinary in appearance. He paid LP Thuad due respect and told the latter that their country which reputed for their Buddhist studies would be put to shame if no one could meet the challenge put forward by Sri Lanka's King and asked whether he could help. LP Thuad replied that he would try. The rich host was very happy. He intended to invite LP Thuad to see the King immediately. LP Thuad told him not to be in a hurry and he would go the next morning.After LP Thuad had left, the rich host delivered the good news to the King. The next morning, a special Royal carriage brought LP Thuad to the palace. On arrival he was escorted by officials to the entrance of the royal palace. The steps boomed with loud sound as LP Thuad walked on them barefooted. The King and the officials were all very quiet.About half an hour later the monks from Sri Lanka came in. After exchanging greetings out of formality, LP Thuad began to arrange the words. 12 bowls of words were poured onto the table. He closed his eyes and arranged them with both hands. After about a quarter of an hour, he announced that 5 words were missing.The 7 Sri Lankan monks remained silent. He then warned that anyone who did not quickly take out those missing words would die a most horrible death with a cracked skull. The culprits was frightened and took out those missing words.
With his eyes closed Luang Phor Thuat exercised his supernormal power to arrange the words. The sutra was completed in a little while. Seeing that Thailand had successfully responded to Sri Lanka's challenge, those 7 monks presented those 7 boats made of gold and left. Thus LP Thuad’s name became well-known throughout the country. He was henceforth looked upon as a saintly Buddhist monk in Thai history.Impressed by LP Thuad's wisdom, the Thai king bestowed upon him the rank and title of "Somdej Phra Rajamuni Samiramagunupamacarya". LP Thuad also later became King Ekadasaroth's (King of Sri Lanka) advisor.LP Thuad remained in the capital city for a few years until he was informed of his mother’s serious illness. He rushed southwards and not long after, his mother passed on at the age of 78. After the funeral he stayed in Singora, Thailand.Upon returning home, LP Thuad had found that Wat Phra Ko was in ruins. He then sent a messenger to the Thai King asking if his majesty could help restore the temple. The Thai King was only too glad to help and the temple was soon restored to its former state. The Thai King also bestowed the land surrounding the temple on LP Thuad and the 250 families living around that area.
A state governor from the south by the surname of Phang, a man with a comparatively dark countenance, wanted to build a Buddhist temple. He came to Singora to look for a distinguished monk to head the project. One evening after sunset, he saw an old monk strolling along the seaside, leaving behind a trail of light. He knew that this was the monk to approach. He stepped forward to pay due respect to LP Thuad and told him of his intention to build a temple in Pattani. LP Thuad already knew about the matter through his psychic powers. He consented and went with governor Phang to Pattani. When the construction was completed, the temple was named Wat Changhai. LP Thuad was an asthetic monk wondering to many places spreading Buddhism teachings. LP Thuad was the abbot of this temple till he passed away at a far distance location named Saiburi (now known as Gerik in Malaysia).
