Community Honors 115th Anniversary of Monk Luang Pu Chan Sri
The community will mark the 115th birth anniversary of Luang Pu Chan Sri Chantathepo, a revered forest‑tradition monk and former abbot of Wat Pho Siphorn in Udon Thani. Born in 1911, he was ordained as a novice in 1925 and later rose to become a senior royal‑rank monk and advisor to the ninth ecclesiastical region. Despite his age, he remains active in monastic life and meditation practice.
Luang Pu Chan Sri was born on October 10, 1911 in Ban Nonthanon, Nonthanon Subdistrict, Mueang District, Khon Kaen Province, to parents Bun San and Lun Sansamol. At age eight his father died; at ten his mother placed him under the care of Ajahn Peh Dhammamettiko, abbot of Wat Pho Si and sub‑district head, who also taught at the local school. He was ordained as a novice on May 6, 1925 at Wat Pho Si. At twenty he received higher ordination on January 13, 1931 at the sima of Wat Si Chan (Wat Si Chan Worawas) in Khon Kaen, with Phra Kru Pisan Aranyakekt (Chan Kemiyo) as his preceptor, Ajahn Singh Kantayakomo as the instructor of chanting, and Ajahn Maha Pin Pannapalo as the instructor of monastic discipline. He was given the dharma name Chantathepo, meaning 'one who shines like the full moon'. After just seven days as a monk he followed Ajahn Tesck Tesrangi to Wat Hin Mak Peng in Si Chiang Mai, Nong Khai, and Ajahn An Yannasiri, a disciple of Ajahn Mun, practicing dhutanga forest dwelling at the base of trees. He continued his studies, passing the preliminary and intermediate Dhamma examinations in Khon Kaen in 1932, the advanced examination at Wat Bowonniwet in Bangkok in 1935, and the four‑part Pali examination at the same Bangkok monastery in 1942. After completing his Pali studies he assisted religious affairs, becoming assistant abbot of Wat Thamanimitr in Samut Songkhram in 1943. In 1954 he was summoned by the Supreme Patriarch to reside at Wat Pho Siphorn in Udon Thani to support the monastic community after the aging of Phra Dhammachedi (Chum Phanthalo). He was appointed deputy abbot of Wat Pho Siphorn and also assistant provincial ecclesiastic of Udon Thani (Mahanikay). The following year he received a special appointment as an officiating preceptor and was named provincial ecclesiastic of Udon Thani (Mahanikay). In 1964 he became abbot of Wat Pho Siphorn, a third‑class royal temple. On December 5, 2001 he was elevated to the rank of Phra Udomyanon Molee, a senior royal‑rank monk, becoming the first forest‑tradition monk from the northeastern region to attain that rank. He was also appointed advisor to the ninth ecclesiastical region (Mahanikay). Despite his advanced age he continued to perform monastic duties and practice meditation diligently.
