Premier Visits Southern Monk for Blessings at Government House

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Interior Minister invited Phra Kru Ratanasikkha, or Phra Ajarn Prasuti Piyadhammo, the abbot of Wat Nai Tao (Wat Tham Phra Phutthakosiyh) in Huai Yod District, Trang Province, to visit the Thai Khu Fa Building at Government House on September 11 to boost morale and share ethical teachings. The monk inscribed auspicious numerals on the Prime Minister's desk and presided over the gilding of a lion statue on the building's second-floor balcony to enhance fortune in office. Phra Ajarn Prasuti had previously performed similar rituals for Anutin during his campaign in Trang and blessed him to serve two terms as Prime Minister.

Phra Ajarn Prasuti is a renowned southern meditation master in the Khao Op tradition, specializing in consecrating amulets and sacred objects sought by his disciples. He inherited his knowledge from his late teacher Phra Ajarn Saeng Thammassaro, the former abbot of Wat Nai Tao, a highly revered monk. Currently 60 years old with 40 years of monastic life, his secular name was Sutra Kongrithi. He was born on Thursday, October 19, 1965, in Ban Huai Lud, Huai Yod District, Trang Province, to parents Pradit and Sanit Kongrithi, who worked in rubber cultivation.

In his youth, Prasuti studied at Ban Thung Tor School in Huai Yod District while staying at Wat Nai Tao with Phra Ajarn Saeng, where he gained exposure to various teachings. He completed his secondary education at Huai Yod School. In 1986, at age 20, he was ordained at Wat Huai Yod with Phra Kru Nimit Sangkhakun as his preceptor.

Committed to Buddhist studies, he passed examinations in Buddhist scriptures at bachelor, master, and doctoral levels. He then sought out renowned meditation masters across Thailand to develop his spiritual knowledge, studying in the North with Kruoba Moe at Wat Sri Dong Yen in Chiang Mai, in the Central Region with Luang Pho Samriddhi at Wat Tham Faed in Kanchanaburi, and in the South with monks including Luang Pho Kloi at Wat Tham Khao Ngio in Chumphon and Phra Kru Bunnya Phinan at Wat Thung Chon in Trang.

His travels and intensive meditation practice developed him into a skilled practitioner of vipassana and strong in concentration, eventually earning him renown for consecrating sacred amulets and objects. He also gained expertise in rituals for the Chathukkham Rammathep—four-faced Buddha statues—having attended consecration ceremonies since 1987. Wat Nai Tao is one of the primary sites for such consecrations, alongside the Grand Vihar in Nakhon Si Thammarat and Wat Khao Op in Phatthalung, making it a sacred destination for monks nationwide seeking to consecrate amulets.

When his teacher Phra Ajarn Saeng passed away in 1995, Wat Nai Tao fell quiet until 1997, when villagers invited Phra Ajarn Prasuti to return and serve as abbot in succession, recognizing him as the teacher's closest disciple. Wat Tham Phra Phutthakosiyh, or Wat Nai Tao, is located in a rural area of Trang Province.