Sacred Objects News – Commemorative Medal Honoring the 70th Anniversary of Luang Pu Chu

Luang Pu Chu Chantasoro, a renowned Buddhist monk and former abbot of Wat Naka Prok in Bangkok's Phasi Charoen district, was originally from Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, born in 1858. His family engaged in commerce, operating trading vessels between Nakhon Si Thammarat and Bangkok. In 1869, the family relocated to Thonburi Province, where he ordained at Wat Thong Nopkhun, a prestigious meditation school of that era.

From his youth, he devoted himself to Buddhist studies across multiple disciplines until achieving mastery. He studied under various renowned teachers, including those at Wat Rakhang Kositaram and Phra Achan Phlab at Wat Chi Tai (present-day Wat Chi Phon) in Ayutthaya. He spent an extended period in Phichit and Phitsanulok provinces, where his family eventually believed him deceased. Upon his eventual return home, his joyful reunion with relatives led his parents to arrange his marriage, resulting in three children—two sons and one daughter.

Using his knowledge of herbal medicine and traditional healing practices, he earned the local nickname "Pharmacist Chu" for helping those suffering from illness. Becoming weary of worldly life and recognizing the impermanence of existence, he re-ordained at Wat Nang Chi in Phasi Charoen and later became abbot of Wat Naka Prok, with ten monks following him from Wat Nang Chi.

During his tenure as abbot, he renovated temple buildings and oversaw their development. He served as a spiritual refuge for villagers, treating their illnesses and becoming a beacon of faith. The temple grounds were filled with medicinal herbs and various traditional remedies. One notable medicine he prepared was preserved lime (makrut) stored in large jars exposed to sunlight and dew, freely distributed to those in need for treating headaches, fever, abscesses, and various inflammations.

He provided excellent training to the temple's monks and novices, regularly preaching to laypeople about maintaining moral conduct and ethical livelihoods. Before modernization, Wat Naka Prok and its surroundings were covered in dense forest, with residents practicing agriculture and cultivating betel nut groves so extensively that the area became known as the "Betel Market." Transportation relied on boats, and electricity and running water were unavailable; people lit oil lamps and candles in the evenings to study Buddhist texts and dharma literature.

According to local accounts and documented records, Luang Pu Chu was known for his simple lifestyle, knowledge, humility, virtue, and exemplary conduct. Remarkably, he was the only monk whom Phra Bhavana Gosalatthera (Luang Pu Iem of Wat Hang), a celebrated teacher skilled in medical science and ancient medicine, personally recommended to others. When villagers sought blessings from Luang Pu Iem, he would direct them to Luang Pu Chu, and vice versa. These two revered teachers held deep mutual respect, understood each other's spiritual maturity, and frequently visited one another.

He passed away peacefully on Wednesday, the fifth waning day of the second lunar month in 1934, at the age of 76.