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Somdet To Brahmaraṃsi
Somdet To Brahmaraṃsi
สมเด็จพระพุฒาจารย์ (โต พฺรหฺมรํสี)
	1867 portrait
Personal life
Born	17 April 1788; Tha Ruea, Ayutthaya, Siam
Died	22 June 1872 (aged 84); Wat Intharawihan, Bangkok, Siam
Era	Rattanakosin Kingdom
Notable work	Jinapañjara Gāthā
Education	Wat Bowonniwet Vihara; Wat Rakangkhositaram;
Occupation	Buddhist monk; scholar;
Religious life
Religion	Buddhism
Denomination	Theravada
School	Mahā Nikāya
Dharma name	Brahmaraṃsi
Monastic name	Buddhācariya
Senior posting
	Students Mongkut;

Somdet To (1788–1872; B.E. 2331–2415), known formally as Somdet Phra Buddhacarya (To Brahmaramsi) (Thai: สมเด็จพระพุฒาจารย์ (โต พฺรหฺมรํสี); RTGS: Somdet Phra Phutthachan (To Phrommarangsi)), was one of the most famous Buddhist monks during Thailand's Rattanakosin period and continues to be the most widely known saintly monk in Thailand.^[1]^{[page needed]} He is revered for spiritual powers and his amulets are sought after.^[1]^{[page needed]} His images and statues are some of the most popular religious icons in Bangkok.^[2]^{[page needed]}

Biography

Somdet To was born in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province, the illegitimate son of King Rama II.^[3] He studied the Buddhist scriptures of the Pāli Canon with several Buddhist masters. After becoming a well-known monk, he became the preceptor for Prince Mongkut, later King Rama IV, when Mongkut became a monk. During Rama IV's reign Somdet To was given the ceremonial name Somdet Phra Buddhacarya (To Brahmaramsi – Buddh[a]charya meaning teacher (acharya) of Buddhism) by the King and used to be one of his trusted advisers, having left a lot of teaching stories around him and the King.^[4]

He was noted for the skill of his preaching and his use of Thai poetry to reflect the beauty of Buddhism, and for making amulets called Somdej. The amulets were blessed by himself and other respected monks in Thailand. He also appears in many versions of the story of the ghost Mae Nak Phra Khanong, and he is said to be the one to finally subdue her. Somdet To also wrote the Jinapanjara, a protective magical incantation which is widely chanted and used by Thais.^[1]^{[page needed]}

Legacy

Wat Luang Phor Toh in Sikhio Town features a golden statue representing Somdet To.^[5]

Sources

McDaniel, Justin (2014). The lovelorn ghost and the magical monk: practicing Buddhism in modern Thailand (Paperback ed.). New York, NY: Columbia Univ. Press. ISBN 9780231153775.
Legends of Somdet Toh, Ven. Thanissaro Bhikkhu,

References

1 2 3 McDaniel 2014.
↑ McDaniel 2014: "It is a lesser known fact, that Somdet Toh, was also the grandson of His Majesty King Rama I of Thailand, and the son of His Majesty King Rama II, which was until recently a completely unknown fact, due to his mother not being of Royal Status, so the fact was never allowed to be known by the folk, during Somdet Toh's lifetime. This was of course because an illegitimate child, would damage the image of the Kingdom. This is however also the real reason that he reached such an elevated status as a monk, and was called to the Palace, and bestow with the Abbotship of Wat Rakhang, because he was the son of the second King of the Chakri Dynasty, but not an Heir to the Throne."
↑ [Maha-Amarttri Phaya Thipkosa Sorn Lohanan, Biography of Somdet To, (Bangkok: Nithitham Printing, 1930)]
↑ Legends of Somdet Toh
↑ "Sikhio Tourist Attractions". Mountain Creek Golf Resort. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2024.