This high-ranking monk is well known within the circle of sacred plaques collectors in Thailand and those collecting the amulets. He is also respectfully known as “the father of amulets”.

The High-ranking monk specialized in making amulets such as the “mead mor”, “takrut”, “tiger”, “wild boar”, “celestial monkey”, “luk om (loop om)”, “tiger tooth”, “palad”, “celestial lion”, “hanuman”, “lersi tiger face” and so on.

This high ranking monk is also knowns as the “monk with the treasured tooth” and he is the only one in Thailand. His Thai ordination name is Luangpu Ka Long – Kiao Keow, usually shortened as LP Kalong.

There is a story behind his name. First of all, the word “Ka” derived from the word “Eeka” which means black crow; the word “Long” was derived from “Longlai” which means lost. When Luangphu Ka Long was born, a black crow was wandering at the door of his house, this is how the name “Ka Long” came about.

As for “Kiao Keow”, the word “Kiao” is tooth, while “Keow” is a valuable crystal substance such as ruby, gem and treasures. Therefore “Kiao Keow” is taken to mean “treasured tooth”. This treasured tooth brings divinity to Luangpu Ka Long in oral brilliance and exceptional effect in reciting the mantras.

Luangpu Ka Lung was born in the village of Phetburi, he was born to a Chinese father and Thai mother, and they ran a little business in Phetburi Luangpor Daeng of Wat Kao Ban Dai-It was Luangpu Ka Long’s grandfather. A few days before Luangpu Ka Long was born, there was a relative by the name of Lung Pan who was fisherman, he was out at sea fishing Suddenly he saw a ring of bright light above the village where he lived. He felt strange and hurriedly brought his boat back to the village to try to find the source of light.

When he eventually saw the light, he saw a renunciation practitioner walking into the house of Luangpu Ka Long holding a child by his hand. He was amazed and knelt down in prayer: “If The birth given is a male, I pledge that I will never earn my living by killing and will find my way to a cultivated life. I believe in karmic (karma) consequences and the cause and effect.” Not long after, a baby boy was born in the house and he was named Ka Long. Lung Pan kept his pledge and stopped fishing.

When Ka Long turned 20 years old, he was ordained as a monk at Wat Na Boon in Pathumtani province. His ordination name was Phra Ka Long Thaychawanno. Lung Pan who saw the miraculous phenomenon 20 years ago participated in the ordination ceremony and relate about the miraculous sighting to the chief monk of the temple. Lung Pan requested to be by the side of Luangpu Ka Long to be his attendant.

Luangpu Niam was one of Luangpu Ka Long’s master.

Luangpu Ka Long stayed in Wat Naboon and practice spiritual skill, after a few years he had acquired all the skills from the two masters. The masters wrote a letter of recommendation to their grand master for Luangpu Ka Long to continue his studies with him. Therefore Luangpu Ka Long was on his way to see the grand master Luangpu Kukhan. In Srisaket prov- ince near Cambodia, all monks practiced the magical skill from the Khmer way, which was exactly what Luangpu Ka Long was looking for.

At that time, Luangpu Kukhan was already at an advance age of 120, after a few years, Luangpu Ka Long left and went to practice the precepts from an austerity master monk. During that period of cultivation, Luangpu Ka Long came across many unusual phenomenons and practiced his cultivation under several masters from the mountain.

Luangpu Ka Long took a bath only once a year which was during the water sprinkling festival to accept well wishes from the devotees. Following that, Luangpu Ka Long would recite the sutra with merits passed back to the devotees. Despite taking a bath only once a year, his body did not emit any unpleasant odor, devotees could smelled the aroma of sandal wood surrounded him.

Luangpu Ka Long must have accredited good karma in his previous life. During the time when he was cultivating as an austerity monk and observing the precepts, someone taught him some knowledge that can never be acquired in the mortal world. At one time when Luangpu Ka Long was digging out the remains of treasures left behind during the ancient war, invaluable items were found. Luangpu Ka Long used all the money derived from such treasures to construct nine temples. One of them, the temple in Sak Keow, Wat Kao Lam, attracts devotees daily to offer prayers and venerations.

The copper “takrut” made by Luangpu Ka Long were all personally inscribed and chanted by him. As for other sacred plaques, sacred images, and other amulets, they were also done with close supervision by Luangpu Ka Long.

When they were completed, they were kept in Luangpur Ka Long’s room where chanting would be made day and night for one to three months before they were open for invitations by the devotees. Especially so were “Takrut” of Luangpu Ka Long, the devotees would be able to get away unharmed in the event of mishaps encountered. Some of them have the effect of ushering wealth and benefactors and the change of fortune from bad to good.

At the age of 85, Luangpu Ka Long conducted a spiritual ceremony at Lop Burn when he felt uncomforta-ble after the ceremony, he vomited blood and fainted. He was then rushed to the hospital by the devotees. Later night, news came that Luangpu Ka Long had passed away. One of the disciples pleaded at the hospital to have Luangpu Ka Long’s body returned to the temple. That was because Luangpu Ka Long came into his dream and told him that he did not wish for his body to be at the mortuary of the hospital. The body was then taken back to the temple where it was kept at the main sanctum of the temple.

Startlingly, the dead body woke in the middle of the night and told one of the disciples that he wanted a drink. The frightened disciple told the assistant at the temple to witness the phenomena.

The assistant was equally frightened but he managed to recollect himself to determine whether Luangpu Ka Long was still living or was it his ghost. Luangpu Ka Long was able to answer a series of questions put forth logically and they then believed that Luangpu Ka Long was still alive.

Everyone was curious to know how he went through the transmission of death and came back alive again. Luangphu Ka Long said that he fell asleep and dreamt that many of the sanctums he constructed were floated in his dream. Following that, he saw a few Hindu celestial beings and many eminent monks, amongst them was the “God of Creation” Visanuthep who said to him: “You had accumulated a lot of merits in the mortal world, do you have any more wishes?”

Luangpu Ka Long answered “I have one more temple that has not been completed yet. I hope to attain nirvana only after the completion of the temple” By the uncompleted temple, Luangpu Ka Long was referring to Wat Kao Lam which he residing there. Visanuthep then asked: “How many years do you need to complete it?” Luangpu Ka Long replied 10 years and Visanuthep said: “Alright! i will lend you 10 more years of living!” Then, Luang Ka Long felt very thirsty and woke up to get some water.

Luangpu Ka Long is really an unusual high-ranking monk of the era.

Source: Siamese Spiritual Journal. 2009.

Uncle Chow has some of his amulets and takruts. If you are interested, please visit here: LP Galong’s Amulets