Luang Pho Daeng | |
---|---|
Born | 1894 |
Died | 1973 (aged 78–79) |
Luang Pho Daeng (Thai: หลวงพ่อแดง) was a Thai Buddhist monk who died while meditating in 1973.[1][2]
Daeng was born in Thailand in 1894. He was briefly interested in becoming a monk in his 20s, but decided he would rather be married instead. He raised six children with his wife.[3]
After all of his children had grown, Daeng (who was by then 50) decided to become a Buddhist monk, realizing his childhood dream. He was briefly an abbot at a temple in southern Thailand, but moved to Wat Khunaram, near his childhood home. He practiced Sokushinbutsu, a form of self mummification.[1]
Luamg Pho Daeng died while meditating in 1973.[1][2] His mummified body is on display at the Wat Khunaram (temple) on Ko Samui island in Thailand's Surat Thani Province. The mummy is notable for sporting a pair of sunglasses, placed by the caretakers to hide the decomposed eye sockets to make the display less disturbing. A native gecko species use the body as a hatchery, with eggs being laid beneath the skin.[3]