Luang Pho Khun (หลวงพ่อคูณ)

Thai. Name of a revered Buddhist monk associated with Wat Banrai (fig.), a Buddhist temple in Korat, i.e. Nakhon Ratchasima. He is known by the honorific name Phra Thep Withayakhom, i.e. ‘Angelic Incantation’, and is celebrated for his strict practice of the dharma. He was born on 4 October 1923 and given the birth name Khun Chatproklang (คูณ ฉัตร์พลกรัง), entered the priesthood on 5 May 1934 at the age of barely 10, and passed away on 12 May 2015, aged 91. In iconography, he is often depicted squatting while holding a cigar, and since he was born in the Year of the Pig according to the Chinese zodiac, he is sometimes depicted seated on a boar (fig.). 回