Luang Phor Kasem Kemagoh ( Nov 28, 2455 – Jan 15, 2539 )
Luang Phor (= reverend father, venerable monk) Kasem was
born as Kemagoh Pikku in a family of descendants of the
Lampang King from the Lanna Period.
He became a novice monk in BE2468 after the death of his
uncle, the abbot of Wat Bunyeun. In BE2470, he went to
Bangkok, Wat Setuwan to study Pali language and after some
time he returned back to the North to continue studies in
Wat Seelom and Wat Bunyawaht.
After passing his exams in Pali in BE2476, he was ordained
as a monk at Wat Bunyeun at the age of 21. His preceptor was
Tahn Jow Koon Tammajindah.
He met Luang Phor Krubah Gaen, a very famous monk in North
Thailand, a forest monk who had rich experience in
meditation. Luang Phor Kasem became his disciple and started
practising with him in forests and cemeteries.
When the abbot of Wat Bunyeun – Pra Dtomkum left his post
and the temple (because of boredom), the villagers
approached young Luang Phor Kasem (still deep in practicing
meditation) to return to Lampang and fill the post of a new
abbot.
Luang Phor Kasem continued his learning dhamma and
practicing meditation even when he was the abbot. The more
he trained, the more he realised how uncertain the life is.
However his duties as an abbot kept him busy the way that
was far away from his spiritual intentions more than he
thought. Therefore, in BE2492 he left the Wat and settled at
Susahn Sahlahwangthan, a cemetery surrounded by the jungle
at Lampang suburbs (see the map). The area was looking very
different to the well developed site we as can see it
nowadays. Many people were scared to even go there since it
was said to be haunted. LP Kasem was determined to keep
practicing the highest meditation right there. He would sit
in front of the crematory and watch the burning corpses.
Whether in hot sun or raining, Luang Phor would just sit
quietly and watched dead corpses being burned to ashes.
Luang Phor Kasem would sit deep in meditation for as long as
3 months, without any shelter under the hot sun or heavy
rain. Even though his robes were wet of rain, or during the
cold season when the cold wind blew, Luang Phor Kasem would
just sit quietly without any complain or request. Also, he
would stay without food for as long as 49 days. Since
BE2514, he only had bathed once a year, but there was no
strange or foul odour around him, despite the sweat was
pouring down his body under the roasting sun. And more
surprisingly, without a shelter or mosquito net, he never
suffered from mosquito bites at the cemetery.
In his meditations he was often in touch with his friend
Luang Phoo Doo from Wat Sakae, Ayuthaya.
Luang Phor Kasem would always point out that as a forest
monk he does not require any property. The only things he
owned were an alms bowl, his robe he was wearing and a piece
of human bone to practice meditations. He did not even own
any shoes or even pillow to sleep. To him, a pillow was a
luxury. He used to sleep on the ground at the same spot
where he was meditating. Whatever people gave to him, he
would give away to the other monks. He was just completely
determined to find the truth of life. He asked for nothing
in life – although, as a descendant of the royal blood in
Lampang, he could enjoy all the luxury.
Luang Phor Kasem passed away on Jan 15, 2539 (7:42 pm) at
the Lampang hospital. He was 84. A memorial and mausoleum
were built at the area by the cemetery and his dead body was
placed in a glass coffin for reasons that make yet many
local people upset. However he had reputedly never wished to
be burned. Or … had he?
There is many amulets and objects LP Kasem designed and
consecrated to protect people from all sorts of danger. I’ve
bee told by the local people from Lampang that LP Kasem
originally wasn’t completely keen on making any Buddha
images or religious pendants – he was a devoted forest monk
who was determined to to practice meditation at quiet,
remote places. Nevertheless people started approaching him
with polite demands for help and protection. At first,
soldiers from around Lampang who were going to be send to
the Cambodian or Burmese border were often visiting his site
where they received bamboo leaves with protective spell
written on them. Since it saved many of their lives, LP
slowly become famous on the field of making protective
pendants. Also his ‘rakang’ from BE2516 become famous over
night during a big student riot in Bangkok – when police
opened fire at them, those who wore the pendant simply
weren’t injured by flying bullets.
Reputedly at about this time (~ BE 2520) LP Kasem’s infamous
nephew comes into play with quite a terrible idea – to make
fortune on his uncle’s popularity. He basically started
pushing on poor LP to release more and more pendants while
he was running all the business around it. This man started
making serious money but also started gambling at casinos
around Cambodian and Burmese border. People whisper the
things got even worse … but i’m a bit shy to carry on
writing about what i’ve heard. In the end LP Kasem’s body
wasn’t even burned – on the contrary – it was placed into a
glass coffin to … make money. Most of Lampang people were
strongly against the idea but a few powerful individuals
(led by his nephew) decided the other way. So it was the
other way. It is quite interesting fact that the body has
never begun decomposing – it simply dried out .
Shortly – serious collectors are interested just in LP Kasem
amulets that were released before BE2520.
Here are a few examples of amulets i have:
• BE2516 MEDAL, so called "RAKANG" (it refers to the amulets
shape – a bell). Probably the most popular of his medals.
This batch of rians was the last batch of Luang Por Kasem’s
Banjahbahramee(prosperity) batch of amulets. They were
created to raise fund for the building of a Sala at Susahn
Dtailak and also for donations to charity in Lampang
province. click to get a large picture
Story behind this amulet:
Besides, the reason of raising fund, Luang Por Kasem wanted
very much to create this batch of rians because of a woman
called Susahdah. Long time ago, there was a farm girl by the
name of Susahdah who lived near Wat Pra Keow. She loved
making merits at the temple and so every day without a rest,
she would bring fruit from her plantation to the temple for
the monks. However, one woman in the village was very
jealous of her. She noticed that Susahdah would go to the
temple and so she spread the loathly rumours that Susahdah
had an affair with the monks inside. The villagers became
furious when they heard the rumours and wanted to kill her.
Susahdah pleaded her innocence, but no one in the village
believed her. Before she was executed, she made a vow that
her chastity was clean and she put a curse on the woman who
spread the rumours. The curse which had lasted for
generations and generations had it that the woman and her
family would live in poverty, without any joy. Luang Por
Kasem got known about the sad story and wanted to make merit
for her to break the curse.
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