Phra Maha Kananamtham Panyathiwat of Wat Ku Sorn Samakorn: Biography and Thai Amulets

Biography of the Most Venerable Phra Maha Kananamtham Panyathiwat

The Most Venerable Phra Maha Kananamtham Panyathiwat (1926 - 2018), known in Thai as พระมหาคณานัมธรรมปัญญาธิวัตร, was one of the great masters of the Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhist tradition in Thailand, called Anam Nikaya. He was the abbot of Wat Ku-Sorn Samakorn, a former Sino-Vietnamese temple located in the Yaowarat district of Bangkok.

Born with the civil name Charoen Sae Boo, he received the religious name Kinh Chieu. Thai sources indicate a birth on December 3, 1926, with a late administrative declaration in 1928. He was ordained a monk in 1948 at Wat Mongkhon Samakhom, in Bangkok's old Chinatown, and then dedicated his entire life to the service of the Dharma, monastic education, and the Anamite community in Thailand.

In 1957, he became abbot of Wat Ku-Sorn Samakorn. In 1985, he was appointed Supreme Head of the Anam Nikaya in Thailand, a responsibility he carried with great dignity. Under his authority, the temple became not only a place of prayer but also a center for the transmission, teaching, and preservation of Vietnamese Mahayana traditions in the heart of Bangkok.

"How to give young novices a good life after leaving the monastery, or enable them to study to preserve Anamite Buddhism?"

This reflection, reported in the Anam Nikaya archives, well summarizes the spirit of the venerable: a master dedicated as much to blessings as to education. It led to the creation of the monastic school Kusol Samakhon Witthayalai, aimed at providing religious and general education to young novices.

A Master of Blessings and Sacred Objects

The Most Venerable Phra Maha Kananamtham Panyathiwat is also known among collectors for his blessed Thai amulets, his sacred Sai Sin cords, his takrut, his ritual beads, and his blessing objects associated with Wat Ku-Sorn Samakorn. Several objects attributed to him blend Thai, Chinese, and Vietnamese influences, which perfectly matches the spiritual character of the temple.

A tradition reported by devotees says that some Look Nimit sacred beads blessed by the venerable were prepared with white wax and gold leaf from offerings made to the temple. These materials, already charged by the prayers of the devotees, were considered to carry accumulated merits.

Another esoteric anecdote concerns the blessed cords sometimes called "dragon's beard." In Sino-Vietnamese lore, the dragon is not merely a mythical animal: it represents protection, luck, and celestial power. Blessed by a master of the Anam Nikaya, these cords were sought after as conduits of protection and good fortune.

Death and Spiritual Legacy

The Most Venerable Phra Maha Kananamtham Panyathiwat passed away on April 16, 2018, at Chulalongkorn Hospital in Bangkok. His funeral was attended by many faithful, monks, and disciples who came to pay homage to one of the great modern pillars of the Anam Nikaya in Thailand.

Even today, his memory remains attached to Wat Ku-Sorn Samakorn in Bangkok, to the blessings he transmitted, and to the amulets consecrated under his authority. For enthusiasts of Buddhist sacred objects, his amulets represent a rare link to a discreet, ancient Mahayana tradition deeply rooted in Bangkok's spiritual history.

A photo taken during one of my visits to Wat Ku Sorn Samakorn