| LP Suwang | |
 | |
| Birth: | 1550/1551? Cambodia |
| Death: | 1995 Thailand |
| Age: | 444 years, 0-364 days? |
| Country: |  CAM THA
|
| Longevity myth | |
LP Suwang (1550/1551? – 1995) was a Cambodian-born longevity myth who claimed to be 444 years old at the time of his death.
Biography[]
LP Suwang claimed to be born on 1550 or 1551 in Cambodia. He came to Thailand between 1920 and 1925. He was Buddhist, and used to meditate a lot.
Suwang never wanted to reveal his history, and his birthday is a mystery.
Suwang appears to have entered Thailand (he was Cambodian by origin) around 1920-1925 and as a recognized Ajarn of that period, he then took his vows and retired Tudong in the wild for many years. A photo from around 1930 shows him already looking like a man in his 70s.
Suwang would ask one of his disciples to take him to the neighboring town, and once there, he would go to the market square and ask passersby to write down their wishes or names. Sick people in papers, so these papers were stacked on the floor and a Saï-Sin cotton cord was tied and the end given to LP Suwang. The Most Venerable then recited a long prayer and engaged in a meditative exercise which caused the pile of paper to spontaneously combust. (sometimes after 2 hours...).
The really amazing detail is that the cotton thread did not catch fire or darken. Many people had their wishes granted and miraculous healings were also reported from this strange ritual.
A disciple of LP Suwang engaged in a demonstration of heat resistance, placing himself like a lotus in a cauldron of boiling oil.
One day LP Suwang predicted the lottery numbers for one of his (very poor) visitors who later came to bring a large cash donation to LP Suwang to thank him. The Most Venerable then asked him to kindly convert this offer into 20 baht and 100 baht bills and the money was crushed (this is what you see in the white bag next to LP Suwang in the photo above, the lotto winner is the gentleman shirtless) . These crumpled notes were then mixed with resin and blessed by LP Suwang to make several small makeshift Buddhas which he distributed to visitors for free! All the while LP Suwang lived in a tin hut and laughed at his disciples' suggestions to use this money to build a small house...
Suwang at the end of his life in the 1990s, living as a humble peasant and helping his neighbors grow rice despite his old age.
Despite the more than precarious living conditions, the LP Very Venerable Suwang always maintained a great joy of life and a great mood
Most Venerable LP Suwang then settled in the Sri-Saket area, in the village of Barn Samlön, but after some stories owed to other monks jealous of his fame, he finally returned his vows and ended his days as a layman, living in a small hut he built with his own hands with the help of some disciples. The Most Venerable LP Suwang died in 1995, having "officially" more than 200 years...
A local legend says that LP Suwang learned a life-long secret technique from a Cambodian sorcerer and that, in fact, he was over 500 years old when he died. This technique apparently consisted of living 100 years and then "dying" for 20 days before waking up to live another 100 years. A degenerative disease ended the life/death cycle of Most Venerable LP Suwang, he apparently did not pass his secret on to his followers, although at least one of them said he attended the last 20 days of LP Suwang's "death" and for being the guardian of your body during this period. The body of Most Venerable LP Suwang spontaneously mummified after his death and is on display at Wat Phraï Pathana
Its webmaster with the current Abbot of Wat Phraï Pathana, Venerable LP Suwang, who was for over 25 years the disciple and friend of Very Venerable LP Suwang and lived as a hermit until 1995 . Wat Phraï Pathana now has 13 monks and 8 nuns.
Gallery[]
References[]
- Le Très Vénérable LP Suwang La Magie du Bouddha (Archived)