Samana Phothirak, founder of the Santi Asoke movement, passed away on Thursday morning from natural causes at the age of 89, according to a post on the Facebook account of Boonniyom TV.
Samana Phothirak, the founder of the Santi Asoke movement, died on Thursday morning from natural causes at the age of 89, according to a post on the Facebook account of Boonniyom TV.
It put the time of death of the spiritual leader and founder of Santi Asoke, an ascetic sect of Theravada Buddhism, at 6.40am.
Samana had reportedly been receiving treatment for pneumonia at Warinchamrab Hospital in Ubon Ratchathani before he returned to Ratchathani Asok village in early February.
Samana was born Mongkol Rakpong on June 5, 1934 in Sri Sa Ket. He grew up living with his mother in Ubon Ratchathani and went to high school and college in Bangkok.
He changed his name to Rak Rakpong while at college. After graduation, he worked as a TV host and a part-time art tutor, songwriter and paperboy.
After learning about Buddhism he was ordained as a Dhammayuttika Nikaya monk at Wat Asokaram on Nov 7, 1970, when he was given the monastic name Phothirak.
He founded Santi Asoke after declaring independence from the Sangha Supreme Council of Thailand in 1975.
Samana was billed as a heretic due to his ascetic practices of avoiding eating meat, using money, raising funds, or engaging in supernatural rituals.
He was also a political activist, having founded the Palang Dharma Party and been involved in the Black May events of 1992 and later protests against former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.