Luang Pu Hong was in Barn ToongMon
When he was 18 years old, his mother requested him to ordain as a Sammanen, however young Suwanahong felt that his temperament was unsuited to being a monk, and anticipated that he would not last more than week.
But unbeknownst to him, a miraculous incident was about to happen that would change his life forever.
3 days into his monkhood, a strange event occurred. The young monk came face to face with a group of strangers dressed in the garb of simple villagers. They requested that young Luang Phi Hong deliver a sermon but he respectfully turned them down as he was not well-versed in the Buddhist Dhamma yet. The strangers however pleaded insistently, saying; “Young Venerable, why don’t you recite the Namassakara (a recitation to offer salutations to the Buddha) 3 times. You can do that, can you?”
Young Luang Phi Hong recited the Namassakara, and much to his astonishment, he was then able to deliver a Buddhist sermon effortlessly. The mysterious strangers smiled to the young monk, prostrated to him and to the Buddha in gratitude, and vanished into thin air. Bewildered, young Luang Phi Hong immediately related this incident to the Abbot. The Abbot was very impressed and explained that such an occurrence is called “Tham bandan” (a form of Buddhist miracle).
Because of his experience, Luang Phi Hong resolved to devote his life to monkhood. At age 20, he was ordained as a Phra Song, and given the name Phrompanyo, which means the wisdom of Phra Phrom. In the Buddhist tradition, Phra Phrom (also known as Brahma) is known as Brahma Sahampati. It was he who pleaded with the Buddha to teach the Dhamma to human beings after his Englightenment. Steeped deeply in the dust of their own ignorance, and imprisoned by worldly desires, humans were too ensconced in enjoyment, strife and their wayward ways. The Buddha was unsure if his insights would even be understood, much less understood by them. Brahma Sahampati urged the Buddha to share the secret of liberation with them, as the appearance of such an Enlightened Being is rare, and should he forgo the opportunity to do so, it would be a long, long time before such a person would again appear for the benefit of humans. The miracle experienced by young Luang Phi Hong was akin to this incident described in the scriptures, thus earning him the name Phrompanyo.
Luang Phor Hong was exceedingly diligent in his studies of the Dhamma. He adhered strictly to the doctrines laid out by the Buddha. He also acquired knowledge of Arkhom from various masters during his Tudong travels. During his these travels, he undertook ascetic practices and travelled to many places to study wicha Arkhom, especially in the graveyards of the Kukhan
Luang Phor Hong possessed a myriad of esoteric knowledge such as Mahaseneh
Luang Phor Hong was also a community leader, spearheading projects such as the building of bridges, dams and wells. He always taught his followers to develop compassion in their life by giving generously.
He passed away in year B.E.2557, at the ripe old age of 97.
Miracles of Luang Pu Hong
There are many accounts of Luang Pu Hong’s supernatural powers.
During the war in Cambodia, a bomb was dropped onto a village he was in. Miraculously, the ordnance did not go off due to the strong Maha Ut powers displayed by Luang Pu Hong. After that incident, the villagers held him in awe and tried their best to get him to stay. Whenever Luang Pu Hong entered the village, the villagers would lay down on the ground and request him to step or walk on their back. They believed that Luang Pu was an Ariya Sangha and that allowing him to walk on them would bring them tremendous blessings.
There were also legends about how Luang Pu Hong could communicate with animals such as snakes, rats or scorpions. His immense compassion towards animals would even cause them to crowd around him without causing harm. There were even cases where a snake and a rat would be in his presence without harming each other.
Due to his old age, the sight in Luang Pu Hong’s eyes was fading. During an accidental encounter, a snake spat venom into them. Not only was Luang Pu unharmed, but the venom restored his sight. Close disciples of Luang Pu Hong understood that the venerable monk was a Phaya Nak in his previous life, and theorized that the snake could have been a spiritual being that came to his assistance.
Luang Pu could also preach Buddhist sermons to ferocious or poisonous animals, instructing them not to hurt people and end the karmic fruit of being reborn as an animal.
Once, when Luang Pu Hong and his apprentices were about to retire for the night, they saw a huge, venemous scorpion crawling to his bed. They were horrified and worried that the scorpion would hurt him. One of them tried to get rid of the scorpion, when they heard Luang Pu Hong exclaim, “Do not harm it! Let it go! That being has come to bid farewell to me”.
The disciples left the scorpion alone. When dawn broke the next day, the apprentices discovered that the scorpion had died on the exact spot where it had stayed the night.
Luang Pu Hong passed away peacefully on 5th March 2557 at age 97, having completed 77 Pansa. Some sources claimed that Luang Pu Hong was born and passed away miraculously on the same day and month (5th March), however we are unable to determine the exact date of his birth through research.