A story of a very special Thai amulet

 As the evening light fades over the serene landscapes of Thailand, I recall the story of a very special amulet, one that holds both spiritual power and the marks of history. The tale begins in the year two thousand four hundred and ninety-nine of the Buddhist Era, which was nineteen fifty-six in the Western calendar. At that time, a revered lay nun, Mae Chee Bun Ruean Tong Bun Term, whose fame was built on her deep meditative attainments, was at the heart of a significant amulet creation. This particular series, known as Pra Mongkol Maha Lap, or "Great Auspicious Fortune," includes a notable type called the Nang Phaya Khang Met, which translates to the side-bead type. It stands apart from many other amulets of the period because of its unique material. While other issues were made solely from pressed sacred powders, this one was formed from a reddish-brown fired clay body that was then mixed with sacred powders and ritual materials. This process not only made it durable but also gave it a distinct textural identity.

The creation of these amulets was not a small event, but was tied to a major religious ceremony, the grand consecration of the Pra Puttopās Chinraj Jommuni Buddha image at Wat Sampantawongs in Bangkok. Mae Chee Bun Ruean was deeply involved in both the making and the ritual empowerment of the amulets during the ceremonies, which spanned from the fifth to the thirty-first of March nineteen fifty-six. Her presence, alongside many of the most eminent monks from both the central and forest traditions of Thai Buddhism, gave the amulets a prestige that has lasted through the generations. The head organizer of this consecration was Pra Kroo Swadtarnkun Samajarn, more commonly known as Luang Por Lee Dhammadharo of Wat Asokaram. As a senior disciple of Ajahn Mun Bhuridatto, his supervision ensured a deep meditative blessing. The list of masters who participated reads like an honor roll of twentieth-century Thai Buddhism, including such figures as Luang Pu Fan Acharo, Luang Pu Dulya Atulo, and Luang Pu Toh, among others. After the initial ceremonies in Bangkok, further blessings were carried out at Wat Saranat Tammaraam in Rayong for an extraordinary eighteen days and eighteen nights, drawing in regional masters like Luang Pu Tim Isarigo. This extended period of blessing infused the amulets with the combined power of both the central and forest traditions.

The Nang Phaya Khang Met itself has a distinctive shape, a somdej-style variant that is rectangular to slightly triangular. It depicts a seated Buddha in meditation, flanked by bead-like motifs on the sides, which gives the amulet its name. The front shows the Buddha in simple relief, while the reverse is usually unadorned, though faint traces of mold impression or yantra marks can sometimes be seen. The key to authenticating a genuine piece lies in its material composition, which is a reddish-brown fired clay known as din pha. When examined, this clay reveals a natural mineral grain and signs of firing. Its surface tones can vary from a reddish to a darker brown, sometimes with two-tone shading from the kiln. This natural variation is a strong indicator of authenticity, as counterfeits often lack these subtle chromatic irregularities. The sacred materials, or muan sarn, mixed into the clay included ritual soils from temple grounds and even holy sites in India like Lumbini and Bodhgaya. There are also suggestions that powdered fragments from Mae Chee Bun Ruean’s earlier amulets, such as the famous Pra Puttho Noiseries, may have been added, establishing a material connection across her works.

Because of its material and age, the Nang Phaya Khang Met is often copied. A genuine amulet will have a taut, dry surface with micro-pitting and a subtle patina, while fakes might have an artificial gloss or an oily coating. The bead detail on the sides is slightly irregular on an authentic piece because of the hand-pressed molds, whereas fakes often show a mechanical and unnaturally sharp repetition. When looking at the back, a genuine amulet shows the natural shrinkage lines of fired clay, whereas many fakes have artificially deep yantra stamps or perfectly flat backs. Under magnification, authentic clay reveals its natural granular structure, whereas fakes may show casting bubbles or fiber binders. Provenance, or the history of a piece, is also critically important. When in doubt, a collector should always seek the opinion of a recognized expert.

The Pra Mongkol Maha Lap series was so named to reflect its purpose as both a protective and a prosperity-bestowing amulet. This spiritual purpose, combined with the fact that a female ascetic of such high standing oversaw its creation and consecration by over one hundred revered monks, gives the amulet a unique symbolic resonance. It is not just a collectible, but a piece of Thai Buddhist history that encapsulates the convergence of gender, ritual, and material culture in the twentieth century. In the end, this Nang Phaya Khang Met stands as one of Mae Chee Bun Ruean Tong Bun Term’s most celebrated creations, a tangible connection to her spiritual legacy and a vessel of great fortune for those who hold it.