Abbott the Alchemist: The Healing Monk Who Bridged Science and Spirit
I was completing graduate school in 1997, and needed to find a place to complete an internship. My amazing mentor, Paul Erlich, said to me one day, “There is a place in Thailand that is an Indigenous Treatment Center that I think would be perfect for you, but I don’t remember the name and read about it in an article several years ago. It is in Thailand. Go to the library and try to find it.” Off I went thinking that there was no way I was going to be able to find this place. However, within 30 minutes I was able to locate the article and name of the Monastery!
Plans were made and I was to leave in about a week, and started to really doubt what I was doing. That night a monk in brown robes came to be in my dreams and I was paying homage at his feet. I looked up and he said to me, “You have a lot to learn here continue with your plans to come.” I woke up the next morning and blew off the dream thinking that I made it up. The next night I had another dream and was paying homage at his feet again and he said, “Continue with your plans, you have a lot to learn.” I did not understand what was happening, but learned to trust my dream time many years ago.
After 26 hours of travel I arrived at Wat Thamkrabok about an hour and a half north of Bangkok completely exhausted. I was shown to my simple room, put my things down and was told that the Abbott would like to see me. I walked the short distance to his compound, and sat down in an open aired room near a garden where he greeted people from all over Thailand and South East Asia. There sitting on a cushion was the same man from my dream in brown robes, and two nuns dressed in white robes assisting him.
He looked at me with a huge warm smile on his face, and said, “It is good to see you again!” The nuns were surprised by his comment and made a funny gesture with their eyes but said nothing. Then he said, “You used to pay me with fish in another life in Ireland, but that is not necessary this time. We were also married before, but our love is not like that in this life.” I thought to myself, “did he just say all of that or am I hallucinating from exhaustion…is this a good thing…or should I be concerned…?!
This began deep learning and initiations with one of the most gifted alchemists and healers that I have had the opportunity to spend time with in this life…
Luang Poh Charoen Parnchand
Co-founder and 2nd Abbot of Thamkrabok Monastery
( 18 March 1929 – 4 January 2008 )
Luang Poh lived out in the forest alone in Thailand for 10 years before returning to the monastery to take over as the second Abbott. He had an intimate relationship with nature and the elements. He would pick different topics to teach me about each day, “Today we will talk about the wind.” There are so many stories to tell about him, about the monastery, and my time there. It is a really special place.
Rocks were one of his most intimate friends and teachers. One of my favorite things to do was take him rocks from different places I had traveled. He would hold them and tell me a story about the people that lived in this place and what the weather and water was like. He called rocks the “Source of all Wisdom”. His amazing alchemy turned rocks into rock water paint for the children in schools, ran a car on rock water, and melted rocks into 100 foot Buddhist statues all around the property of the monastery. It was the job of two monks to sit on a pile or rocks all day and pound them into small rocks with a hammer to be melted into lava to create the statues.
He taught me a lot about rocks and healing by showing me how to place different stones on the body to absorb energies, and help the spirit find a deeper balance inside. Most importantly, he taught me how to grow a relationship with rocks as a teacher, an ally, and a tool that I rely on to this day.
These are some words from him describing Thamkrabok:
We do not have modern facilities or materials; the strongest medicine we provide here is giving the vows, which allow the healing of the heart. The vows have tremendous strength; strength which will go with you out into the rest of your life if you hold them close to your heart.
At ThamKrabok we focus on the powers of the heart more than anything else. This brings the rest of the body into harmony with the environment. If you have faith in the vow it empowers your heart and mind to live within a state of truth and hold onto that even when faced with the difficulties of everyday life.
If it is damaged or crippled, a doctor or hospital cannot heal your soul. At ThamKrabok we can help you to heal at every level.
“Tham Krabok is the window of the heart.”
The historical relationship between healing, practical knowledge, and spiritual belief is especially interesting because earlier approaches to medicine often crossed boundaries that are more clearly separated today. Figures who worked across different forms of knowledge could observe physical symptoms while also considering the wider circumstances surrounding a person's wellbeing. That kind of broader thinking remains relevant in modern professional environments, where effective practice often depends on combining technical knowledge with communication, judgement, and an understanding of how different factors affect outcomes. The same principle can be seen in professional development, where formal qualifications are not only about learning procedures but also about developing the ability to assess situations and make responsible decisions. For people moving into supervisory or operational roles,…
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The idea of learning through direct observation and developing a relationship with the natural world adds an interesting dimension to the distinction between knowledge and experience. The account of Luang Poh Charoen’s teachings also suggests that learning does not always happen within conventional academic boundaries; practical observation, reflection, and personal discipline can shape how knowledge is understood and applied. That broader view is relevant when considering formal education too, since academic study is often most useful when it develops analytical thinking rather than simply delivering information. For anyone comparing different routes into higher education, understanding what is a bsc honours degree can provide useful context about how structured undergraduate study differs from more informal or experiential forms of learning. An honours…
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