Sathou Nyai Saysamout Chotiko, Abbot of Vat Pa Phon Phao is posing for a portrait in the main hall of Vat Pa Phon Phao in 1980.CV of Sathou Nyai Saysamout Chotiko:Sathou Nyai Saysamout Chotiko, Abbot of Vat Pa Phon Phao, a monk founder of Vat Pa Phon Phao, built Vat Pa Phon Phao to be the place for practicing Vipassana (insight meditation) and Parivassakam (ritual retreat of purification). He built the Sim (the main hall of the temple), many Kutis (monks’ dwellings), many Parivassakam’s cells and Phra That Khuang Santi Chedee for being sacred places at Vat Pa Phon Phao. Sathou Nyai Saysamout Chotiko was born on Wednesday, the 9th day of the waning moon in Deuan Nyee (second month of the Lao Calendar) in B.E. 2469 (C.S. 1288) at 10:30h am, corresponding to the 26th of January in C.E. 1927, at Aphai Village, Vixoun Group, Luang Prabang District & Province. He was the only son of Prince Thong and Princess Kham Kham, was a grandson of Prince Rajavong (Sisouphan) of Vang Lang Palace, and a greatgrandson of King Thintharathephanipphathone (King Ounkham). His parents had four children:1. Sathou Nyai Saysamout Chotiko2. Princess Sithong (died already) 3. Princess Thongvanh4. Princess ThongchanWhen he was young, he studied at the Primary School in the Royal Palace, Luang Prabang. When his father moved to work in Pak Lai District, Sayabouli Province, he moved to study at the Primary School in Pak Lai District until Siam had ruled Pak Lai District. The family moved back to Luang Prabang and he studied at the Primary School in Luang Prabang until he finished Primary School.When he was 20 years old, he got ordained to be a monk at Vat Phon Sang, Luang Prabang, for six months, but then he stopped being a monk in order to work in the Ministry of Construction and Transport in Vientiane.In 1957, corresponding to the 2500th Buddha Jayanti Celebration, he wanted to get ordained to be a monk in Buddhism, so he stopped working in Vientiane and came back to get ordained at Vat Aphai, Luang Prabang on the 6th of April, 1958, at the age of 30 years. The Sangharaj Dhammayana Mahathera (Bounthan Boupharat) was his preceptor, Sathou Nyai Thong Thammathinno of Vat Meun Na was his right-hand prayer and Sathou Nyai Oune Inthapanyo of Vat Tao Hai his left-hand prayer. Then he stayed at Vat Tham Phousi for studying Dhamma and the disciplines. After that, he went to study and train Vipassana with Phra Ajan Maha Panh Anantho at Vat Maha Buddhavongsa Paluang (Vat Sok Paluang) in Vientiane. Then Phra Ajan Maha Panh Anantho sent Sathou Nyai Saysamout to study and train Vipassana in the Kingdom of Thailand and the Union of Burma. After he had finished he came back to help Phra Ajan Maha Panh at Vat Sok Paluang.Sathou Nyai Saysamout was deeply attached to the teaching of his teachers, he was very diligent to study Dhamma, and practicing Vipassana, and he was deeply practicing Vipassana. He had asked to stop working only one year, but he needed not to stop being a monk so he practiced Vipassana after he finished studying and training Vipassana with Phra Ajan Maha Panh. He left Phra Ajan Maha Panh to set up Vipassana at Vat Pa Phon Phao which was an empty temple for many years. In the beginning he stayed and slept under the tree, then he built the main hall and after finishing he moved to stay in the main hall. Later, Sathou Nyai Khamchan Virachitto, Abbot of Vat Saen Sukharam had offered Kathin’s robe at Vat Pa Phon Phao in the 12th month of the Lao calendar and he gave 70.000 (seventy thousand) Kips to Sathou Nyai Saysamout to buy wood and an empty house from Ban Phanom to built Sala Huangtham (Dhamma Hall) at Vat Pa Phon Phao. There were many monks, novices and lay people who went to practice Vipassana at Vat Pa Phon Phao each year, therefore Sathou Nyai Saysamout built more Kutis (dwellings) and Parivassakam’ cells.Sathou Nyai Saysamout Chotiko needed to build Phra That Khuang Santi Chedee, therefore he suggested to the Buddhist Sangha, the Lao government and to the lay people to build this stupa. This stupa was built on the 15th day of the full moon of the 6th month of the Buddhist calendar in B.E. 2518 (C.E. 1975) by Sathou Nyai Saysamout Chotiko, Abbot of Vat Pa Phon Phao, and he had invited the Sangharaj Dhammayana Mahathera (Bounthan Boupharat) of Vat Mai Suvannaphoumaram to lay the manuscript stone to the stupa in the same year. When Laos was liberated and established to be "Lao People's Democratic Republic" in 1975, Sathou Nyai Saysamout was nominated to be in service in the Lao Buddhist Sangha in Vientiane, therefore he had to stop to built the stupa for a while; then he asked to return to Luang Prabang to continue to build the stupa. It was completed in 1983 and the roof-ornaments of a pagoda were put to the stupa in the same year. In 1983, Sathou Nyai Khamchan Virachitta Mahathera, Abbot of Vat Saen Sukharam, came back from visiting his relatives abroad. He had collected 6,500 USD and gold 2 bahts, which he donated to build four castles of Thao Chatulokabal (the four guardian deities) to each side of the stupa and had the Buddhist ceremony of putting the chest bone of the Buddha to the stupa on the 14th day of the waxing moon of Deuan Nyee (2nd month of the Buddhist calendar) in B.E. 2528 (C.E. 1985), headed by Sathou Nyai Khamchan Virachitta Mahathera, Abbot of Vat Saen Sukharam. Sathou Nyai Saysamout Chotiko had the intention to build this stupa to be the respected place for Buddhist monks, novices, nuns and lay people, and to be the place for practicing Parivassakam (ritual retreat of purification) and Vipassana (insight meditation) for Buddist monks, novices, nuns and lay people of Luang Prabang, and his dream had been come true until the present day.Sathou Nyai Saysamout Chotika Mahathera was the most venerable senior monk who was an expert in practicing Vipassana. Many monks, novices and lay people of Luang Prabang and other provinces payed respect to him. Many lay people had invited him to water and promote him. Since he had ordained to be a monk, he got watered 59 times and he had got 59 billions of gold.In the late 1991, Sathou Nyai Saysamout was in a very bad condition of health. He had hurted kidneys, and therefore Dr. Prince Thongvanh, his younger sister, brought Sathou Nyai Saysamout to her house at Ban Aphai to take care of him together with Dr. Soutthivong and other doctors, but Sathou Nyai did not recover, therefore his younger sister took him back to take care of him at his private Kuti at Vat Pa Phon Phao on Monday, the 13th day of the waxing moon in the 4th month of the Lao calendar in B.E. 2534. Sathou Nyai Saysamout Chotiko passed away on Thursday, the 1st day of the waning moon of the 4th month of the Lao calendar in B.E. 2534, corresponding to the 19th of March in C.E. 1992 at 7:19h am in his private Kuti at Vat Pa Phon Phao while monks, novices, nuns, lay people and doctors took care of him. Sathou Nyai Saysamout Chotiko was at the time of his death 65 years old with1 month and 22 days, and he had been a monk for 34 years.
Original material consists of: silver gelatine DOP print.
