Wat Yang Yai - Ta Phran Boon

Phran Boon Mask B.E. 2565 (2022) batch

• Master / Lineage: Wat Yang Yai monks, Manora lineage of Ta Phran Boon
• Temple: Wat Yang Yai (Wat Ta Phran Boon), Tha Khuen, Tha Sala, Nakhon Si Thammarat
• Year: B.E. 2565 (2022)
• Materials: Metta powder
• Size: 1.5 cm (small)
• Casing: No casing – comes in the original temple box

Personal Notes

An up and coming model in Bangkok first told me about Phran Boon. She said he changed her career. More attention. More fame. More modelling jobs.

So I went to see for myself.

At Wat Yang Yai, the temple was packed. Flowers, incense, devotees everywhere. Among them were many Thai celebrities, praying to Na Phran Boon for more fame and wealth.

I collected this piece there personally. It comes in its original temple box.

Summary

This is a small Phran Boon mask in Metta powder. It comes from Wat Yang Yai, Nakhon Si Thammarat, from the temple's B.E. 2565 (2022) issue.

Look at the front. The red face. The hooked nose. The famous upper teeth. It is the face of the Nora stage mask. On the back are sacred yantra.

Phran Boon is the South's great teacher of charm. His power is Metta, Maha Saneh, popularity and wealth. Performers love him. So do traders, salespeople and anyone who lives by their words.

Devotees have a saying. Worship Ai Khai at Wat Chedi. Then worship Phran Boon at Wat Yang Yai. The Metta grows even stronger.

Historical Background

The hunter. Phran Boon is the hunter of the Manohra legend. He was so skilled he could walk into the Himmaphan forest.

One day he saved the life of a Naga king, Thao Chomphu Chit. The grateful king took him to the Naga realm for seven days. He gave him a magic crystal. And he made a promise: ask for anything, and it is yours.

Then Phran Boon saw seven Kinnari sisters bathing in the Anodat pool. He went back to the Naga king. He asked for the magic Nakkabat noose. The king kept his word.

With that noose, Phran Boon caught the youngest Kinnari, Manohra. Her sisters flew away. He presented her to Prince Suthon.

His reward? The very next morning, a city to rule. Great wealth. Many followers. All for catching just one Kinnari. That is why devotees say no trade pays better than Phran Boon's.

The teacher. In Southern Nora dance, now UNESCO heritage, Phran Boon is the comic hunter. He comes out twice. First to warm up the crowd. Then to announce the story. He always gets the laughs.

But in the sacred Nora Rong Khru ceremony, he is no clown. Here he is a Khru Mor and Por Kae, a great teacher spirit of the Nora lineage.

His mask says it all. Red face. Hooked nose. Upper teeth only. Grey feathers for hair. It was traditionally carved from woods linked to speaking well, being loved and being praised. That is where his charm comes from.

The temple. Around B.E. 2498 (1955), villagers were clearing land at Wat Yang Yai. In a termite mound, they found pieces of a red sandstone Buddha. That find settled a long land dispute in the temple's favour.

The great Pho Than Khlai Wacha Sit was asked to restore it. His answer? He would, because he could see the temple would prosper.

His disciple Pho Than Roem rebuilt the image. In B.E. 2500 (1957), Pho Than Khlai opened its eyes. Luang Pho Yang Yai was born. Soon people said of the temple: ask, and you shall receive.

Villagers believe Ta Phran Boon has guarded this image since ancient times. Devotees say he visits them in dreams. Some say they have heard his voice, speaking the Southern dialect.

Today the whole temple is pink, in honour of the Naga king. The gate is shaped like a Nora crown. Inside his wihan, Phran Boon sits as an old man in a red mask. A walking stick in one hand. A bag of gold in the other.

The visitors. The famous come too. TV host Mod Dam spoke of a miracle here and became a patron of the temple. In February B.E. 2566 (2023), Prime Minister Prayut came to pay homage, and was blessed by the abbot.

Origins of the Material

This mask is pressed from Metta powder. It is a sacred powder made for kindness, charm and popularity.

Powder amulets start with a base, held together by natural binders. Then come the sacred ingredients. Each temple has its own formula. For Metta, the tradition favours auspicious herbal Wan and flowers offered at altars. Phran Boon pieces often add items linked to the Nora teachers.

At Wat Yang Yai, colour matters. The red powder masks are the temple's Maha Metta masks.

The temple's Phran Boon issues are tied to its Nora Rong Khru ceremonies. It held one in B.E. 2565 (2022), the year of this piece.

Blessings

• Metta Maha Niyom: being liked and favoured by everyone you meet
• Maha Saneh: charm and attraction
• Persuasive, pleasing speech for sales and performance
• Popularity, recognition and fame
• Good fortune and luck
• Wealth and success in trade and career
• Protection from danger and black magic

How to Wear

At 1.5 cm, it is small and easy to wear every day. Wear it as a pendant, or carry it with you. Keep it dry. When not wearing it, rest it in its original temple box.

Phran Boon loves simple offerings. A flower garland. Nine incense sticks. One candle. Betel nut and tobacco.

Making a vow? Devotees promise a bottle of white liquor and a pha khao ma cloth. When the wish comes true, Khanom Ko, a Southern dessert, is offered too.

One rule matters most. Phran Boon is strict. Pray sincerely. And when your wish is granted, keep your promise. Fulfil it quickly, ideally within seven days.