Luang Por Pern Tithakuno was born on Sunday 12 August B.E. 2466 in Nakhon Pathom. He was one of eight children of his parents – Fok (father) and Yuang (mother) Purahong.

In his teenage years LP Pern’s family moved to Supanburi province. During this time he became a true highway man who sought after teachers in order to teach him magical spells for protection that can be used in physical combat. Thus LP Pern would become a student of Luang Por Daeng of Wat Tong Kork. LP Daeng was a direct disciple of Luang Por Nong who practiced Kammathan.

LP Daeng taught LP Pern many Wicha and how to apply them. Although LP Pern’s intentions at first were perhaps not truly Buddhist (in the sense that he was more interested to acquire skills in magic), yet LP Daeng still had faith in the young LP Pern in regard to his promising future as a Buddhist monk. After a few years of training during his teenage years under LP Daeng’s guidance, he would eventually move back to Nakhon Pathom where he would join the army in his early twenties.

When he was in the army LP Pern met Luang Por Him Intachotoh, the abbot of Wat Bang Phra at that time. LP Him taught LP Pern about sak yant that had been passed on from generation to generation. As soon as LP Pern’s military duties and service had expired he decided to ordain as Buddhist monk and pick up the study he learnt from LP Him. His ordination would take place on 23 May in B.E. 2491 at Wat Bang Phra, and LP Him would be LP Pern’s ordination instructor (Pāli: upacaya).

LP Pern would stay at Wat Bang Phra for about four years. In this time he continued his studies from LP Him. During that period of time LP Him’s health slowly decreased and LP Pern would look after his teacher’s condition. When LP Him eventually had passed away LP Pern decided to leave Wat Bang Phra in order to find a new teacher and to be able to practice tudong in the forest.

At that time Nakhon Pathom province was full of practitioners of black magic, and a lot of gangsters who always had shown interest in the knowledge of spells and sak yant. Soon he would meet Luang Por Opasi of Wat Rungsri and asked him to become his teacher. LP Opasi agreed to his request and so it happened that LP Pern would receive further instructions in the Dhamma from LP Opasi for a period of one year. When that year passed LP Pern had been advised to continue his search for other teachers as well, and thus he left Wat Rungsri to go on tudong again. This time (somewhere around B.E. 2496-2504) he went to Kanchanaburi and from there he travelled through the Tranaosri mountain across the Thai-Burmese border.

Then, in B.E. 2505, LP Pern had returned again from his forest wanderings and showed up at Wat Tong Kork in Kanchanaburi. Since he had been gone for so long many people came to visit LP Pern at Wat Tong Kork. At that time LP Pern was offered the position as abbot of this temple, to which he complied. LP Pern managed to rebuild and develop Wat Tong Kork in a period of time as short as two years. Soon after all construction work was done LPPern left the temple to go on tudong once again. After two more years of forest wandering his next stop would be at Wat Koak Kema in Nakhon Pathom. Here, in B.E. 2509, a similar scenario would take place as had happened previously at Wat Tong Kork: LP Pern would become abbot, this time of WatKoak Kema. It was in this temple where LP Pern’s first batch of amulets (such as Phra Somdej loi ongk; Phra Sangkajjai; and several Rian) were made.

LP Pern soon would become well-known, not only for his amulets, but more specifically for his sak yant. Later, LP Pern received a royal monastic entitlement from the King, and became abbot of Wat Bang Phra only a few years after that. From that time on many people went to visit Wat Bang Phra in order to receive sak yant from LP Pern that led to a further increase of active practice of the ancient tradition into the newer generation.

LP Pern passed away on 30 June in B.E. 2545 at the age of 79.
Nowadays Wat Bang Phra has even become known internationally with thousands of disciples from all over the world.