Buddhist monk chops off own head in hope of reincarnation

The monk Thammakorn Wangpreecha (68) believed that making the offering to the deity Buddha would bring him good luck in the afterlife. However, he had been planning the ritual sacrifice for more than five years.

This month Thammakorn followed through religious offering was found dead alongside his severed head at the Wat Phu Hin temple in Nong Bua Lamphu province.

He served the temple for 11 years.

His nephew found the body and also discovered a slab of marble that had been inscribed with his uncle’s plans.

 He left a letter behind according to which he wished to offer his head and his soul so that deity Buddha could help him reincarnate as a higher spiritual being in the next life.

The monk used a makeshift guillotine next to a Buddhist god statue so that the religious people would hold his head after it had been cut off.

Before making the sacrifice, the monk informed the other priests that he would be leaving the monkhood but he did not unveiled his plan.

After getting information the police reached the spot and took the body from the temple.

They shifted the deceased to a hospital so medics could perform a post-mortem examination and ascertain the cause of death, before returning it to the family for funeral rites.

Following the incident, more than 300 locals arrived at the temple to prepare the dead monk’s body for a rite.

Monk Phra’s body was laid inside a coffin while his head was placed in a jar before his followers and family members carried his remains to the forest where they burned them.

The National Office of Buddhism asked the local government to explain residents in the area that such a practice was not encouraged in the religion.