阿贊積 Phra Pidta with Both Knees Crossed

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Ajarn เจ็ก’s Phra Pidta with interlocked knees is not only a classic sacred form of exceptional artistic value, but also a top-tier, all-round protective sacred object combining “protection from danger and misfortune, powerful preservation of wealth, and supreme personal appeal.” In particular, old metal Phra Pidta made by renowned masters of the past are often regarded as treasures with both collectible and practical value. Ajarn เจ็ก: A Monk, Craftsman, and the Sacred-Object Traditions of Southern Thailand อาจารย์แจ๊ะ is known in the Chinese-speaking market as “阿贊積” and was based for many years at วัดเขาแดงตะวันตก in Phatthalung Province. As specified by the website owner, the temple’s Cantonese name is “屈求訂櫈運獨,” and its Mandarin name is “瓦考訂登溫獨.” Research and local sources often record him as พระอธิการเจ็ก ฐิตธมฺโม, หลวงพ่อเจ็ก, or พระอาจารย์เจ็ก; the spelling เจ๊ก and the scanning misreading เช็ก also occur. These variants are retained here as search names for the same master. When consulting different sources, however, the temple, period, and sacred-object tradition must also be checked; individuals should not be conflated merely because their names sound similar. Later local biographies state that Ajarn เจ็ก’s lay name was เจ็ก มะนาวี and that he was born on 10 September B.E. 2445 in บ้านเจ็นตก, Phatthalung Province. His father was แดง มะนาวี and his mother was ชุม มะนาวี. He was the 2nd of six children. At the age of ten, he entered novice ordination at วัดจินตาวาส, studying Thai, ancient Khmer script, and the foundations of Buddhism. These early details come mainly from biographies compiled later; complete contemporary household or monastic registration records have not yet been seen. They are therefore better treated as systematic local records rather than primary archives entirely free of uncertainty. His family later asked him to disrobe to help support their livelihood. This period of lay life instead broadened his skills: he is said to have studied modelling, woodcarving, local musical instruments, and Nora dance (โนรา). On 13 February B.E. 2467, he received full monastic ordination at วัดจินตาวาส and was given the monastic name ฐิตธมฺโม. The biography names Luang Pho ดำ อินทสโร as his preceptor, พระครูวินัยธร ชู as the ordination-procedure teacher, and พระอธิการขำ as the instructing teacher. “Ordained at twenty-three” is the general description used in local biographies; calculation from his specific birth date leaves a discrepancy of several months. The most widely circulated account of his training says that he studied sacred scripts, traditional herbal medicine, bone-setting, and metalworking under Luang Pu ทอง of วัดประจิมทิศาราม, then continued his studies under Luang Pu เมฆ ปุณณสโร after Luang Pu ทอง passed away. Later biographies also list พระอาจารย์ดิษฐ์ of วัดปากสระ, พระครูสิทธิยาภิรัต (เอียด) of วัดดอนศาลา, Luang Pu เล็ก of วัดประดู่เรียง, and other southern monks. These lists help explain the knowledge networks linking Phatthalung and Songkhla at the time, but no contemporary teaching register currently establishes the complete transmission sequence for every technique. Ajarn เจ็ก left วัดจินตาวาส around B.E. 2478 and subsequently lived at วัดประดู่ทอง for about two years. In B.E. 2480, local devotees invited him to วัดเขาแดงตะวันตก. He remained there thereafter and is recorded as its fourth abbot. The temple lies on the western side of Khao Daeng, far from the former town centre. Forests, caves, and rice fields formed the setting for his practice and local legends, but the geographical surroundings do not in themselves substantiate any supernatural stories. A study of religious history in the Songkhla Lake basin supported by the Thailand Research Fund includes Ajarn เจ็ก among southern monks who helped residents through herbal medicine and local knowledge. Local memories particularly emphasize bone-setting, herbal medicine, and caring for the sick. These records illustrate his community role in a period when formal medical resources were limited, but they do not constitute modern clinical evidence. The associated formulas, therapeutic effects, and safety should not be imitated without medical professional guidance. The same study also preserves another aspect often overlooked by the amulet market: Ajarn เจ็ก was a practitioner of local arts and a keeper of written records. He was skilled in carving and decorating coffins, and recorded different coffin designs and decorative patterns in manuals used to teach his disciples. His surviving notes also include lyrics for shadow-puppet theatre (หนังตะลุง) and Nora dance, with some passages documenting waterways, boats, markets, and local life in Phatthalung. His legacy therefore belongs not only to the history of sacred objects, but also to southern Thai performing arts, folk crafts, and local memory. Sources differ slightly on the exact year in which Ajarn เจ็ก began making sacred objects. Citing his notes, academic research states that in B.E. 2486, during the price inflation of the Second World War, he made items including Buddha images and rings. This background is consistent with the wider role of southern Thai temples in providing spiritual support to soldiers and civilians at the time. It does not, however, justify identifying every sacred object later attributed to him as a wartime piece. His most distinctive work is พระปิดตากุมารในครรภ์, which can be understood as “Phra Pidta in the form of a child in the womb,” also popularly called พระในครรภ์ or พระสอดเข่า. Its form differs from an ordinary cross-legged Phra Pidta: the figure usually assumes a curled fetal posture, with bent knees or hands covering the face. Later writings interpret it as an image of life still within the mother’s womb, untouched by worldly afflictions, and connect it with Abhidhamma texts circulated in the south. This is a local interpretation of religious imagery and should not be reduced to a single-purpose “amulet for results.” Existing classifications show that this fetal-form Phra Pidta appears in at least several variations: arms passing between the knees to cover the face, hands joined in prayer or a finger-sucking pose, and hands covering the face without the legs interlocking. Common materials include mixed metals or bronze alloys, and very small three-dimensional versions also exist. Since many early pieces were made using wax models, multipart moulds, or traditional casting methods, their surfaces, outlines, and metal-flow marks may vary slightly. “Not exactly identical” does not mean genuine, and “looking very old” does not mean genuine either. Besides Phra Pidta, academic research and Thai amulet association catalogues also list Phra Sangkachai, Ruesi, Khun Phaen, Buddha images, Hanuman, and paddle-blade-shaped sacred objects. Some carved wooden Hanuman and Ruesi pieces also reflect his work as a carver and local craftsman. The different types span several decades and vary in material, mould, and production method; the characteristics of one Phra Pidta model cannot be used to judge all his works. Physical examination should begin by establishing the object’s type, claimed year, mould, material, and dimensions, then comparing the face, positions of the hands and feet, base, lines on the back, casting gate, mould seams, and natural wear. Metal oxidation should be consistent with the alloy and storage environment. Wooden objects require examination of the wood species, tool marks, drying shrinkage, and later-added colouring. Cast portrait images from B.E. 2528 and late-period sacred objects should also be studied separately from early, small, handmade castings. Verification cards, selling prices, and legends cannot replace reliable sources and comparisons with reference examples. Many legends surround Ajarn เจ็ก. Some say he spent long periods in retreat in caves on Khao Daeng; others say that deities or gandharvas (คนธรรพ์) helped make sacred objects at night. These stories reflect how devotees understood the caves beside the temple, his craftsmanship, and his image as a spiritual practitioner, but there are currently no contemporary documents or reproducibly verifiable evidence supporting them. Preserving them as local beliefs is more appropriate than presenting legends as established history or guarantees of efficacy. Ajarn เจ็ก passed away on 3 December, month 12, B.E. 2528, at approximately 9:20 p.m. Local biographies record his age as eighty-three years, two months, and twenty-three days, with sixty monastic years. These figures broadly agree with the recorded birth and death dates, but the details of his life still rely mainly on later biographies, compiled research, and disciples’ memories. Future discoveries of temple monastic registers or contemporary manuscripts may add to or revise this account. In reconsidering 阿贊積 today, what matters most is not reducing him to a “Phra Pidta master.” He was also a monk, a bearer of local medical knowledge, a woodcarver and metalworker, and a recorder of shadow-puppet theatre and Nora dance-drama texts. When collecting his sacred objects, considering the person, local culture, craftsmanship, and later marketplace legends separately can help reduce misidentification and exaggeration, while offering a fuller picture of the legacy he left in the Phatthalung community.