Luang Por Dattajivo (, ; ; born 21 December 1940), also known by his birth name Phadet Phongsawat () and former ecclesiastical title Phrarajbhavanajahn (, ), is a Thai Buddhist monk. He is the former deputy-abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya and the vice-president of the Dhammakaya Foundation, and was the observing abbot of the temple from 1999 until 2006, and again from 2011 until 2016. he was still widely considered the de facto abbot. He met Mae chi (nun) Chandra Khonnokyoong and Luang Por Dhammajayo in his student years, and they have been his teachers throughout his life.
Luang Por Dattajivo was ordained in 1971, and quickly became a prolific author. He also took on a significant role in managing Wat Phra Dhammakaya. It was for this position that he was charged by the Thai military junta in 2017, when he refused to deliver Luang Por Dhammajayo to the authorities. This happened during the lockdown by the Thai junta, when abbot Luang Por Dhammajayo was sought for charges of receiving ill-gotten gains, charges which have been widely described as politically motivated.
Early life
Born Phadet Phongsawat in 1940 in Kanchanaburi, he had Vietnamese-Thai parents. Phadet graduated in agricultural science from Kasetsart University and studied in Australia at the post-graduate level.
Phadet became involved in Thai black magic at the age of seventeen. In his student years at Kasetsart University, he would often hold organized public demonstrations of black magic for his fellow students. In the biographies of Wat Phra Dhammakaya it is described that every time a junior student, Chaiyabun (who later became known as Luang Por Dhammajayo), came to watch one of Phadet's demonstrations, the magic would not work. Phadet therefore become curious about Chaiyabun's mental powers, and decided to test Chaiyabun by bringing him to his black magic teacher. But even the teacher could not use his powers in Chaiyabun's presence. Phadet therefore wanted to learn more about Chaiyabun and the meditation he practiced. He felt inspired by Chaiyabun's sincerity in meditation and his adherence to the Buddhist five precepts. This was a turning point in his life, and from that moment on he has always been Chaiyabun's student and assistant, and they developed a solid friendship. Phadet gave up the practice of black magic and through Chaiyabun met Mae Chi Chandra. He trained in meditation with Mae Chi Chandra for years.
In 1971, Phadet was ordained and became known as Luang Por Dattajivo, which means "He who gives his soul [to Buddhism]". By that time, Chaiyabun had already ordained as Luang Por Dhammajayo. In the opinion of a newspaper editor who wrote about the two monks, in the 1960s and 1970s, a university degree in Thailand was a guarantee someone would get a good position in society. Their decision to become ordained instead of pursuing a career therefore stood out.
Life as a deputy abbot
When Wat Phra Dhammakaya was built in the 1970s and 1980s, Luang Por Dattajivo was in charge of the construction work. Furthermore, he helped develop the friendly relationships with the people living in the neighborhood of the temple, and was responsible for receiving guests at the temple. As a teacher, Luang por Dattajivo has spoken regularly before international audiences. For example, as a panelist at the United Nations General Assembly Special Session "World Summit for Social Development" in 2000 in Geneva, he highlighted the importance of spirituality in addressing social development and overcoming poverty. A prolific author, he has written many books published in Thai language, many of which have been translated into other languages than Thai. His books are often about contemporary problems, such as raising children in a modern society. A topic that he is known for is economics from a Buddhist philosophical point of view. He relates such "Buddhist economics" to personal development of qualities like mindfulness, simplicity and contentment.