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109-year-old Thai Buddhist Monk Luang Pho Yai Dies

From insider.com

Luang Pho Yai, a Buddhist monk from Thailand who had gained worldwide recognition from videos on the social media platform TikTok showing him with his granddaughter and great granddaughter, passed away on 22 March. His kind demeanor, frail appearance, and age, helped to propel the popularity of the videos.

The video clips also quickly spawned a number of false claims, including that the monk was 163 years old, that he was a 399-year-old woman, and that he was undertaking the Japanese practice of sokushinbutsu, which refers to self-mummification. The rumors became so widespread that fact-checking websites around the world wrote articles debunking the claims.

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The TikTok videos, posted by the monkā€™s granddaughter, Auy Auyaray, charted his time in hospital after Luang Pho Yai broke his hip in January. On TikTok, she gave regular updates on the monkā€™s health, suggesting that he appeared to be improving through February and early March. The videos have received millions of views. One video of the monk in his hospital bed interacting with his great granddaughter has received 187.8 million views.

@aui.saranya_kh

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After Luang Pho Yaiā€™s death late last month, his granddaughter posted videos showing memorial images and funeral rites. Other videos appear to show his cremation and the collection of his ashes.

ā€œThe viral video is of my grandfather. He is 109-year-old. Iā€™m taking care of him and he is in good health,ā€ Auy told one of the few media outlets to interview her. ā€œPeople took the video from my account without my permission. He is very respected in Thailand.ā€ (Fact Crescendo)

While some comments on social media have been critical of Auy for posting videos of her sick grandfather, countless others have offered kind words of support to her and the elderly monk.

ā€œI post videos of my grandfather on social media and people are so kind,ā€ said Auy ā€œHe barely talks and sometimes it can be difficult to communicate with him because he is blind and his hearing is not good. But his consciousness is still sharp like any other person. He will be turning 110 this year on 13 April.ā€ (Fact Crescendo)

Sadly, Luang Pho Yai did not live to see his 110th birthday. Auy has continued to post videos featuring different times in his life to her TikTok account, auyary13.

According to census data, 94.5 per cent of Thais are Buddhists. The countryā€™s second-largest religion is Islam, representing some 4.19 per cent of the countryā€™s population. Christians make up just over 1 per cent. The kingdom has some 40,000 Buddhist temples and almost 300,000 Buddhist monks.

See more

The old monk who went viral on TikTok has sadly passed away (The Tab)
The old monk who went viral on TikTok has sadly passed away (The Tab)
Is This Man Really 163 Years Old? Ā (Snopes)
Video Of 109-Year-Old Thai Man Falsely Viral As 200-Year-Old Himalayan Monk (Fact Crescendo)
Footage of a 109-year-old man in Thailand went viral. Now TikTok is flooded with hoaxes, memes, and misinformation about him. (Insider)
auyary13 (TikTok)

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Buddhist Monks in Thailand Use YouTube to Make DIY Masks and Safety Equipment
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gabriella guzman
gabriella guzman
2 years ago

r.i.p šŸ™

Michael Funke
Michael Funke
1 year ago

I saw something on Reddit about this monk which lead me to google which led me to my old classmate. Itā€™s a small world. Thanks for the article!

Islay snyder
Islay snyder
1 year ago

The world is pretty big with like 8 billion people but this guy is honorable and I hope he reaches Nirvana. RIP

Historian
1 year ago

He lived in history