On March 22, Luang Pho Yai, a Buddhist monk from Thailand who had become well-known throughout the world thanks to videos posted on the social media site TikTok of him spending time with his granddaughter and great granddaughter, passed away. His affable manner, weak look, and advanced age all contributed to the videos' rising popularity.
The videos also immediately gave rise to a number of untrue claims, such as that the monk was 163, that he was a 399-year-old lady, and that he was engaging in the Japanese practice of sokushinbutsu, or self-mummification. The rumors spread so widely that debunking articles were published on fact-checking websites all across the world.
The TikTok videos, posted by the monk’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 monk’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.
After Luang Pho Yai’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.
“The viral video is of my grandfather. He is 109-year-old. I’m taking care of him and he is in good health,” Auy told one of the few media outlets to interview her. “People took the video from my account without my permission. He is very respected in Thailand.” (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.
“I post videos of my grandfather on social media and people are so kind,” said Auy “He 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.”
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 country’s second-largest religion is Islam, representing some 4.19 per cent of the country’s population. Christians make up just over 1 per cent. The kingdom has some 40,000 Buddhist temples and almost 300,000 Buddhist monks.