The Sad Truth
An original article by Ajarn Chris (Under Construction)
I have always found it to be rather sad that that most collectors are under the impression that amulets blessed by Pra Somdej Buddhachan Toh are rare, expensive and well beyond their means,something that I once assumed myself. After many years of collecting a reality slowly emerges and I can tell you in absolute honestly nothing could be further from the truth. His amulets are far more common than most people realize. In hindsight and with greater knowledge its actually quite obvious that some form of market manipulation is driving the illusion of scarcity and not least perceived value
You only need to read the news… A 24 Million Baht amulet was auctioned in Bangkok in 2002, it was a Pra Somdej, Wat Rakhang, handmade by Phra Buddachan (Toh). Most observers agreeing that this was a fair price for such a highly treasured amulet. An amulet “expert” also commented that in economically better times amulets from that same series would fetch 40 to 50 million Baht (cited in the Nation newspaper 2002) . It was also rumoured that another pim from that same series was on offer for 70 million Baht. The following year in 2003 another Somdej Wat Rakhang, named “Kuan-U” was on offer at 40 Million Baht (Sika Ang 2003).
In this era of globalization Thailand must be the only country on the planet where the cult of amulets is so popular that it has become an industry in its own right and furthermore expanding internationally with smaller markets emerging in Malaysia and Singapore.
With the media reporting values of Wat Rakhang pims in the millions it should be obvious why there is a general belief that amulets blessed by Somdej Toh are expensive and likewise it should be no surprse that where there is money, billions of Baht, there are those that wish to control and extort and in this case through the respectability of a self appointed hierachy and authority.
Its not uncommon to hear many collectors express a desire to own an amulet blessed by Somdej Toh but realistically were unlikely to ever be able to afford the multi-million Baht price ticket. In reality the real question that you need to ask yourself (given the current market circimstances) is on what basis do you wish to own such an amulet? if it is predominately financial then you will need a substantial budget, and I wish you luck! However the truth is anyone can own a Somdej Toh pim for a fraction of the cost
You can acquire GENUINE Somdej Toh pims for as little as a few hundred dollars
It would only be natural to question the authenticity at that price…Trust me when I say its all a marketing illusion, a slight of the hand honed over decades of practice by the elite or a small group of individuals often referred to as Sian Pra.who work in collusion with most major amulet societies who knowingly or otherwise continue to perpetuate the lies and myths, deceiving those that they supposedly serve. Such is their stranglehold many myths have becomes truths and those that dare to say otherwise are labeled charlatans.
You do not need to be any kind of expert in amulets to realize just how extensive this practice, and will continue to do so as long as we are taken in by the deception. In short this is commercial buddhism in its extreme
You only need to take the time to familiarize yourself with the well documented life and history of Somdej Toh to appreciate that much of the circumstantial evidence for blessing pims at other locations other than Wat Rakangs overwhelming, or indeed the number and types of pim blessed at Wat Rakhang itself
As the years go by those that have a vested interest in the distortion and manipulation of historical fact, such as the main amulet societies, are loosing their stranglehold albeit painfully slowly.