On Sunday, 3 May 2026, at 4:00 p.m., His Majesty the King graciously granted the royal cremation ceremony for Phra Thepmongkolvajirarangsi (Surasak Jivananto or Luang Ta Chi), former abbot of Wat Thai Washington, D.C., at the temporary crematorium of Wat Thai Washington, D.C. in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Dr. Suriya Chindawongse, Ambassador of Thailand to the United States, presided over the funeral rite and the royal cremation ceremony. The Ambassador lit the royal funeral fire and placed the royally bestowed sandalwood flowers before the crematorium in the presence of more than 200 Buddhist monks and a large number of disciples and attendees.

Phra Thepmongkolvajirarangsi was also former advisor to the Council of Thai Buddhist Monks in the United States. He was a pioneering monk in the propagation of Buddhism in the United States. Over more than 50 years, he made significant and lasting contributions to Buddhism in the country before peacefully passing away on 13 January 2026 at the age of 101.