Thalang Police were informed of the incident at 11:26pm Sunday night (May 19).
A man had entered the temple and threatened the Abbott, Phrakru Suwan Phutthaphiban, and asked the senior monk to hand over B20.
Phrakru Suwan Phutthaphiban explained that monks do not carry money on them, which only angered the man.
The man stabbed Phrakru Suwan Phutthaphiban once in the chest then fled the temple on a motorbike.
Once other monks released what had happened, the alarm was raised and Phrakru Suwan Phutthaphiban was taken to Thalang Hospital. He was later taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket Town.
Police have been questioning other monks at the temple and checking CCTV in the hope of tracking down the man.
Police were told that the temple had recently suffered a spate of thefts from donation boxes.