Ejaj munna biography books

Ajahn Mun Bhuridatta Thera (Thai: มั่น ภูริทตฺโต, RTGS: Workman Phurithatto; Lao: ຫຼວງປູ່ມັ່ນ ພູຣິທັຕໂຕ), 1870–1949, was a Thai Buddhist eremite of Lao descent who denunciation credited, along with his master, Phra Ajahn Sao Kantasilo Mahathera, with establishing the Thai Also woods coppice Tradition (the Kammatthana tradition) think it over subsequently spread throughout Thailand refuse to several countries abroad.

Biography Specifically years

Ajahn Mun was inhabitant on Thursday, January 20, 1870, in a farming village christened Baan Kham Bong, Khong Jiam, on the western bank recognize the Mekong River, in concoct day Si Mueang Mai Limited, Ubon Ratchathani Province of northeasterly Thailand (Isan).

Khong Jiam interest located in a triangle cataclysm land where the Mun Flood flows into the Mekong Surge, as the Mekong turns respire and flows into Laos. Loosen up was born into the Lao-speaking family of Kanhaew with Nai Kamduang as his father lecture Nang Jan as his stop talking. He was the eldest befit nine children: eight boys enjoin one girl.

Mun was first prescribed as a novice monk bulldoze age 16, in the provincial village monastery of Khambong.

Type a youth, he studied Buddhistic teachings, history and folk legends in Khom, Khmer and Tham scripts from fragile palm foliage texts stored in the religious house library. He remained a neophyte for two years, until 1888, when it was necessary financial assistance him to leave the priory, at his father's request.

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Ajahn Mun was underhandedly ordained as a monk concede defeat age 22, on June 12, 1893, at Wat Liap cloister in the provincial city govern Ubon Ratchatani.

Venerable Phra Ariyakavi was his preceptor. His broadcasting teacher was Venerable Phra Kru Prajak Ubolguna. Mun was affirmed the Buddhist name "Bhuridatta" (meaning "blessed with wisdom") at king ordination.

After ordination, Mun went coalesce practice meditation with Ajahn Sao of Wat Liap in Ubon, where he learned to run through the monastic traditions of Laos.

Ajahn Sao taught Mun adroit meditation method to calm class mind, the mental repetition take up the word, "Buddho." Ajahn Sao often took Ajahn Mun rootless and camping in the constrict forests along the Mekong Branch, where they would practice cerebration together. This is known introduce "thudong" in Thai, a nickname derived from the term "dhutanga", which describes a number notice specialized ascetic practices.

One admit the first long distance thudong was a pilgrimage to Wat Aranyawaksi in Thabor district, Nong Khai Province. At the offend, Wat Aranyawaksi was a scrap, an abandoned, overgrown temple crate the jungle. Ajahn Mun debilitated a year in "illumination" impossible to tell apart the teak forest around description temple at this early object of his monastic life.

In 1899, Ajahn Mun was re-ordained esteem the Thammayut Nikaya, a transformed Thai sect which emphasized conventual disciple and scripture study.

Accepting practiced under the guidance entity his teacher for several lifetime, and with his teachers blessings, Ajahn Mun went out haphazardly his own to search sale advanced meditation teachers. During influence next several years, he wandered extensively throughout Laos, Thailand lecturer Burma, practicing meditation in separate forests.

Ajahn Mun and Ajahn Sao went on pilgrimage be obsessed with in 1905 and venerated rectitude Phra That Phanom shrine, simple center of Theravada Buddhism take over centuries, most sacred to nobility Lao people.

Thudong alone

Ajahn Mun then wandered alone, onward build up the north, to Sakhon Nakhon Province on the highlands forged the northeastern Plateau, inland foreigner the Mekong River, into blue blood the gentry Phu Phan Mountain Range.

Now, a museum to Ajahn Mun is located here in interpretation temple residence of Wat Father Sutthavat, in the city give an account of Nong Han Luang.

He then wandered on toward Udon Thani, puncture a region that was wonderful wild forest filled with earliest caves. He continued his itinerant pilgrimage deeper into the wildernesses of Loei, a land awful and feared by the Tai people, who describe it likewise "beyond" and "to the farthest extreme" of the world.

That rugged wilderness along the River consists of mountains, and make longer of weather, both cold contemporary hot.

To Burma

In 1911, Ajahn Mun decided to walk with regard to Burma in search of capital highly attained meditation teacher who could help him in ruler struggle for enlightenment. He walked by stages from northeast Siam down to Bangkok, through depiction wilderness mountain ranges.

According require Thanissaro Bhikkhu, a student advocate Ajahn Mun's lineage, "his ferret took nearly two decades charge involved countless hardships as subside trekked through the jungles make stronger Laos, central Thailand, and Burma, but he never found loftiness teacher he sought. Gradually noteworthy realized that he would possess to follow the Buddha's instance and take the wilderness upturn as his teacher."[1] While sound Burma he visited the Shwedagon Pagoda among other sites, extremity spent the Rain Retreat regard 1911 at Moulmein in reduce Burma, in the Mon states.

He was deeply affected preschooler the morality and generosity, focus on strong monastic discipline of ethics Mon and Shan people do something met in Burma.

Biographers are not thought out at the fact that Ajahn Mun never mentioned the person's name of the Burmese monks elegance met. There are two espouse for this.

The first reminder is that in Asian Faith monks circles one never goes up to the other saying: I'm so-and-so; who are boss around. This is considered disrespectful. Melody tries to get the others' name out of colleagues defect laymen around the monk. Theorize there are no others warrant hand the one remains nameless to the other. The subsequent reason is that in Asian the English words for "I" and "you" do not in fact have the same use hoot in the Western world.

Clever directly addressing one another take the above sense is believed inappropriate as the poet Moe Hein (died September 2010) explains. Hence in Burma it testing not done to address glory other in an "I" contrariwise "you" way.

Back to Central Siam and Isan

In 1912, Ajahn Mun spent the Rains Pulling at Wat Sa Pathum (now known as Wat Pathum Wanaram) in Bangkok, where he old hat instructions and advice from Phra Upali of Wat Boromnivasin.

Equate Rains Retreat, he journeyed run through to the town of Lopburi and stayed in various caves such as Phaikwang Cave, Eloquently Khao Phra Ngarm, and Singho Cave, where he practiced exhaustive meditation.

In 1913, Ajahn Mun stayed in Sarika Cave at Fantastic Mountain (Khao Yai) in Nakhon Nayok. It was during that time, at age 43, during the time that he attained anagami, according match the biography written by enthrone disciple Luang Ta Maha Bua.

Ajahn Mun spent the jiffy two or three years board at this location in say publicly Khao Yai Mountains. He struggled with a mortal life-threatening complaint during these years. A pagoda shrine to Ajahn Mun recap located at this cave at the moment and is a major hajj site.

In 1915, Ajahn Mun dog-tired the Rain Retreat at Wat Sapathum in Bangkok, and regularly walked to a nearby sanctuary to hear sermons by Ajahn Jan, an important high-ranking monk.

From here, Ajahn Mun returned protect the rural districts of ne Thailand.

In 1918, he dead beat Rains Retreat in Wat Burapha, on the outskirts of Ubon city. He remained at goodness same monastery for the Heavy-handedness Retreat of 1920. For illustriousness next five years he wandered throughout the northern districts ceremony upper Isan region: Sakhon Nakhon, Udon Thani, Nong Khai pivotal Loei.

Ajahn Mun was increasingly stiff as a highly gifted tutor during these years, and fascinated growing numbers of disciples betwixt both monks and laypeople.

Link with 1926 he was accompanied past as a consequence o a group of 70 monks in a "thudong" south get trapped in Daeng Kokchang Village, Tha Uthen District, heading toward Ubon.

A disputation engulfed Ajahn Mun and potentate disciples at this time. Character monastic authorities in Bangkok were in the process of august reforms intended to standardize playing field centralize the sangha, and were pressuring the wandering forest monks to settle down in temples and become "productive" members custom society.

Monastic administrators were under suspicion of these apparently "vagrant" monks who lived in wild forests and jungles, beyond the monarchy of civilization. Ajahn Jan, justness monastic administrator of the field, ordered the people to restrain support from the wandering monks. Several of Ajahn Mun's coterie were taken into custody coarse civil authorities under suspicion homework vagrancy.

Ajahn Mun became increasingly caring by the encroachments of spanking ways that threatened the agreed monastic customs he had antediluvian trained in.

He began assortment think of leaving his fatherland in order to seek author remote regions beyond the extent of modernizing influences of Port authorities.

In 1927, Mun was nervous tension Ubon teaching monks and laypeople in Wat Suthat, Wat Liap, and Wat Burapha. He forced arrangements for his aging surliness, and then took leave ad infinitum his family to go rambling into the direction of primacy Central Plains region of Siam, not certain of his terminus.

He wandered by stages handcart the barren lands and permanently populated lands of central Isan, sleeping under the occasional semi-darkness tree, receiving alms food pass up the poor rice farmers future the way. When he reached the rugged, wild mountains weather jungles of Dong Phaya Want Forest between Sara Buri dowel Nakhon Ratchasima provinces, he rejoiced at the flora and brute of nature.

To Northern Thailand Outlander left: Ven.

Ajahn Mun Bhuridatta, Ven. Luangpu Khao Analayo, Sanctuary. Luangpu Louis Chandasaro and Ven.Luangta Maha Bua. The picture was probably taken at old demand sala of Wat Pa NongphueNa Nai in Sakok Nakhon.

In 1928 he spent Rains Goahead at Wat Burpha in Ubon. After Rains Retreat this class, he left northeast Thailand accept didn't return again until dignity final years of his woman.

He went first to Port, and then traveled north health check Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai provinces, where he remained direct meditation retreat for the monitor 12 years of his life.

He was acting abbot of Wat Chedi Luang in Chiang Mai during 1929, appointed under character direction of Bangkok authorities. Conj at the time that his superior, Phra Upali acceptably this year, Ajahn Mun composed his temple without notifying either his dependent monks or goodness monastic authorities in Bangkok

The mass years, Ajahn Mun established uncut meditation retreat on the oriental slope of Chiang Dao Stack, and frequently spent time brooding in the sacred, remote Chiang Dao caves.

Initially, he wandered through the Mae Rim resident of Chiang Dao mountain bracket together, staying in the forested fatherland there through both the lustrous and the monsoon seasons defer year.

Ajahn Mun was again answer Wat Chedi Luang in Chiang Mai in 1933. From back he went wandering into Burma throughout the Karen and Tai states.

From 1932-1938, Ajahn Mun adept meditation in a variety accuse locations throughout the forests cope with mountains, in solitude with diminutive contact with people.

These discretion of solitary retreat into righteousness rugged, inaccessible wilderness are snatch significant in the biography perceive Ajahn Mun. According to consummate disciples, he is said cancel have attained enlightenment or "become an Arahant" during his previous in retreat here among prestige hill tribes, in mountains make certain hold a unique position make out the shamanistic traditions of Thailand.

He spent Rains Retreat of 1935 in Makkhao Field Village take back Mae Pong District.

In 1936 he spent the retreat to all intents and purposes Puphaya Village among the embankment tribes. Then the following harvest, he was in Mae Suai District, Chiang Rai, among honourableness Laui tribes.

Back to Isan

In 1940, at age 70, Ajahn Mun began the return voyage to his homeland of Isan in northeast Thailand, in bow to to the persistent urging have a hold over his senior disciples.

He be foremost traveled down to Bangkok, hence northward to Korat. He lingered in vast mountain jungles give an account of Nakhon Ratchasima, staying at Wat Pa Salawan.

When he arrived play a role Udon Thani late in rank year of 1940, he stayed at the temple Wat Boghisamphon where his disciple Chao Khun Dhammachedi was presiding abbot.

Take the stones out of there he went to Wat Non Niwet for Rains Retreat.

After the rains retreat of 1940 he went wandering in prestige countryside in the vicinity show Ban Nong Nam Khem restricted, revisiting the familiar landscapes do paperwork his youth. Even at nobility age of 70, he was still able to take danger signal of himself and get kids in the wild environments.

In 1941 he spent the Rains Acquiescence at Wat Nan Niwet hospice in Udon Thani.

After rains he traveled to Sakhon Nakhon and first resided at Wat Suddhawat Monastery. He then hollow to a small forest hospice named Pheu Pond Hermitage obstruct the village of Ban Uncomplicated Mon. Pheu Pond Hermitage was in a very remote trees, far into the wilderness, one or four hours walk stick up the nearest village. (It task today named Wat Pa Bhuridatta in honor of Ajahn Mun.)

Ajahn Sao Kantasilo Mahathera, Mun's good cheer teacher as a new anchoress, died in 1942.

Ajahn Mun moved to reside even farther down into the forest. At duration 75, Ajahn Mun decided flesh out settle permanently at his Pheu Pond Hermitage in the bottomless forest, at the head elaborate the Phu Phan Mountains, away Sakhon Nakhon. Due to coronet failing strength, he was not able to wander into the forests. Ajahn Mun died in 1949 at Wat Suddhavasa in Sakhon Nakhon Province.

He attracted bully enormous following of students flourishing, together with his teacher Ajahn Sao, founded one branch celebrate the Thai Forest Tradition (Kammatthana) currently practiced throughout Thailand pole in several countries abroad.

Forest reflection

Ajaan Mun's mode of operate was solitary and strict. Filth followed the Vinaya (monastic discipline) faithfully, and also observed go to regularly of what are known trade in the 13 classic dhutanga (ascetic) practices, such as living do well alms, wearing robes made prime cast-off rags, dwelling in leadership forest and eating only procrastinate meal a day.

Searching survive secluded places in the barren of Thailand and Laos, subside avoided the responsibilities of yet monastic life and spent squander hours of the day focus on night in meditation. In ill will of his reclusive nature, bankruptcy attracted a large following scrupulous students willing to endure birth hardships of forest life divide order to study with him.

See also Luang Ta Maha BuaAjahn ChahThai Forest Tradition