Ajahn Chah
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Ajahn Chah (17 June 191816 January 1992) was a Thai Buddhist monk. He was an influential teacher of the ''Buddhadhamma'' and a founder of two major monasteries in the
Thai Forest Tradition The Kammaṭṭhāna Forest Tradition of Thailand (from meaning Kammaṭṭhāna, "place of work"), commonly known in the West as the Thai Forest Tradition, is a Parampara, lineage of Theravada Buddhist monasticism. The Thai Forest Traditi ...
. Respected and loved in his own country as a man of great wisdom, he was also instrumental in establishing
Theravada Buddhism ''Theravāda'' (; 'School of the Elders'; ) is Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school's adherents, termed ''Theravādins'' ( anglicized from Pali ''theravādī''), have preserved their version of the Buddha's teaching or '' Dhamma'' in ...
in the West. Beginning in 1979 with the founding of ''Cittaviveka'' (commonly known as Chithurst Buddhist Monastery) in the United Kingdom, the Forest Tradition of Ajahn Chah has spread throughout Europe, the United States and the
British Commonwealth The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an international association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire The B ...
. The dhamma talks of Ajahn Chah have been recorded, transcribed and translated into several languages. More than one million people, including the Thai royal family, attended Ajahn Chah's funeral in January 1993 held a year after his death due to the "hundreds of thousands of people expected to attend". He left behind a legacy of dhamma talks, students, and monasteries.


Name

Ajahn Chah () was also commonly known as Luang Por Chah (). His birth name was Chah Chuangchot (), his Dhamma name was Subhaddo (), and his monastic title was Phra Bodhiñāṇathera ().


Early life

Ajahn Chah was born on 17 June 1918 near
Ubon Ratchathani Ubon Ratchathani (, ) is one of the four main cities in Thailand's Isan region, alongside Nakhon Ratchasima (Khorat), Udon Thani, and Khon Kaen, collectively known as the "big four of Isan." Located on the  Mun River in the southeastern Isan, ...
in the
Isan Northeast Thailand or Isan (Isan language, Isan/, ; ; also written as Isaan, Isarn, Issarn, Issan, Esan, or Esarn; from Pāli ''isāna'' or Sanskrit ईशान्य ''īśānya'' "northeast") consists of 20 provinces in northeastern Thai ...
region of northeast Thailand. His family were
subsistence farmers Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow crops on smallholdings to meet the needs of themselves and their families. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements. Planting decisions occu ...
. As is traditional, Ajahn Chah entered the monastery as a novice at the age of nine, where, during a three-year stay, he learned to read and write. The definitive 2017 biography of Ajahn Chah ''Stillness Flowing'' states that Ajahn Chah took his novice vows in March 1931 and that his first teacher as a novice was Ajahn Lang. He left the monastery to help his family on the farm, but later returned to monastic life on 16 April 1939, seeking ordination as a Theravadan monk (or
bhikkhu A ''bhikkhu'' (, ) is an ordained male in Buddhist monasticism. Male, and female monastics (''bhikkhunī''), are members of the Sangha (Buddhist community). The lives of all Buddhist monastics are governed by a set of rules called the pratimok ...
). According to the book ''Food for the Heart: The Collected Writings of Ajahn Chah'', he chose to leave the settled monastic life in 1946 and became a wandering
ascetic Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from worldly pleasures through self-discipline, self-imposed poverty, and simple living, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their pra ...
after the death of his father. He walked across Thailand, taking teachings at various monasteries. Among his teachers at this time was Ajahn Mun, a renowned meditation master in the Forest Tradition. Ajahn Chah lived in caves and forests while learning from the meditation monks of the Forest Tradition. A website devoted to Ajahn Chah describes this period of his life:


Thai forest tradition

During the early part of the twentieth century
Theravada Buddhism ''Theravāda'' (; 'School of the Elders'; ) is Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school's adherents, termed ''Theravādins'' ( anglicized from Pali ''theravādī''), have preserved their version of the Buddha's teaching or '' Dhamma'' in ...
underwent a revival in Thailand under the leadership of teachers whose intentions were to raise the standards of Buddhist practise throughout the country. One of these teachers was Ajahn Mun. Ajahn Chah continued Ajahn Mun's high standards of practice when he became a teacher. The monks of this tradition keep very strictly what they believe to be the original monastic rule laid down by the Buddha known as the
vinaya The Vinaya (Pali and Sanskrit: विनय) refers to numerous monastic rules and ethical precepts for fully ordained monks and nuns of Buddhist Sanghas (community of like-minded ''sramanas''). These sets of ethical rules and guidelines devel ...
. The early major schisms in the Buddhist sangha were largely due to disagreements over which set of training rules should be applied. Some adopted a more flexible set, whereas others adopted a more strict one, both sides believing to follow the rules as the Buddha had framed them. The Theravada tradition is the heir to the latter view. An example of the strictness of the discipline might be the rule regarding eating: they uphold the rule to only eat between dawn and noon. In the Thai Forest Tradition, monks and nuns go further and observe the 'one eaters practice', whereby they only eat one meal during the morning. This special practice is one of the thirteen dhutanga, optional ascetic practices permitted by the Buddha that are used on an occasional or regular basis to deepen meditation practice and promote contentment with subsistence. Other examples of these practices are sleeping outside under a tree, or dwelling in secluded forests or graveyards.


Monasteries founded

After years of wandering, Ajahn Chah decided to plant roots in an uninhabited grove near his birthplace. In 1954,
Wat Nong Pah Pong Wat Nong Pah Pong (; generally shortened to Wat Pah Pong) is a Theravāda Buddhist monastery in Warin Chamrap, Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand. It was established by the late Ajahn Chah as the main monastery of the Thai Forest Tradition. Internati ...
monastery was established, where Ajahn Chah could teach his simple, practice-based form of meditation. He attracted a wide variety of disciples, which included, in 1966, the first Westerner, Venerable Ajahn Sumedho. Wat Nong Pah Pong includes over 250 branches throughout Thailand, as well as over 15 associated monasteries and ten lay practice centers around the world. In 1975, Wat Pah Nanachat (International Forest Monastery) was founded with Ajahn Sumedho as the abbot. Wat Pah Nanachat was the first monastery in Thailand specifically geared towards training English-speaking Westerners in the monastic
Vinaya The Vinaya (Pali and Sanskrit: विनय) refers to numerous monastic rules and ethical precepts for fully ordained monks and nuns of Buddhist Sanghas (community of like-minded ''sramanas''). These sets of ethical rules and guidelines devel ...
, as well as the first run by a Westerner. In 1977, Ajahn Chah and Ajahn Sumedho were invited to visit the United Kingdom by the English Sangha Trust who wanted to form a residential sangha. 1979 saw the founding of Cittaviveka (commonly known as Chithurst Buddhist Monastery due to its location in the small hamlet of Chithurst) with Ajahn Sumedho as its head. Several of Ajahn Chah's Western students have since established monasteries throughout the world.


Later life

By the early 1980s, Ajahn Chah's health was in decline due to
diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...
. He was taken to
Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...
for surgery to relieve
paralysis Paralysis (: paralyses; also known as plegia) is a loss of Motor skill, motor function in one or more Skeletal muscle, muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory d ...
caused by the diabetes, but it was to little effect. Ajahn Chah used his ill health as a teaching point, emphasizing that it was "a living example of the impermanence of all things...(and) reminded people to endeavor to find a true refuge within themselves, since he would not be able to teach for very much longer". Ajahn Chah would remain bedridden and ultimately unable to speak for ten years, until his death on 16 January 1992, at the age of 73.


Notable Western students

* Ajahn Sumedho, founder and former abbot of
Chithurst Buddhist Monastery ''Cittaviveka'' (Pali: ' discerning mind'), commonly known as Chithurst Buddhist Monastery, is an English Theravada Buddhist monastery in the Thai Forest Tradition. It is situated in West Sussex, England in the hamlet of Chithurst between ...
and
Amaravati Buddhist Monastery Amaravati is a Theravada Buddhist monastery at the eastern end of the Chiltern Hills in South East England. Established in 1984 by Ajahn Sumedho as an extension of Chithurst Buddhist Monastery, the monastery has its roots in the Thai Forest Tr ...
,
Hemel Hempstead Hemel Hempstead () is a town in the Dacorum district in Hertfordshire, England. It is located north-west of London; nearby towns and cities include Watford, St Albans and Berkhamsted. The population at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 cens ...
, Hertfordshire, England * Ajahn Khemadhammo, abbot of The Forest Hermitage,
Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...
, England * Ajahn Viradhammo, abbot of Tisarana Buddhist Monastery in Perth,
Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, Canada *
Ajahn Sucitto Ajahn Sucitto (Bhikkhu Sucitto, born 4 November 1949) is a British-born Theravada Buddhist monk ('' Ajahn'' is the Thai rendition of ''ācārya'', the Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belong ...
, retired abbot of Cittaviveka monastery. A Dhamma writer. * Ajahn Pasanno, abbot of Abhayagiri Monastery, Redwood Valley, California, USA * Ajahn Amaro, abbot of Amaravati Monastery,
Amaravati Buddhist Monastery Amaravati is a Theravada Buddhist monastery at the eastern end of the Chiltern Hills in South East England. Established in 1984 by Ajahn Sumedho as an extension of Chithurst Buddhist Monastery, the monastery has its roots in the Thai Forest Tr ...
, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire England * Ajahn Brahmavamso, abbot of Bodhinyana Monastery,
Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...
, Western Australia * Ajahn Jayasaro, author of ''Stillness Flowing'', the biography of Ajahn Chah, and former abbot of Wat Pah Nanachat * Jack Kornfield, co-founder of Insight Meditation Society, Barre, Massachusetts, USA and Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California, USA


Bibliography

*
Still Flowing Water: Eight Dhamma Talks
' ( Thanissaro Bhikkhu, ed.). Metta Forest Monastery (2007). *
The Path to Peace
'. The Sangha, Wat Pah Nanachat (1996). *
Clarity of Insight
'. The Sangha, Wat Pah Nanachat (2000). *''A Still Forest Pool: The Insight Meditation of Achaan Chah'' (Jack Kornfield ed.). Theosophical Publishing House (1985). . *''Being Dharma: The Essence of the Buddha's Teachings''. Shambahla Press, 2001. . *
Food for the Heart
' ( Ajahn Amaro, ed.). Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2002. . *
Everything Is Teaching Us
'. Amaravati Publications, 2018. . *
Living Dhamma
'. Amaravati Publications, 2018. . *
A Taste of Freedom
'. Amaravati Publications, 2018. . *
On Meditation
'. Amaravati Publications, 2018. *
Bodhinyana
'. Amaravati Publications, 2018.


Published by Buddhist Publication Society

*
Meditation: A Collection of Talks on Cultivating the Mind
' *
The Training Of The Heart (BL107)
' *
Our Real Home (BL111)
'


References


External links


Short biography and pictureWebsite of Wat Nong Pah PongInternational branch monasteries of Wat Nong Pah PongAjahn Chah website
– in English and other languages, with useful links and info
PDF ebook: Recollections of Ajahn Chah, by various authorsAjahn Pasanno. Recollections of Ajahn Chah, Part 1
First of a series of 3 talks about Ajahn Chah, mp3 format
Website of the Memorial to Ajahn Chah in Thai


Teachings


PDF ebook: The Teachings of Ajahn Chah
– main collection of Dhamma talks
Dhamma talks by Ajahn ChahDhamma talks in MP3 audio format, with English translationPortal of the Ajahn Chah Sangha, including MP3sThe Memorial to Ajahn Chah: Teachings in English and other languages
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chah 1918 births 1992 deaths Thai Buddhist spiritual teachers Thai Forest Tradition monks Thai people of Laotian descent Theravada Buddhism writers Thai Theravada Buddhist monks People from Ubon Ratchathani province 20th-century Buddhist monks