Mun Bhuridatta (, ; ; 1870–1949) was a Thai
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 ...
from
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 who is credited, along with his mentor,
Ajahn Sao Kantasīlo, with establishing 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 ...
or "
Kammaṭṭhāna tradition" that subsequently spread throughout
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
and to several countries abroad.
Biography
Ajaan Mun was born in Baan Kham Bong, a farming village in
Ubon Ratchathani Province,
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 ...
.
Ordained as a monk in 1893, he spent the remainder of his life wandering through
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
,
Burma
Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...
, and
Laos
Laos, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and ...
, dwelling for the most part in the forest, engaged in the practice of
meditation
Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique to train attention and awareness and detach from reflexive, "discursive thinking", achieving a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state, while not judging the meditat ...
. He attracted an enormous following of students and, together with his teacher,
Sao Kantasīlo (1861–1941) established the Thai Forest Tradition (the
kammaṭṭhāna tradition) that subsequently spread throughout Thailand and to several countries abroad. He died at Wat Suddhavasa,
Sakon Nakhon Province
Sakon Nakhon (, ; , ) is one of Thailand's seventy-six provinces (''changwat''). It lies in upper northeastern Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise) Nong Khai, Bueng Kan, Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Kalasin, and Udon Thani ...
.
Forest meditation
Ajaan Mun's mode of practice was solitary and strict. He followed 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 ...
(monastic discipline) faithfully, and also observed many of what are known as the 13 classic
dhutanga (ascetic) practices, such as living off alms food, wearing robes made of cast-off rags, dwelling in the forest and eating only one meal a day. Monks following this tradition are known as ''thudong'', the Thai pronunciation of this
Pali
Pāli (, IAST: pāl̤i) is a Classical languages of India, classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages, Middle Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pali Canon, Pāli Can ...
word.
Searching out secluded places in the wilds of Thailand and Laos, he avoided the responsibilities of settled monastic life and spent long hours of the day and night in meditation. In spite of his reclusive nature, he attracted a large following of students willing to put up with the hardships of forest life in order to study with him.
Further reading
*
The Customs of the Noble Ones', by Thanissaro Bhikkhu describes the Thai forest tradition started by Ajaan Mun.
*
', is a record of passages from Ajaan Mun sermons, made during the years 1944-45 by two monks who were staying under his guidance. (Translated from the Thai by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu)
*
*
', (online as html) "The biography of Ven. Ācariya Mun Bhuridatta composed by his disciple and fellow
Ven. Ācariya Maha Boowa Ñānasampanno. Next to countless anecdotes one may find a great reflection of a live of a true Buddhist forest monk."
*
Patipada – Venerable Ācariya Mun's Path of Practice', "A translation of the Dhutanga Kammaṭṭhāna practices of Venerable Ajaan Mun Bhūridatta Thera, also written by Ven. Ācariya Mahā Boowa Ñāṇasampanno."
External links
*
Thai Theravada Buddhist monks
Thai Forest Tradition monks
1870 births
1949 deaths
People from Ubon Ratchathani province
{{Theravada-stub