Thai Forest Tradition

The Thai Forest Tradition

Thai Forest Monks (Ti Rai Pah village, Tung Yai Naresuan wildlife sanctuary, Thailand)

Buddhism is estimated to be some 2500 years old. As it spread, different schools arose. There are now essentially at least three Buddhisms based on different scriptural canons. There is Theravāda Buddhism based on the Pāli Canon, the East Asian tradition, centered on the Chinese Canon, and Tibetan tradition centered on the Tibetan Canon [ref. Buddhist Religions, a Historical Introduction, Robinson, Johnson, and Thanissaro (eds.), Fifth Edition, pg. xxi].

For general background reference material on Buddhism, see:

The oldest complete set of scriptures is the Pali Canon. The Thai Forest Tradition arose at the end of the 19th century as a deliberate attempt to focus on the practice of meditation as described in these early suttas. It is relatively new and, perhaps, also very old indeed.

There are numerous discussions of this tradition online. A great place to start is The Customs of the Noble Ones by Thanissaro Bikkhu (from Access to Insight). Here are a few more favorites:

An excellent biographical account of an exemplary Thudong monk is Bhikkhu Khantipalo—With Robes and Bowl, Glimpses of the Thudong Bhikkhu Life. It can be read online or downloaded:

  • HTML (via Access to Insight),  
  • PDF (via Buddhanet.net's Buddhist eLibrary )

    As much as can easily be written of the thudong bhikkhu's life is contained in these sketches. [However] Just as the flavor of soup is not to be told even in one thousand pages, so the real flavor of this Ancient Way cannot be conveyed by words. Soup is to be tasted: the thudong life is to be lived.

Ajahn Sao Kantasilo Mahathera (1861-1941) established this Kammatthana tradition at the beginning of the twentieth century. Many of the most significant teachers of the tradition were disciples of his student, Ajahn Mun Bhuridatta (1870-1949) as listed in the following table:

DiscipleLife SpanAssociated MonasteryLocation
Ajahn Maha Boowa Ñāṇasampaṇṇo8/12/1913 - 1/30/2011Wat Pā Bān Tāt
Wat Pah Ban That		Mueang Udon Thani District, Udon Thani 41000, Thailand
Ajahn Chah Subhaddo6/17/1918 - 1/16/1992Wat Pā Pong
Wat Nong Pah Pong		10 Tambon Non Phueng, Amphoe Warin Chamrap, Chang Wat Ubon Ratchathani 34190, Thailand
Ajahn Funn AcaroWat Baan Na Huang ChangSakon Nakhon Province
Ajahn Suwat Suvaco8/27/1919 - 4/5/2001Metta Forest Monastery13560 Muutama Lane Valley Center, CA 92082
Ajahn PenWat Doi Thammachedi [Dhamma Chedi]Sakon Nakhon 3008 Rural Rd., Tambon Tong Khop, Amphoe Khok Si Suphan, Chang Wat Sakon Nakhon 47280, Thailand
Ajahn Lee Dhammadharo1/31/1907 - 4/26/1961Wat PrachanikomRoiet Province
Ajahn Thet [Thate] Desarangsi4/25/1902 - 12/17/1994Wat Hinmākpengg [Hin Maak Peng]Phra Phutthabat, Si Chiang Mai District, Nong Khai 43130, Thailand
Ajahn Khao Anālayo12/28/1888 - 5/14/1983Wat Tham Klongplane
Wat Tham Klong Pane
Ajahn On Udon Province?
Ajahn Kamdee Pabhaso1902 - 1984Wat Tham Phā Puu
(Grandfather Cliff Cave)		about 7 km N of Loei city
Ajahn ChawpLoei?
Ajahn Sing TongWat Pan KāeowitSakon Nakhnon Province
Lūang Pū Wāen Suciṇṇo2/16/1887 - 7/2/1985Wat Doi Mae PangTambon Mae Pang, Amphoe Phrao, Chang Wat Chiang Mai 50190, Thailand
Looang Boo Sim Buddhacaro11/26/1909 - 1992Chieng Mai Province
Ajahn Dune Atulo 10/4/1888 - 1983Wat Buraphapiram559 Chai Mongkhon Road, Tambon Nai Mueang, Amphoe Mueang Roi Et, Province Roi Et 45000, Thailand

These data are based, in part, on a table in Stanley Jeyaraja Tambiah's book, The Buddhist Saints of the Forest and the Cult of Amulets, Cambridge University Press, 1984, pg. 133.

Ajahn Maha Bua Ñāṇasampaṇṇo, one of Ajahn Mun's most influential students, was the author of numerous books, including his extraordinary biography of Ajahn Mun — Venerable Phra Acharn Mun Bhuridatta Thera, A Spiritual Biography. An iconic text, it is a wonderful testimony to a life deeply committed to a path leading to the ultimate liberation and freedom of Nibbāna. [For an excellent discussion of Nibbāna, consider The Island, a remarkable book by Ajahn Passano and Ajahn Amaro.]

In addition to information about Shakyamuni Buddha's original disciples, our Biographies section includes material on the lives of several significant Forest Tradition pioneers.

Ajahn Chah was extremely influential as the teacher of many Western monks—see Wikipedia's Forest Tradition of Ajahn Chah. Be sure to check out Stillness Flowing—The Life and Teachings of Ajahn Chah, Ajahn Jayasaro's monumental bigraphy of this beloved meditation master.. There are also numerous videos discussing the life of this remarkable teacher—see our Web page,  Ajahn Chah YouTube links.

For more extensive biographical and teaching materials, an excellent place to start is The Thai Forest Traditions webpage located on the Northern Kentucky University website (where Access to Insight material is formatted a bit differently from AtI's legacy website). It provides access to numerous books and articles by (and about) the following Thai Forest Tradition teachers:

From the Kammatthana tradition:

From other Thai forest traditions:

Ajahn Hāsapañño's website, Wide Angle Lens - on the Thai Wilderness Tradition of Buddhism is well worth a visit.

This site focuses on the richness of the Thai Wilderness Tradition of Buddhism, with the aim of presenting some of the foundational influences of the tradition, along with lesser known dimensions of the characters, teachings, stories and lives of some of the greatest saints of modern times.

 It includes the following Ajahn Hāsapañño translations:

Additionally, translated from the Thai by Sāmaṇerī Viveka, there is:

To put the Forest Tradition into a broader context, consult the massively detailed Thai Digital Monastery Project beginning with their web page, Thai Buddhism.

 

Finally, as the profound influence of the Thai Forest Tradition has begun to take root in the West, it is most helpful to consider Dr. V. A. Gunasekara's thoughtful essay, Ethnic Buddhism and Other Obstacles to the Dhamma in the West.

Early Buddhism

For the roots of Insight Meditation as currently practiced in the West, one only need to go back to the beginning of the twentieth century in SE Asia. Buddhism itself is far older than that and to explore its roots, one need travel back over 2,500 years to the Gangetic plains of India. For those who would explore that world, we offer::