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| Ajaan Mun Bhuridatta Thera (1870 - 1949) |
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 Ajaan Mun Bhuridatta Thera was Venerable Ajahn Chah Subhatto's master. Along with his teacher, Phra Ajahn Sao Kantasilo Mahathera, he helped establish the Ascetic Thai Forest Tradition. During the 20th Century, under the guidance of Venerable Ajahn Chah Subhatto, Thai Forest Buddhism spread, thanks to the establishment of the two monasteries, Wat Nong Pah Pong and Wat Pah Nanachat, in Northeast Thailand. Today, these monasteries have 250 branches in Thailand as well as 15 associated monasteries around the world. Ajaan Mun spent the majority of his life wandering through Thailand, Burma and Laos; dwelling in the forest engaged in meditation. Ajaan Mun’s practice was solitary and strict. He observed many of the classic ascetic practices, such as: eating only one meal a day, living off alms, wearing robes made of old rags, and dwelling in the forest. Although reclusive in nature, he attracted a large following of students who where willing to endure any hardship in order to study with him. Very few of his teachings were recorded for posterity. |
Date of Birth: 20 Jan, 1870
Location: Thailand
State: Ubon Ratchathani
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Views: 68
Summary
Ajaan Mun Bhuridatta Thera was born on January 20, 1870, in present day Si Mueang Mai District, Ubon Ratchathani Province of Northeastern Thailand. He spoke Lao and was the eldest of nine children. In 1886, at the age of sixteen, Mun became a novice monk. On June 12, 1893, Ajahn Mun was fully ordained as a monk at the age of twenty-two, at the Wat Liap monastery in Ubon Ratchathani. At his ordination, he received the name "Bhuridatta" (meaning "blessed with wisdom"). After ordination, Mun went to study with Ajahn Sao, who taught him meditation and introduced him to ascetic practices in the forest close to the Mekong River. In 1899, Mun was re-ordained into Thanmayut Nikaya, a reformed sect of Thai Buddhism. During the next few years, Mun was to wander through Laos, Thailand, and Burma, in search of advanced meditation teachers. In 1911, he walked to Burma, there he did receive guidance on advanced meditation to help on his quest for Enlightenment. In 1912, Mun returned to Bangkok, where he stayed at the Wat Pathum Wanaram Monastery, receiving further instruction from His Eminence Phra Upali. After the rainy season, Mun traveled to the town of Lopburi, where he took up residence in a number of caves, practicing intensive meditation. In 1913, Ajahn Mun, whilst living in the Sarika Cave at the Great Mountain (Khao Yai) in Nakhon Nayok, attained Enlightenment. Over the next few years, he remained in the Sarika Cave. Today, the cave has become a pilgrimage site. During the 1920s, Ajahn Mun traveled throughout the northeast districts, gaining a reputation as a gifted teacher. In 1926, he had a band of seventy followers. Ajahn Mun and other wandering monks were coming under increasing pressure from Bangkok, who wanted all wandering monks to settle down. Fearing this monastic customs were under threat, he decided to leave in search of a more remote region beyond the influence of Bangkok. In 1927, Ajahn Mun traveled to the Central Plains region of Thailand. Between 1929 and 1940, Ajahn Mun lived in the provinces of Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and Burma, staying and meditating in the forests. In 1940, at the age of forty, Ajahn Mun returned to Northeast Thailand. Over the next few years, he stayed at a number of monasteries, eventually in 1945, at the age of seventy-five, Ajahn Mun settled permanently at the Pheu Pond Hermitage deep in the forest at the head of the Phu Phan Mountains, near Sakhon Nakhon. In 1948, Ajahn Mun passed away.
References:
Related Links:
www.vimutti.org.nz/lineage.html
www.forestsangha.org
www.watnongpahpong.org/aboutajahnchah.php
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