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| Ajahn Chah Subhatto (1918 - 1992) |
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 Venerable Ajahn Chah Subhatto was one of the greatest meditation masters of the 20th century. He was also a gifted leader and speaker, becoming one of the most famous monks of the Thai Forest traditions; spreading the teachings of this branch of Theravada Buddhism throughout the world. Ajahn Chah driven by a need to understand the truth about meditation and life, sought out an ascetic teacher in Northeast Thailand; becoming the student of Ajahn Mun Bhuridatto. Under his guidance, Ajahn spent over seven years under the most austere conditions; learning the ascetic Forest Tradition of Thai Buddhism. Once he had reached the deepest levels of meditation, Ajahn in turn, started to teach monks from all over, and like his teacher, he initiated them all in the use of various ascetic practices. Some of the practices employed was the eating of only one meal a day, sleeping often outside, or entering into a fearsome environment in order to overcome their personal fears. Ajahn Chah taught meditation and gave regular Dharma talks. He also was influential in the establishment of two monasteries, Wat Nong Pah Pong and Wat Pah Nanachat, in Northeast Thailand. These monasteries now have 250 branches in Thailand as well as 15 associated monasteries around the world. Ajahn wrote little for publication, but many of his talks have been transcribed and published in books and pamphlets. His down-to-earth style was to help demystify complex Buddhist teachings making them accessible to all. |
Date of Birth: 18 Jun, 1918
Location: Thailand
State: Ubon Ratchathani
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Views: 76
Summary
Ajahn Chah Subhatto was born on June 18, 1918, in Ubon Rajathani, Thailand. After completing his basic schooling, he spent three years as a novice monk before returning to help his parents on their farm. In 1938, at the age of twenty, Ajahn decided to resume monastic life. A year later, in 1939, he received ordination as a monk. In 1945, his father died and he fell into a depression. Feeling he was no closer to understanding the end of suffering, he decided to embark on a pilgrimage. He walked some 400 kilometers to Central Thailand, sleeping in forests and living on charity. While at a Vinaya monastery, he was told of a great meditation master in the Northeast of Thailand. Keen to deepen his studies he traveled on foot to find Ajahn Mun Bhuridatto. Under Ajahn’s guidance, he spent the next seven years practicing the style of the ascetic Forest Tradition. He wandered in the country side and lived in tiger infested jungles, eventually overcoming his fear of death. In 1954, he went back to his village and settled close by ‘Pah Pong’, a haunted forest. Despite the hardships of sparse food and malaria, disciples gathered around him. Later, this site was to become the Wat Nong Pah Pong monastery. In 1967, an American monk came to stay. Eventually, he was joined by four more Western monks. Eventually, Wat Pah Nanachat (“International Forest Monastery”) became the first monastery in Thailand to be run by and for English-speaking monks. In 1977, an English charity trust, Sangha Trust, invited Ajahn Chah to visit Britain with the aim of establishing a locally-resident Buddhist Sangha. In the years that followed, Chithurst Buddhist Monastery in Sussex, came into being. He returned again in 1979 and 1981 and also visited America and Canada. Between 1981 and 1992, his health gradually deteriorated, leaving him paralyzed and bed-ridden. He died in 1992. It was estimated that over a million people attended his funeral, including the Thai Royal Family. "We practice to learn how to let go, not how to increase our holding on to things. Enlightenment appears when you stop wanting anything."
References:
Related Links:
www.forestsangha.org
www.watnongpahpong.org/aboutajahnchah.php
www.ajahnchah.org/videos.htm
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