Buddhadasa
Encyclopedia
Buddhadasa Bhikkhu was a famous and influential ascetic-philosopher of the 20th century. Known as an innovative reinterpreter of Buddhist doctrine and Thai folk beliefs, Buddhadasa fostered a reformation in conventional religious perceptions in his home country, Thailand
, as well as abroad. Although he was a formally ordained
ascetic, or "monk," having at the age of twenty years submitted to mandatory government religious controls, Buddhadasa developed a personal view that rejected specific religious identification and considered all faiths as principally one. His ground-breaking thought inspired such persons as French schooled Pridi Phanomyong
, leader of Siam's 1932 revolution, and a group of Thai social activists and artists of the 1960s and 70s.
district), southern Siam
. His father, Sieng Panitch, was a shopkeeper of second generation Sino-Thai
(Hokkien
) ancestry and his mother, Klaun, was Siamese. He renounced civilian life in 1926. Typical of young monks during the time, he traveled to the Siamese capital of Bangkok
for doctrinal training. But he found the wat
s (or temples) there dirty, crowded, and, most troubling to him, the Sangha
corrupt, 'preoccupied with prestige, position, and comfort with little interest in the highest ideals of Buddhism.' As a result, he returned to his native rural district and occupied a forest tract near to his village. He named it Suan Mokkh, from Thai
suan, 'garden' and Vedic moksha
, 'release, liberation.' He strove for a simple, pristine practice in attempt to emulate the Buddha's core teaching, "Do good, avoid bad, and purify the mind." He therefore avoided the customary ritualism and internal politics that dominated Siamese clerical life. His ability to explain complex philosophical and religious ideas in his native southern "Pak Tai" vernacular (Southern Thai language
) attracted many people to his wooded retreat.
Religious scholar D.K. Swearer has compared Buddhadasa to the early Indian philosopher Nagarjuna
.
district, Surat Thani Province
southern Thailand. His primary teaching mainly focused on an ancient yogic practice of the quiet awareness of one's breathing pattern called anapanasati
. But his personal practice was very much grounded in advanced research and interpretation of early Pali
texts on the one hand, and on his radical private experimentation on the other hand.
In later years, Buddhadasa's teachings attracted many international seekers to his hermitage. He held talks with leading scholars and clergy of various faiths. His aim in these discussions was to probe the similarities at the heart of each of the major world religions. Before his death in 1993, he established an International Dhamma Hermitage Center across the highway from his own retreat to aid in the teaching of Buddhism and other yogic practices to international students.
. The following are some of his well-known books in English translation.
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, as well as abroad. Although he was a formally ordained
Upasampada
Upasampadā literally means "approaching or nearing the ascetic tradition." In more common parlance it specifically refers to the rite of ordination by which one undertakes the Buddhist monastic life....
ascetic, or "monk," having at the age of twenty years submitted to mandatory government religious controls, Buddhadasa developed a personal view that rejected specific religious identification and considered all faiths as principally one. His ground-breaking thought inspired such persons as French schooled Pridi Phanomyong
Pridi Phanomyong
Pridi Banomyong was a highly revered Thai politician. He was a former Prime Minister and Senior Statesman of Thailand, and was named one of the world's great personalities of the 20th century by UNESCO in 2000.-Family background:...
, leader of Siam's 1932 revolution, and a group of Thai social activists and artists of the 1960s and 70s.
Early years
He was born Nguam Panitch in 1906 in Ban Phumriang (ChaiyaChaiya
Chaiya is a district and town in Surat Thani Province in southern Thailand. The town itself has a population of 13,133 , while the whole district has a population of 47,750.-Geography:...
district), southern Siam
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. His father, Sieng Panitch, was a shopkeeper of second generation Sino-Thai
Thai Chinese
The Thai Chinese are an overseas Chinese community who live in Thailand. Thailand is home to the largest, oldest, most prominent, and most integrated overseas Chinese community in the world with a population of approximately 9.5 million people...
(Hokkien
Hokkien
Hokkien is a Hokkien word corresponding to Standard Chinese "Fujian". It may refer to:* Hokkien dialect, a dialect of Min Nan Chinese spoken in Southern Fujian , Taiwan, South-east Asia, and elsewhere....
) ancestry and his mother, Klaun, was Siamese. He renounced civilian life in 1926. Typical of young monks during the time, he traveled to the Siamese capital of Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
for doctrinal training. But he found the wat
Wat
A wat is a monastery temple in Cambodia, Thailand, or Laos. The word "wat" means "school".- Introduction :...
s (or temples) there dirty, crowded, and, most troubling to him, the Sangha
Sangha
Sangha is a word in Pali or Sanskrit that can be translated roughly as "association" or "assembly," "company" or "community" with common goal, vision or purpose...
corrupt, 'preoccupied with prestige, position, and comfort with little interest in the highest ideals of Buddhism.' As a result, he returned to his native rural district and occupied a forest tract near to his village. He named it Suan Mokkh, from Thai
Thai language
Thai , also known as Central Thai and Siamese, is the national and official language of Thailand and the native language of the Thai people, Thailand's dominant ethnic group. Thai is a member of the Tai group of the Tai–Kadai language family. Historical linguists have been unable to definitively...
suan, 'garden' and Vedic moksha
Moksha
Within Indian religions, moksha or mukti , literally "release" , is the liberation from samsara and the concomitant suffering involved in being subject to the cycle of repeated death and reincarnation or rebirth.-Origins:It is highly probable that the concept of moksha was first developed in...
, 'release, liberation.' He strove for a simple, pristine practice in attempt to emulate the Buddha's core teaching, "Do good, avoid bad, and purify the mind." He therefore avoided the customary ritualism and internal politics that dominated Siamese clerical life. His ability to explain complex philosophical and religious ideas in his native southern "Pak Tai" vernacular (Southern Thai language
Southern Thai language
Southern Thai or Dambro is a Tai language spoken in the 14 changwat of Southern Thailand as well as by small communities in the northernmost Malaysian states. It is spoken by roughly five million people, and as a second language by the 1.5 million speakers of Patani Malay and other ethnic groups...
) attracted many people to his wooded retreat.
Social activist
'Buddhadasa is regarded as a radical vector and narrator of Siamese religious culture through the crucial period when Siam moved away from an absolute monarchy in 1932 and then underwent a fascist revolution in 1939 when it changed its name to Thailand. In the 1960s Buddhadasa became a great inspiration for a certain circle of Thai social activists and artists, some of whom – most notably the painter-poet K. Khemananda – were like Buddhadasa himself branded as communists. In the case of some students, they were forced to flee the country while the teacher was nearly made to cease wearing robes' (Harris, Buddhadasa, a narrative note, 2007).Belief in "no religion"
From the earliest period of his religious studies, Buddhadasa utilized a comparative approach and sought to be able to explain "Buddhist's teachings through other doctrines such as Zen, Tao, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam and Natural Science." Through such a methodology he came to adopt a religious world-view that rejected exclusionary religious identification. In his No Religion (1993) Buddhadasa famously remarked, "in advanced perspectives there is no religious identification whatsoever."Religious scholar D.K. Swearer has compared Buddhadasa to the early Indian philosopher Nagarjuna
Nagarjuna
Nāgārjuna was an important Buddhist teacher and philosopher. Along with his disciple Āryadeva, he is credited with founding the Mādhyamaka school of Mahāyāna Buddhism...
.
Wat Suan Mokkh
In 1932, Buddhadasa founded his forest hermitage Suan Mokkh ('garden of release'), a center for study and serious practice in ChaiyaChaiya
Chaiya is a district and town in Surat Thani Province in southern Thailand. The town itself has a population of 13,133 , while the whole district has a population of 47,750.-Geography:...
district, Surat Thani Province
Surat Thani Province
Surat Thani is the largest of the southern provinces of Thailand, on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Thailand. Surat Thani means City of Good People, the title given to the city by King Vajiravudh ....
southern Thailand. His primary teaching mainly focused on an ancient yogic practice of the quiet awareness of one's breathing pattern called anapanasati
Anapanasati
Ānāpānasati , meaning 'mindfulness of breathing' , is a form of Buddhist meditation now common to the Tibetan, Zen, Tiantai, and Theravada schools of Buddhism, as well as western-based mindfulness programs.According to tradition, Anapanasati was...
. But his personal practice was very much grounded in advanced research and interpretation of early Pali
Páli
- External links :* *...
texts on the one hand, and on his radical private experimentation on the other hand.
In later years, Buddhadasa's teachings attracted many international seekers to his hermitage. He held talks with leading scholars and clergy of various faiths. His aim in these discussions was to probe the similarities at the heart of each of the major world religions. Before his death in 1993, he established an International Dhamma Hermitage Center across the highway from his own retreat to aid in the teaching of Buddhism and other yogic practices to international students.
Reading list
Buddhadasa's works literally take up an entire room in the National Library of ThailandNational Library of Thailand
The National Library of Thailand is the legal deposit and copyright library for Thailand. It was created in 1905, after the merger of the three pre-existing royal libraries...
. The following are some of his well-known books in English translation.
- The A,B,Cs of Buddhism. 1982.
- Handbook for Mankind Buddhadasa's most well-known book.
- Heart-wood from the Bo Tree. Susan Usom Foundation, 1985.
- Keys to Natural Truth. Trans. R. Bucknell and Santikaro. N.d. First published 1988.
- Me and Mine: Selected Essays of Bhikkhu Buddhadasa (preview). Thēpwisutthimēthī, Buddhadasa, Swearer. SUNY Press, 1989.
- Mindfulness With Breathing. Trans. Santikaro. Second Edition. The Dhamma Study & Practice Group. 1989.
- No Religion. Trans. Punno, First electronic edition: September 1996.
- Paticcasamuppada: Practical Dependent Origination The Dhamma Study & Practice Group, 2002
- Teaching Dhamma with Pictures Published by Sathirakoses-Nagaparadi Foundation & Ministry of Education, Thailand On the occasion of the Centenary Celebration of the Bith of the Ven. Buddhadasa Bhikku(27 May 1906 - 27 May 2006)
External links
- Ajahn Buddhadasa. nalanda.org.br/
- Biography of Buddhadhasa. Three-part video on YouTube.
- buddhadasa.com. Thai-language site dedicated to Buddhadasa.
- Buddhadasa (a narrative note). Troy Dean Harris, Gentle Penetration, 2007.
- Category:Buddhadasa Bhikkhu. A list of Buddhadasa's online work. dharmaweb.org
- Talks by Santikaro about Buddhadasa. Audio recording in four parts.
- Wat Suan Mokkh. Buddhadasa's Hermitage. (Cached version of a missing German document, text and photos.)