Buddhadasa
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Buddhadasa Bhikkhu (Thai: พุทธทาสภิกขุ, May 27, 1906 - May 25, 1993) was one of the most influential Theravada Buddhist monks of the 20th century. Known as an innovative interpreter of Buddhist beliefs, Buddhadasa helped reform Buddhism in his home country of Thailand at the period when Buddhism in Thailand was overshadowed by widespread superstitious belief. He inspired persons such as Pridi Phanomyong, leader of that country's 1932 revolution, and the Thai social activists of the 1960s.
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[edit] Early Years
Born in 1906 as Nguam Panich in Phumriang (Chaiya district) in southern Thailand, Buddhadasa Bhikkhu became a bhikkhu or Buddhist monk in 1926. His father, Siang, was a Chinese descendant and a retail store owner in Phumriang. Coming from a family with a firm religious belief, his mother, Kluan, played an important role in forming Buddhadasa's faith in Buddhism years later.
In 1926, at an age of 20, Buddhadas was ordained, to the request of his mother, as a Buddhist monk and adopted the name Indhapanyo, a man of great wisdom, that he held throughout his monkhood. As was expected of young monks at the time, he went to Bangkok to study. However, he found the wats (temples) there dirty, crowded, and, most troubling to him, corrupt. Faced with an unexpected environment in Bangkok, he returned to his hometown and moved into an abandoned temple.
The only monk in the temple, Buddhadasa practiced a simple or pristine form of Buddhism by getting to the heart of the Buddha's message of doing wholesome actions, avoiding harmful actions, and purifying and training the mind. As such, he tried to avoid the ritualism and internal politics which dominated Thai Buddhism at the time. His ability to explain complex philosophical and religious ideas in the Thai vernacular soon attracted many people to his temple.
[edit] Wat Suan Mokkh
In 1932, Buddhadasa founded Wat Suan Mokkh ("The Garden of Liberation"), a forest Dhamma Center and Buddhist temple in Chaiya, Southern Thailand dedicated to vipassana or insight meditation. Buddhadasa focused especially on anapanasati or meditation through mindfulness of breathing. Buddhadasa based his practice on extensive research of the Pali texts, the Buddha's discourses (Sutta Pitaka), and personal experiment and practice.
In his later years, Buddhadasa's teachings attracted a number of foreign students to his temple. He also held numerous conversations with leading scholars and clergy of other religions, such as Christianity. His aim with these talks was to show that when one cuts to the heart of each religion, all religions are the same. Shortly before his death in 1993, he established an International Dhamma Hermitage Center at his temple to aid in the teaching of Buddhism and vipassana meditation to foreigners.
[edit] Bibliography
Buddhadasa's books literally take up an entire room in the National Library of Thailand. Among the translations in English of his more well-known books are:
- Handbook for Mankind Buddhadasa's most well-known book.
- No Religion
- The A,B,Cs of Buddhism
- Mindfulness With Breathing: A Manual for Serious Beginners, ISBN 0-86171-111-4
- Heart-wood from the Bo Tree
