Ajarn Mun

Ajarn Mun Bhuridatta Thera is a Thai Buddhist monk who along with his mentor Phra Ajarn Sao Kantasilo Mahathera established the Thai Forest Tradition (the Kammatthana tradition) that subsequently spreaded throughout Thailand and several countries abroad.

Ajarn Mun was born on 20 January BE 2413 which happens to be an Thursday in a farming village named Baan Kham Bong, Khong Jiam, on the western bank of the Mekong River, in  Si Mueang Mai District, Ubon Ratchathani Province of North Eastern Thailand (Issan). Khong Jiam is located in a triangle of land where the mun river flows into the Mekong River, as the Mekong turns east and flows into Laos. He was born into the Lao-speaking family of Kanhaew. His father’s name was Mr Nai Kamduang while his mother’s name was Mrs Nang Jan. He was the eldest child in the family of nine children. 

When he reached the age of 16, Ajarn Mun ordained as a novice monk in the local village monastery of Kham Bong. As a novice monk, he studied Buddhist teachings, history and folk legends in Khom, Khmer and Tham scripts from fragile palm leaf texts stored in the monastery library. He remained as a novice for two years until BE 2431. Where he was required to leave the monastery by his father’s request.  

By BE 2436, Ajarn Mun was ordained as a monk at Wat Liap in the provincial city of Ubon Ratchatani. Phra Ariyakavi was his preceptor. His announcing teacher was  Phra Kru Prajak Ubolguna. The name “Mun “was given  as the Buddhist name "Bhuridatta" (meaning "blessed with wisdom") during his ordination.

After ordination, Ajarn Mun went to practice meditation with Ajarn Sao Wat Liap in Ubon, where he learned to practice the monastic traditions of Laos. Ajarn Sao taught him a meditation method to calm the mind, the mental repetition of the word, "Buddho." Ajarn Sao often took Ajarn Mun wandering and camping in the dense forests along the Mekong River, where they would practice meditation together. This is known as "Tudong" in Thai, a name derived from the term "dhutanga", which describes a number of specialized ascetic practices. One of the first long distance Tudong was a pilgrimage to Wat Aranyawaksi in Thabor district, Nong Khai Province. At the time, Wat Aranyawaksi was a ruin, an abandoned, overgrown temple in the jungle. Ajarn Mun spent a year in "illumination" in the teak forest around the temple at this early part of his monastic life.

In BE 2442, Ajarn Mun was re-ordained in the Thammayut Nikaya, a reformed Thai sect which emphasized monastic disciple and scripture study. Having practiced under the guidance of his teacher for several years and with his teachers blessings, Ajarn Mun went out on his own to search for advanced meditation teachers. During the next several years, he wandered extensively throughout Laos, Thailand and Burma practicing meditation in secluded forests. Ajarn Mun and Ajarn Sao went on pilgrimage together in BE 2448 and venerated the Phra That Phanom shrine, a center of Theravada Buddhism for centuries, most sacred to the Lao people.

Ajarn Mun's mode of practice was solitary and strict. He followed the Vinaya (monastic discipline) faithfully, and also observed many of what are known as the 13 classic dhutanga (ascetic) practices, such as living off alms, wearing robes made of cast-off rags, dwelling in the forest and eating only one meal a day. Searching out secluded places in the wilds of Thailand and Laos, he avoided the responsibilities of settled monastic life and spent long hours of the day and night in meditation. In spite of his reclusive nature, he attracted a large following of students willing to endure the hardships of forest life in order to study with him.

Ajarn Mun BE 2413年生於泰國緊鄰老撾與柬埔寨的烏汶省. 阿姜曼年輕時擁有活潑的心智，他在即興歌謠等民俗藝術方面表現優異，並熱衷於心靈修行。在成為比丘之後，前往追隨當地一位傑出的森林比丘 Ajarn Sao，向他學習禪定，並了解到嚴持戒律對於心靈進步非常重要. 他成為Ajarn Sao 的弟子，積極投入修行. 

有兩個元素（即禪定與嚴格的戒律），雖然從現在有利的角度來看可能並不起眼，然而，當時戒律在整個地區已變得非常松弛，而禪定更是受到很大的懷疑. 當時人們認為可能對“黑暗藝術”有興趣的人，才會笨到去接近它，它被認為會讓人發瘋或使心靈著魔.

Ajarn Mun 適時且成功地對許多人解釋與證明禪定的功效，並成為僧團更高行為標准的典範. 此外，雖然地處偏遠，他仍成為全國最受敬重的心靈導師. 幾乎所有二十世紀泰國最有成就與最受尊敬的禪師，若不是直接師承於他，就是受到他的深刻影響，Ajarn Mun 也是其中之一. 

Ajahn Mun BE 2413年出生於泰國東北部烏東.拉賈泰尼省鄉間的邦堪蓬村，於 BE 2436 出家為僧，從此一生游方於泰國、緬甸、老撾，大部分時間在林間梵行. BE 2472年到2483年，Ajarn Mun 在清邁、緬甸的森林和曠野中住了11年，也在此時證得了阿羅漢果. 他與 Ajarn Sao一起，振興了泰國林居禪修傳統，吸引了大批弟子，之後傳遍整個泰國，以至海外幾個國家，最終於BE 2492年尊者在沙口那空般涅盤. 圓寂於Wat Suddhavasa，享年79歲. 

早年的時候，Ajarn Mun 最初是在泰國的Nakhon Phanom 的東北部開始他的頭陀游行. 從那裡為起點，他穿越了Sakon Nakhon 及Udon Thani ，然後經由清邁的北部抵達布馬，並在那裡短暫的停留一下，最後再回到泰國. 

沒多久，他又進入老撾，並於寮國的龍坡邦度過一段頭陀生活，在回到泰國的黎省前，他又會繞過寮國的首都Vientiane（永珍). 從東北區開始，他分段的游行，直到曼谷，並於泰國的Wat Arun（黎明寺）度過雨安居，接下來的雨安居則是在沙裡卡石窟度過. 在離開沙裡卡石窟後，他立即回到東北區. 

在這段廣泛的游行歲月裡，他幾乎都是獨自一人.只有在極少數的情況下，才會有其他的比丘同行相伴，但很快的又分道揚鑣. 因為Ajarn Mun一直都是以獨立的精神修行，所以他遠離喟鬧，遠離其他的比丘. 在他出家的生活中，獨自一人修持頭陀游行反倒讓他覺得較為自在，唯有心智在解脫成就上已到了非常堅定的程度，並且悲心在心中生起，讓他想到一定要去指導其他的同修，才會與其他的比丘互動. 就是這樣悲天憫人的動機與理由，才會讓他離開祥和與寧靜的沙裡卡石窟，趕去東北省指導先前在各地游行時所遇過的人. 

這一趟回來，Ajarn Mun 決定投注所有的精力去指導那些信任他的比丘及在家人. 他回到以前所游行過的府，很快就發現能贏得每個地方的比丘及在家人的信心. 很多的在家人因Ajarn Mun 的指導而受到感動，故決定出家，過像他一樣的修行生活. 甚至還有一些資深的禪師也摒棄了自尊，聲明願歸入Ajarn Mun 的門下修行。他們的心智後來在禪定方面的基礎都變得非常的穩固，所以都很有自信能去指導其他的人.