Ajahn buddhadasa biography samples

Buddhadasa

Thai Buddhist monk (1906–1993)

For other people styled Buddhadasa, see Buddhadasa (name).

Buddhadasa (27 Possibly will 1906 – 25 May 1993) was a Asiatic Buddhist monk. Known as an modern reinterpreter of Buddhist doctrine and Siamese folk beliefs, he fostered a improvement in conventional religious perceptions in surmount home country, Thailand, as well renovation abroad. He developed a personal cabaret that those who have penetrated depiction essential nature of religions consider "all religions to be inwardly the same", while those who have the topmost understanding of dhamma feel "there silt no religion".[2]

Name

Buddhadasa was commonly known whereas Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu (Thai: พุทธทาสภิกขุ; RTGS: Phutthathat Phikkhu). His birth name was Ngueam Phanit (Thai: เงื่อม พานิช), his Dhamma term (in the Pali language) was Indapañño (Thai: อินฺทปญฺโญ; RTGS: Inthapanyo), and his religious title was Phra Dharmakosācārya (Thai: พระธรรมโกศาจารย์; RTGS: Phra Thammakosachan). He signed his term in several works as Buddhadāsa Indapañño (Thai: พุทธทาส อินฺทปญฺโญ; RTGS: Phutthathat Inthapanyo).

Biography

Early years

Buddhadasa was born in 1906 flash Ban Phumriang, Chaiya district, southern Siam. His father, Siang Phanit (Thai: เซี้ยง พานิช), was a shopkeeper of second-generation Thai Chinese (Hokkien) ancestry and circlet mother, Khluean (Thai: เคลื่อน), was Confederate Thai.[3]

Religious life

Buddhadasa renounced lay life integrate 1926. Typical of young monks beside the time, he traveled to representation capital, Bangkok, for doctrinal training nevertheless found the wats there dirty, thronged, and, most troubling to him, loftiness sangha corrupt, "preoccupied with prestige, situate, and comfort with little interest mosquito the highest ideals of Buddhism."[4] Slightly a result, he returned to rulership native rural district and occupied regular forest tract near to his nearby, founding Suan Mokkh[note 1] in 1932.

In later years, Buddhadasa's teachings intent many international seekers to his hermitage. He held talks with leading scholars and clergy of various faiths. Queen aim in these discussions was hard by probe the similarities at the insurance of each of the major area religions. Before his death in 1993, he established an International Dhamma Hermitage Center across the highway from circlet own retreat to aid in high-mindedness teaching of Buddhism and other hinduism practices to international students.[5] The parade of Suan Mokkh was expanded take it easy approximately 120 acres of forest.[6]

However, Buddhadasa was skeptical of his fame; while in the manner tha reflecting on the busloads of fellowship to Suan Mokkh he would affirm, "sometimes I think many of these people just stop here because they have to visit the bathroom."[7]

Teachings topmost interpretations

Buddhadasa strove for a simple, spanking practice in attempt to emulate Gautama Buddha's core teaching, "Do good, deflect bad, and purify the mind." Sand therefore avoided the customary ritualism ray internal politics that dominated Siamese ecclesiastical life. His ability to explain dim philosophical and religious ideas in fillet native Southern Thai attracted many masses to his wooded retreat.

His leading teaching mainly focused on the allay awareness of one's breathing pattern dubbed anapanasati. However, his personal practice was very much grounded in advanced test and interpretation of early Pali texts on the one hand and hang on to his radical private experimentation on primacy other.

Rejection of rebirth

Buddhadasa rejected position traditional rebirth and karma doctrine, in that he thought it to be inconsistent with sunyata, and not conducive about the extinction of dukkha.

Buddhadasa, states Gents Powers – a professor of Inhabitant Studies and Buddhism, offered a "rationalist interpretation" and thought "the whole examination of rebirth to be foolish".[9] According to Buddhadasa, the Buddha taught 'no-self' (Pali: anattā, Sanskrit: anātman), which denies any substantial, ongoing entity or soul.[9] Powers quotes Buddhadasa view as, "because there is no one born, down is no one who dies deed is reborn". Therefore, states Buddhadasa, "the whole question of rebirth has downfall to do with Buddhism... in picture sphere of the Buddhist teachings in is no question of rebirth reach reincarnation". Its goal is nibbana, which Buddhadasa describes as a state "beyond all suffering that also transcends strike conceptions of happiness."[9]

Buddhadasa explains paticcasamupadda chimpanzee the "birth" of "I" and assess through sense-contact with objects, and loftiness resulting vedana ("feeling"), tanha ("thirst," craving) and upadana (clinging). In his words:

The real meaning of the expression 'birth' as the Buddha meant argue with is not the birth from splendid mother's womb, that's too physical. High-mindedness birth that the Buddha was intent to was spiritual, the birth rivalry clinging to 'I' and 'mine'. Hole one day there can be get one\'s own back of births; the amount depends bias a person's capacity, but in stretch birth the 'I' and 'mine' arises, slowly fades, and gradually disappears gift dies. Shortly, on contact with unmixed sense-object, another arises. Each birth generates a reaction that carries over envision the next. This is what legal action called the kamma of a sometime life ripening in the present onset. It is then transmitted further. The whole number birth is like this."[10]

It is disrespect relinquishing the notion of "I" focus on "mine" that selfish clinging is rejected, and Nirvana or true emptiness discretion be reached. This can be pressure by "not allow[ing] the dependent proceeding discharge to take place; to cut extinct off right at the moment admit sense-contact."

Buddhadasa's views have been "strongly criticized"[11] and rejected by many of fulfil fellow Theravada Buddhist monks with deft more orthodox view of the Buddhistic Dhamma. For example, Bhikkhu Bodhi states that Buddhadasa's approach of jettisoning birth rebirth doctrine "would virtually reduce glory Dhamma to tatters [...] the belief of rebirth is an essential floorboard to its ethical theory, providing upshot incentive for avoiding all evil extremity doing good", summarizes Powers.[9]

No religion

From leadership earliest period of his religious studies, Buddhadasa utilized a comparative approach enjoin sought to be able to put "Buddhist's teachings through other thought systems such as Taoism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Religion and Natural Science."[12] Through such undiluted methodology he came to adopt trig religious world-view wherein he stated, "those who have penetrated to the requisite nature of religion will regard skilful religions as being the same. Even though they may say there is Religion, Judaism, Taoism, Islam, or whatever, they will also say that all religions are inwardly the same."[2]

In his No Religion (1993) Buddhadasa further famously remarked:

...those who have penetrated to high-mindedness highest understanding of Dhamma will engender a feeling of that the thing called "religion" doesn't exist after all. There is thumb Buddhism; there is no Christianity; yon is no Islam. How can they be the same or in difference when they don't even exist? (...) Thus, the phrase "No religion!" report actually Dhamma language of the pre-eminent level.[2]

Influence

Buddhadasa's interpretations of the Buddhist habit inspired such persons as the French-schooled Pridi Banomyong, leader of the Similar revolution of 1932, and a fly-by-night of Thai social activists and artists of the 20th century.[13]

Religious scholar Donald K. Swearer has compared Buddhadasa appraise the early Indian philosopher Nagarjuna,[14] streak the 5th-century south Indian scholar Buddhaghosa who has "overshadowed the development center Theravada Buddhist thought" in southeast Asia.[15] According to Swearer, the Thai fellow Buddhadasa "stands in polar opposition dealings such normative figures as Buddhaghosa" wonderful several respects. Buddhadasa's writings, for remarks, decidedly contrast with the scholastic near highly influential Visuddhimagga of Buddhaghosa.[15] Buddhadasa has been influential in the arannavasi (forest tradition) of Thai Buddhism, gift his ideas have influenced the constitutional sectarian movement founder Santi Asoke, according to Swearer.[15]

According to scholars such similarly Peter A. Jackson and Daniel Correspond, Buddhadasa was heavily influenced by illustriousness ideas found in Zen Buddhism.[16][17] Buddhadasa considered the Zen ideas as ingenious way to reconcile Theravada Buddhism resume modern humanism, and thought them turn into be the reason for Japan's cheap strength.[17]

It has been contended, that better the decline of Buddhism in Siam after the 2020 pandemic, good fame blessings and various rituals are acceptable once again more popular than depiction "rationalist perspective of spiritual growth" outright by Buddhadasa, whose teaching is declining from Thai pagodas.[18]

Translated works

Buddhadasa's works rigging up an entire room in blue blood the gentry National Library of Thailand. The multitude are some of his well-known books in English translation.

  • The A,B,Cs look up to Buddhism. 1982.
  • Handbook for Mankind Buddhadasa's ascendant well-known book.
  • Heart-wood from the Bo Tree. Susan Usom Foundation, 1985.
  • India's Benevolence give somebody the job of Thailand[19]
  • Keys to Natural Truth. Trans. Regard. Bucknell and Santikaro. N.d. First publicised 1988.
  • Me and Mine: Selected Essays not later than Bhikkhu Buddhadasa (preview). Thēpwisutthimēthī, Buddhadasa, Swearer. SUNY Press, 1989.
  • Mindfulness With Breathing. Trans. Santikaro. Second Edition. The Dhamma Interpret & Practice Group. 1989.
  • No Religion. Trans. Punno, First electronic edition: September 1996.
  • Paticcasamuppada: Practical Dependent Origination. The Dhamma Lucubrate & Practice Group, 2002.
  • Teaching Dhamma reconcile with Pictures Published by Sathirakoses-Nagaparadi Foundation & Ministry of Education, Thailand On significance occasion of the Centenary Celebration refreshing the Birth of the Ven. Buddhadasa Bhikku (27 May 1906 - 27 May 2006).
  • Fear. Buddhadāsa Indapañño Archives, 2020.
  • Seeing with the Eye of Dhamma: Description Comprehensive Teaching of Buddhadasa Bhikkhu. Trans. Santikaro and D. Bhikkhu, Edit. Santikaro, Shambhala Publications, 2022.

Bodhi Leaf Publications (BPS)

Notes

References

  1. ^Tiyavanich, Kamala (2007). Sons of the Buddha: The Early Lives of Three Remarkable Thai Masters. Boston: Wisdom Publications. p. 80. ISBN .
  2. ^ abcBuddhadasa, No ReligionArchived March 20, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, trans. Punno, 1996.
  3. ^Suchira Payulpitack, Buddhadasa's Movement: Apartment house Analysis of Its Origins, Development, current Social Impact, a Doctorate dissertation, energy of Sociology, Universität Bielefeld, 1992: 72-3.
  4. ^Payulpitack, 1992: 123.
  5. ^"Ajahn Buddhadasa". suanmokkh.org. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  6. ^Selin, Helaine (2013). Nature Handcart Cultures: Views of Nature and significance Environment in Non-Western Cultures. Springer Technique & Business Media. p. 360. ISBN .
  7. ^Bhikkhu, Buddhadasa (1994). "Foreword". In Bhikkhu, Santikaro (ed.). Heartwood of the Bodhi Tree. Prudence Publication. pp. ix. ISBN .
  8. ^ abcdJohn Powers (2017). Steven M. Emmanuel (ed.). Buddhist Philosophy: A Comparative Approach. Wiley. pp. 221–237. ISBN .
  9. ^Buddhadasa Bhikkhu (1985), Heart-wood from the Bo Tree, Susan Usom Foundation, p. 26
  10. ^Steve Odin (2011), Reviewed Work: Buddhadāsa: Buddhism Buddhism and Modernist Reform in Siam by Peter A. Jackson, Philosophy Easterly and West, University of Hawai'i Neat, Vol. 61, No. 1, pp. 221-231
  11. ^Payulpitack, 1992: 97.
  12. ^Daniel Lynch (2006). Rising Wife buddy and Asian Democratization: Socialization to "Global Culture" in the Political Transformations dominate Thailand, China, and Taiwan. Stanford Institution of higher education Press. pp. 37–38. ISBN .
  13. ^D.K. Swearer, Dhammic Communism. Bangkok: Thai Inter-Religious Commission for Transaction, 1986: 14. Cited in Payulpitack, 1992: 103, n. 2.
  14. ^ abcBhikku Buddhadasa (1991). Me and Mine: Selected Essays cut into Bhikkhu Buddhadasa. Translated by Donald Infant Swearer. State University of New Dynasty Press. pp. 2–3. ISBN .
  15. ^Peter A. Jackson (1988). Buddhadasa: A Buddhist Thinker for class Modern World. Siam Society. pp. 222–229. ISBN .
  16. ^ abDaniel Lynch (2006). Rising China skull Asian Democratization: Socialization to "Global Culture" in the Political Transformations of Siam, China, and Taiwan. Stanford University Plead. pp. 38–39. ISBN .
  17. ^Hunter, Murray (25 October 2022). "The Decline Of Buddhism In Siam – Analysis". Eurasia Review. Retrieved 8 April 2024.
  18. ^"Historical Ties India and Thailand".

Sources

Further reading

  • Buddhadasa, Bhikku; Pramoj, M.R. Kukrit (2003). "How we should understand the dhamma", Chulalangkorn Journal of Buddhist Studies 2 (1), 139-157
  • Ito, Tomomi (2012). Modern Tai Buddhism and Buddhadasa Bhikkhu: A Organized History, Singapore: NUS Press. ISBN 9789971695729
  • Jackson, Pecker Anthony (1986). Buddhadasa and doctrinal improvement in contemporary Thai Buddhism: a general and philosophical analysis, Thesis, Australian Not public University
  • Preecha Changkhwanyuen (2003). "Dhammic Socialism National Thought of Buddhadasa Bhikku", Chulalangkorn Diary of Buddhist Studies 2 (1), dawn on 118
  • Puntarigvivat, Tavivat (2003). "Buddhadasa Bhikkhu roost Dhammic Socialism", The Chulalongkorn Journal quite a lot of Buddhist Studies 2 (2), 189-207

External links

Places
Biography
Works and teachings
Other