This study begins with the strong need for arriving at a proper
understanding of the Most Venerable Mun Bh?ridatta Thera’s biography
and his teachings.
The objectives of the study are as follows: to study practice of
meditation in Therav?da Buddhism generally, to study critically the Most
Venerable Mun Bh?ridatta Thera’s biography and his own method of
practice, and to study the impact of the Most Venerable Mun’s method of
practice on Thai society and the Buddhist world.
Most Venerable Mun Bh?ridatta Thera passed away 57 years
ago. Many monks who were dedicated to the practice of the Dhamma
experienced great difficulty in reaching him. He was fond of wandering
around the forests in the Northeastern and Northern regions of Thailand.
The reason he preferred living in mountains and forests was that
knowledge and understanding of the Dhamma was much more likely to
arise under such circumstances.
He first began practising bh?van? by internally repeating the
word “Buddho”. After trial and error, he discovered the right method to
use during the preliminary work of meditation. His newfound
method of
mindfulness and contemplation of body were to form the basis of his later
progress.
Throughout his life, he was able to automatically change the
attitude of people from one of little interest to one of high respect and
love for the dhutanga kammat?t?h?na monks.
Most Venerable Mun used many techniques of contemplation
and selftraining.
He not only provided the model for Thai kammat?t?h?na
monks, but was also a true son of the Buddha, and one who maintained
his teachings.
In the context of the threefold training, Most Venerable Mun
Bh?ridatta Thera taught his followers s?la, sam?dhi, pa??? in full. His
method of teaching consisted of the three essential doctrines of
pariyattisaddhamma, pat?ipattisaddhamma, and pat?ivedhasaddhamma.
Most Venerable Mun and his disciples spawned a lineage
spanning three generations of teachers and students, who still practise the
method of meditation outlined in the Mah satipat?t?h?nasutta concerning
contemplation of the body.The ecofriendly
lifestyle of Most Venerable Mun Bh?ridatta
Thera and his kammatth?na monks is appropriate to imitate its major
principles in order to solve environmental, and other social problems.
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