Category Archives: Thai Forest Tradition

Free Dhamma

14 Tuesday Nov 2017

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Ajahn Chah

Ajahn Chah

Free Dhamma is the best Dhamma, especially when it is good Dhamma and I cannot express my gratitude enough for the service that Forest Sangha Publications does for the Thai Forest tradition in particular, and the Buddhist faith in general. They are a publishing house that produces copious numbers of books and pamphlets on the Thai Forest tradition of the Ven. Ajahn Chah and his disciples. The quality and amount of information available is staggering considering you do not have to pay a penny for any of it. They obviously accept donations but they are not expected nor demanded.

Many of Ajahn Chah’s disciples have produced documents that can be ordered for free as well as translations of many of Ajahn Chah’s own teachings. I highly recommend you spend some time going through the library of available documents and ordering a few. I think they have a limit of three books per month, but there is nothing stopping you from ordering more once your first order arrives.

The series of books that form a collection of talks and teachings by Luang Por Sumedho are of particular interest as they cover the Venerable Ajahn’s career from meeting Ajahn Chah, to his retirement a couple of years ago.

Amaravati Monastery and Abhayagiri Monastery are the main monasteries that the monks and nuns come from who have contributed to the material that is available, but there are contributions from others at satellite monasteries. Whichever author you go for, I am sure you will be in for a treat. This is all Dhamma at it’s best, and it is aimed at the lay disciple primarily, so you do not need a PhD in Buddhist philosophy to understand what they are on about.

Please visit, please order and please donate. Your path to liberation will be made just that bit easier if you do.

May you find peace.

No Ajahn Chah

07 Monday Aug 2017

Posted by in eLibrary, Thai Forest Tradition

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Ajahn Chah

Ajahn Chah

This booklet is priceless. It contains quotes and anecdotes from the Venerable Ajahn Chah that really get to the ‘nitty gritty’ of the Dhamma. It is compiled by Dhamma Garden and following the wish of Ajahn Chah, is made freely available. It must not be sold for any reason whatsoever.

I cannot put into words any meaningful description of this booklet, so the best that I can do is to say… ‘Read It’!

Ajahn Chah’s words will lift you up and guide you on your path, far better than any description I might try to provide.

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No Ajahn Chah

May you all live without fear.

Aside

The Forest Path

07 Monday Aug 2017

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Theravada Monks

Theravada Monks

I have come across a thoroughly interesting eBook regarding what the life is like for a Thai Forest Monk. It is published by Wat Pa Nanachat Monastery celebrating their 25th Vassa. Wat Pa Nanachat was the first monastery in Thailand dedicated to providing Westerners the opportunity to learn the Thais Forest Tradition. The file contains articles and essays by various Bhikkhus and Ajahns on numerous subjects, and provides insight into what life is like for a Bhikkhu in North East Thailand. It also gives glimpses into to Ajahn Chah himself, and what it was like to be taught by him.

I hope you find this document interesting, as I have done. It is, as usual, for free distribution and available in the eLibrary, so please do share with anyone you may belive would benefit from its contents.

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Forest Path

May all beings live in peace.

Ajahn Chah – A Pillar of the Thai Forest Tradition

03 Thursday Aug 2017

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Ajahn Chah

Ajahn Chah

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The Teachings of Ajahn Chah

Ajahn Chah was possibly the most influential monk regarding the dissemination of Theravada Buddhism in the West. There are multiple monasteries in the USA and the UK that he had instituted during his ministry. Amaravati Monastery and Abhayagiri Monastery are just two of the many that have sprung up in the last 50 years or so.

His official website is https://ajahnchah.org/, however the Venerable Ajahn Chah passed on in 1992 and due to his residence primarily in Thailand, the recorded teachings of him are somewhat sparse. The PDF, made available above, weighs in at a hefty 725 pages, but that is pretty much everything that was recorded during his life.

He spent much of his time at Wat Nong Pah Pong Monastery which he founded in 1954, where he, to quote his website:

led a simple and pure life in a harmoniously regulated community where virtue, meditation and understanding may be skillfully and continuously cultivated.

Wat Nong Pah Pong currently has over 200 branch monasteries in Thailand alone. Ajahn Chah was one of the first Thai monks to ordain westerners into the Thai Forest tradition and thus started the spread of his valuable teachings to the West.

The Teachings of Ajahn Chah are made available on this site under the agreement cited within the PDF document. That is to say, it can be freely distributed, electronically. To distribute hard copies then permission must be obtained from the original publisher.