The Dark Side of Ajahn Mun's Biography

Ven. Subhuti (AmericanMonk.org), Dhr. Seven (ed.), Sayalay Aloka, Wisdom Quarterly

The Dark Side of Ajahn Mun’s Biography

Ven. Acariya Ajahn Mun

Ajahn Mun (Venerable Ācariya Mun Būridatta Thera) is one of the most revered Thai Forest Tradition meditation masters of the 20th century.

He is the root guru of both Dhammayut (the lesser but more hardcore of the two Thai Theravada monastic schools, the other being the Maha Nikaya or "Great Order") and Ajahn Chah monasteries.

He popularized the monastic practice of living under an meditation umbrella with netting (crot) or tent of monastic robes in the forest (a thudong or dhutanga or "sane ascetic practice"), and his relentless energy is fascinating and inspiring.

Although I (American Buddhist monk Ven. Subhuti) criticize this book and state that this book is far from  the attainments and right view, I still find this austere “way of life” inspiring. It is also not 100% proven that these are really the actual and literal words of Ajahn Mun.

The Great Ajahn Chah (R), Ajahn Sumedho

One day I tried to read this Ajahn Mun biography (Acariya Mun: A Spiritual Biography (forestdhamma.org PDF), which some regard as the "Thai Forest Tradition Bible," written by Ajahn Maha Bua (Ven. Ācariya Mahã Boowa Ñãṇasampanno), the heir and leader of the Dhammayut Order sect, who passed away not long ago.

• History of the Thai Forest Tradition

Ajahn Maha Bua was a direct disciple of Ajahn Mun and publicly claimed to be fully enlightened (which it is said an enlightened person would never do nor even think to do, partly because of a direct understanding of no-self but also because of the maxim "One who knows does not say, and one who says does not know").

• In the footsteps of Ajahn Mun (video)

Reading does not lead to enlightenment (AC).

Here is a quote attributed to Ajahn Mun that prevents me from finishing the book Venerable Ãcariya Mun Bhuridatta Thera: A Spiritual Biography. If one knows anything about Theravada Buddhism, brace yourself:

Author Ajahn Maha Bua

"On the nights subsequent to Ãcariya Mun’s attainment of vimutti [freedom, liberation, moksha, release from ignorance and samsaric wandering through rebirths and suffering], a number of Buddhas, accompanied by their Arahant [fully enlightened] disciples, came to congratulate him on his vimuttidhamma [freedom-doctrine, his "Teaching on how to attain this Freedom"]. One night, a certain Buddha, accompanied by tens of thousands of Arahant disciples, came to visit; the next night, he was visited by another Buddha, who was accompanied by hundreds of thousands of Arahant disciples. Each night a different Buddha came to express his appreciation, accompanied by a different number of Arahant disciples. Ãcariya [Teacher] Mun stated that the number of accompanying Arahant disciples varied according to each Buddha’s relative accumulation of merit – a factor that differed from one Buddha to the next."

This quote is complete fantasy. It is impossible according to traditional, authentic, and real Theravāda Buddhist teachings. Ask any Theravada Buddhist outside of the Thai Forest Tradition.

• [It's true, say we. We are in full agreement with Ven. Subhuti here. Buddhas do not abide in a heaven of any kind (such as a Brahma World, the Void, or any of the 31 Planes of Existence) or some absolute state (e.g., of pure luminous mind or in Nirvana as if Nirvana were a place in a form or formless realm), emerging when they feel like it with their retinue of enlightened disciples, or taking rebirth as the "One True Buddha" reappearing in history again and again, as Mahayana Hindu-Buddhists might imagine or say.]

Amulet collecting, saint-worship in Thailand

I have explained this already in an article (“Does the Buddha Live in Nibbāna?”). It should be noted that Buddhas who still live on in Nirvana is a popular Mahayana, Hindu, and Vajrayana (Tibetan, Bhutanese, Nepalese, Russian, Mongolian) belief.

It is also a very popular view in New Age religions, who confuse Buddhism as yet another kind of Messianic religion with Maitreya Buddha as the future messiah/maitreya, a popular Mahayana view completely rejected by Theravada Buddhism, or the "Teaching of the Elder Enlightened Disciples of the Historical Gautama Buddha known as Shakyamuni").

Ajahn Maha Bua on alms round

In either case, while one should remain aware that this part of the book is complete rubbish, the other sections of the book leading up to this quote are very inspiring.

The austere monastic (shramana, "wandering ascetic") way of life practiced in some monasteries that continue this "sane ascetic" legacy are inspiring. So there is no need to "throw the baby out with the bathwater."

1. Does the Buddha Live in Nibbāna [Nirvana]?
2. An article on biblical dreams of prophets
3. Ajahn Martin says, “Yes, you can talk to Buddhas”
4. General discussions about the “citta [mind moment]”
5. Link to the quoted text, p. 172 Venerable Ãcariya Mun Bhuridatta Thera: A Spiritual Biography by Ãcariya Mahã Boowa Ñãnasampanno

Author: American Pa-Auk Buddhist monk Ven. Subhuti (americanmonk.org) in Hawaii

• If anyone imagines Ven. Subhūti or Wisdom Quarterly oppose the Ajahn Mun, thudong, the Dhammayut School, the Thai Forest Tradition, Ajahn Chah, or the Maha Nikaya School, or any Theravada tradition, read this: Where to ordain? (americanmonk.org)