tc101 Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 In another discussion someone recommended a biography of a foreign Buddhist monk in Thailand. I made a note of the book and read about it on Amazon but now I can't find it. Can someone tell me the name of the book? Also, please recommend any other books about the experiences of foreigners who come to Thailand to study Buddhism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leisurely Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 Phra Farang is the name of the book and it is readily available in Bangkok. good reading. Enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sabaijai Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 In another discussion someone recommended a biography of a foreign Buddhist monk in Thailand. I made a note of the book and read about it on Amazon but now I can't find it. Can someone tell me the name of the book? Also, please recommend any other books about the experiences of foreigners who come to Thailand to study Buddhism. Another title that has come up in this forum, and one which I find personally more informative and inspiring than Phra Farang, is Richard Randall's Life as a Siamese Monk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camerata Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 Another title that has come up in this forum, and one which I find personally more informative and inspiring than Phra Farang, is Richard Randall's Life as a Siamese Monk. I liked this one a lot, but it's hard to find now. Amazon UK can get it, but it's a long wait. Venerable Father is another good one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tc101 Posted May 17, 2006 Author Share Posted May 17, 2006 Amazon USA has all three, but Life as a Siamese Monk is only available used and costs $70, so it is between Phra Farang and Venerable Father. Which would you recommend most? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdinasia Posted May 17, 2006 Share Posted May 17, 2006 Both Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camerata Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 If you can really only buy one, I guess it depends what you are looking for. Phra Peter didn't know much about Thailand, couldn't speak Thai and had no ability with languages. But he chose to enter mainstream Thai Buddhism upcountry. Many of his problems and much of the humour is related to cultural misunderstandings. So it's easy for a general reader to identify with him. No great insights though. He didn't understand a lot of what was going on in the temple, his abbot didn't meditate, and he learnt Dhamma mostly from his own books. Paul Breiter joined the Thai Forest Tradition and ended up speaking fluent Thai and translating for Aj Chah. His book is about his relationship with Aj Chah so you get a close look at how a master operated and what it felt like to be his student. It might help to know a bit about the Forest Tradition and Aj Chah before reading it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thai3 Posted May 18, 2006 Share Posted May 18, 2006 In another discussion someone recommended a biography of a foreign Buddhist monk in Thailand. I made a note of the book and read about it on Amazon but now I can't find it. Can someone tell me the name of the book? Also, please recommend any other books about the experiences of foreigners who come to Thailand to study Buddhism. My life as a siamese monk by richard randall is one. Said to be the first falang monk he writes about his experiences at wat Pak Nam in the early 50's. Very interesting book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tc101 Posted May 18, 2006 Author Share Posted May 18, 2006 Both Maybe I should have asked "Which would you read first". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bankei Posted June 4, 2006 Share Posted June 4, 2006 There is another book which I recently viewed in a Bangkok bookshop. I cannot remember the title, but it was mainly photographs with short commentary on each page. It appeared the Westerner in the book (an academic) ordained many years ago. Anyone know this one? Bankei Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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