Buddhadasa

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Remembering a truly great soul

Buddhadasa's birth centenary would be best celebrated by returning to his teachings on the essence of Buddhism

There's one big challenge in the ongoing commemoration of one of Thailand's most revered Buddhist monks, the late Buddhadasa Bhikku. It's the question of how we can avoid breaching, naively perhaps, his core teachings in the process. If Buddhadasa is to be taken really seriously, this is an occasion to "not" think about him. This is not an occasion for anyone to think he or she is "his" disciple, nor to recite his knowledge for personal purpose. And this is the occasion to stay away from symbols, rites or rituals. To remember him, this is the time to take to the essence of Buddhism with extremism - without all the mediums that have the potential to delude us. This is the time to let everything go.

Controversial, yes. But it's also simple. Interpreting the Lord Buddha's focal teachings, Buddhadasa came up with the famous and provocative "myself/mine" (tua ku, khong ku) doctrine. How much it contradicts "I think, therefore I am", and which school is right, is open to debate, but this Buddhist fundamental is based on the belief that all human suffering starts with our misconception or ignorance about "self". We become possessed with greed, lust, anger and so on because somehow we are mistaken that "we" are "permanent". This school teaches that, in reality, there is no such a thing as the self, which is part of the corporeal world that is constantly in a state of flux. There is nothing permanent in this universe, and ignorance of the natural interdependence of all things feeds an ongoing cycle of suffering in our lives. If we can overcome the "myself/mine" mindset, we can then break out of the cycle of suffering.

One can argue or dispute the belief, but Buddhadasa's spiritual quest was honourable and unquestionable. In 1932, as a wind of political change was sweeping the Thai capital, something as significant was happening in a remote corner of the South. An unorthodox monk named Phra Indapanno Bhikkhu was embarking on a long, arduous journey to reach and foster the real essence of Buddhism. He decided to stay in a deserted shrine in Surat Thani's Chaiya district. The ramshackle hall housing a crumbling Buddha statue would become the renowned Suan Mokkhabalarama, where one of the greatest Thai disciples of Lord Buddha disseminated priceless knowledge to hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions.

Yesterday marked his birth centenary. But to get to Buddhadasa's essence requires reflecting upon the events and controversy surrounding his death. Before he died on July 8, 1993, some of his followers accused Siriraj Hospital doctors of providing medical treatment to the monk against his will. Buddhadasa had made known his intention not to allow the use of modern technology to prolong his life. His wish to die peacefully and naturally was almost disrupted by an uproar where "myself/mine" ironically took the centre stage.

"You can be an ardent believer of a certain faith and yet be totally ignorant about it," Buddhadasa once said. It was directed at both his proclaimed "disciples" and many mainstream monks who still indulged themselves with materialism and were still very much attached to the "ego". And when a certain powerful political figure, who possesses enormous wealth, declared recently that he was also a follower of his, the statement about total ignorance could not find a better testament.

Buddhadasa's unorthodoxy subjected him to conservatives' scrutiny and ridicule. He was once dubbed "mad", and even "communist". But his following swelled, and he travelled extensively throughout the world to advocate a non-materialistic lifestyle and spread his revolutionary teaching on how to make "today's life" one's best, instead of expecting another chance in heaven or hel_l. His last, unspoken sermon resounded during the last stages of his final illness: Death is nothing to be afraid of and human beings should face this natural part of life's process with the unprejudiced understanding of "impermanence".

When he was lowered into his coffin at Wat Suan Mok on July 8, 1993, aged 87, he symbolically became what he had long taught people to be - in harmony with nature.

Source: The Nation

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A CENTURY OF SPIRITUALITY

Can thai buddhism be saved from superstition?

Followers feel Buddhadasa's teachings are crucially relevant to the present age

Mayura Wilainum-chokchai remembers having little interest in the extensive TV news coverage of the funeral of the Venerable Buddhadasa Bhikku 13 years ago. She had never heard of the monk before and simply assumed Buddhadasa was one of many famous Luang pu, senior monks with sacred powers.

Now 26, Mayura sees things very differently. She recently left her job as a graphic designer with a Japanese company in order to pursue graduate studies in the United States. Upon her return to Thailand, she plans to enter the teaching profession, starting a new life spreading Buddhadasa's dharma to the younger generation.

"I want to bring Buddhism to the attention of young people," she says. "I was almost too old when I learnt that Buddhist teachings can benefit someone like myself who never believed in superstitious stories or particularly liked going to temples full of ornate buildings and monks watching big-screen TVs with [sony] Playstations".

Last night Mayura and some of her like-minded friends made the trip by train to Suan Mokkh or the "Garden of Liberation" founded by Buddhadasa 74 years ago, to join today's commemoration of the centenary of Thailand's most famous Buddhist scholar and reformer of Theravada Buddhism.

Mayura exemplifies a growing trend among young people, a trend which many Buddhist scholars hope will be able to save Thai Buddhism from a potentially shaky future.

"More than 80 per cent of people report that they are Buddhists, but I doubt that many of them really know about the essence of the Buddha's teaching," challenges Bancha Chalermchaikit, the owner of Sukapap Jai publishing house, which has printed Buddhadasa's books for more than two decades.

"Some 2,000 copies of Buddhadasa's books might stay on the shelves for four or five years while those about monks and nuns with supernatural powers can sell 100,000 copies in a few months."

Even worse, adds Phra Dussadee Methangul, a famous disciple of Buddhadasa, is that most of the nation's 300,000 Buddhist monks are not doing their job of helping people rid their minds of the ignorance that the Buddha taught is the root cause of delusion and suffering.

"The monks themselves may even be encouraging this delusion," explains Phra Dussadee. "They hand out lottery numbers and amulets and sprinkle holy water because they know that these are easy ways to draw people to their temples, and more visitors means more donations."

As Buddhadasa emphasised, such activities are far from what was at the essence of the Buddha's teachings, and as a result, critics charge, they are contributing to the religion's decline at a time when it may be needed more than ever.

An advocate of Buddhism, Dr Tienchai Wongchaisuwan observes that temples taking advantage of people's fears and hopes for a better life are acting little differently from corporations. "Multinational corporations exploit our ignorance surrounding how the craving for material possessions works and are systematically packaging it as 'modern culture'," he argues.

Other scholars agree. As consumerism becomes more sophisticated, it sells not only products but lifestyles and culture too. Ritualistic Buddhism benefits from that same approach: "It's about getting people to feel better about themselves", notes Dr Suwanna Satha-anand, a lecturer in philosophy at Chulalongkorn University.

"Commercial Buddhism is also selling something more abstract, such as meditation training that can make people feel momentary happiness," she notes.

"We have to admit that Buddhism [such as Buddhadasa taught] is a very difficult and demanding religion. It is a religion based on wisdom, not faith. To gain this wisdom, you have to not only intellectually understand the teaching but also practice it. It demands you rely on yourself, not gods."

But Phra Paisal Visalo, a well-known disciple of Buddhadasa, is not discouraged. He says the fact that an increasing numbers of people in the West are becoming interested in Buddhism and its logical explanation of life and suffering is an illustration of people failing to find the answer to life through material success.

He sees Thailand as no different and cites young people like Mayura as an example of the beginning of a similar trend. "This growth in material consumption does have a positive side. It allows religion an opportunity to present alternatives once people emerge from the myth that materialism leads to happiness," he says. "Moreover, advances like information technology can also help us monks to understand the outside world better and be more responsive to people's needs."

Phra Dussadee concurs, adding that maybe it is time for Buddhadasa's followers to become more aggressive in their networking to spread his teaching to wider groups in society. As Buddhadasa hoped, more laypersons are now beginning to teach dharma to fellow laypersons through books and lectures, as Mayura herself plans to do.

"Monks certainly face a tough challenge if they are still to be relevant in the future of Buddhism," advises Phra Dussadee. "We may lose relevance if they don't adjust to become more committed to learning and practising deeper dharma to fit our role as religious practitioners."

Ultimately, none of this may really matter if we follow the basic Buddhist teaching of impermanence, says Dr Suwanna. "Buddhadasa's teaching could eventually fade away, but as the monk himself stressed, Buddhism is a fundamental law of nature and will always be there for people to discover."

The first instalment in this three-part story appeared on Wednesday, and the second was printed yesterday.

Nantiya Tangwisutijit

The Nation

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Even 13 years after his death, Buddhadasa Bhikku's teachings continue to rattle the underpinnings of religion in Thai society

This Saturday, Phra Ajarn Pho, the abbot of Suan Mokkh will rise at 4am to meditate and chant with other monks as he does every day. However, despite his wishes to the contrary, this day will be unlike any other at the now internationally renowned forest monastery in Surat Thani Province.

Saturday marks the birth centenary of the late Venerable Buddhadasa Bhikku, the founder of Suan Mokkh or the Garden of Liberation. Thirteen years after his death, his ideas and teachings continue to rattle the underpinnings of Buddhism in Thai society and also further his domestic and international acclaim.

"Celebration is not what Ajarn Buddhadasa would have wanted, so we've asked people not to come, but we know thousands will turn up anyway," Phra Ajarn Pho said. "However, there won't be any celebrations held at Suan Mokkh."

It is not simply that Buddhadasa Bhikku was humble and shunned the idea of celebrity status, but the renunciation of such rituals and idolising stood at the very heart of his teaching.

In one of his most famous books, "Handbook for Humankind", Buddhadasa heavily criticised a major pillar of Thai Buddhism - the making of merit at temples in the hope of bettering one's present life, or improved standing in a perceived future life - as contradictory to the Buddha's teaching.

He quotes the Buddha as saying, "If man could eliminate suffering by making offerings, paying homage and praying, there would be no suffering left in the world at all, because anyone can pay homage and pray. But since people continue to suffer despite the various acts of obeisance, homage and rites, this is clearly not the way to liberation."

Since founding Suan Mokkh in 1932 at the age of 23, Buddhadasa devoted his whole life to understanding and reinterpreting Theravada Buddhism consistent with the words attributed to the Buddha in ancient Pali scriptures. He emphasised that many beliefs and practices associated with Buddhism in Thailand are not rooted in the Buddha's own words, but have evolved from third-party commentaries within the Pali scriptures, which he found inconsistent with what the Buddha taught.

More than 300 books, translated into more than 10 languages, have been published under Buddhadasa's name, deriving from his more than 4,000 recorded talks and mountains of manuscripts.

Despite his disapproval of rites and rituals, Buddhadasa's centenary will be marked by a three-day national celebration along with many other private events throughout May.

His devoted follower, Dr Bancha Pongpanich, is convinced that although Unesco's recent recognition of Buddhadasa as one of the world's "Great Personalities" has prompted public interest in the revered monk, for most Thais this does not extend to the understanding of his teachings.

"We have only just managed to rescue Ajarn Buddhadasa's centenary from becoming a tourist attraction," Bancha explains. "In his hometown of Surat Thani, there were plans for a boxing championship and even a trade fair to 'celebrate' Buddhadasa's 100th birthday. Senior monks from all over the country have also offered to come and organise a major chanting ceremony at Suan Mokkh."

Phra Ajarn Pho said he had instructed them about Buddhadasa's wishes, but humbly noted that Suan Mokkh could not stop them if they choose to proceed.

"We have our own simple way of doing things, and we did make two requests. We asked that there be no soliciting of, or creating of worship materials in the name of Ajarn Buddhadasa," Bancha said.

Buddhadasa stressed that Buddhism in Thailand has become overlaid by ceremony, and wrote that "[the] whole objective of Buddhism has been obscured, falsified and changed. This tumour has been spreading constantly since the day the Buddha died, expanding in all directions".

"The Buddha did not teach us to seek lottery numbers, have parties to solicit money for temple expansions, or for monks to receive new robes," added Bancha. "All of this has been made up over time, and reinforces the distance between lay peoples' understanding of the Buddha's Dhamma teachings."

It was part of Buddhadasa's mission to eliminate the practice of excluding lay people from the real substance of the Buddha's message, which historically had been made available only to monks and a limited number of scholars.

Buddhadasa emphasised that instead of praying at temples, people should learn to seek an end to suffering in the course of their daily lives as taught by the Buddha: practising a strong moral code and looking within oneself to understand how suffering arises and passes away with each thought travelling through one's minds.

Practising in this way can allow us to put an end to the cycle of suffering in our present life, as opposed to seeing this objective as a benefit that may come in some future life - a life which Buddhadasa observed, we have no proof exists.

"Unfortunately, Buddhadasa's wisdom has yet to spread much further than intellectual circles and the middle class," said Phra Ajarn Supan, the abbot of Wat Rampoeng in Chiang Mai.

"We know that many people who come to the temple are still too grounded in the rituals that have defined Thai Buddhism for so long, so we don't fight against it. But neither do we nurture or take advantage of it, trying to keep our activities simple and our focus on teaching mediation, as both the Lord Buddha and Buddhadasa emphasised."

Hundreds of years of merit-making provide the foundation and are at the heart of Buddhism in Thailand, and this can't be expected to disappear within just 60 years of Buddhadasa's teaching, if ever, notes Phra Ajarn Supan.

Even in Buddhadasa's hometown of Chaiya, just a few kilometres away from Suan Mokkh, the local people have yet to absorb the teachings of their most famous native son. "We respect Buddhadasa very much, and often pray for his spirit to grant us safety before taking long trips," said Siriporn Ketanan, a Chaiya resident. "Many of us plan to go to his temple next Saturday."

There are some indications that the influence of Buddhadasa's teachings may have actually reduced in recent times. In the 1970s and 1980s, Buddhadasa's interpretations inspired many college students and young activists, but is less apparent now.

"We give alms twice a week and try to learn meditation to help improve our study habits, but Buddhadasa's teachings and the dhamma are too complicated for us," said Wichai Yaowalak, chairman of Thammasat University's Buddhism Club, which, like its counterparts in many other colleges, subscribes to Dhammakaya Temple's teaching.

Evan at Suan Mokkh, Ajarn Pho notes that he has had to stem internal pressures to transform Suan Mokkh's very spartan grounds to include all kinds of ornate buildings common at other famous Thai temples. "We have a few Buddha images, and our main hall is a clearing under the trees; but it's still more than the Buddha had."

On Saturday, even though visitors will be welcomed, they will not find any food, added Phra Ajarn Pho.

In his final years, Buddhadasa asked that those who wanted to remember his birthday should fast for 24 hours, or just go about their day as any other, spreading the dhamma as best they could.

Nantiya Tangwisutijit

The Nation