Ajahn Chah

Ajahn Chah (17 June 1918 – 16 January 1992) was a Thai Buddhist monk. He was a wise and influential teacher of the Buddhadhamma and helped start two important monasteries in the Thai Forest Tradition.

He was very respected in Thailand and played a big role in bringing Theravada Buddhism to places in the West. Starting in 1979, he founded Cittaviveka, also called Chithurst Buddhist Monastery, in the United Kingdom. From there, the Forest Tradition of Ajahn Chah grew in Europe, the United States, and the British Commonwealth. Many of his teachings, called dhamma talks, have been recorded, written down, and translated into many languages.

After he passed away, more than one million people, including the Thai royal family, attended his funeral a year later in January 1993 because so many people wanted to show their respect. Ajahn Chah left behind many teachings, students, and monasteries that continue to inspire people today.

Name

Ajahn Chah (Thai: อาจารย์ชา) was also commonly known as Luang Por Chah (Thai: หลวงพ่อชา). His birth name was Chah Chuangchot (Thai: ชา ช่วงโชติ),^: 21  his Dhamma name was Subhaddo (Thai: สุภทฺโท),^: 38  and his monastic title was Phra Bodhiñāṇathera (Thai: พระโพธิญาณเถร).^: 184

Early life and ordination

Ajahn Chah was born on 17 June 1918 near Ubon Ratchathani in the Isan region of northeast Thailand. His family were subsistence farmers. At the age of nine, he joined a monastery to learn to read and write.

Later, he took novice vows and studied Buddhist teachings. After three years, he returned home to help his family but planned to become a monk again when he was older. At age 20, with his parents' permission, he became a monk. He studied hard and passed important exams.

In 1946, after his father passed away, Ajahn Chah chose to live as a wandering monk. He traveled across Thailand, practicing meditation and learning from many teachers, including Ajahn Mun Bhuridatta. He lived in forests and caves, using quiet places to develop his meditation and understanding of life's meanings.

Thai forest tradition

During the early 1900s, people in Thailand started to practice Buddhism in a new way. A teacher named Ajahn Mun helped lead this change. Later, Ajahn Chah continued his work.

Monks in this tradition follow very strict rules that they believe come from the Buddha himself. For example, they only eat between dawn and noon, and some even eat just one meal each morning. They also sometimes sleep outside or live in quiet forests to help them focus and feel happy with little.

Monasteries founded

Ajahn Chah chose a quiet grove near where he was born to create a peaceful place for teaching meditation. In 1954, he started Wat Nong Pah Pong, where people from all walks of life could learn his simple ways of meditation. One of his first students from the West was Venerable Ajahn Sumedho.

Later, in 1975, he helped start Wat Pah Nanachat, the first monastery in Thailand made especially for Westerners who wanted to learn ancient ways of living peacefully. In 1977, he and Ajahn Sumedho visited the United Kingdom, leading to the creation of Cittaviveka in Chithurst in 1979. Many of his students then went on to create similar places around the world.

Later life

In the early 1980s, Ajahn Chah's health began to decline because of diabetes. He traveled to Bangkok for surgery to treat paralysis caused by the diabetes, but it did not help much. Despite his illness, Ajahn Chah used it as a way to teach others. He explained that his health problems showed how nothing in life lasts forever and encouraged people to find inner strength. For the last ten years of his life, Ajahn Chah was bedridden and could not speak. He passed away on 16 January 1992 at the age of 73.

Described Miracles

On the day Luang Pu first entered the cemetery, a child had passed away in the village and was being buried. When he walked to the grave, Luang Pu reportedly saw a vision of a boy being born there. The next morning, he asked someone from the village whether the buried child had been a boy or a girl. They confirmed that it was indeed a boy.

Thai Dhamma Heirs

• Phra Ratchawacharasirimongkol (Si Siriyano) Wat Pa Si Mongkol (Wat Pa Ban Puey) Non Kalen Subdistrict, Samrong District, Ubon Ratchathani Province
• Phra Mongkhonkittithada (Amorn Khemjitto) Wat Pa Wiwek (Thamchan) Muang Samsib District, Ubon Ratchathani Province
• Phra Phromwachirayanasophon (Liam Thitthammo) Wat Nong Pa Pong, Non Phueng Subdistrict, Warin Chamrap District, Ubon Ratchathani Province
• Phra Ratchaphiphat Watcharodom (Kham Nissoko) Wat Pa Thai Phatthana, Det Udom District Ubon Ratchathani Province
• Phra Khru Suwannapotikhet (Khun Akkathammo) Wat Pa Pho Suwan, Na Pho Subdistrict, Phibun Mangsahan District, Ubon Ratchathani Province
• Phra Ratchawachiramuni (Prasopchai Kantasilo) Wat Pa Chittaphawan (Fahkram), Khu Khot Subdistrict, Lam Luk Ka District, Pathum Thani Province
• Phra Ratchawachirayan (Anan Akijjano) Wat Map Chan, Klaeng Subdistrict, Mueang Rayong District, Rayong Province
• Phra Ratchapatcharamanit (Akkaradet Thirachitto) Wat Bunyawat, Bo Thong Subdistrict, Bo Thong District, Chonburi Province
• etc.

Notable Western students

Ajahn Chah taught many students from Western countries who went on to become important teachers themselves. Some of these students include Ajahn Sumedho, who founded Chithurst Buddhist Monastery and Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in England. Others include Ajahn Khemadhammo in Warwickshire, England, and Ajahn Viradhammo in Ontario, Canada. In the United States, Ajahn Pasanno was the retired abbot of Abhayagiri Monastery in California, and Jack Kornfield co-founded Insight Meditation Society in Massachusetts and Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California. These teachers helped spread Ajahn Chah's wisdom and the Buddhist teachings to many people around the world.