Thai Forest Dhamma

 Thai Forest Dhamma

Luang Pu Waen, one of Phra Ajaan Mun's early disciples, passed away more than 36 years ago in 1985. 

Perhaps because of the amazing stories attributed to him- the most famous of which involves the sighting of him meditating in the clouds while a Royal Thai Air Force plane was flying- he was also arguably the Thai forest tradition master with the most number of "good things" (amulets) associated with his name being traded in the amulet market till today.

Yet, Luang Pu Waen's admonitions to people who asked for his "good things" should give us food for thought on:

1) What is truly good (and what Luang Pu really wanted us to have);

2) The value of external 'good things" (i.e. amulets, monk's hair/items/castaways, etc) compared to what we already have; and

3) How our desire for external "good things" blinds us to the way we oppress and inconvenience ourselves and others, especially the monk.

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‘Good Things’ That Luang Pu Waen Would Give To Those Who Went Asking For Them.

Lots of good people who had faith in Luang Pu made the effort to go up to Wat Doi Mae Pang. 

One point of their aspirations, over and above going to see Luang Pu in person, was that some of them wanted to have Luang Pu blow on their heads, and they wanted him to give them ‘something good’ that would serve as an auspicious blessing for them as well. 

Things that people would often come asking for included the butts of his cheroots, parts of his robe, his walking stick and even some of his hair – until sometimes he would be pushed to say:

“I’ve already shaved my head! You’re crying for me to shave again so you can go take the hair and make some kind of a shrine for it? My head hurts!” 

Even the water that he bathed with–there were people who wanted it for an auspicious blessing. He would be forced to say: 

“I’m so cold I could die! You’re crying for me to bathe again?!” 

But if there were people who went to ask for ‘good things’ from Luang Pu, he would ask them: 

“What good things? What is a ‘good thing’? Everybody already has ‘good things’. Having a strong and healthy body without pain, illness or affliction – this is already a ‘good thing’. Having a strong and healthy body complete with all its parts– not crippled and deformed–is a ‘good thing’ already.

There are ‘good things’ within you. I don’t know where else you would want to get them from. 

The endowments we have received from our mother and father are already ‘good things’. 

Everybody has them! Where else do you want ‘good things’ from? We have to make good things arise. 

They arise in our own hearts and minds.

Whatever good things we don’t have yet, we have to make an effort to make them arise. These are ‘good things’. ‘Good things’ are already present within us in everybody! Look so that you can see them. Search them out so that you can see them – this is what makes them useful. 

If you go looking and searching for external ‘good things’, this is no use. Sīla-dhamma right here is ‘something good’.

Sīla (morality) is taking what is wrong and evil out of our body and out of our speech.

Dhamma is the goodness that protects us and prevents wrong and evil states from arising in our body, speech and mind. 

Sīla and Dhamma are one, but we go by convention and separate them, calling them different things. Our body, speech and mind right here is where Dhamma is established. This is the place where dhammas arise. 

Goodness arises right here. Evil arises right here. Hell arises right here. 

If we’re going to safeguard virtue, meditate, and be generous, we have to rely on this body, speech and mind as the cause. 

If we’re going to do wrong and evil – going to the lowest circle of hell – we have to rely on this body, speech and mind as the cause. 

If we’re going to safeguard virtue, develop concentration, and give rise to discernment making Path, Fruit and Nibbāna arise as a genuine realisation–we have to rely on this body, speech and mind as the cause.”

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From The Life and Teachings of Luang Pu Waen Suciṇṇo, translated by Hāsapañño Bhikkhu.

The Life and Teachings of Luang Pu Waen Suciṇṇo

PDF: https://sites.google.com/site/wideanglewilderness/downloads/LifeandTeachingsWEB.pdf?attredirects=0 

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