Ajahn Munindo

Ajahn Munindo

Q : * What single thing most impressed you about Luang Por Chah?

      • Please give us some examples from your experiences with him.

A :  During the time I was with or nearby Luang Por Chah, I was aware he was making a powerful impression on me, but it was only many years later that I became clearer about just what it was that had been impressed upon me. At the time of living in Thailand it was perhaps more like an intuition of the ‘rightness’ of staying there, even though it was certainly not easy.

I heard that somebody once asked Luang Por Chah, ‘How come, out of all the monks in Thailand, you stand out as different?’ Luang Por replied, ‘I was willing to be daring. Others wouldn’t dare do as I did.’ I didn’t hear this exchange directly, it was reported to me later, but it had a significant effect on my own attitude to practice. It signalled where the priority lay. 

Knowing this about his attitude helped me to understand his teachings better.

Luang Por Chah wasn’t worried about being popular or famous or rich, or having lots of disciples. If he felt that something was right and should be done, he would do it. Sometimes that took daring. From the stories of his exper- iences in practice it was clear that he had to dare to confront his own fears and resistances. He had to dare so as not to be intimidated by the things that normally limit others. He had to dare to contradict the views of others, even when they were strongly held.

During the five years I was near him, the thing that continually inspired me was how totally agile he was. 

My recollection of how he handled situations stays with me and serves as a valuable support in dealing with all that we have to face here in the West. I think I had some sense of the way he just flowed, without resistance. Whether it was import- ant dignitaries coming to visit, or a simple villager who was concerned about a sick water buffalo, or rich supporters from Bangkok, he always had the same beautiful ability to ‘go with it’. Sometimes he would be surrounded by a large gathering of monks hanging on his every word, and at other times he might just be sitting on his own with one or two young monks, chewing betel nut and drinking coca cola. He was always able to adjust without stress. There were none of the tell- tale signs of clinging which produce suffering in an individual and generate an atmosphere of artificiality. 

He was as natural as I could wish a human being to be. I don’t think I have ever seen anyone so thoroughly normal. Luang Por was at home wherever he went, whatever he did. He could be quiet and sensitive when you went to see him about some personal struggle, and a few minutes later he would be shouting orders at the huge crowd of soldiers who had come to help build his new temple.

This teaching example identified for me how much res- istance I still had, and that this struggling ‘for’ and ‘against’ life was the source of the problem. Sometimes we think our difficulties are caused by external circumstances, but usually the biggest cause is our inner habits of clinging. Luang Por didn’t show any signs of resistance and accordingly didn’t manifest suffering. This state of non-suffering was real for him, and it was remarkable how evident it also was outwardly. Because he had settled the great questions in his own heart, he was a catalyst for harmony and well-being in the outer world. To have had the good fortune to witness that was a blessing.

***********

Ajahn Munindo (born Keith Morgan in 1951, in the town Te Awamutu, New Zealand) is a Theravada Buddhist monk, teacher in the Theravadin tradition of the forest monks of Thailand and the abbot of Aruna Ratanagiri, a monastery located at Harnham in Northumberland, England. He has been an ordained bhikkhu for more than 30 years.

http://ratanagiri.org.uk/talks/

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Ian426/Ajahn_Munindo