An Analytical Study of the Sangha Method in the Meditation Teaching of Venerable Ajahn Mun Bhuridatta

Abstract

This research entitled ‘An Analytical Study of the Sangha Method in the Meditation Teachings of Venerable Ajahn Mun Bhuridatta’ aimed: 1) to study Ajahn Mun’s biography and modes of practice (paṭipadã), 2) to study his approach to meditation and core doctrinal teachings, and 3) to analyze the Sangha methods employed in his meditation instruction. Using a qualitative research design, data were collected through in-depth interviews with 15 monks and laypeople, divided into 5 monks and 10 people who practice the teachings of Phra Ajahn Man Phurithatto.

The research findings showed that Ajahn Mun, a prominent meditation master in the Thai Dhammayuttika tradition and a founder of the Thai Forest Tradition, was renowned for his strict adherence to the Vinaya, especially the thirteen Dhutanga practices and fourteen monastic disciplines. His meditation teaching emphasized the Samatha (tranquility) and Vipassanã (insight) methods, grounded in Satipaṭṭhãna (Four Foundations of Mindfulness) as the central training framework.

The Sangha methods he employed encompassed seven key approaches: strict observance of the Dhamma–Vinaya; teaching based on the Noble Eightfold Path toward the cessation of suffering; emphasis on the Middle Way (Majjhimã Paṭipadã); exemplifying discipline as a model elder monk; fostering a supportive meditative environment; utilizing direct teacher–disciple transmission for experiential learning; and applying skillful means in Vipassanã to eradicate defilements. These methods significantly contributed to the propagation of Buddhism across six major dimensions and create benefits for the entire group of disciples systematically and concretely up to the present day.