Buddhadasa Bhikku (1906-1993) is one of the most important Buddhist teachers of the twentieth century. As the meditation master of Suan Mokkh Meditation Center in Chaiya, southern Thailand, he propagated Buddhist philosophy and meditation practice among tens of thousands of western visitors from North America, Europe and Australia.
When he passed away in 1993, he left behind a massive body of literary works in Thai language, explaining how traditional Buddhist teachings are relevant to the modern world. He inspired generations of teachers, intellectuals, and activists who have spread out across the world, to translate his teachings into practice. He is one of the founders of modern socially engaged Buddhism, and was a key person in the reformation of 20th century Thai Buddhism.
Buddhadasa was interested in -
1) Demythologized Buddhism, and used European rationalist standards emphasizing the rational dimensions of Buddhism; ignoring the metaphysical, cosmological elements of traditional Buddhism. He rejected superstition, magical rituals and ceremonies.
2) Focused on life in this world, action in the present material world, therefore saying Buddhism contributed to personal and social happiness in the present lifetime. This pointed out that Buddhism had economic and political value as part of the struggle for liberation from suffering.
3) He pointed out the centrality of nibbana in Buddha's teaching - nibbana is available to all people, - in the present, everyday life.
4) He applied Buddhist teaching, not only for personal happiness and liberation, but also for social harmony and peace. Buddha's teaching applied to structural violence.
Buddhadasa explained how the Buddha's traditional tenets are compatible with the modern world, and accessible to everyday people, who can attain the highest goals of Buddhist teachings.
During his single-minded career over the course of his long life, he developed a thorough reinterpretation of the entire body of Buddhist doctrine, both for personal liberation and social liberation.
During the first half of his life, Buddhadasa worked to reform Buddhism, strip away the superstitious practices, and make Buddha's teaching intellectually comprehensible by rational and scientific standards of modern scholarship. During the second half of his life, he turned his attention to reform of the decadent modern world according to the standards of Buddhist wisdom and compassion - as the world faced rapid social, economic, and cultural change.
He was interested in making Buddhism relevant and accessible to modern concerns, and to save Buddhism from the attacks of modern educated people who increasingly regarded Buddhism as irrelevant to modern concerns.
Before Buddhadasa, monks in Thailand were often preoccupied with ritual and ceremony that led to widespread alienation of the emerging masses of Thai people, who had been educated according to modern methods of western scholarship.
Through his center at Suan Mokkh, through his talks and his books, Buddhadasa strove to practice a regenerated form of Buddhism that was closer to the spirit of its original source. He once wrote, "People... have become attached to, and regard, Buddha as a god, instead of seeing him as a human being who attained enlightenment and had great compassion for others. They are not aware that Buddha teaches that anyone can follow his path and find the way out of suffering by and for themselves."
Buddhadasa's teachings, and especially his emphasis on interdependence, inspired a generation of Thai social activists and artists. His teachings also helped launch the environmental movement in Southeast Asia.
Ajahn Buddhadasa lived in a time of great change in Thai society, as aggressive western civilization spread throughout the world. Some of the changes were improvements, but many of the changes were destructive to traditional society, and the natural environment - along with spiritual destruction of inner peace and spiritual values. With modernization, mass communications and transportation, and craze for money and development, the spiritual values of Buddhism were challenged.
Buddhist people were bewildered by these profoundchanges. "Many in Thailand responded to the pressure to westernize by embracing and profiting from it. Others took the opposite approach, resisting and refusing what the West had to offer. Ajahn Buddhadasa sought the middle way between these opposing alternatives," recounted Santikaro, a protege of Buddhadasa.
In the old days, Buddhadasa said, "People would gather around to help, nurse and care for others, to feed them and share what they had. Even a stranger who wasn't a relative did not need to be afraid if some accident occurred .. a traveller who fell sick and finally died in a shelter at the dock had all kinds of help because of the belief that one would earn a lot of merit. Now nobody is interested in helping or making merit."
In Buddhadasa's youth the sangha was the moral force in the local community. Buddhism was integrated into daily life.
It was customary for boys to live in the temples, and eventually receive temporary ordain as monks, before marrying. Now, the young are too busy pursuing education, and professional careers, to be distracted by Buddhist practice.
Most people lived simply. Everyone practiced generosity, giving daily food alms to the monks. Buddhadasa considered the traditional Thai Buddhist ways to be healthy, balanced, wise and compassionate. "People at that time coexisted peacefully. Natural resources were abundant. There was plenty of fish and other food to eat without worry. There were monasteries and religion to support hearts and minds."
"I hold on to the fact that I am speaking one kind of truth, and I speak with the aim to drag all of us back to the good, special and excellent old values of the old days of our forefathers," he said. "We are about to step out of our path and get crazy over things that are demonic - things which can make mankind destroy and lose their humanity rendering this world with no peace in sight."
He sought to purify Buddhism by returning to the original teachings and instructions of the Buddha. He did not want to "modernize" the Sangha, but purge of corruptions and superstitions, so that the universal relevance would be apparent and obvious and clear to all.
He said he hoped his teachings would demonstrate the relevance of Buddhism to "today's students" who must find their way in contemporary life.
Buddhadasa showed that material well being is not in opposition to spiritual values, and that our spiritual practice and ideals must have some bearing on worldly affairs. He said that material well- being is a religious value in itself, while affirming the spiritual ideals of the Dhamma.
If the spiritual values