22 Responses to Forest Monks Passing Knowledge

1. 

   sarassitham on Mar 9, 2021 at 11:35 pm

   Thank you for the beautiful photo sharing of a forest monk passing his knowledge. For centuries people have turned to the forest for meditation and insights. The play of a monk role in the spiritual advancement of people by providing them with right knowledge and right direction. They can transform people through their teachings, and sometimes with a mere glance or touch. This photo perfectly say all.

   https://bit.ly/3ei3oUO

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2. 

   Fong on Aug 4, 2016 at 4:17 pm

   A picture paints a thousand words. A simple picture depicting the changing of the guards, where the young follows in the footsteps of the old and continue a tradition. Where respect is accorded for the knowledge, wisdom and guidance of the elderly sangha.

   Though the environment seems scarce of belongings it is rich in nature and the Dharma. The old monk will pass on as all humans have to, but the teachings will continue in the young novice who in his time will start a new cycle of his own.

   Simple, yet profound. The kind of picture most people will admire and move on without further thought.

   Thank you, Rinpoche for sharing this picture and teasing our mind to look further then the pixels on the screen.

   May Rinpoche’s wishes manifest smoothly and swiftly.

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3. 

   Wan Wai Meng on Nov 12, 2015 at 1:29 am

   Remember reading teachings from certain wise Thai meditation masters and from what I have read, these monks claim nature, their surroundings and their environment teaches them and they derive wisdom from all they experience.

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4. 

   So Kin Hoe (KISG) on May 28, 2015 at 12:20 am

   Thank you Rinpoche for sharing the beautiful picture of a senior monk passing the wisdom to a young monk. This picture tells me meditation and focus are the keys to achieve higher understanding in Dharma practice during our busy human life with many distractions and secular happenings around us.

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5. 

   Lum Kok Luen on May 22, 2015 at 8:13 am

   Dear Rinpoche,
   Thank you for sharing. A quick question – are most forest monks highly attained? If they are, how do they get attainment as I would assume that that would need a guru to guide them.

   _/\_

   Humbly yours,
   Lum Kok Luen

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6. 

   Josh Akers on May 22, 2015 at 6:16 am

   I like the idea of the wisdom being passed onward from the older accomplished monk to the young, eager young monk. Possibly with delusions of his own still left to conquer. Each one desperately needs the other one to continue the unbroken lineage…

   Its a poetic picture, definitely.

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7. 

   Sadi on Feb 21, 2015 at 6:08 pm

   Lovely. The traditional system designed by the Buddha is very good otherwise sangha would be unruly. Obviously buddha would know best.

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8. 

   Jacinta Goh on Jan 11, 2015 at 1:26 am

   The first thought that came to me was no ‘mind games’. When monks or nuns live together in the forest, everyone will and have to practice Dharma. No political issues, not pursuing fame or praise, not chasing after wordly material, not practicing Dharma just to show others or impress others and all must start from zero. Through this pure Dharma will flow and can be achieved. Mind is at peace and we’ll start to look from within. We just have to FACE ourselves. No distraction and Guru’s instructions can be fulfilled easily.

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9. 

   LT Loo on Feb 23, 2014 at 9:26 pm

   The secluded life of living in the forest provide a conducive environment for the practitioner to be away from sensual distractions of worldly activities. The picture of this young monk with his mentor made me visualized that at this moment the nectar of wisdom resultant of mentor years of practice being pour into the the mind stream of the junior practitioner as if it was transferred from one pot to another.

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10. 

    Ck siah on Dec 27, 2013 at 1:03 am

    谢谢仁波切分享。一向来我觉得隐居在山上修行的出家人，佛法修行一定很精进和深奥。通常他们的法门只是传给有善缘的人。我想他们的修行是要在这世成佛而不想再转世，所以隐居修佛而与世俗隔离。感恩我们的仁波切还在世俗救苦救难，大发慈悲，弘扬佛法，利益众生。祈愿我们的仁波切长驻在世，常转法轮。

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11. 

    suresh perumal on Feb 18, 2013 at 12:23 pm

    soon i will go for monastry life in thailand(april)hope averything goes well.

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    • 

      sarah yap on Feb 18, 2013 at 4:50 pm

      Dear Suresh,

      That is wonderful news! I rejoice for you from the depth of my heart. Such a wonderful thing to hear, that someone decides to enter a monastic life.

      May I too have the merits to be a nun in the near future.

      With much care,
      Sarah

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12. 

    Spencer Littlewood on Aug 12, 2011 at 1:23 am

    Once one has understood how to observe the various phenomena which arise in the consciousness through the five Khandas, and to see their impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and absence of an inherent quality which is able to be called a self, and to maintain mindful awareness of what is occurring within the heart always.. be it a feeling, a thought, or any Dhamma (Phenomaena), then we have all we need to progress. With Mindfulness, we will spot the impurity within the clinging to notions and feelings, and see the Akusala Dhammas within such activity (Kamma), and thus cultivate our reasons for shying away from such inclinations. Purification and True Sila can only come from Wisdom and Understanding, and the strength of will to persevere against all odds, and conquer ones own heart.

    I learned this as a Forest Monk

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13. 

    Anila on Nov 11, 2010 at 7:16 pm

    Forest monks knowledge and experiences they get maybe are different from the monks that have book knowledge. I have notice most forest monks are from the Theravadian School of Buddhism. They are usually Thai monks. Forest monks get their realizations I think from their meditations and contemplations. In my early years in Dharma I know of an Englishman who was ordained in Thailand as a Theravadian monk. And he goes into the forest for more than 3 years. I also remember a Tibetan monk Gen Nyima who stays next to Rinpoche’s Ladrang in Mundgod. I understand he was in the forest for more than 30 years. When he came out from the forest he is able to heal people. He uses a blow pipe to blow on you to bless and heal you. Many Tibetan lay people come to him for healing and blessing. Many sick people come carried by their relatives.

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14. 

    thierryfornow on Jul 10, 2010 at 10:16 pm

    I like this picture very much also, it is serene and re-assuring. An old monk is passing knowledge on to a yonger one that listens with great respect and devotion. In buddhism the tradition of teacher-student is very important, and the lamrim (steps of the path to enlightenment) states that the root of the path is “guru devotion” (guru can be translated as teacher), this devotion is more than a relationship between a student and a teacher in a worldly sense, this is to be understood within the context of spiritual enlightenment, with the higher aim being BUDDHAHOOD. At one point, the faith in the guru is crucial, what faith is that? The faith in the guru having achieved qualities of enlightenment. Why? Because it acts as a cause for us to develop the same qualities. Two aspects in this:
    1. If we did not have the potential to be a buddha, we could not recognize one.
    2. Because we have recognized the buddha qualities in another being we awaken these qualities in our mindstream.

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15. 

    Sean Wang on Jul 9, 2010 at 10:25 pm

    I believe that the forest monks know much more than certain monks as they know what suffering truly is and they work very hard to become enlightened so that they do not have to suffer any more of the infinite hardships of the prison of Samsara. I also love the picture of the old monk transferring his knowledge to his novice. It reminds me of Kung Fu movies. The monk shows his care for his student in the picture. He transfers all he knows to the novice monk because he knows his time might be up sooner or later so he must provide the last bit of information to his best student so that the student can pass the knowledge to his students and so on and so on. The old monk shows great trust in his novice as when the passing of this knowledge is done, the novice will become the old monks successor. This is another example of true guru devotion!!!

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16. 

    David Lai on Jul 8, 2010 at 12:31 am

    The ethereal quality of this photo is amazing because it exemplifies the passing of Dharma wisdom from master to student and therefore, it reflects Guru-disciple relationship. A Guru, steeped in his years of learning and spiritual practice passes on his Dharma insights unto a worthy recipient. The little monk resembles us spiritual infants and by the little monk bowing reflects our humility, acceptance, tolerance and perseverance to receive Dharma teachings from the Guru.
    The amazing blessings from devoting to a qualified Lama would speed up one’s attainment of full Enlightenment especially when combined with Tantric practices like Vajrayogini. Hence, maintaining such a spiritual relationship is paramount in one’s spiritual practice. This surrender to the Guru becomes a joy and it lead towards spiritual awakening and it is not blind faith because that would imply the Gurus are there to control us for their own self-interest. Hence, qualified Gurus always have the student’s spiritual maturity in mind and would do whatever it takes to bring about awakening.

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17. 

    ngeowchin on Jul 7, 2010 at 11:57 pm

    The forest monk tradition i believe was established by renowned Thai meditator Ajahn Chah and produced many respected monks such as Ajahnbrahmavamso which have big followings in Asia and Western Australia.
    I am not so sure of the suitability of their well known novice monks program for younger people like teenagers. I have accounts from two parents whose teens went for such a retreat and a few years later when they went abroad for further studies they returned as Christians saying Jesus message of love is more relevant,joyous and more open.
    This may not be the norm but modern day youngsters used to affluence may find the Theravadan training to reduce attachment difficult to apply or to re-adjust once they leave the program.

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18. 

    Paris on Jul 5, 2010 at 11:00 pm

    There’s a beautiful movie about Forest Monks in Thailand called “Buddha’s Lost Children” which Rinpoche screened for a few students awhile back.
    It’s very interesting to see how close all traditions of Buddhism really are – their methods may differ but their compassion, kindness and love for their students is always consistent. This is the heart of Dharma, after all. It’s quite amazing – this documentary is about how a thai monk chose to set up a monastery in one of the villages bordering Thailand and Cambodia (I think), where society is especially tough and “gangster-ish”.
    It chronicles his many efforts to bring Dharma to the people there, and the small motley crew of young child monks that he has taken under his wing to nurture – a beautiful revelation of how Buddhist teachers will work so tirelessly to bring Dharma where there is no support, no money, no nothing. This is how much they are dedicated to bringing benefit to others, no matter where they are.

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19. 

    Elena on Jul 5, 2010 at 7:48 pm

    I admire the tradition of forest monks. A friend of mine recently took monk vows for about six months. He said even though it wasn’t easy, it was one of the best things in his life that he’s done for himself and for his parents who have suffered quite a lot. He said that contrary to people’s misconceptions about taking vows, he actually felt very liberated and free during that period of time.
    This photo is so so beautiful. Like Dawa Tsering said, it is very peaceful and natural and, I would like to add, very pure. No mind-games, it is what it is – one person humbly passing on the knowledge and mantle to the next generation.
    When we can gain so much from such a simple picture, I guess it must be the power of the monk vows and wearing robes. After all, everyone all over the world knows that when you come across someone wearing robes, they are worthy of respect. I don’t know why other people respect monks, but I respect them because we can always trust what they say (like the young monk above trusts the older monk). They have integrity and always do what they say they will. That is something anyone from any religion or tradition can appreciate.

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20. 

    Tsem Tulku Rinpoche on Mar 14, 2010 at 10:54 am

    yes, the forest monks are very special and holy. I love their tradition of meditating in the forets.
    tsem tulku

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21. 

    Dawa Tsering on Mar 14, 2010 at 9:56 am

    very peaceful and natural..

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