Description

Venerable Acariya Mun Bhuridatta Thera is a towering figure in contemporary Thai Buddhism. He was widely revered and respected
during his lifetime for the extraordinary courage and determination he displayed in practicing the ascetic way of life and for his uncompromising
strictness in teaching his many disciples. During the 50 years since his
death, he has assumed an exalted status in Buddhist circles and thus remains an overshadowing presence whose life and teachings have become synonymous with the Buddha’s noble quest for self-transformation.

Although Acariya Mun (pronounced to rhyme with “sun”) left no
written record of his own, this biography, compiled by one of his close
disciples some 20 years after his death, is largely responsible for introducing his life, his achievements, and his teachings to a broad section of Buddhist society. Through the widespread popularity of this book, many Thai Buddhists have been given fresh hope that the spiritual
liberation which the Buddha proclaimed to the world over 2,500 years
ago, and which has been attained by so many aspirants over the succeeding centuries, is still accessible in today’s modern age. Many Thais have expressed the view that they had lost confidence that magga, phala, and Nibbana were still relevant today. But, by reading Acariya Mun’s biography, they realized that accounts of these exalted attainments
are not mere fragments of ancient history, dead and dry – but a living,
luminous legacy of self-transcendence accessible to any individual who
is willing and able to put forth the effort needed to achieve them. They
have come to understand that Buddhist monks, with their distinctive
robes and monastic vocation, are not merely clerical figures representing
the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha: some of them are indeed living
proof of the Truth presented in the Buddha’s teaching.