Inspiration:
Thai Forest Tradition Monk
Ajahn Geoff (Thanissaro Bikkhu) is a senior monk in the Thai Forest Tradition of Theravada Buddhism. He is the Abbot of the Metta Forest Monastery in Valley Center, CA. The Metta Forest Monastery is a meditation monastery in the lineage of the Thai Forest Tradition.
Thanissaro Bhikkhu has also translated into English many books by masters of the Thai forest traditions, including Upasika Kee Nanayon and Ajaans Lee, Fuang, and Maha Boowa. An anthology of his sutta translations is available in a four-volume series of books entitled Handful of Leaves. He has also prepared a number of Study Guides on various topics of interest to Buddhist practitioners. www.DhammaTalks.org
Ajahn Sumedho
Thai Forest Tradition Monk
Ajahn Sumedho. Ajahn Sumedho was born in Seattle, Washington in 1934. After serving four years in the US Navy as a medic, he completed a BA in Far Eastern Studies and a MA in South Asian Studies. In 1966, he went to Thailand to practice meditation at Wat Mahathat in Bangkok. Not long afterwards, he took dependence from Luang Por Chah and remained under his close guidance for ten years.
In 1975, Ajahn Sumedho, established Wat Pah Nanachat, International Forest Monastery where Westerners could be trained in English. In 1977, he accompanied Luang Por Chah to England and took up residence at the Hampstead Vihara, with three other monks
Application:
Buddy Fichera
Thai Forest Tradition Student
Buddy Fichera has helped apply the curriculum to ordinary lay practitioners. With the help of many, he has developed, and regularly maintains an interactive online platform at: www.Radyx.com.
By way of background, Buddy was raised Catholic and began meditating in 2001. His formal meditation training began under Vietnamese Zen Master Thuan Tue at the Quang Chieu Monastery in Ft. Worth, TX. Upon Thuan Tue’s return to Vietnam, Buddy began studying and attending western meditation retreats with Jon Kabat-Zinn of the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Clinic and the Insight Meditation Society.
After becoming interested in Insight Meditation as a form, Buddy studied for six years under Ajahn Sumedho, who was Luang Por Chah’s first western disciple to open up monasteries in the United Kingdom and the United States. This began his interest in the Thai Forest Tradition, which continued into 2011, when he began studying and practicing under Ajahn Geoff and his teachings.
Buddy’s view and experiences in meditation can be found in his LIVE and DARE March 2015 Podcast Interview, and more information on him can be found at his website, www.BuddyFichera.com.