In Loving Memory of Our Beloved Teacher
Ajarn Thanat was a senior teacher of Satipatthana Vipassana Meditation in the Theravada Buddhist tradition of Thailand and the Director and Head Teacher of the International Insight Meditation Center at Wat Phra Dhatu Sri Chom Tong Voravihara, Chom Tong, Chiang Mai, which was established in the year 2000.
He studied Vipassana Meditation with Luang Pu Tong Sirimangalo (the Most Venerable Ajarn Tong Sirimangalo) in the mid-1980’s and he began his teaching apprenticeship with the late Venerable Luang Poh Banyat Akkayano, the founding co-director of Thailand’s Northern Insight Meditation Center at Wat Ram Poeng (Tapotaram), Chiang Mai.
In 1988 Ajarn Thanat and his wife Ajarn Kathryn were invited to bring the Teaching of Luang Pu Tong Sirimangalo to Mexico. Since then, they have continued to tour and teach meditation abroad each year.
Ajarn Thanat led the training and development of many international Vipassana Teachers and supporters from around the world. Twenty-one Vipassana Centers have now been established in seventeen different countries with 8 new projects in development.
Each year, with a recommendation from Ajarn Thanat, teachers, students and supporters travel to receive the Benefactor of Buddhism Award for their services in supporting the Dhamma.
Ajarn Thanat was an avid photographer, specializing in portraits of many of Northern Thailand’s most revered meditation masters and elder monks as well as archiving the ancient Buddhist cultural traditions of Northern Thailand in audiovisual media.
Ajarn Thanat has dedicated his life to uphold the teachings of the Most Venerable Ajarn Tong Sirimangalo, working relentlessly to share the Dhamma with thousands of students from across the world.
Ajarn Thanat passed away on the 31st of March 2022 at the age of 80 years old. Our beloved Teacher is survived by his wife Ajarn Kathryn, 5 children, 9 grandchildren, 17 foster children and countless devoted meditation students from across the world.
His kindness, wisdom and outstanding generosity have helped 1000’s. We are deeply grateful for his life, his complete dedication to establish and develop the International Department of Wat Chom Tong, and for sharing the highest gift of Dhamma with so many.
We would like to extend our merits and our deep gratitude to Ajarn Thanat. We will never forget him. His teaching and his kindness will stay in our hearts forever.
Thank you so much!
The Northern Vipassana International Meditation Center (International Department of Wat Chom Tong)
“Ajahn Thanat’s generosity was limitless”
Along with Ajahn Kathryn, Ajahn Thanat was our indispensable connection to the beautiful Thai Buddhist tradition. Without teachers such as Ajahn Thanat and Ajahn Kate, the tradition would have remained inaccessible for many Westerners due to the considerable cultural and language divides. Ajahn Thanat spoke English well, had a well-developed understanding of Western attitudes and was an expert in Thai culture and the Theravada Buddhist tradition.
His greatest gift was his skill as a meditation teacher which brought him to dozens of countries in Europe, North America, South America and Asia where he taught Insight Meditation for over 40 years. At the time of his death there were 21 meditation centres around the world under his leadership, including the main centre in Chom Tong, Thailand which is still expanding, 8 future centres in the process of being established and numerous meditation groups throughout the word including in Africa.
Ajahn Thanat’s generosity was limitless. Those of us who were close to him can attest to how difficult it was to make a donation to him or buy him anything because he would give it away immediately.
He was also endowed with incredible emotional resilience which allowed him to constantly maintain a positive attitude and made him fun to be around. He loved to encourage socializing among students and to bring us out for lunch and dinner. In the 2 decades that we knew him, we spent a lot of time with him but we never once witnessed him become angry or even irritated.
Ajahn Thanat was like a father to many of us. In fact the word in Thai “luuk sit” which translates to student or pupil, literally contains the gender neutral word for offspring which also means son or daughter. Ajahn Thanat was our direct teacher and spiritual guide who can never be replaced. We will miss him immensely.
Alex and Miriam Young, Buddhavipassana Meditation Centre, Toronto, Canada
We respect all kinds of teachings and religions. Important is how good you are.
* We have included in this text a few quotes from Khun Thanat.
“Khun Thanat saved my life”
I remember seeing students of Khun Thanat who would praise him for being a great teacher and a great meditation master. He would respond: “I am Mr. Zero”. I believe that he was saying to them – what you see worthy of praise in me, it does not belong to me – it is just Dhamma.
Khun Thanat dedicated his life to serve the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. He was a vehicle for the Dhamma. Dhamma does not really exist as words in books, it exists in the hearts of those who relinquish and practice to the extent of their abilities.
In Khun Thanat we could see the realization of Dhamma – he was exceptionally down-to-earth person; he treated everyone with kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity as if we were his family; he had faith in the Triple Gem and in other people; he had always energy to help when someone needed him; he had wisdom in the way he behaved towards his students and in running meditation centers; he was doing everything with mindfulness; his focus on helping people throughout the years is what allowed him to do so much and help so many.
Khun Thanat saved my life. He brought the Dhamma to Bulgaria and saved the lives of many people in my country. He saved the lives of many more people around the world. The gift that he gave to the world cannot be repaid. The only thing that we can do is to continue practicing to the extent of our abilities and to carry on the teaching and his example. In many many of our conversations over the years, I would say one phrase to him. I need to say it yet again. Thank you, Khun Thanat!
Tzanko Matev, Samaggi Dhamma Meditation Center, Bulgaria
We should do things from the purity of the mind, with good intentions and strictly following the Five Precepts.
“Khun Thanat was a humble meditation master”
„Acknowledge more…“ is one of Khun Thanat’s very well-known „stanzas“ which seems trivial, but actually can only be understood deeper and deeper over the years… There have been a few more and sometimes people maybe underestimated the depth and meaningfulness of these statements.
But in fact Khun Thanat was a humble meditation master, who had the outstanding ability to teach the Dhamma in simple and concise words as well as to put it into practice by his living example. In gratitude and respect to Khun Thanat´s extraordinary life work, we wish to keep up our efforts to refine our own hearts with dedication and energy and to share the Dhamma as best as possible.
In this way we hope to honor him and all our respected teachers up to the Lord Buddha, the Blessed One!
Bhikkhuni Silavaddhani and Miriam, Dhammanikhom Vipassana-Meditationszentrum e.V., Heinersbrück,
Germany
“Always be a diamond”.
“He was generous, loving and strict”
When I came to Chomtong for the very first time about 25 years ago, it was after my first pilgrimage with Phra Ofer, Khun Thanat received me with a great loving warmth of heart. I felt accepted, safe and loved like a child in his family. Khun Thanat met people with a lot of appreciation, sincere interest and a lot of compassion.
When we talked, I felt his big loving heart combined with his great wisdom. I experienced Khun Thanat as a person, friend and teacher who, with his sensitivity, was able to understand people well and empathize with them. He was generous, loving and strict.
Many years ago, when I told Khun Thanat in a personal conversation about my wishes and visions regarding my further development, he listened attentively, smiled and answered “Practice more”. I immediately understood the lesson of how big my ego was and what I still had to learn and transform. Thank you very much for these valuable words 🙂
They are still the most important words for me today as a signpost.
I thank Khun Thanat for the valuable apprenticeship years that I was able to learn from him. As a role model, Khun Thanat taught me to be kind and respectful towards everyone, to develop trust in a positive anicca in difficult situations, to remain mindful and to develop patience. His huge commitment, his words, his big, loving, forgiving heart, his wisdom have a large space in my heart and live on here.
Dear Khun Thanat, may you now be in a wonderful place, happy, free from suffering, filled with mindfulness and protected by your great precious achievements in this life cycle that has ended. With great gratitude and much love.
Andrea Jagdt, Angsudhamma Vipassana Meditationszentrum, Germany
“Present Moment. Not too serious. Not too loose. Acknowledge more“.
“Indebted, grateful beyond measure”
I would like to thank him because through him my existence has taken a path that let me walk in deeper inner peace. He was not only my teacher; he was like a father to me who took me by my hand at the age of 50 and showed me the way to live the Dhamma for the next 12 years. What I received from you, Khun Thanat will now continue to live within us.
Michael Freund, Tilakkhana Vipassana Meditation Center, Portugal
To come across the Buddhadhamma, to find a suitable place to practice where the Dhamma is well taught, where the teacher is a living, breathing example of that very Dhamma. To be granted the opportunity to live, learn and practice there in that place is a very rare and utterly priceless gift indeed. Thank you Khun Thanat for all this and much, much more. Indebted, grateful beyond measure.
Andy M.
When I first met him he was a Chinese-looking man in a catholic monastery in Bavaria with a big camera around his neck. Two weeks later he was the man who convinced me with very few words to finish my complete first basic course which opened up a new world inside me. Many years later he was the man who inspired me to come to Thailand many times for practice and training and to become a Vipassana teacher myself. I wish I could follow his big footsteps at least a little bit.
Philip Popp, Vipassana Hamburg Meditation Center, Germany
It’s not difficult to describe how much Khun Thanat meant to me. He was like a father to me. I remember his words every time I am suffering: “I don’t doubt about you, so don’t doubt about yourself”, “it’s okay, just try better next time” and “past is past”. Nobody told me that before and yet this was exactly what I needed to hear.
I related to his personal life story so much, especially the difficult parts and I was inspired by him to become a better person who tries to help others through love and kindness. Thanks to him, I was introduced to Vipassana meditation, a practice I can always trust 100%. I also met good quality people on the Path whom I admire and love. I will always remember Khun Thanat. His smiling face gives me the courage to continue trying to do good.
Libor Votruba, Tisarana Vipassananusorn Meditation Center, Prague
For the last few years Khun Thanat had been encouraging us to open a meditation center in Russia and it has now opened. Since I started working on the center, there hasn’t been a day when I don’t recollect on Khun Thanat’s wisdom and the lessons he has taught me and still continues to teach. To me, he has been a beacon of loving kindness, the example of purity and right livelihood. I am immensely grateful for having had the chance to meet Khun Thanat and Khun Kathryn, who have entirely transformed my life.
Anton Rahmanovsky, Arun Vanaram Vipassana Meditation Center, Russia
“Our duty is to help bad people to become good. Good people to become better. Better people to become excellent people“.
…with so many precious memories of the wonderful being he was and the extraordinary work he did in sharing the Dhamma. For me, he is the embodiment of loving kindness, and it was a true privilege to be his student. We will treasure your teachings and you live on in our hearts and in all our home countries through the practice. Forever thank you for everything you did for so many of us.
May you be happy. Loving loving loving.
Jasmin Klück, Prommamangalaram Vipassana Center, Italy
He devoted half his life to the Dhamma. It was his wish, his dedication, teachings and wisdom that supported us to bring the Teaching of the Buddha and the Vipassana practice to our home countries. He has done so much for many of us, for that we are grateful. Thank you, Khun Thanat!
Carmen Karsters, Santi Dhamma, Vipassana Meditation Centre, the Netherlands
“You have good things inside already. Use them in a correct way”.
Thanat Chindaporn on the Benefits of Vipassana (2021)
Press the subtitle button for English translations.
Loving-kindness we give to everybody.
If you can help the person, don’t hesitate, help right away without expecting anything in return.
If the person becomes better, be happy about him and don’t tell people “he is better because I helped him”.
The last one, if you help this person all the time and he never becomes better, don’t be angry with him, put yourself in a neutral position. Don’t say anything; don’t show anything, just keep quiet.
Thanat Chindaporn to his disciples in May 2021:
Today I’m really happy that I can talk to you longer. I’m a little bit tired only. I couldn’t walk anymore. The amazing thing that happened was that I could walk very fast now. I don’t want you to attach to it, but we call it merits.
Exactly what Ajarn Tong told me, his last sentence to me was “Tamboon mak-mak” – “Try to build more merits”. After that, I was admitted to the hospital.
This time I got sick was the worst one for me. I had pain in one place, one area and it never moved. Five to six hours. If the pain moves it shows impermanence, suffering, non-self.
They used mind power to heal me. This technique Ajarn Tong learned from Mahasi Sayadaw and later transferred to Maechee Amari. She studied in Wat Ram Poeng a little bit earlier than me. I didn’t know her, but she is the one who gave me kind of lessons for healing. And it is very strong, very tough one. And I learned a lot about the mistakes I have done before I practiced meditation. I have done a lot of bad things to other people.
Today I want all of you not to do things wrong anymore. Please stop doing it. It’s very easy to use the power of your position to do anything you want. But do you know that you hurt somebody? I have been using so many things to hurt other people to get whatever I want without considering how others will feel.
Then this time when I got sick all those bad things that I have done wrong to… supposing 10 people. They all came to me one by one. Be very careful about this.
I never experienced these things before. The pain was very strong. One area, one place. It showed me something. I learned that we should forgive each other.
I’m very happy to see all of you another time. Although all of you are from different countries, we can eat the same kind of food. We can speak one language, but everybody understands. We can practice this technique and we can learn to help each other. This is very important.
So, I like to tell you one more thing. Whatever is past let it go. Don’t go back to it anymore. Learn to forgive other people and at the same time learn to forgive yourself and not to do it again. Try to go to better place. Better place means whatever you do you be in the Middle way, then automatically you can climb up by yourself. Learn to forgive other people and learn to give them a way to change. Support them.
Just like the prison in Thailand. If you are going to be out of jail very soon they ask you, do you want to be a technician or car engineer or whatever? They train you. Then they give you a chance to work there. And then they give you a certificate so you go out and can work. This is supporting.
And then forget about what happened in the past and start all over from today. Because normally we are attached to the past. “You were bad, you did this to me so many years ago…”. But actually, you never look back to yourself that maybe you are the cause of making him do bad to you. You never think about it. So, this is very important. That’s the reason why I fell sick. Maybe other things also.
So, to forgive is very important. Nobody is perfect in this world. Many years ago I did bad things to people. Now it come back to me even though I forgot already.
I wish you all the best. Forgive. But maybe you cannot forget, you still remember – try to let go. Learn how to help people. It means support. And then you can be happy with what you do.
