Meditation master traditions

The Thai-Lao tradition

The intuitive Thai-Lao tradition has had many charismatic teachers over the years. They are nearly all of the Thai forest tradition and emphasize practice over study. They don’t generally promote a fixed method, but provide much nuance and inspiration.

They also have an immense amount of literature online:

Tisarana – Vimutti – Abhayagiri – Forest Dhamma – Amaravati – Forest Retreat – Forest Sangha – Thanissaro Bhikkhu– Access To Insight Thai forest library

Ajahn Chah

• The Collected Teachings of Ajahn Chah
• Jack Kornfield and Paul Breiter – A Still Forest Pool – The Insight Meditation of Achaan Chah (Amazon edtion)

Buddhadasa Bhikkhu

• http://www.suanmokkh.org/books
• Buddhadasa Bhikkhu – Anapanasati (more recent edition Wisdom Publications)
• Buddhadasa Bhikkhu – Heartwood of the Bodhi Tree (more recent edition Wisdom Publications)

Ajahn Lee Dhammadharo

• https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/thai/lee/index.html
• Ajahn Lee Dhammadharo – Keeping the Breath in Mind & Lessons in Samadhi

Ajahn Jumnien

http://forestretreat.org/ajahn-jamnian/teachings-written-materials/

Ajahn Maha Bua

• http://www.luangta.eu/site/books.php
• http://www.forestdhamma.org/books/
• https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/thai/boowa/index.html

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The Burmese tradition

The Burmese tends to be more technical or scholarly in some aspects. Some of its methods are very popular and widespread in modern meditation.

Mogok Sayadaw

Mogok Sayadaw gives a central place to the doctrine of dependent origination, which is to be understood in three stages – ñāta pariññā (theoretical knowledge), tirana pariññā (direct investigation), pahāna pariññā (abandoning through seeing).

• http://www.myanmarnet.net/mogok/publish.htm
• http://www.dhammadownload.com/MogokSayadaw-eBookInEnglish.htm
• Than Daing – Cittanupassana and Vedananupassana (Meditation on mind and feeling) – this is probably the definitive explanation of the Mogok Sayadaw method.

Ajahn Naeb Mahaniranon

Ajahn Naeb Mahaniranon and Ajahn Prani Samreungrat: https://www.sites.google.com/site/roundfree/texts

Frank Tullius – Vipassana Bhavana – Theory, Practice and Result

Ajahn Sujin Boriharnwanaket and Nina van Gorkom:

• http://www.dhammahome.com/en … all books and discussions of Sujin Boriharnwanaket and Nina van Gorkom
• http://archive.org/search.php?query=nina%20van%20gorkom … more recent and polished editions

Though these are Thai teachers, they are connected to a Burmese tradition going back to the vipassana methods and Abhidhamma teachings of the Burmese monk Bhadanta U Vilasa. Abhidhamma studies really took off in Thailand in the 1950s, but waned after certain prominent people like Buddhadasa Bhikkhu criticized the Abhidhamma as not authentic. However, this is more like a lay study group which has been promoting the study of the suttas and Abhidhamma in Thailand.

Guide to Mindfulness is a good introduction to the mindfulness of postures as taught by Ajahn Naeb, and Taking refuge in Buddhism is a good introduction to Ajahn Sujin’s method of developing paññā at the very outset. Ajahn Sujin’s group has also made useful contributions to the existing Abhidhamma literature.

Mahasi Sayadaw

• All books by Mahasi Sayadaw – aimwell (mirror) – Bhikkhu Pesala’s website.
• Manual of Insight at Wisdom Publications or Amazon – A new edition of Mahasi Sayadaw’s magnum opus.
• In this very life – Sayadaw U Pandita … also on Amazon. – an important book by Mahasi Sayadaw’s successor.
• Practical instructions – Mahasi Sayadaw, Chanmyay Sayadaw, Yuttadhammo Bhikkhu
• The pragmatic dharma people – Shinzen Young, Daniel Ingram, etc. – use variations of the well-known noting technique.
• The main meditation centres are in Burma and Nepal – http://www.panditarama.net/ – but possibly useful are http://mahasi.eu and http://www.mahasiusa.org

Ledi Sayadaw – Saya Thetgyi – U Ba Khin – Webu Sayadaw – SN Goenka

• Treasures of Pariyatti – publications by and about these teachers.
• SN Goenka’s 10-day Vipassana discourses and discourse summaries.
• SN Goenka – The art of living
• Webu Sayadaw – Selected discourses of Webu Sayadaw
• U Ba Khin – The essentials of Buddha dhamma in Practice
• Saya Thetgyi – A Shortcut to Ditthadhamma Nanadassana – Insight meditation manual with a short biography
• Ledi Sayadaw was the one who popularized and laicized this method. Most of his numerous manuals have been published in English separately or together as in The Manuals of Buddhism. But these are more along the lines of classical Theravada scholarship than practical instruction.
• Vipassana centres in this lineage are well-known and popular – SN Goenka – http://www.dhamma.org or specifically U Ba Khin – http://www.internationalmeditationcentre.org/

Sunlun Sayadaw

Sunlun Sayadaw’s method uses the direct and continuous perception of sensations including pain.

• Sayadaw U Wara – Introductory talk
• Sayadaw U Wara – Sun Lun Vipassana Meditation – practical instructions

Others

Mohnyin Sayadaw – Dittha Vipassana – Cognitive Insight Exercise – very heavy use of Abhidhamma concepts. Mohnyin Sayadaw was the latter of Ledi Sayadaw’s two main disciples.

Taungpulu Sayadaw – Blooming in the Desert: Favorite Teachings of the Wildflower Monk (Amazon). Like Webu Sayadaw, he followed an ascetic life (dhutanga) and possessed a down-to-earth wisdom.

Pa Auk Sayadaw is not mentioned in the book at all. He has a considerable following today. His system follows the Visuddhimagga closely, including achieving the jhanas via multiple meditation subjects. Knowing and seeing is probably his most comprehensive book:

• All Pa Auk Sayadaw books – http://paauktawyausa.org/downloads/english-dhamma-ebooks/
• Wisdom Wide and Deep by Shaila Catherine (Amazon) also gives a modern overview of the system.