Commonly referred to as Luangpor Thong, Luangpor Thong Abhakaro is a Buddhist monk and teacher of

Mahasati Meditation The venerable pi, label=none, Cittasubho (; lay name: ''Pann Intapew''; 5 September 1911–13 September 1988), popularly known as Luang Por Teean, was a Thai reformist Buddhist monk. Cittasubho was the progenitor of ''mahāsati'' practice of medi ...

, a

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally cal ...

method developed by his teacher, Luangpor Teean Jittasubho. The title ''Luangpor'' is used in Thailand to express respect for senior Buddhist monks and it means 'venerable father'.

Biography

Luangpor Thong Abhakaro was born on 14 May 1939 at

Mueang Nongbua Lamphu District Mueang Nong Bua Lam Phu ( th, เมืองหนองบัวลำภู; ) is the capital district ('' amphoe mueang'') of Nong Bua Lam Phu province, northeastern Thailand. Geography Neighboring districts are (from the south clockwise): ...

Nong Bua Lamphu Province Nong Bua Lamphu ( th, หนองบัวลำภู, , ) is one of Thailand's seventy-six provinces (''changwat'') lies in upper northeastern Thailand also called Isan. Neighbouring provinces are (from north clockwise) Udon Thani, Khon Kaen, ...

, northeast

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. Luangpor Thong's parents were both farmers. His father died when the boy was seven years old. He was raised mostly by his mother. In 1961, at the age of 22, he was fully ordained as a monk, and received his Buddhist name, Abhakaro. Then Luangpor Thong studied the traditional Dhamma courses for six years. In 1967, he met Luangpor Teean Jittasubho, the founder of

Mahasati meditation The venerable pi, label=none, Cittasubho (; lay name: ''Pann Intapew''; 5 September 1911–13 September 1988), popularly known as Luang Por Teean, was a Thai reformist Buddhist monk. Cittasubho was the progenitor of ''mahāsati'' practice of medi ...

. Luangpor Thong asked his teacher for an intensive meditation retreat under his guidance. Luangpor Thong asked permission to remain secluded in a small cottage practicing by himself, without any obligation to go chanting or asking for alms. Luangpor Teean agreed. Since then, this arrangement became a regular practice during Luangpor Teean's meditation retreats. The young disciple practiced this

method Method ( grc, μέθοδος, methodos) literally means a pursuit of knowledge, investigation, mode of prosecuting such inquiry, or system. In recent centuries it more often means a prescribed process for completing a task. It may refer to: *Scien ...

continuously for thirty days and reached the state of Rupa-Nama (body-mind basic stage). Luangpor Thong continued practicing without interruption for another nine days, and achieved the state of "birth-extinction"—an understanding of life and death. In 1985, Luangpor Teean appointed Luangpor Thong abbot of Wat Sanamnai, the most important Mahasati meditation center in Thailand. In 1989, Luangpor Teean died. That year, the "Luangpor Teean Jittasubho (Pann Intapew) Foundation" was founded, with Luangpor Thong as its president. In 1995, Luangpor Thong established the "Mahasati Association of America", a non-profit organization with the mission of teaching Mahasati meditation in the United States.

Teachings

A form of

vipassana ''Samatha'' (Pāli; sa, शमथ ''śamatha''; ), "calm," "serenity," "tranquillity of awareness," and ''vipassanā'' (Pāli; Sanskrit ''vipaśyanā''), literally "special, super (''vi-''), seeing (''-passanā'')", are two qualities of the ...

insight meditation ''Samatha'' (Pāli; sa, शमथ ''śamatha''; ), "calm," "serenity," "tranquillity of awareness," and ''vipassanā'' (Pāli; Sanskrit ''vipaśyanā''), literally "special, super (''vi-''), seeing (''-passanā'')", are two qualities of the ...

, Mahasati meditation uses movement of the body to generate

self-awareness In philosophy of self, self-awareness is the experience of one's own personality or individuality. It is not to be confused with consciousness in the sense of qualia. While consciousness is being aware of one's environment and body and lifesty ...

and

self-realization Self-realization is an expression used in Western psychology, philosophy, and spirituality; and in Indian religions. In the Western understanding, it is the "fulfillment by oneself of the possibilities of one's character or personality" (see ...

. Mahasati meditation is practiced throughout Asia and in the United States and is appropriate for anyone regardless of

religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...

nationality Nationality is a legal identification of a person in international law, establishing the person as a subject, a ''national'', of a sovereign state. It affords the state jurisdiction over the person and affords the person the protection of the ...

Biography

Teachings

References

Further reading