The venerable pi, label=none, Cittasubho (;

lay name A legal name is the name that identifies a person for legal, administrative and other official purposes. A person's legal birth name generally is the name of the person that was given for the purpose of registration of the birth and which then a ...

: ''Pann Intapew''; 5 September 1911–13 September 1988), popularly known as

Luang Por Luang por (; , ) means "venerable father" and is used as a title for respected senior Buddhist monastics. ''Luang'' is a Thai word meaning "royal" or "venerable". It is used in both family context and to express respect for monastics. ''Por'' i ...

Teean, was a

Thai Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia ** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand ** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand *** Thai script *** Thai (Unicode block ...

reformist

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

. Cittasubho was the progenitor of ''mahāsati'' practice of

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 ...

, which employs movement of the body to generate self-awareness.

Biography

Pann Intapew was born on September 5, 1911, at Buhom, Amphur Chiengkhan in the northeastern province of

Loei Loei (; ) is a town (''thesaban mueang'') in northeast Thailand. Loei covers the whole ''tambon'' of Mueang Loei district and is the capital of Loei province. In 2017, Loei had a population of 21,013. Loei lies 545 km north-northeast of B ...

, in

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 ...

. His father died when he was young. Luangpor Teean did not have formal education in his childhood. The boy, like the rest of them in the village, had to help his mother in running their farm. At the age of eleven, he was ordained as a novice at the village monastery, and stayed there with his uncle who was a resident

. During a year and six months in the

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

, he studied Laotian scripts and ancient local scripts. He also started practicing various meditation methods, such as the “Budhdho”-'' ānāpānassati'' and breath-counting methods. After disrobing, he returned to his home. Following tradition, he was ordained as a monk at the age of twenty. Again he studied and practiced meditation with his uncle for six months. After returning to lay life, he was married at twenty-two and had three sons. In his village, he was always a leader in Buddhist activities and was highly respected and chosen to be the head of the village on three different occasions. Despite having heavy responsibilities, he continued his meditation practice regularly. Later he moved to Chiengkhan, a larger community, where his sons could attend school. Being a merchant, he sailed his steamboat along the Maekhong River between Chiengkhan-Nongkai-Vientiane, or even as far as Luangprabang. He had opportunities to meet several meditation masters and his enthusiasm in pursuing Dhamma (the Truth) continued to strengthen. Furthermore, he began to realize that many years of being good, making

merit Merit may refer to: Religion * Merit (Christianity) * Merit (Buddhism) * Punya (Hinduism) * Imputed righteousness in Reformed Christianity Companies and brands * Merit (cigarette), a brand of cigarettes made by Altria * Merit Energy Company, ...

, and practicing various methods of meditation had not liberated him from his anger. Finally, he determined to start searching for the way out. In 1957, when he was nearly forty-six, he left his home with firm determination not to return unless he found the

Truth Truth is the property of being in accord with fact or reality.Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionarytruth 2005 In everyday language, truth is typically ascribed to things that aim to represent reality or otherwise correspond to it, such as beliefs ...

. He went to Wat Rangsimukdaram, Tambol Pannprao, Amphur Tabon in Nongkai Province and practiced a simple form of bodily movements except that he did not follow the

recitation A recitation in a general sense is the act of reciting from memory, or a formal reading of verse or other writing before an audience. Public recitation is the act of reciting a work of writing before an audience. Academic recitation In a ...

of the words "ting-ning" (moving-stopping) like others did. What he did was only being aware of the movements of the body and mind. Within a couple of days, his mind reached the End of Suffering completely without traditional rituals or teachers. Later he returned home. He taught his wife and relatives what he had found for two years and eight months, as a lay teacher. He then decided to re-enter monkhood in order to be in a better position to teach the people. The

ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorization, authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominational ...

was made on February 3, 1960. After realizing Dhamma, Luangpor Teean traveled around Thailand. Wherever he went to he taught the true messages of the Dhamma. He also established several meditations centers throughout Thailand. Wat Sanamnai is one of his meditation centers. Even though this temple is located on the outskirts of Bangkok, it maintains all the characteristics and formality of the Thai forest tradition. In 1985, Wat Sanamnai Monastery was formally permitted a temple. Luangpor Teean held a Sangkha meeting with all the monks who studied the Mahasati Meditation method and appointed Luangpor Thong the abbot of Wat Sanamnai. After Luangpor Teean died in 1989, "Luangpor Teean Jittasubho (Pann Intapew) Foundation" was founded. Luangpor Teean's teachings were spreading across the country as well as outside. He devoted his life to the teaching of Dhamma despite his poor health. He was diagnosed to have stomach cancer (malignant lymphoma) in 1982. In spite of his illness he continued his work actively and incisively until the end of his life. On September 13, 1988, he died at the age of seventy-seven in a hut on Koh Buddhadhamma, Tabb Ming Kwan, Tambol Gudpong in Loei Province.

Mahāsati meditation

Mahasati Meditation is a meditation technique concerned about how to end

suffering Suffering, or pain in a broad sense, may be an experience of unpleasantness or aversion, possibly associated with the perception of harm or threat of harm in an individual. Suffering is the basic element that makes up the negative valence of a ...

. The

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...

taught that each of us could come to the very important point of the cessation of suffering. Mahasati Meditation is a simple and direct method of practice developed by Luangpor Teean Cittasubho, an important teacher in the world of Thai Buddhism. Many teachers, mostly from the East, provide many different forms of meditation. Some teachers use breath-counting and breath-concentration. Others teach

concentration In chemistry, concentration is the abundance of a constituent divided by the total volume of a mixture. Several types of mathematical description can be distinguished: '' mass concentration'', ''molar concentration'', ''number concentration'', an ...

on a

mantra A mantra (Pali: ''manta'') or mantram (मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words in Sanskrit, Pali and other languages believed by practitioners to have religious, ma ...

or a

koan A (; , ; ko, 화두, ; vi, công án) is a story, dialogue, question, or statement which is used in Zen practice to provoke the "great doubt" and to practice or test a student's progress in Zen. Etymology The Japanese term is the Sino-Jap ...

. Some tell their students to visualize a religious image or some form of light or color. These methods all share the same central theme - the concentration of the mind. Luangpor Teean taught that meditation is the art of seeing things as they are with

awareness Awareness is the state of being conscious of something. More specifically, it is the ability to directly know and perceive, to feel, or to be cognizant of events. Another definition describes it as a state wherein a subject is aware of some inform ...

and

wisdom Wisdom, sapience, or sagacity is the ability to contemplate and act using knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense and insight. Wisdom is associated with attributes such as unbiased judgment, compassion, experiential self-knowledge, ...

. Usually we see the world and everything around us through the filter of our concepts or thoughts and through our mental images which we have collected in our daily life since childhood. Thus, these thoughts are both the source of human activity and human suffering. Thought is, for Luangpor Teean, the source of

greed Greed (or avarice) is an uncontrolled longing for increase in the acquisition or use of material gain (be it food, money, land, or animate/inanimate possessions); or social value, such as Social status, status, or Power (social and politica ...

anger Anger, also known as wrath or rage, is an intense emotional state involving a strong uncomfortable and non-cooperative response to a perceived provocation, hurt or threat. A person experiencing anger will often experience physical effects, su ...

and

delusion A delusion is a false fixed belief that is not amenable to change in light of conflicting evidence. As a pathology, it is distinct from a belief based on false or incomplete information, confabulation, dogma, illusion, hallucination, or some o ...

. Luangpor Teean said that we cannot simply suppress greed, anger, and delusion by keeping moral precepts, nor can we suppress them by maintaining calmness through some form of meditation based on concentration. Though these activities are useful to some extent, we need to go to the root of suffering: to let awareness see through and break through. When we see things as they are, the mind changes its qualities completely. At the very moment of awareness, the mind immediately becomes active, clear, and pure. With this active, clear, and pure mind we will realize the law of nature and the freedom of life. And then, we will be free from suffering. Mahasati Meditation is a form of moving meditation. In Mahasati Meditation the practitioner moves rhythmically with their awareness open to the movement of body and mind. The movements are simple and repetitious, yet Mahasati Meditation is a powerful, deep, and advanced method for self-realization. The aim of Mahasati Meditation is to attain direct insight into one's self-freedom from pain and suffering, and to attain a healthy mind, one that is stable and wise. This healthy mind benefits not only the practitioner, but is also a beneficial influence on the practitioner's surroundings, including those who are close to him or herself, and to society in general.

Rhythmic movements

#Rest the hands palm down on the thighs. #Turn the right hand onto its edge, be aware; do it slowly, then stop. Do not say to yourself "turn the right hand", being aware is enough. #Raise the right hand up, be aware, and then stop. #Lower the right hand to rest on the abdomen, be aware, and then stop. #Turn the left hand onto its edge, be aware, and then stop. #Raise the left hand up, be aware, and then stop. #Lower the left hand to rest on the right hand, be aware, and then stop. #Move the right hand up to rest on the chest, be aware, and then stop. #Move the right hand out, be aware, and then stop. #Lower the right hand onto its edge on the thigh, be aware, then stop. #Face the right palm down, be aware, and then stop. #Move the left hand up to rest on the chest, be aware, and then stop. #Move the left hand out, be aware, and then stop. #Lower the left hand onto its edge on the thigh, be aware, and then stop. #Face the left palm down, be aware, and then stop.

Four basic positions to meditate

Mahasati Meditation can be practiced in four basic positions: sitting, lying, standing, walking. After sitting for a long time, which may cause pains and aches, practitioners can change the position to the walking back and forth. After walking for a long time, they can change to the sitting posture. This is called changing the positions; sitting, lying, standing, walking. Practitioners should allot them properly. Practitioners do not move the arms while walking. Practitioners should fold the arms across the chest, or clasp the hands behind the back. While walking back and forth, practitioners should be

aware Awareness is the state of being conscious of something. More specifically, it is the ability to directly know and perceive, to feel, or to be cognizant of events. Another definition describes it as a state wherein a subject is aware of some inform ...

of the feeling or the feet. It is not necessary to say to themselves, "right foot moves", "left foot moves". Practitioners should not walk too fast or too slow, they have to walk naturally.

Self-awareness in daily life

To cultivate self-awareness, practitioners must practice as much as possible. Practitioners can practice even when in a car or on a bus. While sitting on a bus or in a car, practitioners lay their hand on the thigh and turn the palm up and down, or they run the thumb over the fingertip, or they make a fist and open it repeatedly. The key is to do every movement slowly and be aware. According to Mahasati Meditation, this is the natural way of cultivating self-awareness, learning

Dhamma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for ''d ...

with

nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physics, physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomenon, phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. ...

Living teachers

* Luangpor Thong Abhakaro * Achan K. Khemananda * Loo-ang por Kamkee-an * Bhikkhu Nirodho

Quotes

The rat (thought) is bigger and stronger than the kitten (awareness)
"Generally, when thought arises, the mind will be dragged along like a kitten trying to catch a big rat. The rat (thought) is bigger and stronger than the kitten (awareness). When the rat shows up, the kitten, by

, will catch the rat. The rat is frightened and runs away with the kitten holding on. After a while the kitten becomes tired and let the rat go. Similarly, thoughts will arise endlessly and stop by themselves. As we cultivate self-awareness more and more, it is like we keep feeding a kitten until it becomes a big, strong cat. When thought arises, the mind will not be dragged along and

thought In their most common sense, the terms thought and thinking refer to conscious cognitive processes that can happen independently of sensory stimulation. Their most paradigmatic forms are judging, reasoning, concept formation, problem solving, a ...

will stop immediately." ''Luangpor Teean Jittasubho''
(Source: Luangpor Teean Cittasubho ''A Manual of Self-Awareness'', Bangkok: Luangpor Teean Foundation, 1994) One is one's own shelter "You should not believe what I have said, but prove it for yourself. If anyone just believes me, that's wrong. Change your

mind The mind is the set of faculties responsible for all mental phenomena. Often the term is also identified with the phenomena themselves. These faculties include thought, imagination, memory, will, and sensation. They are responsible for various m ...

- don't just believe. Prove it with yourself and thoroughly understand it - then believe. Otherwise, whom should we believe? The Buddha? Don't even believe in the Buddha or teachers. We must believe in ourselves. The Buddha taught us we will be our own refuge. The Buddha said 'attahi-attano-nato' - "One is one's own shelter." Since most people have no shelter, they turn to something else which prevents them from finding the real shelter."
''Luangpor Thong Abhakaro''
(Source: Luangpor Thong Abhakaro, ''Beyond Text, Beyond Scriptures'', Bangkok: Luangpor Teean Foundation)

References

External links

{{external links, date=August 2019
Mahāsati Meditation of America

Mahāsati Meditation Video Demonstration

1911 births 1988 deaths Thai Theravada Buddhist monks Buddhist reformers