Forest Walking, Meditation and Sore Feet: The Southern Buddhist Biographical Tradition of Ajahn Mun and His Followers
The Selfless Ego June 4, 2019 Sarah Shaw
The paper examines why auto/biographical writing is rare in Southern Buddhism, citing monastic rules, customs against disclosing mental attainments, and the absence of formal lineage transmissions. It then explores a new tradition of life writing emerging from the Forest Tradition of Northeast Thailand, where Anglophone compositions and translations reveal literary qualities that embody the tradition's meditative style. As the movement gained global recognition, media for life stories diversified, including digital formats. Despite differences in location, authorial style, and media, these auto/biographical works share features that define and embody the Forest Tradition monastic ethos for an Anglophone audience.