Ajahn Sao Biography
Ajahn Sao Biography
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Phra Ajahn Sao Kantasīla Mahā Thera
(1861 – 1941)
Ajahn (Luang Pu) Sao Kantasilo together with Ajahn (Luang Pu) Mun Bhuridatto was one of the founders of the tradition of Forest Meditation monks (Thai Forest Tradition) of Thailand.
The revival of the Thai Forest Tradition in the late nineteenth century was an attempt to return to the lifestyle and training of the Buddha’s time. The founders’ intention was to realize in their own hearts and minds the inner peace and wisdom of the Dhamma.
They abandoned busy village monasteries for the peace and quiet of nature. The Vinaya was followed strictly, emphasizing the importance of every detail. Forest monks lived without money, accepting whatever was offered, and patiently enduring when nothing was. Ascetic practices (the thirteen Dhutaṅgas) recommended by the Buddha were instituted as part of the lifestyle. These included eating only one meal a day from one’s alms bowl, wearing rag robes, and living in the forest, in cemeteries, or in simple shelters.
The Forest monks would often wander barefoot through the countryside, seeking places conducive to meditation, carrying their few possessions: an alms bowl, three robes, a klot (an umbrella with a mosquito net, which was hung in the forest and used like a tent), and a few personal requisites.
From Ajahn Sao, Ajahn Mun, and their numerous distinguished disciples became a legacy of powerfully relevant examples of an uncomplicated and disciplined way of life.
Their teachings were directed towards those who wish to purify their minds by living the path of practice taught by the Buddha. The very heart of the Thai Forest Tradition is the development of meditation.
By cultivating deep states of tranquility and systematically investigating the body and mind, insight arises into the true nature of suffering and the way to its end.
After Ajahn Sao’s cremation, his bone fragments were distributed to people around the Thai provinces. And according to his followers, they transformed into crystal-like relics (Pali: Sarīradhātu) in various hues.
The following information about Ajahn Sao is gleaned from various sources and is by no means a full account of the life of this great teacher. Because his was a very reclusive life style, and because he was not given to preaching long sermons, preferring to teach by example, Ajahn Sao did not have as large a following of disciples as Ajahn Mun. Hence, records of his teachings are also few and far between.
Ajahn Sao was born in Baan Kahkhome, a village in Central Ubon Ratchathani, on 2 November 1859. His father, Taa, and his mother, Mo, had 5 children. At age 12, Ajahn Sao started living in the village temple, Wat Tai (formally named Wat Phra Chao Yai Teur).
He was ordained as a novice monk at the same temple at age 15. While at Wat Tai, he studied the Thai, Pali, and Khmer languages.
He was ordained as a bhikkhu in 1879 and stayed at Wat Tai for 10 years. In 1889, he met Chao Khun Devadhammi (Mao), a Dhammayut monk in Ubon Ratchathani, who was the fi rst monk to build a Dhammayut temple, Wat Sri Ubonrattanaram, in the Northeast region of Thailand. Ajahn Sao was impressed by Chao Khun Mao’s teachings and later re-ordained as a Dhammayut monk with Phra Khru Taa Jotipālo as his Preceptor and Chao Athikan Sita Jayaseno as the Announcing Teacher.
Ajahn Sao devoted himself to meditation practice and showed great character in terms of tenacity, calmness, and humility.
He was deeply mindful of his words, and he also taught others to practice along those lines.
Ajahn Sao always wandered on Thudong, looking for new peaceful and forested locations to meditate, both in Thailand and Laos.
Between 1891 and 1893, he wandered to Kambong village in Ubon Ratchathani and met Ajahn Mun, who, at that time, was a young layman. Ajahn Mun was very impressed by Ajahn Sao’s teachings and became a monk under his tutelage. Thus, Ajahn Sao is considered a great teacher in the Dhammayut sect in Thailand.
Ajahn Sao always emphasized Anāpānasati (mindfulness of breathing) as a beginning meditation technique, anchoring the mind to the breath with the recitation of the meditation syllable, “Buddho.” From there, he taught how to transition the mind from access concentration (Upcāra Samādhi) to full absorption concentration (Appanā Samādhi). He also taught mindfulness immersed in the body (Kāyagatāsati) as a way to be fully alert and aware of the body’s movements, to contemplate every part of the body, and to realize how one’s own body, like everybody else’s, will eventually have to be discarded. Once the practitioner realizes that this body is an accumulation of discarded bodies of others (i.e., from having consumed the meat of animals, etc.) that is when the practitioner reaches the stage of asubha-kammaṭṭhāna (contemplation on the foulness of the body).
At that point, the practitioner can start to dismantle the body into the four basic elements of earth, water, air and fire, which is a milestone for the Samatha- Kammaṭṭhāna practitioner. To develop the mind further, one should contemplate the three perceptions of inconstancy, suffering/stress, and not-self.
Ajahn Sao always emphasized these two contemplations, along with devotion to and tenacity in the practice so that one could gradually advance in gaining true discernment in Dhamma.
Between 1916 and 1921, Ajahn Sao stayed at Cumpa cave in Mukdahan and spent the pansa (rains residence retreat) with Ajahn Mun. On the day approaching the end of the pansa period, while Ajahn Sao was meditating and contemplating the Four Noble Truths, he attained awakening. He turned to Ajahn Mun, saying, “I no longer desire to attain the state of the ‘silent Buddha’ (Pacceka Buddha). I have seen Dhamma for what it is.” Ajahn Mun was truly impressed by these words of his and knew then that Ajahn Sao had reached Nibbāna.
Ajahn Sao passed away while he was bowing in respect to the Buddha (during the third bow) in Wat Ummattayaram’s main shrine hall in Nakhon Champasak Province, (now part of Laos), on Tuesday, 3 February 1941. Ajahn Jia Cundo was present with him when he passed away.
Ajahn Sao was 82 years old and had been in the Saṅgha for 62 years. His disciples conveyed his remains to Wat Buraparam in Ubon Ratchathani and held the cremation in April 1943.
The following are excerpts of recollections from some of the Ajahns regarding Ajahn Sao’s teachings:
“Devotion comes through practice, not through the words of others. Why would you ask me to preach when you don’t observe my actions or follow the practice when I display it to you? When that’s the case, will you listen to what I preach?”
“Continue to devote yourself to the practice and then you will succeed in line with it.”
“If you don’t dig the well deep enough, how can you reach clean, potable water?”
“No matter how still the air is in the sky, the birds will always need to exert force in order to fly.”
“Good and bad exist only in the world.
Beyond this world (i.e., upon attaining Awakening), there is no good and no bad.”
“When someone says we are good, we don’t fall for the praise. When some one says we are bad, we don’t fall for the blame. If we don’t cling to words, we have no perception of “self,” and so we become neither good nor bad.”
Ajahn Sao was a monk of few words. His sermons were very short and concise, such as “Listen! Pure body, pure mind, pure words, pure thoughts. Always keep purifying yourself.”
Ajahn Sao was very strict in his adherence to the monk’s code of discipline. He was a true role model in tenacity. Every day after the meal, he would walk to his residence to get a tumbler and start his walking meditation till evening. He would not meditate in his kuti (hut) and would not rest in his meditation seat.
Ajahn Sao preferred to teach Dhamma through action rather than words. His disciples had to follow the following routine: bedtime at 10pm, wake up at 3am.
Specific times were allotted for restroom and shower. This was his strategy to build the power of resolve. At times it would take an entire morning to go for alms, and by the time the monks returned to their forest dwellings from the alms round, it could be 11 a.m.
“Always contemplate death. Whether human being or animal, all will face death.
Whenever there is birth, there is death.
They are the two sides of the same coin.”
“We are fortunate to be born as human beings. So we should not engage in immoral activities as if we were animals, because once human morals go very low, it’s more harmful than being an animal. Life in hell, after the death of those who live with no virtue, is more torturous than life as animals.
Don’t create bad Kamma.”
Ajahn Lui talked about the close and deep respect Ajahn Mun had for Ajahn Sao. As Ajahn Mun had been with Ajahn Sao since he was ordained as a novice, Ajahn Sao always called Ajahn Mun, “chao” and referred to himself as “koi,” terms in the Isaan dialect used between two individuals who are very close to each other. Ajahn Sao was a teacher full of compassion and goodwill. He trained and led Ajahn Mun and Phra Ajahn Nuu (of Wat Srapathum, in Bangkok) to advance in their meditation practice.
1 November 2024
近代阿羅漢, 阿姜曼的老師
Contemporary Arahant, teacher of Ajahn mun
阿姜索傳記
阿姜索傳記
阿姜绍·甘达西拉大长老 (1861 – 1941)
阿姜（龙普）绍·甘达西罗与阿姜（龙普）曼·布里达托一起，是泰国森林僧团（泰国森林传统）的创始人之一。
十九世纪末，泰国森林传统的复兴是一种尝试，旨在回归佛陀时代的生活方式和修行训练。创始人的意图是在他们自己的心中实现内心的宁静与智慧（佛法）。
他们放弃了繁忙的村庄寺庙，寻求大自然的宁静。严格遵守戒律，强调每个细节的重要性。森林僧人不使用金钱，接受别人提供的一切，耐心接受一无所有的情况。佛陀推荐的苦行（十三种头陀行）成为生活方式的一部分，包括只用一个钵吃一餐，穿着粪扫衣，在森林、墓地或简陋的庵堂中居住。
森林僧人经常赤脚在乡村中行脚，寻找适合禅修的地方，随身携带少量物品：一个钵、三件僧衣、一个帐篷伞（带蚊帐的伞，挂在森林中如同帐篷），以及一些生活必需品。
阿姜绍、阿姜曼及其众多出色的弟子，传承了朴实无华、纪律严明的生活方式的强大榜样。
他们的教义专门针对那些希望通过实践佛陀教导的修行之道来净化内心的人。泰国森林派传统的核心是禅修的修行。
通过培养深度的宁静状态，并系统地探究身体和心灵的真相，从而洞见苦的真实本质及其解脱之道。
在阿姜绍火化之后，他的骨头碎片被分发到泰国各地。据他的信徒称，这些骨头逐渐转化为晶体状的舍利（巴利语：Sarīradhātu），呈现出多种颜色。
以下关于阿姜绍的信息来源于不同的资料，并不能全面展现这位伟大导师的生活。他的生活方式极其隐居，不喜长篇讲道，倾向于以身作则，因此他的弟子并不如阿姜曼众多，教义记录也较少。
阿姜绍于1859年11月2日出生在乌汶府中部的一个村庄，名叫邦卡科美。他的父亲塔，母亲莫，共有五个孩子。阿姜绍12岁时开始在村庄的泰寺庙生活，并在15岁时在同一寺庙出家成为沙弥。在泰寺庙期间，他学习泰语、巴利语和高棉语。
他于1879年受比丘戒，在泰寺庙修行了10年。1889年，他遇见了乌汶府的法师德瓦达米（茂），一位达摩瑜派的僧人，是在泰国东北部建立第一座达摩瑜寺庙（寺乌汶拉达拉姆寺）的首位僧人。阿姜绍深受德瓦达米的教义启发，后来在法师塔乔蒂帕罗的授戒下重新受戒成为达摩瑜僧人，并由宣布教师阿提甘西塔担任。
阿姜绍全心致力于禅修，展现出坚定、平和和谦卑的品格。
他谨慎使用言辞，教导他人也要沿此修行。
阿姜绍经常进行行脚，寻找新的宁静森林地点进行禅修，足迹遍布泰国和老挝。
在1891年至1893年间，他行脚到乌汶府的甘邦村，遇见了当时还是一位在家人的阿姜曼。阿姜曼深受阿姜绍的教导影响，并在他的指导下出家。因此，阿姜绍被认为是泰国达摩瑜派中的一位伟大导师。
阿姜绍始终强调安那般那念（出入息念）作为一种初始禅修技巧，通过“佛陀”的默念将心系于呼吸之上。从此，他指导修行者从近行定（Upacāra Samādhi）转向完全的入定（Appanā Samādhi）。他还教授观身念（Kāyagatāsati），以充分警觉身体的动作，观察身体的每个部位，体悟自己的身体和他人一样终将被遗弃。当修行者领悟到身体是他人遗弃的躯体的积累（如：通过吃肉获得的身体物质），此时修行者便达到了不净观（Asubha-kammaṭṭhāna）的阶段。
在这一点上，修行者可以开始将身体分解为地、水、火、风四大元素，这是定业修行者的一个里程碑。进一步发展心智时，应观无常、苦和无我三法印。
阿姜绍始终强调这两种观念，并鼓励修行者对实践的坚定和专注，以逐步获得对佛法的真正洞见。
在1916年至1921年间，阿姜绍在穆达汉的占巴洞穴中停留，与阿姜曼一起度过雨安居期。在安居期结束前的一天，阿姜绍在禅修并观四圣谛时证悟了。他转向阿姜曼说：“我不再渴望成就‘独觉佛’（Pacceka Buddha）的境界。我已见证佛法的本质。”阿姜曼对此深为感动，深知阿姜绍已证得涅槃。
1941年2月3日，阿姜绍在寮国占巴萨克省乌玛塔亚兰寺的大殿内跪拜佛陀时（在第三次跪拜时）圆寂。当时阿姜嘉•尊多在场陪伴他。
阿姜绍享年82岁，僧龄62年。他的弟子们将他的遗体送至乌汶府的蒲拉巴兰寺，并于1943年4月举行火化仪式。
以下是一些阿姜们关于阿姜绍教义的回忆摘录：
“修行的虔诚来自于实践，而不是他人的言语。你为什么要让我讲道，而你却不观察我的行为，也不随我展示的修行来实践？在这种情况下，你会听我讲道吗？”
“继续专注于修行，你会在修行中获得成功。”
“如果你不把井挖得足够深，怎么能得到干净的饮用水？”
“无论天空多么平静，鸟儿飞翔仍需用力。”
“善与恶只存在于世间。
超越世间（即证悟时），便无善无恶。”
“当别人说我们好时，我们不被赞美所迷惑。当别人说我们不好时，我们不为责备所动摇。如果我们不执着于言辞，我们便没有‘自我’的观念，因此既不成为好人，也不成为坏人。”
阿姜绍是一位寡言的僧人，他的讲道简短而精炼，比如：“听着！身净、心净、语净、念净。始终保持自我净化。”
阿姜绍对僧人的戒律极为严格。他是毅力的真实榜样。每餐后，他都会走回住处取水杯，然后从下午一直行经行至黄昏。他不会在自己的小屋中静坐禅修，也不会在其禅坐席上休息。
阿姜绍喜欢通过行动来教授佛法，而不是用言辞。他的弟子需遵守以下作息：晚上10点就寝，凌晨3点起床。
特定时间用于如厕和洗澡，这是他建立决心之力的策略。有时行脚一个上午，僧人们返回森林住所时可能已接近上午11点。
“常观死亡。无论是人还是动物，都会面对死亡。
只要有生，就有死。
它们是同一枚硬币的两面。”
“我们有幸生为人类，所以不应从事不道德的行为，就像动物一样。因为一旦人类道德沦丧，危害比成为动物还大。无德者死后地狱生活，比动物生活更痛苦。
不要造恶业。”
阿姜吕谈到阿姜曼对阿姜绍的深厚尊敬。由于阿姜曼自从成为沙弥以来一直随侍阿姜绍，阿姜绍总是称呼阿姜曼为“chao”，而自称为“koi”，这些是伊森方言中亲密的人之间使用的称呼。阿姜绍是一位充满慈悲与善意的导师。他訓練並帶領阿姜曼（Ajahn Mun）和阿姜努（Phra Ajahn Nuu）（曼谷Wat Srapathum）提升他們的禪修修行。
2024 年 11 月 1 日
阿姜索的教導
阿姜索的教導
阿姜索的教导——
阿姜普 · 谭尼育的回忆
[简介]
阿姜索 · 堪塔西罗(Ajaan Sao Kantasilo，1861-1941)与他的学生阿姜曼建立了泰国二十世纪森林头陀传统。他是一位真正的森林隐者，未曾留下教导的文字记录。很幸运，他的另一个学生阿姜普 · 谭尼育的回忆，使我们得以一瞥阿姜索简短有力的教导方式。
在我们这个时代，走进森林里修习头陀行的做法，是从阿姜曼的老师阿姜索开始的，之后又传到了阿姜辛与阿姜李。阿姜索不善于演讲，他是个行动者。教弟子时，讲得也少。那些直接受教于他的弟子，如今是长老了，他们从老师那里也学了沉默寡言、鲜少开示的习惯。因为阿姜索少言，我给你们讲一点他传授禅修的做法。
阿姜索是怎样教的呢? 假定有人来找他说: “尊敬的阿姜，我想学禅修。我怎样做? ” 他会说: “禅定时专心于‘哺-哆’ (Buddho)这个词。 ”
如果此人问: “‘哺-哆’ 的意思是什么? ” 阿姜索会说: “不要问。 ”
“我念‘哺-哆’时会发生什么? ”
“不要问。你的唯一责任就是在心里一遍遍地重复‘哺-哆’。 ”
他就是那样教的: 没什么冗长的解释。
好，假定这个学生诚心，听从阿姜索的指教，在禅定中坚持重复‘哺-哆’，假定他开始入定，心变得宁静明亮起来，他会来问阿姜: “在念着‘哺-哆’时，我的心变得如此这般。现在我该怎么做? ” 如果他做得对，阿姜索就说: “继续禅定。” 如果不对，他会说: “你得如此这般地做。你现在的做法不对。 ”
举例来说，有一次我还是个沙弥，负责照顾他起居，大宗派一个高年资比丘，作为禅修的初级学生前来求教。阿姜索教他禅定时念 “哺-哆 ”。好，这个比丘念着 “哺-哆 ”，心静了下来，一旦静下来，便明亮起来。然后他停下不念 “哺-哆 ”了。这时候，心变得一片空白。
他就跟着光明，把意念送了出去，有几个形象开始出现: 死者灵魂、饿鬼、神明、潜水生灵、人、兽、山岳、树林……有时仿佛他或他的心智，离开身体在山野里漫游，看见了上述事物。之后，他来告诉阿姜索说: “我在禅定中达到宁静明亮时，心就跟着光亮出去了。鬼神人兽的形象显现出来。有时仿佛是我出去跟踪那些形象。”
阿姜索一听到这里就说: “这不对。心智在外境获得知见是不正确的。你得让它了解内境。 ”
这位比丘就问: “我应该怎样让它了解内境呢? ”
阿姜索答: “心智在处于那样的明亮状态，忘记或离弃了它的反复念住，而只是空洞静止地滞留在那里时，就去找呼吸。如果呼吸感在你的意识中出现，就把注意力集中于呼吸，然后跟踪它，一直朝内走，直到心变得更宁静，更明亮。 ”
于是那位比丘遵照阿姜索的教导修行，直到最后静止下来，到了近行定(upacara samadhi)，之后呼吸越来越精细，最后消失了。他对于身体的存在感也消失了，只剩下心智绝对静止在那里，那个状态下知性本身清楚独立地存在，没有前后移动感，也没有心的位置感，因为那个时刻只有心的完全突显。这时，那位比丘又来问: “我的心智宁静明亮之后，我把注意力集中于呼吸，跟着呼吸朝内，直到达到绝对安宁静止的状态——如此静止，什么也不存在了，呼吸不再出现、身体存在感消失，只有心明亮静止地突显出来。这个状况，是对还是错? ”
阿姜答道: “是对是错，那是你自己的标准。尽量经常这样做，等到你练熟了，再来见我。 ”
于是这位比丘遵照阿姜的教导修行，之后能经常使他的心智静止，达到身感不存在，呼吸感也消失的地步。他的技巧越来越熟练，心越来越有定力。最后，他就能让心频繁处于静止状态——原则上，戒德培养定力、定力培养明辨、明辨培养心智——在他的定力变得强有力时，便升起了神通(abhiñña)，所谓的高等知识、真正的洞见。什么知识呢? 据说是有关心智本性的知识，即心在当下的状态。那只是他自己说的。
他离开那个定力层次后，来见阿姜索，阿姜索却告诉他，“这个定力层次是安止定(appana samadhi)。可以肯定，你在这个定境什么洞见与知识也没有。只有明亮与静止。如果心永远处在那个状态，也就只停在那个静止层次里。因此你一旦令心寂止到这个地步，就注意看心开始搅动起来、即将离开专注的那个间隙。心一旦觉察到它开始拿起一个对象——不管初现的对象是什么——要把注意力放在拿起的那个动作上。那才是你应该观察的。 ”
这位比丘听从了阿姜的指教，以后在心智开发上获得相当的进步。
这是阿姜索教育学生的一个例子——每次只教一点，只指出修持的关键要点，几乎只说: “做这个、这个、这个 ”，从不解释。有时我在想为什么他这样教。我会与读过的书、听过的其他开示作比较。比如，阿姜辛(Ajaan Singh)曾写过一本禅修小手册，题名为《依止三宝与禅修技巧》，他在书里说，禅修之前，首先必须身体坐直、确立念住、把它直接放在你面前。他是那样说的，阿姜索却不是。但他们教的是同一个原理，唯一不同之处在于阿姜索不是宣讲家，因此不用许多修辞。
正如他对我说过: “我们在决定重复‘哺-哆’这个词时，作这个决定本身就是在确立念住。我们连续想着‘哺-哆’，不让心智离开‘哺-哆’时，我们的念住和警觉便已经健康有力了，才能始终清醒地跟着 ‘哺-哆’。一旦注意力移开，忘记 ‘哺-哆’去想其它事，就表明我们的念脱节了。但是，假如我们把守念住，能不停地想着 ‘哺-哆’，不出空档，念住就很强了，不需要在别处‘确立念住’。想着一个目标，把它与心连接起来，这个动作本身就是在确立念住。 ” 他是这样对我解释的。
这是我眼见耳闻阿姜索传授禅修的一个例子，足以供我们作为思考的精神食粮。🙏🙏🙏
… …
阿姜普 (Ajahn Sao Kantasilo) - 阿姜索的教导 (The Teachings of Ajahn Sao)
《死隨念的有效修習方式》《Effective Practice of recollection of death 》
《死隨念的有效修習方式》《Effective Practice of recollection of death 》
“….To cultivate mindfulness of death successfully,
one must possess three essential qualities:
Mindfulness that remembers death,
Wisdom that knows one will surely die,
A sense of urgency and distress regarding death.
When cultivating mindfulness of death,
think of death through any method
until a sense of urgency arises.
Then strive to maintain that urgent mind
so that it does not diminish,
for this sense of urgency prevents negligence
and encourages swift action to abandon evil and perform good deeds,
purifying oneself promptly…”
“….要成功地修習死亡正念，
必須具備三個重要的條件：
能夠記住死亡的正念，
知道自己必然會死亡的智慧，
對死亡產生的急迫感和不安。
在修習死隨念時，
以任何方法思考死亡，
直到產生急迫感為止。
然後努力保持那種急迫的心態，
不要讓它減弱，
因為這種急迫感能防止疏忽大意，
並促使迅速行動以放棄惡行和行善，
迅速淨化自己……”
——————————————————————
Teachings of Luang Pu Sao Kantasilo
Wat Don Thatu, Phibun Mangsahan District, Ubon Ratchathani Province
cred. to Ajahn Golf 阿贊高爾夫 อาจารย์กอล์ฟ
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