What the Buddha Never Taught: A ‘Behind the Robes” Account of Life in a Thai Forest Monastery by Tim Ward (PDF)

Description

There is still a place in the jungles of Thailand, where you can leave it all behind… A cult classic and bestseller in the 1990s, What the Buddha Never Taught is a humorous “behind the robes” account of life inside one of the strictest jungle monasteries in Southeast Asia. In Pahnanachat, the monks keep the 227 rules laid down by the Buddha, including refraining from all killing. But how does a foreign monk cope with cobra in the outhouse, or the temptation of a Mars Bar in his begging bowl? Find out, in this newly reincarnated 20th anniversary edition, with a new introduction by the author and a new foreword by Wade Davis.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Everyone who writes a book about Buddhism wants to be a guru, or at least that’s the writing posture they present. Tim Ward is an exception, and that’s the most interesting, refreshing aspect of “What the Buddha Never Taught”. He recounts his experiences as a novice practitioner of the Thai forest monastery tradition with insight and honesty. His candor is refreshing, especially given the mind numbing prose that characterizes so many books about Buddhism. His description of his “meeting” with Thai forest master Ajahn Chah is absolutely chilling. If you like candid books about Buddhist practice, you have to read this one.

⭐I’ve practiced and taught meditation for years, read everything on Eastern thought that I found from Alan Watts and Baba Ram in 1972 to Jon Kabat-Zinn and E. Tolle in this ‘new age’. One day while in the library, I came across this slim volume and took it home.I found this thoughtful, humorous account to be one of the best books ever on the personal journey of spirit. I loved it so much, after returning it to the library, I down loaded a copy to my Kindle from Amazon. A great read and a very thought provoking volume that should be on everyone’s list who is sincerely looking for a well rounded view. I’ve ordered his other books as well and look forward to continuing sharing this journey with Tim. Thanks for this book!

⭐I’ve shared this book with at least a dozen people since someone first shared it with me nearly 15 years ago. An excellent, insightful, and entertaining read well worth the time spent with it. Perhaps problematic for folks actively struggling against dogmatic tendencies or elements of pride and/or identity. As with all teaching–take from it that which proves truthful and useful, and leave the rest.

⭐A semi interesting account of a month spend in a monastery.The author seemed to lack an understanding of Theravada Buddhism. His struggle to use the discipline of the monastery to his advantage was interesting.

⭐This is a sweet book of self discovery on a path that many Westerners have taken over the past forty years using Asian ideas and practices to come to terms with an inner world they find uncomfortable. Tim Ward ended up in the Western monastery in Thailand of the Buddhist monk Ajaan Cha who was teacher to Jack Kornfield and Ajaan Sumedho. Ajaan Cha is the lineage head of the many monasteries Sumedho has help found in England, America, Australia, and elsewhere around the world. By the time Tim arrived in 1985 Ajaan Cha had been disabled by water on the brain for more than five years. Tim’s tale of the monastery is revealing of the outer flaws of monastic life and his own struggle to come to terms with them. Monks influenced by Ajaan Cha and his students often promote monastic life as the answer to life’s problems. The world Tim reveals is all too human. There are personalities, there is blind submission to Thai culture which treats monks almost as magical persons. Laypersons earn merit for themselves in this life and future lives by feeding and serving the monks, and the monks rationalize what they know to be a way too simple understanding of Buddhism because it maintains their lifestyle. Tim befriends another novice with whom he can talk about all these contradictions. The friend leaves and, although apparently not there much longer, Tim becomes really angry about what he feels are compromises. The anger is palpable and the reader senses how out of proportion it is to the inconsistencies in monastic life. The book is redeemed and Tim begins to understand what he has been missing when the very monks he dumps his anger on respond to him with authentic compassion. Their monastic life has imbued in them both a love and equanimity so they are not at all hooked by what they recognize as clearly Tim’s discontents whatever the actual problems of Thai monasteries may be.This is an engaging book. There are wonderful descriptions of the discomforts engendered by mosquitoes, ants, scorpions, and snakes of a countryside which had once been wild and was giving way to civilization. The dialogue between Tim and his friend, his taunting of others in the monastery, his easy explanation of Buddhist ideas make for interesting reading. The book flows nicely and, as reader, I looked forward to what challenge would come next for Tim. These days Buddhism is presented as a cure all touted on the covers of popular magazines. The Dalai Lama has become a hero. While Buddhism can offer some people relief from their problems, it has a long diverse history as a religion with all kinds of awkwardnesses not revealed by its promoters. It is refreshing to get a look into one man’s experience in a monastery. It has many familiar ordinary human failures along with redeeming qualities. And of course, other people in other monastic settings have had quite different experiences. I think this is an important book to read for both Buddhist practitioners and people for whom Buddhism has been placed on a pedestal.Charlie Fisher author of

⭐This book has been around for a long time, but its message is still pertinent, especially for newcomers to Buddhist thought and practice. Tim Ward describes his visit to a Thai jungle monastery in an engaging manner. Ward focuses on the excesses of hierarchy, regulations, and austerity — none of which are central to the Buddha’s basic teachings. Ward relates his first-hand experiences with serenity and doubt, with temptation and laughter, and with suffering and insight. In many ways, it is an ideal book for readers who are just beginning their explorations of Buddhism, seasoned travelers will revel in it as well.Stanley Krippner, Ph.D.

⭐Good read ……..

⭐yes

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