Buddhadasa
BUDDHAD?SA
Buddhad?sa (Ngeaum Panich, 1906–1993), a Thai Buddhist monk and scholar, was a prolific commentator on the P?li literature of the Therav?da school and an influential preceptor of engaged Buddhism. Ordained at the age of twenty-one, Buddhad?sa became widely known for his critical intellect, his interest in meditation, and his gifts as a teacher. He founded Suan M?kh (Garden of Liberation), an important monastery and international center for engaged Buddhist thought and training in Thailand. In his voluminous writings, Buddhad?sa developed the ideas of dhammic socialism, spiritual politics, fellowship of restraint (sa?gamaniyama), and interfaith dialogue based on Buddhist principles of selflessness, interdependence, and nonattachment.
Bibliography
Jackson, Peter A. Buddhad?sa: A Buddhist Thinker for the Modern World. Bangkok, Thailand: Siam Society, 1988.
Santikaro, Bhikkhu. "Buddhad?sa Bhikkhu: Life and Society through the Natural Eyes of Voidness." In Engaged Buddhism: Buddhist Liberation Movements in Asia, ed. Christopher S. Queen and Sallie B. King. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1996.
Swearer, Donald K., ed. Me and Mine: Selected Essays of Bhikkhu Buddhad?sa. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1989.
Christopher S. Queen