Talk:Luang Ta Maha Bua
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Luang Ta Maha Bua may be a controversial figure but to base this article almost exclusively on the Devadatta incident is totally beside the point. Ajarn Maha Boowa is one of the greatest masters of the forest tradition in Thailand but there is nothing about his life or his teachings in the article. This is plainly ridiculous.
[edit] The Value and Meaning of Ajahn Maha Boowa's life
There is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that Ven. Ajahn Maha Boowa is widely regarded within Thailand (and even beyond) to be an Ariya (a Buddhist saint), and indeed, is possibly the most well known and respected Buddhist monk living in Thailand today. As an informed Theravadan Buddhist - I have been serving as president of the Buddhist Society of Western Australia for the past four years - I can only assume that this original posting of this article on the "Devadatta Incident" is intentionally derogatory and/or containing an overtly political intention and message. I agree with the above (anonymous) poster that the article as it is originally constituted is plainly ridiculous.
Whilst I am not an expert on Ajahn Maha Boowa's life, I feel duty bound to make very substantial changes to this article in order to reflect a more balanced biographical reflection on his life.
And finally, I think that the redirection from "Ajahn_Maha_Boowa" to "Luang_Ta_Maha_Boowa" is the wrong way around. Whilst in the Thai it may sound more honorific to refer to senior monks as "Luang Por" (implying reverence, like "Venerable Father"), and he often refers to himself as "Luang Ta" (implying slight derision, "Venerable Old Man"), senior monks in the Thai tradition are most often referred to in English as "Ajahn" (literally "teacher"). For the sake of consistency, I believe that the redirection should be working the other way around.
Solasaurus 02:32, 10 January 2007 (UTC)
I've added a short biography to get things started. I also deleted most of the newspaper quotes as these are superfluous, and furthermore the whole incident is superfluous in the context of his life. This is an Arahat we're talking about here. If if you discount the Buddhist perspective on his attainments, one could still point to his humanitarian work. Every year millions of dollars are donated to his monastery. Yet Wat Pa Bahn Tahd is a model of austere simplicity. The money is forwarded on the humanitarian projects like building hospitals in needy rural areas and providing the poor. How come none of this is mentioned? He lives in the sticks in north-east Thailand, and is a simple monk. Whilst his style of speaking is gruff, direct and often hyperbolic, a casual reader of Wikipedia, not understanding his style of speech (especially when translated from the Thai) would misinterpret these statements and not understand the reverence with which he is considered by millions of Buddhists in the world today.
Solasaurus 03:01, 10 January 2007 (UTC)
I suggest that the title be changed to Maha Bua. It is very confusing to call him Luang Ta. No person outside of Thailand would do this. In twenty years, I've never heard anyone refer to him as Luang Ta Maha Bua. The title is personal piety, not any kind of formal or official name - Santi
