Luang Por Teean and His Dynamic Meditation
Luang Por Teean (หลวงพ่อเทียน) was a Thai monk who is probably less well known to many of us westerners. He promoted a very interesting form of meditation called Mahasati or dynamic mediation which may be of use to those of us who claim that we just can’t stay still long enough to meditate. It may be of particularly value to those who are newly sober after an addiction and therfore unable to concentrate on anything for long. I’ve tried to use this technique in the past and found it very useful. One day I’d like to pursue it further. I previously wrote a couple of articles about Luang Por Teean for another website; I will be using a lot of that information again here.
First Encounter with Dynamic Meditation
The first time I heard about the dynamic meditation method of Luang Por Teean (Luang Por means respected father in Thai) was about seven years ago. There was a monk at a temple in Hua Hin Thailand who tried to teach me the technique. At the time I was struggling to use meditation as a means to control my alcohol addiction. I had previously completed a month long intensive meditation retreat in the north of Thailand and for a short while my mind felt at ease. I drank after a few days though, and my thinking was once again in turmoil. In fact it was worse than ever because I had tasted what it was like to have a mind that was free. I was desperate to stop drinking for good and so spent a few months turning up at temples drunk and looking for help.
It was during one of these drunken temple visits I met this monk who took pity on me and tried to teach me the meditation technique of Luang Por Teean. I visited a few times and at the end of each visit he would ask me to return sober the next day. I never did so my drunken meditation lessons didn’t progress very well. I was also full of drunken arrogance and believed this dynamic meditation method was too bizarre and a bit beneath me. I wanted to just practice the meditation technique that had been taught to me during my stay at the retreat in Chiang Mai. I didn’t want all the hand waving that seemed to go with the dynamic meditation technique of Luang Por Teean.
Now a few years later I can look back at that time and cringe; I must have looked like such a hopeless case to those monks who were unfortunate enough to have to deal with me. My main regret though is that I didn’t take the chance to learn the dynamic meditation technique more fully. I have since grown to appreciate that it really is an effective way to meditate despite the fact that it looks a bit bizarre when you first see people doing it.
The dynamic meditation technique of Luang Por Teean aims to build high levels of concentration (sati). It does this by focusing on certain hand movements. Many meditation techniques focus on the breath or a sound, but this technique focuses on these slight movements. You can perform dynamic meditation in the lotus position or you can do it sitting in a chair or even standing.
## From Layman to Arahant ##
Luang Por Teean is bit of an oddity within the list of famous Thai monks because he didn’t ordain until quite late in life. By the time he put on the robes he had already raised a family, and if you believe many of his followers he was already well on his way to being an Arahant (an enlightened one).
Luang Por Teean was born in Loei in 1911. His family were poor so he became a novice for ten years in order to receive and education; it was during this time that he developed his interest in mediation. After school he went back to work on the farm and eventually got married and started a family. He never lost his interest in meditation though and as he got older he would attend regular retreats. It was while at one of these retreats that he experienced a spiritual breakthrough. The meditation master gave him a practice to perform but Luang Por got a bit bored and started experimenting with different things. It was by doing this that he discovered dynamic meditation, and he almost immediately found this to be a far more effective way to mediate.
Luang Por Teean was so moved by his new discover that he asked his family’s permission to ordain as a monk. This was granted and he spent the rest of his life teaching the technique to other people. He died in 1988 but there are still many Thai monks who still teach his meditation technique.
Here is a video of Dynamic Meditation in action
You can find out more about the meditation technique of Luang Por Teean here
The photograph of Luang Por Teean was obtained from Wikimedia
in the US
in the UK
This is really interesting, and I can see how this could be helpful for people who have trouble paying attention. I’m a teacher, and there are a certain number of kids who always need to be playing with something in their hands (especially kids with attention problems, who claim the fooling around with their hands helps them to pay attention). I bet these people would do very well with the sort of meditation you’ve described. I’m glad you provided a link, and I plan to check it out. Thank you for writing about this.
Mary recently posted..The REAL Reasons Why Lavish Tipping Practices Continue in US Restaurants
Thanks Mary, I do think that it is a good alternative for those who struggle with other forms of meditation.
I’m not surprised this type of meditation can be effective as anything that allows you to still your mind is a good meditation. Is it similar in some ways to Tai Chi, another active meditation? I get the impression that the movements in Mahasati are much smaller than those of Tai Chi.
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Hi Steve, the movements are very slight and repetative. It works in a similar way as waliking meditation that is used in some of the other temples; where the mind is focused on the very small movements of the feet. I also like to think of Tai Chi as a form of meditation.
You are a better man than I. I would not be able to meditate like that. Thanks for sharing though – interesting.
I meditate a lot these days. I find it helps with many areas of my life.
[...] Originally Posted by Sniffy the Atheist Hi happyknownothing, that's amazing, i am glad meditation worked for you. Sadly it didn't work for me because i don't have the patience to sit down and concentrate. I probably now risk sounding like a cult member trying to win a convert but you might find this type of meditation more up your street Luang Por Teean and His Dynamic Meditation | paulgarrigan.com [...]