This first episode of The Body Knows Podcast of 2021 is with senior, Western Buddhist monk Ajahn Succito, and we could not be happier to be sharing his deep, compassionate, somatic wisdom as we set forth into the New Year together.
Ajahn Sucitto entered monastic life in 1975 in Thailand, but been based in Britain since 1978. He spent fourteen years training under Ajahn Sumedho, the senior Western disciple of the Thai Forest Buddhist master Luang Por Chah, and so is part of that direct lineage of Theravadan monastic practice. Beginning in 1979 with the founding of Chittaviveka monastery in Chithurst, West Sussex, under the guidance of Ajahn Chah, and later Amaravati in Hertfordshire with Ajahn Sumedo, he is one of those who is instrumental in establishing Theravadan Buddhism in the West. He was also then abbot of Cittaviveka between 1992 & 2014, when he resigned the post, although he continues teaching.
The title of Ajahn denotes an expert spiritual teacher in the Thai language, and for both of us has been just that; directly on silent retreat, practicing mediation and Chi Gong, as well as through talks on the Buddha’s teachings, and in his many written works also.
This first season of the podcast has been all about us speaking with those who have been direct influences, teachers and companions to us and when drawing up our wish list of guests Ajahn was always one we both dearly wanted to interview, such has the impact of his teaching been upon us.
The Thai Forest tradition has a very direct style and approach to practice, the Buddha's teachings and to daily life. There are spiritual traditions that ignore, deny, abuse or try to transcend the body, and we wanted to gain Ajahn's spiritual perspective on the importance of reclaiming our feelings, sensations, and instincts and the value of listening to wisdom the of the body.
Some of the Buddha’s instructions on mindfulness emphasize that we should ‘Directly know the body in the body’, and that ‘Mindfulness of body encompasses all states that give rise to wisdom’. We knew Ajahn would provide clear, loving, joyful, first-hand personal experience upon this, and we were not disappointed by what he had to share.
Ajahn’s books are available for free distribution and are free to download via https://forestsangha.org/ His talks, essays and reflections are also available on his own site https://ajahnsucitto.org/ where you can sign up for his newsletter, to get updates about all his teaching engagements, both live and virtual, as well as links to recorded teachings. You can also find him on the Insight Timer app https://insighttimer.com/ajahnsucitto
