A thrilling spiritual biography--or rather, three in one--Sons of the
Buddha is an excellently written, transcendent account of an
all-but-lost Thailand and the early lives of three of its most prominent
Buddhist teachers.
Filled with lively anecdotes and illustrations, Sons of the Buddha
tells the early life stories of three master Buddhist preachers from
Thailand, each of whom also has followings in North America. Ajahn
Buddhadasa (1906-93), Ajahn Panya (b. 1911), and Ajahn Jumnien (b.
1936), all monks and abbots of monasteries, have been highly influential
in Thai society and tireless in their work and teaching.
A preacher must have common sense, know how to turn everyday life
experience into Dharma lessons, and be able to accurately assess the
needs of his audience. Sons of the Buddha shows how three boys evolved
into remarkable embodiments of the "preacher" ideal. Each would effect
changes in moral attitudes and Dharma practices, restore Buddhism's
social dimension, bridge the divide separating laypeople and monastics,
and champion an openmindedness toward other religions. In these
delightful stories-full of local color-we see what it was that led them
to become so fearless and influential.