Buddhadasa Indapanno Archives
Throughout his 87 years, Buddhadasa Bhikkhu (Nguam Indapanno 1906-1993), who considered himself a loyal slave of the Buddha, studied, researched, practiced and taught Dhamma as best he could.
His Dhamma legacy in the form of manuscripts, handwritten notes, letters, drawings, photographs, films, slides, audiotapes, books and other media includes at least 20,000 items: more than 600,000 pages, 50,000 pictures and 2.5 terabytes of audio.
In 2007, the Buddhadasa Indapanno Archives Foundation was established to collect and maintain these Dhamma teachings so that they could be disseminated worldwide in accordance with Buddhadasa Bhikku’s three resolutions: to help everyone penetrate to the heart of their own religion; to create mutual understanding among religions, and to work together to drag the world out of materialism.
Three years later, in August 2010, on 2.5 hectares of land in downtown Bangkok donated by Thailands’s late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the Buddhadasa Indapanno Archives (BIA) was opened to the public. Also known as Suan Mokkh Bangkok, BIA is as unique to the world, both architecturally and programmatically, as was Buddhadasa Bhikku and his Suan Mokkh monastery in their approaches to teaching and sharing the Dhamma.
BIA’s core objectives are:
To be a Dhamma learning and edutainment center to help people attain Nibbana;
To preserve Buddhism through the works, intentions and ideals of Buddhadasa Bhikkhu to help bring back righteousness, peace of body and mind, and wisdom to mankind through Buddhism, to support mutual understanding among Buddhists, and to help people withdraw from the influence of materialism and become ‘Buddhadasas’ who serve the Buddha by propagating His Dhamma by living the Buddhist way until others appreciate and follow their way of life. In the end, every place will become a ‘Suan Mokkh,’ or a good place to attain Nibbana;
To collect, maintain and set up a database for original written works by Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, to provide support for education, research, development, publication and exchange of Dhamma knowledge, and to organize activities that promote wisdom and strength of mind to the point where one can remain peaceful, calm and useful with the potential to provide help and support in the material world while going beyond it.
As a living embodiment of Buddhadasa Bhikku’s legacy, BIA is far more than a repository for the preservation of his material heritage. Visitors will discover his teachings echoing from nearly every corner and every surface of BIA's expansive building and surrounding landscape. An evolving menu of activities works to advance his legacy by offering a rich diversity of programs that promote spiritual and physical health and well-being for all.
BIA is a publicly accessible Dhamma learning experience like no other.