Ajahn Plien Paññapatipo

Ajahn Plien Paññapatipo was a Thai forest monk of the Dhammayut order. His own account of his life says he was born on 16 November 1933 at Ban Khok Khon in Sakon Nakhon province, in north-eastern Thailand, and ordained on 31 March 1959. His first teacher was Luang Pu Phrom Cirapuñño. He then wandered widely and trained with Luang Pu Thet in the south, Luang Pu Tue in Chiang Mai and Luang Pu Waen at Wat Doi Mae Pang; Thai Wikipedia names these as the teachers he served and practised with longest. He was not taught by Ajahn Mun directly, though these teachers were Ajahn Mun’s students.

In 1966 he moved to Wat Aranyawiwake in Mae Taeng district, Chiang Mai province, where he spent his eighth rains retreat and then stayed as abbot. English Wikipedia says Ajahn Mun named the place, and his own account records Luang Pu Thet’s story of Luang Pu Khao meditating there when he was with Ajahn Mun in the north. Ajahn Plien stayed as abbot until he died on 15 February 2018, aged 84. English-language pages still call him the current abbot, so treat those as out of date.

Abhayagiri monastery lists a book by him, Mindfulness of Death, and its teacher page records a reading from it (pages 1-20, read by Ajahn Ṭhitapañño) in session 28, 12 February 2014, of its series on the roots of the Thai Forest Tradition. This site has not read the book itself, so it does not summarise it.

For his life and for the temple he led, see Wat Aranyawiwake. His teacher, Luang Pu Waen, is covered on his own page.