Luang Pu Dun Atulo

Luang Pu Dun Atulo was a Thai forest monk of the Dhammayut order, born on 4 October in Ban Prasat, a village in Surin province. The year is 1887 or 1888 depending on the source.

The biographical sketch in Gifts He Left Behind says he ordained in Surin at 22 and, six years later, left for Ubon Ratchathani, unhappy with the life of an uneducated town monk. There he befriended Ajahn Singh Khantiyagamo and reordained in the Dhammayut order. The two met Ajahn Mun soon after Mun’s return to the north-east, gave up their studies and took to the wandering life under his guidance. They were his first two disciples. Ajahn Dun then spent 19 years wandering through the forests and mountains of Thailand and Cambodia.

In 1934 his ecclesiastical superiors told him to head a combined study and practice monastery in Surin. He took over Wat Burapharam (Wat Burapha) in the middle of the town and stayed there until his death in 1983. Thai Wikipedia adds that he held posts in the monastic administration, including provincial chief monk of Surin, and received the title Phra Rajavuddhajarn in 1979.

His English book, Gifts He Left Behind, is a collection of short teachings: lessons and admonishments to students, answers to questions, and passages from the Pali Canon that he often quoted, with notes on the occasions behind them. It is free to read at dhammatalks.org.