Note: Ajarn Pichest Boonthumme (Pichet Aon Phawat Boonthumme) passed away on August 21th, 2023.
Ajarn, Acharn, or Ajahn (Thai for master or teacher ) Pichest Boonthumme, the so-called “Chain Smoking Master,” is perhaps the greatest living Thai Massage teacher. A living legend.
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I don’t know if he is “the best” in Thailand, or even if the Thai people consider him to be so, but he’s most likely the greatest living Thai Massage healer we Westerners know.
Many Western Thai Massage teachers have been influenced by his teachings and style — one way or the other. And through these teachers many students have been taught some of the Pichest “moves” and probably also got acquainted with parts of his philosophy.
I’d like to dedicate this post to some famous Pichest quotes. Sayings, proverbs, quotes stated in his typical “Thai English.”
I think they’re rather interesting. I can’t and won’t say I always fully grasp their meaning, as one also needs to know the context, but they always have a certain appeal, a kind of “second layer.” They do speak for themselves intuitively. And they’re funny anyhow.
Well then, here they are:
“If not easy to do, do not do. Do not do. Do not do. Do not do.”
“See, can do yoga easily. I do now.”
“Easy to say, hard to do.”
“Feel. Sense. Where is the block?”
“Body is your best teacher.”
“Technique no feel!”
“If client comes in with problem, and you have same problem, then how to fix? Cannot fix! Cannot help!”
“Mind no feel, but body feel.”
“For you, hard; for me, easy.”
“If you want to improve your eyesight, cut these off (points to testicles).”
“Thinking, thinking. Too much thinking.”
“It’s okay, slowly-slowly you moving forward. My problems bigger then yours before.”
“See, block here!”
“Good for me, good for you, good for everybody.”
“Listen to your body.”
“What do Yogi do? Yogi sits, Yogi feels. Yogi feels inside.”
“Oh, big problem… massage cannot helping. Go to hospital.”
“Farang terrible, always don’t know.”
“Go to temple… for prayer and meditation.”
“Burn the book.”
“Easy to see… but how to do? How sensing?”
“No killing, no lying, no sex, no stealing, no whiskey.”
“Cannot relax… too much energy.”
“Feel, feel!”
“Feel, how feel? Feel or no feel? You don’t know!”
“I want, I want – no ego!, mai?”
“Sense, feel, not just do, do, do… ”
“Who cause problems? Themselves cause problems. Who make happy? Themselves make happy.”
“Do good. From the heart.”
“Fighting… inside-outside-inside-outside… make crazy.”
“You do, do, you dodo, help others, but no help yourself.”
“You no feel, only do, but no feel!”
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