Who was Kruba Noi Yanwichai?

A Lanna Buddhist monk of the “khruba” lineage, revered by the people of Nan for his strict practice and the temples he built. A disciple of Kruba Boonchum, he meditated in a cave for three years, three months and three days; he founded and lived at Wat Tham Chetawan in Nan Province. Before he died, at just 34, he set his teachings down in his own hand.

Born25 March 1989 · Ban Na Daeng, Na Noi, Nan
TeacherA disciple of Kruba Boonchum Yanasangvaro
RetreatIn a cave for 3 years, 3 months, 3 days (2014–2017)
WritingsA handwritten manual of meditation and daily maxims
Passed away31 August 2023 · aged 34 · at Wat Tham Chetawan

In his own words

Words from Kruba Noi

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Kruba Noi Yanwichai
The happy person is not one who has everything, but one who is happy with everything they have.
Kruba Noi Yanwichai
See everything as it is — not as we wish it to be.
Kruba Noi Yanwichai
Abandon, and the heart is clean. Let go, and the heart is clear. Come to terms, and the heart is cool. Forgive, and the heart is at peace.
Kruba Noi Yanwichai
Behind success, for the most part, is not brilliance but effort. Effort may not succeed every time, but every success is born of effort.
Kruba Noi Yanwichai
Even if in all this world there were not one person left for us to rely on, we still have ourselves — the best refuge we can ever have.
Kruba Noi Yanwichai
Because yesterday can no longer be gone back to and mended, there is tomorrow, for us to begin anew and do better. Success lies ahead only of those who never give up trying.
Kruba Noi Yanwichai
Look at yourself, to mend yourself. Look at others, to forgive them. Look ahead, to build hope. Look back, to correct your faults.
Kruba Noi Yanwichai
In doing good, do not worry whether it will be repaid. The good we do is not wasted. Keep building good steadily, and at a certain point the good we have built will flow back to build us in turn.

The work

The Dharma book he wrote by hand

«ครูบาน้อย ญาณวิไชย สอนกรรมฐาน» — ‘Kruba Noi Yanwichai Teaches Meditation’
Dharma of the Cave, and Maxims of Wisdom

This volume binds together two works — “Teaching Meditation”, a manual in six treatises that shows Kruba Noi as a systematic teacher, and “Maxims to Guide Life”, 153 daily reflections.

The dedication, with his personal sigil
The opening of the meditation manual
The colophon, signed in Lanna script

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An authentic handwritten manuscript · 5th printing (2021), 13,000 copies · digitized by Chulalongkorn University · shared as dhammadāna

Read the meditation manual he wrote by hand →

Who was Kruba Noi Yanwichai?

Words from Kruba Noi

The Dharma book he wrote by hand

The temple where he lived