teep

 His name is Sukkai Charoennet…

Name meaning “The body that is happy”… Surname meaning “Eyes of the Awakened” or “Eyes full with prayer” 

Sukkai Charoennet (short Thai name – Teep), Meditation Teacher and Massage Doctor following the Thai Forest Tradition of Buddhist monasticism with its powerful ancient healing techniques that is still alive and much appreciated in North-Eastern Thailand (Isan). Proud bearer and devoted keeper of the ancient knowledge being passed from generation to generation through practice and meditation, from Teacher to the disciple, from heart to heart. With all the wisdom from his teachers-monks of Isan and the unique experience from Chinese healers who come to honor big Buddhist Teachers in Thailand as a tradition, Teep has created his original way and style, added his own revelations and discoveries on the monkhood path. Seven years of solitary retreats, as the forest tradition prescribes, jungle life, cave-hiding, talking to animals, long-term meditation and vipassana practicing, vows (non-sleep, non-eat), austerity, fear conquer practices, sweeping out the dependence on his very own body limitations and all material and social praise limitations, all these have made him a unique personality and healer.

Teep is a descendant from a family of massage healers down to early generations. Not even the oldest members of the family remember now when it all started. Everyone knows as a simple matter of fact that massage is “in their blood” (this is a direct translation from Thai terms). Naturally, Teep’s predisposition, interest towards meridians healing (รักษา เส้น), his fast skills developments, even by monks’ standards, whose concentration and perseverance are outstanding, are not accidental but well based on the “ancestors’ DNA”.

Учитель Суккай Чароэннет Sukkai Charoennet storyteep лечебный тайский массаж по меридианам тела

He started his learning path from early childhood in the Baan Gun village, North-Eastern Thailand (Udon-Thani province). From his memories, he says the elderly people showed him some technique and guided him: “Teep, press like this, then put pressure here, then twist this way, that way…” He was about 5 then. His power was noticed immediately, having experienced raising energy and pain relief, people were impressed and talking. His own style also was present even then – he invented new moves and practiced them enthusiastically. He was already known as a person that has the “sense” of meridians. After a while, Teep followed his older brother to the monkhood path, but before that his portion of adventures took place, he escaped from home because of a quarrel with his mother, stayed in Bangkok homeless, lived under a bridge with leprosy community, learned to draw portraits, became a chef cook in a restaurant, even took hold of Chinese spices and dishes cooking secrets.   

As a meaningful purposeful path, study of body meridians and massage practice started for Teep from 17, after he entered one of the forest monasteries of Isan as a novice monk. As part of the tradition, he got full access to all the accumulated, systematized knowledge source of healing through massage, herbs, meditation, which is kept thoroughly by monks while looking for the right disciple who can continue the way.  

After a while, Teep has started his solitary pilgrimage, as the Forest Tradition prescribes for its followers, “thudong” practice – พระธุดงค์, a walk on foot around the country, visiting sacred sites, looking for remote areas where  seclusion and deep meditation are natural, and places that have bad fame and are avoided by locals, to test their spiritual strength and put all their knowledge into practice, to bring counsel and peace of mind to local villages who are petrified, to help spirits to attain peace. Pilgrimage is intended to train and strengthen the spirit through deprivation, vows, long-term meditation and vipassana practice,  to control and release any fears, to stay in close relation to the nature, talk to animals, even spirits (souls), Teep has some thrilling stories about these those that make  your hair stand on end. During the pilgrimage years, that lasted  for 7 years with some interruptions, Teep met one of the famous monk-teachers, his name is Ajarn Noom or Teacher-rejuvenation, who is considered one of the best doctors of present time among monks. His mission os travelling and passing on the tradition to maintain the succession of monks’ heritage of healing techniques. He tested Teep with a long massage session and was impressed and relieved to see a disciple to follow his path. Teep stayed with Teacher Noom a few year. After some intense training it has slowly progressed towards mutual learning and influence, their styles transformed, anew techniques were created. They spent a part of their thudong path together.

The first real life test for his new skills happened to be fully successful. One of highly influential Buddhist Teachers of North-Eastern Thailand (Luang Por Thon, Loei Province) invited Teep to try out his meridians power. He was surprised that a novice and a young man (about 19 at that time) has this deep understanding of location,  interconnection and functionality of meridians. Teep has become one of his personal doctors (in Thai,  a person who has the healing through meridians power is called Massage Doctor – Moo Laksa Sen). On one of auspicious occasions Luang Por Thon gave give prominence to Teep’s skills and recommended him as a gifted healer in front of other great teachers. This way Teep has gained authority and reputation at the beginning of his monkhood path, which continued for 20 years more.

Later Teep was directed to apply his healing power towards recovery of one of the great teachers Luang Por Faak, a disciple of the famous Luang Ta Maha Bua. He was after his eighties, and had a major car accident with the right side of his body paralyzed. This Teacher has a special. Teep spent 8 months with continuous daily treatment. During this time he recovered enough to be able to speak, articulate, and eat independently. There was not enough improvement with the right leg functionality, and Teep left for solitary retreat in an attempt to find the solution. He practiced all types of meditation, long hours and days, and tried different meridians, pressure points and combinations on himself to follow the reaction and find out the way to  reanimate the leg. Revelation didn’t come to him yet. At some point he was willing to come back to the monastery, and at that precise moment that he remembers very clear, the knowledge came, during meditation. He returned full of eagerness, the Teacher started to walk anew, and gave special recommendations to Teep, opening new doors for him.

Teep entered the leading Forest Monastery of Thailand – Baan Taad Forest Monastery, he has become a personal doctor for the venerable Teacher Ajarn Luang Ta Maha Bua. Luang Ta was a straight forward person, he didn’t bother for diplomas or recommendations, and simply said: “You can start your treatments and we’ll see your skills”. This is a very special memory for Teep. After 2 hours treatment Teep was wordlessly accepted and he spend 2 continuous; years with Luang Ta Maha Bua.

Luang Ta Maha Bua is well known to any Thai person, as well as to international Buddhist community, he traveled, gave teachings, visited England, participated in social life, founded hospitals, helped the authorities of Thailand in difficult times. He is regarded as an Arahant — a living Buddhist saint. He founded the Baan Taad Forest Monastery and organized its routine, rules as prescribed by the strict ancient Pali Canon teachings. Monks having a chat and seen by Luang Ta were disranked and sent home for inappropriate behavior. Pathways on the monastery grounds remained as mud paths to not disturb monks’ concentration with noise while being swept. Using a flashlight in the dark time a monk must watch out not to raise the light as monks are practicing walking meditation on their special pathways. Teep says that until reaching the honorable age and its disturbances by body aging, he only used a wooden bed and pillow, only after becoming weak and feeling unwell he allowed himself a soft fabric pillow. From the furnishings there were only main monk’s belongings – clothes, umbrella, bowl for going on almsround, books.