Ajahn Lee is regarded as one of the greatest teachers and meditation masters of the Thai Forest Tradition of the 20th century.

[1][2] Among the forest monks, he devised the most comprehensive meditation instructions, and composed the most detailed map of the jhānas.

[citation needed] He was one of the first teachers to bring the teachings of the Forest Tradition to the mainstream of Thai society.

As he stayed at a spirit shrine in a nearby village, his father found of his whereabouts and came and escorted him the rest of the way.

When the district officer stayed one day in the village, he sided with Ajahn Lee's agenda to rid the area of spirit worship and make Buddhist practice more orthodox.