Bua was born in Baan Taad village in the northeastern province of Udon Thani.

He entered Yothanimit monastery and was ordained on 12 May 1934, with Venerable Chao Khun Dhammachedi as his preceptor.

He then concentrated entirely on the practice of Dhamma in hopes of studying with Venerable Ajahn Mun, one of the most renowned meditation masters of his time.

When he finally met him, he was pleased with his efforts, since it seemed as if Mun already knew his desires, intentions, and doubts.

Mun clarified the questions in his mind and showed him the paths leading to Nibbana still exist.

He learned the meditation methods followed by Mun, based on the principles of Buddhism and the code of Buddhist discipline.

He solely focuses on the practice of Buddhist meditation and has only one aim for his disciples: Reaching the end of dukkha.

This is his real work, and it was taught in a form suitable for the small amount of time available during the ordination ceremony — five meditation objects to be memorized in forward and reverse order — and after that it's up to each individual to expand on them and develop them to whatever degree of breadth or subtlety he is able to.

Wat Pa Baan Taad preserves this remnant in its original condition, so that monks, novices, and lay people can use its tranquility for the practice of the Dhamma as taught by the Lord Buddha.

Ajahn Maha Bua is well known for the fluency and skill of his Dhamma talks, and their direct and dynamic approach.

Such talks usually take place in the cool of the evening, with lamps lit and the only sound being the insects and cicadas in the surrounding jungle.

As the theme naturally develops, the pace quickens and those listening increasingly feel its strength and depth.

"[1] Bua observes the essential enduring truth of the sentient being as constituted of the indestructible reality of the citta (heart/mind).

[6] This citta, which is intrinsically bright, clear, and aware, gets superficially tangled up in samsara but ultimately cannot be destroyed by any samsaric phenomenon.

Although Bua is often at pains to emphasise the need for meditation upon the non-Self (anatta), he also points out that the citta, while getting caught up in the vortex of conditioned phenomena, is not subject to destruction as are those things which are impermanent, suffering, and non-Self (anicca, dukkha, anatta).

[7] The fundamental problem that besets human beings, according to Bua, is that they have taken fake and false things as their true self and lack the necessary power to be their 'own true self'; they allow the wiles and deceits of the mental defilements to generate fear and anxiety in their minds.

Although kammatthana can be found in many meditation-related subjects, the term is most often used to identify the forest tradition (the Kammatthana tradition) lineage founded by Ajahn Sao Kantasilo Mahathera and his student Ajahn Mun Bhuridatta Mahathera.