Forest monks, such as the Abhayagiri Buddhist monks live in Thailand where they experience the joy of unburdened life and attempt to subdue the taints of their minds such as greed and pride through their meditative practices. The depend upon the common people for providing them with material needs such as alms food and cloth for robes and provide other followers of the Buddhist religion with teachings and spiritual inspiration .

An example of one of the earliest teachers is Ajaan Sao. Ajaan Sao, without giving long, drawn out explanations, taught his students how to be mindful. He taught his students how to make their mind still and develop concentration, then discernment. Discernment develops the mind and when concentration becomes strong, it gives rise to heightened knowledge and true insight. The knowledge gained is knowledge of the true nature of the mind, knowing the states of mind as they occur in the present. His method of teaching, as stated before did not involve long, drawn out explanations, but focused on the very heart of the practice, making it seem as though he was directing and guiding you without giving you explanations, but allowing you to meditate.  

In their practice, modern monks follow 227 rules of conduct, are required to be celibate, eat only between dawn and noon, and do not handle money. They engage in a practice known as “tudong” where they wander the forest on foot in search of solitary retreat places in nature. The phrase thudong (monks living in the forest) sleep wherever is available and eat only what is offered by common people along the way. They face many adverse conditions on their journeys including malaria, bad weather, and the problem of finding food. They do, however, sometimes sleep in Buddhist sanctuaries like caves or forest temples.