About Us | The Middle Way

Our Story

We operate at both the grassroots and policy level to elevate global happiness and well-being through three consecutive transformations: personal transformation, interpersonal transformation and societal transformation. Our various programs include, meditation and wisdom training, outreach programs and annual global events to promote global happiness and well-being.

The Middle Way Education focuses on the ancient wisdom of The Middle Way which was taught and practiced by the Buddha to attain Enlightenment. In the first teaching of the Buddha, given to the five disciples more than 2,500 years ago, there is reference in the discourse named, “Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta” (Setting in Motion The Wheel of the Truth), in Samyutta Nikaya (The Connected Discourses of the Buddha), referring to the Middle Way as a key path leading to Enlightenment.

The Great Teacher who rediscovered this ancient wisdom of The Middle Way is Luang Pu Wat Paknam, a celebrated Theravada Monk in Thailand. He explained that around 500 years after the Buddha passed away, the understanding of The Middle Way as a meditation method, and not just a life philosophy, was fading away. As a result, Buddhist monks and lay people in those times only practiced a life of moderation without understanding the deeper meaning of The Middle Way.

Luang Pu Wat Paknam became a monk at 22 years old. He was always curious about what actually happened under the Bodhi tree when Prince Siddhatta became the Buddha, the self-enlightened one. For 11 years after his ordination, Luang Pu Wat Paknam learned and practiced earnestly with many well-known meditation masters in Thailand during those times. Until on the full moon day of September 1917, he rediscovered The Middle Way Meditation method.

He realized that the deeper meaning of The Middle Way is to be found at “The Center of the Body”. It’s not only, don’t work too hard, don’t play too hard. It’s not only about living a balanced life. The deeper meaning more literally refers to the spot where Prince Siddhatta rested his awareness during meditation on the night he became enlightened as the Buddha.

The point of entry to The Middle Way lies around two-finger widths above the navel on the central axis of your body. It works as a “Focal Point of Consciousness” similar to the focal point of a magnifying glass that can harness the maximum power of the sun. The center of the body has the ability to harness the maximum power of pure consciousness or the inner sun. This is not something you are expected to believe on faith, but rather something to experience through the practice of meditation.

Our Instructor

Born in 1978 in Samut Prakan, Thailand, Venerable Burin graduated with honors from Thammasat University’s Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication, majoring in Broadcasting and minoring in English. His journey into Buddhism began in 1995, during his freshman year, when he started practicing meditation.

After completing his degree, he chose to dedicate his life to the path of purity—sharing peace through meditation and the Buddha’s teachings. Ordained as a Buddhist monk in 2000, Venerable Burin has since guided countless individuals toward inner peace.

He currently serves as Executive Director of The Middle Way Meditation Institute (MDW), overseeing global programs that promote mindfulness and compassion. In addition, he is the Spiritual Life Advisor at New York University and a Guest Teacher at Columbia University, inspiring students and communities through his teachings worldwide.

Venerable Burin Thitakusalo