Sarathi

Blocked for me. But going to www.facebook.com rather than the bookmark in my browser opened it fine.

Good.

I will be there; I go every year.

According to Ven Bhasakorn, the university wanted him to toe the Buddhadasa line, which means heaven and he11 are internal states only and not actual realms (which nice as it sounds, is definitely NOT what the suttas teach). He also thinks that basically everything happens due to Karma - the niyamas other than karma, are he says, 'environmental karma' which is another way in which results of actions come back at you.

However, I am sure the university has a different story of what happened to his MA.

His last talk in English started off well, but after the first 5 or 6 slides the Powerpoint presentation suddenly switched to Thai language. And his timing was off, and the organisers ended up having to stop him when he was not even part way through as the allotted time had long passed.

Curious point. Most drinkers do not see it as a problem. But most smokers generally admit that it is a bad habit, and one to quit.

Smoking would fit with points 1) and 3) above, but nonetheless is not really against the 5th precept of refraining from intoxicants ... even if we can all now agree it is not a very 'good' action.

Just being interested in Buddhism is not enough to get you a non-im. visa. the NBO will issue for monks, and occasionally Mae Chees. The only way to get this for laymen is to go to a sympathetic Embassy abroad, and tell them you are going to study dhamma (a letter from a centre helps). They have the right to issue a one year visa, though usually they only issue 3 months. Perth was good for this, but perhpas not so much now.

The Niyamas are purely commentarial - but that does not mean that it is not what the Buddha taught. The commentaries are often good at putting disparate teachings together. "All arises from karma" is listed as a wrong view. As is all aries due to God or chance. there are other causes (or as pointed out, should be called 'conditioning factors') than karma. So the Niyamas list the main groups of conditioning factors, but without real explanation of the terms. What is 'citta niyama' ? is it psychology, or a more basic way the citta interacts with the world? .... etc. The niyamas were the topic of a talk at Planet Yoga last year.

I asked Tahn Bhasakorn on this. He wrote the handbook on karma you see about town. He said the niyama other than karma are 'environmental karma' : if the world throws something good or bad at you it is not chance, but the environmental aspect of karma, as opposed to the internal (mental?) karma. it made sense when he said it, but not so much after reflection.

I saw Ajahn Amaro and Pasanno at the Intercontinental today, for a talk in Thai. They fly back tomorrow. It is good that the Tawana event could be put together for them in English, as A. Pasanno comes each year, but we never seem hear about it!

Ajahn Pasanno's talk was good - but oddly I can't recall any of it now.

Venue and everything else was nice. A good day in Bangkok for Dhamma.

it will be nice to get back to 'Forest Dhamma' and the real focus of monks/monasteries after all this Bhikkhuni stuff going on. When the two abbots ordained the NE area was remote jungle. It should be very interesting.

details are on www.littlebang.wordpress.com

Ajahn Pasanno - the most senior Ajahn Chah Western monk after Ajahn Sumedho was appointed to be the monks contact for the siladhara order.

He will be giving a public talk in Bangkok also on Thrs Jan 21st at the Tawana Hotel, together with Ajahn Amaro - the joint abbot at the California LPChah temple.

The article is not quite clear.

First, I think it was 4 bhikkhunis who ordained not two. Also Ajahn Brahm did not establish the monastery; it was Ajahn Jagaro. Ajahn Brahm took over later. This means the temple was funded by mostly Thais who donated to Ajahn Chah - thus there is an obligation for the temple to follow closely the Ajahn Chah lineage.

The article does not distinguish between the Sangha Council, the Ajahn Chah tradition, and the Somdeth Phuttacharn. The Ajahn Chah group certainly delisted the temple as a branch in their group. I doubt the 'Thailand's Supreme Sangha Council' delisted the temple in any way (unless this is a new development?). The Somdeth certainly seemed to side with the Ajahn Chah lineage in declaring that Bhikkhunis only exist in the Mahayana line, and that the ordainees are not to be considered Theravada nuns.

In fact the preceptor, Tathaaloka Bhikkhuni ordained in the Mahayana line, though she also had some Theravada monks in the monk quorum at her ordination, without controversy.

The artilce Sabaijai quoted does not make any of this clear, and seems to suggest that the Sangha Council have delisted the Perth temple altogether, which I seriously doubt has happened. In fact there would be no real way they could do so in any official capacity.

The reality is the Ajahn Chah temples delisted Ajahn Brahm's temple due to his not following their protocol. But the temple is still a good temple, with Theravada monks, and a respected teacher. In the Thai eyes the nuns might be counted as Samaneris, or Mahayana nuns according to ones view.

That said, the affair should blow over without majour issue, and the Bhikkhuni issue will continue to creep into the acceptance of the Thai Sangha over time.

Thai Buddhist council severs ties with Perth monastery over women

Dec 22, 2009, 8:24 GMT

Bangkok - Thailand's Sangha Supreme Council which governs the country's Buddhist monkhood has severed all ties with an Australian monastery for ordaining two female monks, media reports said Tuesday.

'The expulsion took effect Monday after the council had ruled to cancel the monastery's status as a branch of Wat Nongpapong in Ubon Ratchathani province,' The Nation online news site reported.

While the expulsion means the Bodhinyana monastery in Perth can no longer claim to be 'sanctified' by links with the famed Forest Temple in Ubon Ratchathani it does not mean its temple status in Australia has been revoked.

The Perth monastery was established by British-born Phra (monk) Brahmavamso Mahathera, who graduated from Cambridge College in theoretical physics and studied Buddhism under renowned Thai monk Luang Por Chah for years before setting up his own temple.

Phra Brahmavamso recently allowed two bhikkhuni, or female monks, be ordained in Perth although the Theravada sect of Buddhism arguably forbids such a practice.

The Thai Sangha had initially threatened to excommunicate the British-born monk, but instead decided to sever ties with his monastery as a warning against more bhikkhuni ordinations, The Nation said.

'Women can be ordained only in the Mahayana Buddhist sect, but in Theravada, we don't have bhikkhuni,' Somdej Phra Phutthacharn, a chief adviser to the Sangha, said.

There are two main sects in Buddhism - Theravada (the little wheel) and Mahayana (the big wheel) - with the former claiming to adhere closer to the Buddha's teachings.

Whether the Buddha, who ascended to nirvana 2,552 years ago, forbid or allowed women to become monks has always been a hotly disputed religious question but has become more so as many Westerners, male and female, have been drawn to the Eastern religion in recent years.

-DPA

I went to her talk on this topic two years ago at Baan Aree and the gist was that instead of the debate as to which of the two Kapilavastuu sites is the real one, she suggested that the one was the original site, and the second Kapilavastu the site of the rebuilt Sakyan Kingdom after it was destroyed by the Kosalans at the end of the Buddha's life. She used a lot of terms and names without expalining them for those without a background in Buddhist History so many were pretty bamboozled. But she has a nice presence and everyone picked up on that.

Yes, there have been lots of bhikkhunis in recent decades/centuries - it is a myth that the line died out.

But most particularly there are thousands of Mahayana Bhikkhunis the world over. Ayya Tataaloka who performed the ordination is a fully ordained Bhikkhuni - ordained by both Mahayana and Theravada monks and nuns. This has happened countless times without issue. She has stayed in Thailand before.

One ordains as a monk or nun, not as a Theravadin or Mahayana. in fact, if the nuns declared themselves to be Mahayana they would be accepted even in Thai society, on an equal footing with Mahayana monks (who also have no official recognition).

The issue was with Ajahn Chah monks, and only SOME of them. They did not scantion the ordination. Ajahn Brahm and monks are still Thai, Theravdin monks. They have not been expelled from the Thai Sangha, only from the lineage of Luang Phor Chah.

The video of the talk is posted up on www.littlebang.wordpress.com , in case you missed it.

There are some meditation workshops this weekend in Bangkok in the style of Wat Kow Tahm if you want to sample their approach this weekend.

The Buddha was searching for the 'Amata' which had been told by the Aryan legends. Amata means 'deathless' or that part of oneself/experience/universe that does not die (or change). He looked about his immediate experience and found every engagement with anything of the senses to be not only changing, but rapidly so. Disengaging from the senses he experience citta (mind) without arammana (object), which he described in the first statement after enlightenment as "I have discovered the Amata". Other ways he described it were as consciousness 'unestablished' (Thanissaro's preferred translation) anywhere or with any object. You might say 'pure mind' or 'Buddha Nature' if you go by Mahayana texts, though these are more vague.

By the way, in Jhana, mindfulness is said to be perfected (see Kayakatasati sutta). A closer look however reveals a common overlooking of different forms of 'mindfulness'. In that sutta it is Sati-bala , rather than regular sati-sampajanya, where it means the power of recollection [of something]

I've no idea on intentionality and such.

'another world' makes more sense n terms of 'Right View' where we are told there is Karma, there is rebirth, there are beings of deva and other realms. Since this actually is true, if you taught thus you would be teaching the correct teaching - as it goes in the sutta.

There is what is given and what is offered and what is sacrificed.

There is fruit and result of good and bad actions.

There is this world and the other world.

There is mother and father.

There are beings that are spontaneously reborn.

There are good and virtuous recluses and Brahmins in the world who have themselves realized by direct knowledge and declare this world and the other world.

There is mother and father, and spontaneously born beings refers to the realms where you either have parents, or do not have parents i.e. deva realms (In the Sarvasitvada version of Buddhism, even Devas have parents, and conception occurs with a 'slightly lingering glance' between the male and female deva)

Results of good/bad action refers practially always to the next life, even though one can often see the results in this life too. Hence the 'other world' could be referring to the karma mentioned in the opening line, or the deva realms mentioned below it.

Despite many people's desire to make heaven/hel_l mental conditions rather than actual realms of rebirth, the suttas categorically, and repeatedly describe heaven/hel_l/rebirth as actual realms.

Bhava - Trans. as being or becoming is a tricky word, that has not been given its proper due discussion by scholars or meditators. Usually, in Thailand especially, it refers to the three realms of possible rebirth - sense sphere, form sphere and formless sphere - and is pronounced 'pop' (Thais drop the 'a' due to a quirk of writing Pali in Thai script) In fact it should not be referring to the realms, but to the attainment of mind that gains access to those realms - namely good deeds, jhana (concentration with an object (form)) and jhana with 'formless' object.

In other teachings, particularly dependent origination, 'bhava' is taken to mean entering the womb. This would make sense of 'bhava' part in the definition of enlightenment - which is described as 'there will be no more bhava in any form'.

Looking for a more consistant meaning of bhava, we can see it is related to the word bhavana (meditation, or more accurately 'development'). There is a definite connotation of activity in this word. If you take 'bhava' to mean the engagement of Citta (mind) with its object (arammana) then this could well be a universal fit for the meaning of bhava. The active engagement (and loss of mindfulness) of the mind with its object. Enlightenment is sometimes described as anarammana - 'without object [of citta]'

The list is not specific to Dhammakaya (I liked the comments at the end of that particular list) The secondary list is called the Anubyanjana

Here it is on Wiki - and if Wiki has it , well, it must be true

As you obviously don't know; the long ear lobes were due to years of princely decandence when huge gold earings dragged his earlobes down: VERY VERY importantly signifying the move away from seeking material gains; i.e. money. It's central to Buddhism - every Mahana monk / follower I've known (hundreds...) know this and believe it to be paramount, but I've never met a Thai Theravada Buddhist who knows, and I've asked many monks at many temples including some very senior ones

a rather 'testy' tone to that comment there... The long ear lobes are part of the longer list of 'Signs of a Great Man' - usually the 32 parts only are considered, but many Buddha images follow the longer list and the ear lobes are #49 .

The Buddha did not allow images of him to be made and worshipped (the curious story of the wooden image the monks made when he was in the Tavatimsa realm teaching his mother abhidhamma excepted) any discussion on imagery is hardly relating directly to the essense of the teachings. The bodhi tree, Dhammacakka and 4 kinds of stupa were allowed for veneration. The Greeks are credited with originating the Buddha images, though Buddhist Art Historians can point to a few instances prior or unconnected with the Greeks.

The story of the heavy earrings sounds like a much later Chinese invention - probably because they did not know the real reason, and in the tradition of any good teacher, used the things around them as teaching aids. Hardly something to include in the 'must-know' handbook for senior monks.

From : Littlebang

Annual Talks

Each year during the 3 month Rains retreat period, also known as 'Buddhist Lent' monks and nuns are restricted from travelling away from their temples overnight. Which means there are few visiting speakers or teachers passing through Bangkok. It is the tradition in the temples to accept temporary ordainees for the 3 month period and arrange special courses in Buddhist philosophy and meditation. All in Thai of course.

So the synchronicity makes it a good time for us in Bangkok to hold our own special 'Rains' program of Dhamma talks and meditation.

Topics

Each week will cover a different topic, complete in itself. So if you miss one or two weeks you will not be left behind. However the topics will follow a sequence, so try to come every time.

Hopefully the talks will be light, warm, and easy to understand, even if you have no prior knowledge in Buddhism. They will also offer something new for those who are familiar with Buddhism, bringing in some references and comparison to psychology, and even faerie tales ( more on that later ). Most importantly, it should be fun

There is a monthly Soen (ZEN) meeting at the Korean temple in English : http://littlebang.wordpress.com/2009/07/17...ub-sat-8th-aug/

Ajahn Tiradhammo is giving a couple of talks in Bangkok this week, at Baan Aree Library. He is the Abbot of the Luang Phor Chah temple in New Zealand. Formerly he was abobt in the Swiss temple in Kandershteg. I did a retreat with him there about 15 years ago, and found him to be a warm and genial teacher. As you would expect from a Canadian...

The only trouble was the Swiss countryside was too splendid and I spent too much time walking about the hills.

There is a particular style to these senior monks under Luang Phor Sumedho, and it'll be nice to reconnect while he is here.

One talk is in Thai (tues 9th June) and the following day is in English (Weds June 10) Details are on Littlebang

The issue of the new born baby is mentioned in the Suttas, referred to here: http://littlebang.wordpress.com/2009/05/18...-buddha-nature/

At any one moment the mind has only one (or few) objects/feeling etc.. At many times then, and not just when a baby, it will be free from lust, hate etc... but the tendencies still lurk there, and will show when the appropriate stimuli are present. Eg. you might not be thinking of food right now, but if the smell of cooking wafts up perhpas you will become aware of hunger.

Where exactly are our tendencies/kamma stored? This Q was not really addressed by the Buddha and the myriad of schools that arose after his passing along to the present have attempted different answers.

A couple of other points from this thread.

There is an importance placed on hearing about Enlightenment. Yes, it is faith and not knowledge if you want to put it that way. Another way to think of it is stimulating curiosity. But you have to hear about it first before you would direct your mind in the right way (vijja). Thus the disciples were called 'Hearers' (Savaka) and the path starts with 'sound entry' (usually translated as 'stream' entry - but the Pali can be read either way). If you stumble on Enlightenment without first hearing about it you are a Pacceka Buddha, and we are not given any indication of how many of these there might be.

There is virtually no limit to the number of beings in the universe, that might be born human.

The only Path that involves 1000s of lifetimes in the suttas is that of a Buddha, or one of his close followers. The implication is that anyone can attain if they see the method (vijja) . Though of course, some people have more or less 'dust in their eyes'.

It might well, however, take millions of animal lifetimes before one is born as a human in a time when the teaching is still around.

Contrary to popular understanding, being human is no real advantage to practise. You are better off as a deva in the desire realms, since deva's have far greater capacities for understanding Dhamma. Many suttas were directed to devas, and millions of them gained enlightenment as a result. Sometimes the bliss of being a deva is given as the obstacle for their practise and Enlightenment, but this has little substance in the suttas.

A Buddha, however, is always born in the human realm as his final rebirth, presumably so he can teach all levels of beings capable of enlightenment. If he were born a deva, many humans would not hear his teaching.

Naturally, most of these points revolve around the Cosmology of Buddhism, and are thus taken on trust. However, over and over the Buddha said they can be verified directly in meditation.

Ramana Maharshi, by the way, supposedly had an enlightened cow.

The English parts of the talk are available at the above website

I just got the Samsung NC10 from www.clove.co.uk . delivered within 2 days and perfect working order. Total cost 19 000 including post and tax.

Teh courrier took 1500 baht tac on delivery. I was exempt from the UK VAT which was about 45 pounds.

Great netbook - keyboard is way superior to others except HP. Battery better than HP. All in all a good experience so far.