Your Most Admired Living Teacher/Master

[patient]

Which living Dhamma teacher(s)/masters(s) have you had direct contact with and have been inspired by or for some reason repeatedly drawn to their teachings. What was it about that person and your experience that you found compelling or influential? For example it may be admiration for their wisdom or conduct or how highly they are regarded/respected by wise elders.

For some it may not be a person rather the Dhamma itself or someone who has passed away; I hope this thread can be focused on people sharing their experience of living masters so that readers may visit them if they wish and see how the Dhamma is being sustained by present day exemplars.

While many teachers have been discussed in various threads I thought it would be useful if they were gathered into a single thread. While I have read many books from the great Dhamma teachers and have seen videos I lack personal experience with a great teacher. At the end of the year I will be visiting Thailand and perhaps Sri Lanka and hope to be able to visit some of the people recommended here with the desire to eventually ordain.

Let us know if they are a lay practitioner or monastic and where they are living.

Thankyou!

[rockyysdt]

The writings of Sun Lun Sayadaw Gyi (deceased) is pretty inspirational.

Here is a link to his biography and teachings.

He took the Buddhas teachings seriously and with great diligence to practice achieved Arahant ship in a very short period.

He shares his tips in his Vippassana Meditation instruction.

http://www.sunlun-meditation.net/main.htm

[fabianfred]

LuangPor Jaran..abbot of Wat Amphawan, Singhburi....vipassana meditation master (suspected Arahant) very keen on teaching about Vipassana and the law of karma. Alive but not receiving guests personally. His temple is a large vipassana teaching complex, but mainly geared for Thais and not for English. very busy because only 100km. North of BKK.

Superwan Green ...Thai lady of Chinese/Thai descent. Lives with her family in England (married an Englishman). I suspect she is Arahant or Anagami. Has a website and teaches around the globe each year.

Supawan's life and works (edited version)

Posted by Sue Green on Sunday, 31 July 2011

[sabaijai]

Aj Buddhadasa Bhikkhu

Somdet Phra Ariyavongsagatanana (Phra Vasano)

Khun Sujin Boriharnwanaket

Sayadaw U Pandita, Sayadaw U Silananda, Joseph Goldstein

I first came to Thailand to study Buddhism after reading essays by Aj Buddhadasa Bhikkhu in college. But I didn't meet the great reformer until four years after I came here.

I studied with two teachers here for the first year: Satipatthana vipassana with the late Somdet Phra Ariyavongsagatanana (Phra Vasano, who was the Sangharaja/Supreme Patriarch at the time), at Wat Bowonniwet; and Abhidhamma with Khun Sujin at a house in Soi Saint Louis.

Somdet taught me the basics of both samatha and vipassana. The dialectics of Khun Sujin Boriharnwanaket left me with dhamma points I'll be scratching through and digesting for the rest of my life.

Khun Sujin is semi-retired now but I've heard that she still sees visitors occasionally at a centre in Thonburi. She is famous for teaching that right view can be attained without meditation via direct apprehension of dhamma. (I once asked Ajahn Cha if he agreed with that view, and he told me did. "Meditation is just something you use to mark time until your understanding of dhamma ripens" was how he put it.)

She is the only teacher I've met that made me speculate she might be close to arahanthood. But whatever Khun Sujin's spiritual attainments may be, her academic attainments are formidable. I am relatively certain that Khun Sujin could out-debate any famous monk when it comes to paramattha dhamma.

A couple of years later I finally had the good fortune to study with Aj Buddhadasa at Wat Suanmok. The International Dhamma Heritage hadn't yet been built across the road from the wat, nor were there regular retreats for foreigners. I practiced anapanasati on my own, following his instructions, and by that time had learned Thai well enough to read books of his that had not yet been translated into English. I would ask him questions about what I read, and he would explain the bits I didn't understand. I stayed with him for six weeks.

Buddhadasa's views on the relatively low value of ritual, Thai folk beliefs and convoluted Tribhumi cosmology appealed to me very much at the time. Although I have since come to realise that all of this has its place in Thai Buddhism - and is worthy of study in itself, as culture -- I still admire Aj Buddhadasa's approach to Buddhism more than that of any other Thai monk I've met.

One of the most important things I learned from him is how nibbida (world weariness) is a prerequisite to attainment, and that even monks remain mired in the world until and unless they experience full nibbida.

He was widely regarded as an arahant, and when I naively asked him whether he was, he scoffed and said 'Only worldly people care about this. Such talk is useless clinging.' He could be extremely stern (his spiritual heir, Ajahn Po, is the same way).

I spent a short amount of time with Ajahn Cha at Wat Pa Nong Pa Phong and with his foreign disciples at Wat Pa Nanachat. Nothing to write home about but the failings were mine, not theirs. I admire Ajahn Cha's teachings very much, despite my relative lack of compatibility with the system. His lectures were very clear. very inspirational and very funny.

Retreat-wise I've done my share over the years in Thailand, Laos, Myanmar and the USA. Sayadaw U Pandita and the late Sayadaw U Silananda were the most effective meditation instructors I've had overall, in terms of what I experienced under their teachings, and also indirectly through a Western disciple of theirs, Joseph Goldstein. The Burmese tradition combines the technicalities of abhidhamma with mindfulness practice, which suits my conditions to a T. The system worked for me more than any other.

I still go on the rare retreat, mainly to refresh the samatha side rather than the vipassana side. There are so many wonderful teachers out there, but I am looking less towards teachers nowadays and more towards reality, eg paramattha dhamma, which is always close at hand, always available, and always clear if you pay attention. I don't feel that dhamma is any more present inside a monastery than on a busy street in Bangkok. But for many of us, you have to spend a lot of time inside monasteries to realise that.

One teacher who I would like to study with someday, but have not yet had the chance to, is Pa Auk Sayadaw, near Mawlamyaing, Myanmar. He teaches the full jhana system, an approach that has generally gone out of fashion since WWII. It might shake things up a bit.

[fabianfred]

Sabaijai...you've been able to meet some great teachers.

Supawan studied firstly with Buddhadassa and them with L.P. Teean and so her method follows everyday mindfulness too.

[Tomissan]

Osho, otherwise known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh.....'what a ride'....

and in my view, Meditation & Awareness are synonomous.

Edited August 8, 2011 by Tomissan

[rockyysdt]

Osho, otherwise known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh.....'what a ride'....

and in my view, Meditation & Awareness are synonomous.

I thought he was New Age rather than Buddhist but then his commandments fit well with Buddhism.

1. Never obey anyone's command unless it is coming from within you also.
2. There is no God other than life itself.
3. Truth is within you, do not search for it elsewhere.
4. Love is prayer.
5. To become a nothingness is the door to truth. Nothingness itself is the means, the goal and attainment.
6. Life is now and here.
7. Live wakefully.
8. Do not swim—float.
9. Die each moment so that you can be new each moment.
10. Do not search. That which is, is. Stop and see.

[sabaijai]

Sabaijai...you've been able to meet some great teachers.

Supawan studied firstly with Buddhadassa and them with L.P. Teean and so her method follows everyday mindfulness too.

Yes, I have. Humbled etc. I appreciate teachings from teachers who don't otherwise impress me that much as well. The Buddha taught us to listen to dhamma, not people, and dhamma lessons can spring from the most unlikely personalities sometimes.

[Xangsamhua]

I can't help the OP about living Dhamma teachers in this neck of the woods that I've met. I don't know that any have "inspired" me, though some have been quite impressive in their own way.

I've never met LP Jaran, but I enjoyed the compilations of his talks and stories some years ago. My wife went on retreat at Wat Ampawan about 15 years ago, but was not able to meet Luang Phor.

Supawan Green's books are very practical and make good sense, from memory.

Por Tan Photirak, the Asoke leader, I see and hear glimpses of every night because my wife follows him very closely on FMTV. He's pretty impressive in some ways and there's no doubting his authenticity and commitment to a "pure" Dhamma, but he's a bit dogmatic for me.

The most impressive Dhamma teacher I've been physically close to as well as reading a lot of his books is Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. Just being in his presence is very moving, but I've found myself dozing off when he teaches. Perhaps the effect of warm rooms on cold days in Europe.

Joko Beck, the recently deceased US Zen master, had an impact, but I think I came across her work just when it was right for me.

I was impressed with Laurence Khantipalo Mills when he was abbot of Wat Buddhadhamma at Wiseman's Ferry (NSW) in the 80s, but then he disrobed and took up Dzogchen, which I don't know anything about. I heard him speak at the Brisbane Zen Centre some time after that, and he was pretty good, but not memorable. He and his wife run a retreat centre in Cairns now.

Edited August 9, 2011 by Xangsamhua

[Xangsamhua]

Aj Buddhadasa Bhikkhu

Somdet Phra Ariyavongsagatanana (Phra Vasano)

Khun Sujin Boriharnwanaket

Sayadaw U Pandita, Sayadaw U Silananda, Joseph Goldstein

I first came to Thailand to study Buddhism after reading essays by Aj Buddhadasa Bhikkhu in college. But I didn't meet the great reformer until four years after I came here.

I studied with two teachers here for the first year: Satipatthana vipassana with the late Somdet Phra Ariyavongsagatanana (Phra Vasano, who was the Sangharaja/Supreme Patriarch at the time), at Wat Bowonniwet; and Abhidhamma with Khun Sujin at a house in Soi Saint Louis.

Somdet taught me the basics of both samatha and vipassana. The dialectics of Khun Sujin Boriharnwanaket left me with dhamma points I'll be scratching through and digesting for the rest of my life.

Khun Sujin is semi-retired now but I've heard that she still sees visitors occasionally at a centre in Thonburi. She is famous for teaching that right view can be attained without meditation via direct apprehension of dhamma. (I once asked Ajahn Cha if he agreed with that view, and he told me did. "Meditation is just something you use to mark time until your understanding of dhamma ripens" was how he put it.)

She is the only teacher I've met that made me speculate she might be close to arahanthood. But whatever Khun Sujin's spiritual attainments may be, her academic attainments are formidable. I am relatively certain that Khun Sujin cam out-debate any famous monk when it comes to paramattha dhamma.

A couple of years later I finally had the good fortune to study with Aj Buddhadasa at Wat Suanmok. The International Dhamma Heritage hadn't yet been built across the road from the wat, nor were there regular retreats for foreigners. I practiced anapanasati on my own, following his instructions, and by that time had learned Thai well enough to read books of his that had not yet been translated into English. I would ask him questions about what I read, and he would explain the bits I didn't understand. I stayed with him for six weeks.

Buddhadasa's views on the relatively low value of ritual, Thai folk beliefs and convoluted Tribhumi cosmology appealed to me very much at the time. Although I have since come to realise that all of this has its place in Thai Buddhism - and is worthy of study in itself, as culture -- I still admire Aj Buddhadasa's approach to Buddhism more than that of any other Thai monk I've met.

One of the most important things I learned from him is how nibbida (world weariness) is a prerequisite to attainment, and that even monks remain mired in the world until and unless they experience full nibbida.

He was widely regarded as an arahant, and when I naively asked him whether he was, he scoffed and said 'Only worldly people care about this. Such talk is useless clinging.' He could be extremely stern (his spiritual heir, Ajahn Po, is the same way).

I spent a short amount of time with Ajahn Cha at Wat Pa Nong Pa Phong and with his foreign disciples at Wat Pa Nanachat. Nothing to write home about but the failings were mine, not theirs. I admire Ajahn Cha's teachings very much, despite my relative lack of compatibility with the system. His lectures were very clear. very inspirational and very funny.

Retreat-wise I've done my share over the years in Thailand, Laos, Myanmar and the USA. Sayadaw U Pandita and the late Sayadaw U Silananda were the most effective meditation instructors I've had overall, in terms of what I experienced under their teachings, and also indirectly through a Western disciple of theirs, Joseph Goldstein. The Burmese tradition combines the technicalities of abhidhamma with mindfulness practice, which suits my conditions to a T. The system worked for me more than any other.

I still go on the rare retreat, mainly to refresh the samatha side rather than the vipassana side. There are so many wonderful teachers out there, but I am looking less towards teachers nowadays and more towards reality, eg paramattha dhamma, which is always close at hand, always available, and always clear if you pay attention. I don't feel that dhamma is any more present inside a monastery than on a busy street in Bangkok. But for many of us, you have to spend a lot of time inside monasteries to realise that.

One teacher who I would like to study with someday, but have not yet had the chance to, is Pa Auk Sayadaw, near Mawlamyaing, Myanmar. He teaches the full jhana system, an approach that has generally gone out of fashion since WWII. It might shake things up a bit.

Thank you for sharing your story with us, Sabaijai. I know it sounds trite to say that, but I really appreciate knowing a bit about your path. Your experience is very rich.

[Jawnie]

It's easy to say that His Holiness, the Dalai Lama has been a great inspiration, as he has for millions of people.

On a more personal level regarding those I've had direct contact with, Tarthang Tulku, Ripoche, a Nyingmapa master living in California. He undertook preserving and collecting the Tibetan versions of dharma texts that were scattered by the Chinese invasion. He reprinted many and has distributed over three million Buddhist text at Bodh Gaya India in the last 30 years.

Another is Gyaltrul Rinpoche, also in California, who teaches a small group of students the foundational practices of Tibetan Buddhism, and also some advanced practices for a few students. Many of his students are quite proficient at a wide variety of somewhat complex Tibetan rituals and ceremonies.

[Brucenkhamen]

Sayadaw U Teganiya because his approach makes sense, works well for me, and he explains it clearly in a no nonsense and humourous way.

Luang Por Sumedho because of what he has achieved setting up the monastic sangha in the west and because he is a good teacher.

Ajahn Viradhammo for his eclectic and knowleadgable approach, and his demeanour.

Ajahn Jayasaro for a good example of a commited forst monk.

Stephen Batchelor because he challenges our assumptions and the BS that has accumulated in Buddhism.

Stephen Armstrong for his energy and humour.

Shayla Catherine because it's evident she has done a lot of practise, and been through a lot, and can bring it to her teaching.

Goenka Ji because he is available on a DVD player near you.

Edited August 10, 2011 by Brucenkhamen

[sabaijai]

I was impressed with Laurence Khantipalo Mills when he was abbot of Wat Buddhadhamma at Wiseman's Ferry (NSW) in the 80s, but then he disrobed and took up Dzogchen, which I don't know anything about. I heard him speak at the Brisbane Zen Centre some time after that, and he was pretty good, but not memorable. He and his wife run a retreat centre in Cairns now.

Phra Khantipalo visited Wat Bowon a few times when I was studying there in the 70s. When in residence, he would sit next to the Supreme Patriarch during group meditation, and would translate or offer supplemental instruction. He was a very compassionate, steadfast person, and I was always glad to see him on the rare occasion that he turned up. I remember that he also attended a couple of Khun Sujin's Abhidhamma classes, arriving with other Western monks from Wat Bowon who studied with her regularly.

[patient]

Thanks for everyone's responses so far. It is great to hear your personal experiences with different teachers.

[khaowong1]

I met Luang Phor Jaran in 2006 at his temple in Singhburi, it was his birthday and I got to say Happy Birthday to him. I only had a chance to talk to him for just a minute, but was very impressed by his demeanor. Standing next to him, his energy or what ever it was, made the hairs on my arms stand up. I've read all his books and was very impressed with him. His take on Karma still today impresses me. I stayed at his temple for a week, but didn't really learn much as no one there spoke English but it started me on meditation practice and started me on the path to learning more about Karma.

[jamesc2000]

Ajahn Brahm.

I like him cos he is funny and cuts thru the BS.

Never met him and dun feel a need to but just listen

to his talks on

http://www.dhammaloka.org.au/

Edited August 15, 2011 by jamesc2000

[tranquillize]

I just had a chance to see Thich Nhat Hanh give a talk. His presence and energy are so peaceful. It was a great experience

[JurgenG]

Ajahn Brahm.

I like him cos he is funny and cuts thru the BS.

Never met him and dun feel a need to but just listen

to his talks on

http://www.dhammaloka.org.au/

I'll have to agree with you.

I went to some lectures organized by some other monks mentioned above. I found them very inspirational but I always leave with the after thought that, it's ok for you guys who're living in your monastery or forest, but not very practical for me who has to go to work tomorrow.

Ajahn Brahm is very different. First think I have to say, he is a professional lecturer. He really knows how to manage the attention of his audience, introducing in simple words complex notion, cracking a few jokes when he sees the mind of his audience starts wandering then bringing back everybody back on the subject. Then he is very practical, when you leave, you really take back something with you that you can start using the next day, even if you not yet a devoted Buddhist.

If you're not yet ready to spend the next few years in a monastery but just want to learn first, in a very practical way, what Buddhism can bring to you, Ajahn Brahm is really a very inspirational teacher.

I personally met him during a lecture organized by an international company. It was one of the first lecture where most of busy professionals of the audience weren't on the phone or have left before the end of the lecture. He really impressed everybody and I hope he will be re invited soon.

And I have a CD of his lectures in my car. Best remedy against road rage ever

[Xangsamhua]

And I have a CD of his lectures in my car. Best remedy against road rage ever

A very good recommendation. I'll second that. :-)

[meadish_sweetball]

dhamma lessons can spring from the most unlikely personalities sometimes.

It's funny you should say that' date=' because this:

One of the most important things I learned from him is how nibbida (world weariness) is a prerequisite to attainment, and that even monks remain mired in the world until and unless they experience full nibbida.

...I heard from a massage girl in Banglamphu. Not lying!

[sabaijai]

dhamma lessons can spring from the most unlikely personalities sometimes.

It's funny you should say that' date=' because this:

One of the most important things I learned from him is how nibbida (world weariness) is a prerequisite to attainment, and that even monks remain mired in the world until and unless they experience full nibbida.

...I heard from a massage girl in Banglamphu. Not lying!

I can imagine some folks in that business know a lot about nibbida.

[sabaijai]

I wasn't familiar with Sayadaw U Teganiya before your post. Have now read some of his written teachings online, a fresh perspective, for me. Thank you for the signpost.

Have you visited Shwe Oo Min Forest Center?

http://sayadawutejaniya.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/8_tej.pdf

Sayadaw U Teganiya because his approach makes sense, works well for me, and he explains it clearly in a no nonsense and humourous way.

[Xangsamhua]

I wasn't familiar with Sayadaw U Teganiya before your post. Have now read some of his written teachings online, a fresh perspective, for me. Thank you for the signpost.

Have you visited Shwe Oo Min Forest Center?

http://sayadawutejaniya.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/8_tej.pdf'>http://sayadawutejaniya.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/8_tej.pdf

Sayadaw U Teganiya because his approach makes sense, works well for me, and he explains it clearly in a no nonsense and humourous way.

Sayadaw U Tejaniya's website is here: http://sayadawutejaniya.org/

[chutai]

Ajahn Brahm.

I like him cos he is funny and cuts thru the BS.

Me too. I always liked this one on Buddhism and sects.

[Tomissan]

Osho, otherwise known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh.....'what a ride'....

and in my view, Meditation & Awareness are synonomous.

I thought he was New Age rather than Buddhist but then his commandments fit well with Buddhism.

1. Never obey anyone's command unless it is coming from within you also.
2. There is no God other than life itself.
3. Truth is within you, do not search for it elsewhere.
4. Love is prayer.
5. To become a nothingness is the door to truth. Nothingness itself is the means, the goal and attainment.
6. Life is now and here.
7. Live wakefully.
8. Do not swim—float.
9. Die each moment so that you can be new each moment.
10. Do not search. That which is, is. Stop and see.

Three words in your first sentence don't relate albeit "new age" might relate and I've never seen or heard of any "commandments".

He taught 'awareness' through many different processes since all of us are not the same. Some people can sit quietly in the lotus position for hours and watch the mind, others can not. Vipassana is good for some while 'working' works for others. Living at Rajneeshpuram in the eighties it was work, usually fifteen hours a day, seven days a week and it was mostly a joy to live and work with people from all over the world who, in my opinion and experience, were highly intelligent. There were about 2,000 people living there fulltime who built a city in no time at all. For a short time we even had a casino, and it was legal. After darshan, off to the blackjack tables...

I wasn't a guru hopper or even looking (consciously) for a living master. It sort of happened by circumstance. Wearing red or maroon was interesting and there were no rules to speak of at the Ranch. Pretty much anything-go's was the rule, short of any physical violence.

Also, to reflect on your response, Osho didn't teach religion. In fact he put down all of the "ism's" as just a way to control the masses.

I've sat in front of Krishnamurti who I found boring since I slept through most of his talks.

It was unfortunate that Shelia, Osho's personal secretary and "boss" of the ranch filtered many millions of dollars into her swiss bank account and bankrupted the ranch, not to mention trying to poison local politicians and several other unsavory acts that undermined the integrity and purpose of Rajneeshpuram.

I realize I've gone off-topic a bit, just wanted to clear up some misconceptions and also share my experience with "a living master". :jap:

[dutchguest]

I realize I've gone off-topic a bit, just wanted to clear up some misconceptions and also share my experience with "a living master". :jap:

A living master in action here

For me a big advantage of Osho compared to many (Thai) buddhist masters or monks is that he is understandable easily for westerners, not using, citing words that might have been meaningfull a few thousand years ago, but are now only understandable by a group of buddhist scholars.

Further advantage is that I have the idea he is standing in the middle of modern life, is aquainted with the latest developments in science, while many other masters seem only aqainted with old buddhist texts and seem to have withdrawn in many other respects from life and society.