Fully Enlightened Monks

[madusa]

On 10/13/2006 at 2:22 AM, tycann said:

In the time of the Buddha, it seems that you couldn't walk down the street without running into an Arahant, but it doesn't seem like there are so many around now. I've asked one monk who I respect very much about this question in the past. He linked the decline in Arahantship to the complexity of modern life, along with the deterioration of the dhamma's potency throughout time. According to the Buddha, the dhamma should heve already disappeared from the world-- it was only foretold to remain for 500 years.

Additionally, there have been some dubious claims of Arahantship/enlightenment in the past. Perhaps the most shocking example is that the Dalai Lama proclaimed Soko Asahara as a bodhisattva. You may now know Mr. Asahara better as the leader of Aum Shinrikyo, and the mastermind of the Tokyo Subway nerve gas attacks.

Well, Dalai Lama has this silly smile on his face all the time. I wonder why. He doesn't seems an honest man to me. My sixth sense told me, I may be wrong though.

I certainly don't want to meet him. Why? Because I don't think he is a good monk, again I may be wrong because I have never met him yet. However I would like to believe in my intuition.

Edited December 6, 2018 by madusa
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[madusa]

On 10/13/2006 at 9:58 PM, Neeranam said:

Tycann, I apologise - I never knew the two ever met. Please excuse my ignorance.

A little lady about 50 - I can't remember her name. I met her in 1992 and she had only just come out. I've got a photo somewhere of us all in McLeaod Ganj, Darmasala. I'll try to find it.

One of the monks told me that when the DL met her it was very special.

After I shook his hand, I couldn't stop laughing for 3 days. It was like being on drugs

I wonder how that works - when you meet an elevated person, they seem to spread their peace/wisdom/kniowledge and serenity?

It's funny some Germans felt the same way after shaking hands with Hitler.  If you bother to read some books in German it mentioned those Germans who had suffered hardship during the period of The Treaty of Versailles" when Germany facing lots of economic hardships. When Hitler tore up the Treaty and those Germans were glad someone had the gut to do that to cut short their suffering.

They didn't laugh for 3 days though they certainly felt good all over like some of those mentioned in this discussion. Of course they talked about shaking the hand of Hitler got carried away.

So it works both ways I guess.

Edited December 6, 2018 by madusa
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[1FinickyOne]

On 10/6/2006 at 2:57 PM, Grover said:

Surely normal people could detect this advanced spiritual development in some way on some level.

I can only guess that "fully enlightened" is a rare and maybe passing state, but also one that does not need anything in the realm of recognition - - so, who might be proclaiming that, is difficult to imagine and it is not likely to be advertised anywhere... 

 

That said, I have spent a fair amount of time in forest temples and met some unusual characters, nothing that seemed advanced in spiritual development. 

[jamesc2000]

On 12/6/2018 at 8:39 PM, beautifulthailand99 said:

That said he was a great man but hated Thaksin and collected gold to give to the government to help reduce Thailand's IMF debt. Great , holy but naieve I'd say. His temple is a truly wonderful place with purposeful; monks ,nothing to sell and a haven for wildlife. 

I really like a story of a monk that bought a small island north of Scotland.

 

He asked the owner how much he wanted for the island and the owner said 13 million pounds and the monk paid in full.

 

Some one told the monk a small island with nothing on it except moss is not worth more than 6 million pounds if that. How come he didn't bargain?

 

The monk said I am a monk not a businessman.

 

Would you say the monk is not naive if he negotiated and manage to get the price down to say only 4 million pounds? 

 

????

[jamesc2000]

Must be really nice to meet an enlightened monk.

 

I was going to say full enlightened but I guess enlightenment is like pregnancy?

 

You are either pregnant or not, there is no a little pregnant or a lot.

 

But if you cannot find an enlightened monk maybe anyone that can help you take just one step forward maybe that's more than enough?

 

No one swallows the whole chicken in one mouthful right?

 

Maybe taking just one bite at a time is more than good enough?

 

????

[Neeranam]

On 2/5/2020 at 8:58 PM, jamesc2000 said:

I really like a story of a monk that bought a small island north of Scotland.

 

He asked the owner how much he wanted for the island and the owner said 13 million pounds and the monk paid in full.

 

Some one told the monk a small island with nothing on it except moss is not worth more than 6 million pounds if that. How come he didn't bargain?

 

The monk said I am a monk not a businessman.

 

Would you say the monk is not naive if he negotiated and manage to get the price down to say only 4 million pounds? 

 

????

The monk can't have been a Scotsman! 

 

 

 

[Neeranam]

The most enlightened yogi I ever met, recently died, aged 104.

I sat in a car with her from Oxford to London 26 years ago which had an incredible atmosphere. 

The strange thing when looking at her, I could only see light where her head was. 

Her name was Dadi Janki.