Pa Auk Sayadaw

General discussion of issues related to Theravada Meditation, e.g. meditation postures, developing a regular sitting practice, skillfully relating to difficulties and hindrances, etc.
diamind
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Pa Auk Sayadaw

Post by diamind »

Is Pa Auk Sayadaw a good teacher? Authentic? any controversy?
Has anyone been to his monastery? Noobs seeking guidance
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_anicca_
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Re: Pa Auk Sayadaw

Post by _anicca_ »

He is a very good teacher. His practice revolves around commentarial style jhana ("deep" jhana) up until you develop the 4th jhana, and then you begin investigating rupa and nama.

I would say his method is very personalized. He has a book called 'Knowing and Seeing' which is a good starting place.

Two of his students, Stephen Snyder and Tina Rasmussen, have written 'Practing the Jhanas' which is also superb and concise.
"A virtuous monk, Kotthita my friend, should attend in an appropriate way to the five clinging-aggregates as inconstant, stressful, a disease, a cancer, an arrow, painful, an affliction, alien, a dissolution, an emptiness, not-self."

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paul
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Re: Pa Auk Sayadaw

Post by paul »

The Pa Auk teaching is based on the Vishuddhimagga:

http://paauktawyausa.org/pa-auk-meditation-chart/

Pa-Auk Group comprises over 40 branches and associate centres in Myanmar and internationally. Of all the branches and associate centres, 29 are located within Myanmar, including Thanlyin, Pha-Ann, Mandalay, DaWei, KuMei and Pyin Oo Lwin (or Maymyo); the others are located internationally, spreading from Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Nepal, China, Taiwan, and USA.

I haven’t been there, but it is well organised for westerners both in teaching and facilities. Their statements about attainment of jhana seem a bit exaggerated to me.
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pilgrim
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Re: Pa Auk Sayadaw

Post by pilgrim »

Among the Buddhist meditation circles in Asia, he is regarded as one of the most important teachers if not the pre-eminent living master today.
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Polar Bear
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Re: Pa Auk Sayadaw

Post by Polar Bear »

From the other thread which is probably more appropriate here:

diamind wrote: Thu Aug 02, 2018 6:58 am
pilgrim wrote: Wed Aug 01, 2018 7:12 am Pa Auk sayadaw in Burma. His students also teach in monasteries in Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia
Anything else you can tell me about Pa Auk Sayadaw?
Nikki Mrghafori who seems like a great lay teacher has good things to say about him in her interview with Spirit Rock:
SR: Can you speak a little about your study with Venerable Pa Auk Sayadaw?

NM: I studied with him at the Forest Refuge [in Barre, MA] the two times that he came there. For a total of six months, I sat with him. And he is a most amazing human being and teacher, and I hold him in highest regard. I have a lot of affection for him as a teacher and a lot of metta and devotion, even though as a scientist, I’m not a devotion-driven person. He’s an amazing human being and brilliant--very thorough in his teaching. He demands a lot from his students, and yet he is filled with so much metta that is completely palpable. He’s very inspiring and I feel so lucky for my good fortune to have been able to study with him.

He really wanted me to ordain and become a nun. Pretty much every day I would go for an interview and he would make a cutting gesture on his head and say, “You must shave; you must shave.” he would say. And then one day he didn’t do it. So before I got up, I said “Sayadaw! Sayadaw! You forgot something today! You forgot to tell me to shave my hair and become a nun.” And he burst out laughing.

SR: That’s sweet.

NM: Yes and another story just came to mind from when I studied with him for the first time in 2008. So again, multiple times I would go to sit with him, and during the interview he would say, “You must teach Dhamma. You must teach Dhamma at the university.” At that point, I had no intention of ever teaching. Since it wasn't appropriate to say ”no”, I would say, “Thank you, Sayadaw, but you know I’m a computer scientist. I’ve been trained as a computer scientist and I teach computer science at the university.” And so again, a few interviews later he would say, “You must teach.” So he’s the one who planted the seed for me to become a teacher. He really changed the direction of my life, both personally in how he taught me, and in helping insights arise that may not have arisen otherwise. This was done through his teaching, through his real caring, and mentoring. He mentored me as if his life depended upon my liberation--that’s the level of commitment he had. He had complete commitment and trust in my ability and was committed to my awakening and liberation.

He changed my life in both my personal practice and also by planting the seed of sharing the Dharma, which I never thought I would. So it’s really because of him that the wheels slowly started to churn and turn in that direction.

https://www.nikkimirghafori.com/single- ... -Interview
A little about her from the site linked above:
Nikki Mirghafori is of Persian heritage and immigrated to the US in her teens. She was introduced to contemplative practices and yoga in the early 1980s, to meditation in 1991, and to Theravada Buddhism in 2003. She has practiced jhanas and a detailed analytical method of vipassana under the guidance of Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw, who instructed her to teach.

In addition to Pa Auk Sayadaw, she has practiced with other monastic teachers such as Bhikkhu Analayo, Ajahn Succitto, U Tejaniya, and Tsoknyi Rimpoche (Dzogchen), as well as highly respected Western teachers, such as Joseph Goldstein, Jack Kornfield, Sharon Salzberg, Guy Armstrong, Gil Fronsdal, and Steven Tainer (Chan). She particularly appreciates and enjoys the depth of long retreat practice.
She also mentions in some talk on audiodharma if I remember correctly he taught her to recollect her past lives and to awaken the dhamma-eye.

In Venerable Bhikkhu Anālayo’s conclusion to his latest book on Satipatthana he writes:
“In the past I had the good fortune to encounter other practitioners who had attained levels of awakening. These were found among followers of several mainstream vipassanā traditions, such as those taught by Mahāsi Sayādaw, S.N. Goenka, and Pa Auk Sayādaw. Still others did not follow any particular tradition. I do not have any doubt that each of these vipassanā traditions is capable of leading to the breakthrough to stream-entry, just as I do not have the slightest doubt that what I present here has the same potential. Thus what I have described here is not meant to supersede other meditation traditions, but rather intended as offering yet another option for progress on the path. In short, my motivation is to enrich, not to compete.”

Excerpt From
Satipaṭṭhāna Meditation: A Practice Guide
Anālayo


Which I thought that was pretty cool and encouraging. Shaila Catherine who I also think of as an inspiring lay teacher trained under Pa Auk as well. So Venerable Pa Auk Sayadaw has as solid a reputation as any meditation teacher from what I can tell.

He does teach according to the Visuddhimagga though, so some of the conceptual devices used could potentially rub a dyed in the wool Suttantin the wrong way.

:anjali:
"I don't envision a single thing that, when developed & cultivated, leads to such great benefit as the mind. The mind, when developed & cultivated, leads to great benefit."

"I don't envision a single thing that, when undeveloped & uncultivated, brings about such suffering & stress as the mind. The mind, when undeveloped & uncultivated, brings about suffering & stress."
Seven77
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Re: Pa Auk Sayadaw

Post by Seven77 »

pilgrim wrote: Thu Aug 02, 2018 9:55 am Among the Buddhist meditation circles in Asia, he is regarded as one of the most important teachers if not the pre-eminent living master today.
Does anyone know more about the chanting that start's at 1:25 in that YouTube video? Artist name or title?
Seven77
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Re: Pa Auk Sayadaw

Post by Seven77 »

Does anyone know more about the chanting that start's at 1:25 in that YouTube video? Artist name or title?
I meant 1:52, not 1:25
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DooDoot
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Re: Pa Auk Sayadaw

Post by DooDoot »

diamind wrote: Thu Aug 02, 2018 7:12 amIs Pa Auk Sayadaw a good teacher? ... Noobs seeking guidance
To answer this question I think it would be required to quote some relevant teachings from Pa Auk Sayadaw and then discuss them.
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diamind
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Re: Pa Auk Sayadaw

Post by diamind »

pilgrim wrote: Thu Aug 02, 2018 9:55 am Among the Buddhist meditation circles in Asia, he is regarded as one of the most important teachers if not the pre-eminent living master today.
Cheers for the link. He sounds amazing!
npr
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Re: Pa Auk Sayadaw

Post by npr »

Spent 14 days at Pa Auk Forest Upper Monestary in Burma in Oct/Nov 2017. Many hundreds of bhikkus residing there. Pa Auk Sayadaw does not live at that monestary. He lives at another of his monestaries in Northern Burma. There are numerous skilled Meditation masters there trained in his technique who teach.

It was great to partially experience what it might be like living in a monestary. For me, it was just an experience. The meditation guidance provided was very minimal but aptly targeted at the basic level I was at in practice.

I left with the strong impression that Pa Auk Forest Monestary is more so suited to meditators with the time and patience to dedicate to an extended many many months of practice.

If you are still learning how to skilfully tame the mind you might be better with a Western Dhamma/Meditation teacher. I have personally started The Mind Illuminated approach by Culadasa. It is a Samatha-Vipassana practice. It might help you skilfully train the mind to prepare it to get the most value out of learning Meditation at places like Pa Auk.

Hopefully some of this information is of use.
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Pseudobabble
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Re: Pa Auk Sayadaw

Post by Pseudobabble »

npr wrote: Thu Oct 25, 2018 6:47 am

If you are still learning how to skilfully tame the mind you might be better with a Western Dhamma/Meditation teacher. I have personally started The Mind Illuminated approach by Culadasa. It is a Samatha-Vipassana practice. It might help you skilfully train the mind to prepare it to get the most value out of learning Meditation at places like Pa Auk.
I second this. If you're looking for a systematic guide to achieving high levels of Samatha while continuing a non-monastic life, this is the way to go.
"Does Master Gotama have any position at all?"

"A 'position,' Vaccha, is something that a Tathagata has done away with. What a Tathagata sees is this: 'Such is form, such its origination, such its disappearance; such is feeling, such its origination, such its disappearance; such is perception...such are fabrications...such is consciousness, such its origination, such its disappearance.'" - Aggi-Vacchagotta Sutta


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Sabbe_Dhamma_Anatta
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Re: Pa Auk Sayadaw

Post by Sabbe_Dhamma_Anatta »

pilgrim wrote: Thu Aug 02, 2018 9:55 am Among the Buddhist meditation circles in Asia, he is regarded as one of the most important teachers if not the pre-eminent living master today.
Thank you very much, pilgrim.

Amazingly good and extremely illuminative dhamma video.

Explained mentalities, materialities, rebirth, jhanas, mind door, kamma potentialities, etc. etc. with vivid animations together with Sayadaw's English speaking, I've never expected that.

I would like to name this video a practical hands-on guide to experiential abhidhamma, what an immense boost in my understanding.

On searching for the "original creator"? of the video I found a video with slightly higher resolution and with chapter pointers at the start.

So, please kindly let me take the liberty to share that video along with the site of the creator.



https://www.settiwessels.com

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thang
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Re: Pa Auk Sayadaw

Post by thang »

Is there anyone who have studied the behavior and methods of pa auk teachers ?
Are they seem to be trustworthy teachers ?
And I have heard some doubts and criticisms about the Jhanas of pa auk.
Is there anyone know about this more ?
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retrofuturist
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Re: Pa Auk Sayadaw

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings,

In light of the ongoing questions about the efficacy of his technique, I'm going to move it out of "Theravāda for Beginners" (since definitive Theravada answers cannot likely be given on such matters) and into "General Theravāda Meditation".

:thanks:

Metta,
Paul. :)
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form
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Re: Pa Auk Sayadaw

Post by form »

retrofuturist wrote: Sun Feb 24, 2019 10:43 pm Greetings,

In light of the ongoing questions about the efficacy of his technique, I'm going to move it out of "Theravāda for Beginners" (since definitive Theravada answers cannot likely be given on such matters) and into "General Theravāda Meditation".

:thanks:

Metta,
Paul. :)
Good move.
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