Na Uyana or Mahamevnawa?

Discussion of ordination, the Vinaya and monastic life. How and where to ordain? Bhikkhuni ordination etc.
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Chula
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Re: Na Uyana or Mahamevnawa?

Post by Chula »

paul wrote: Thu May 31, 2018 7:16 pm
Chula wrote: Thu May 31, 2018 8:06 am

I've been vegetarian all my life and protein being an issue is a complete myth.

Na Uyana follows the Pa Auk method which takes the Abhidhamma, commentaries and Visuddhimagga a bit too seriously imo.

I will be visiting Na Uyana again in a week or so where I'll get to talk to the head monks there more - I'll update my impressions if there is any change.
This information on the current teaching is welcome as there are a succession of questioners wanting information. The statement about vegetarianism is too broad though, as malnutrition depends on the individual's choices and the food available at the monastery. The protein available in Sri Lanka is more limited than in western countries and so the vegetarian practitioner has to exercise care that they are getting enough, particularly if they are excluding meat in a monastery that does not have vegetarian fare.
Climate is also a consideration, and Na Uyana is preferrred being located in the drier intermediate zone.
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Map ... _260252714
I was just at Na Uyana this past week and while I understand that everyone has different diet preferences, just the fact that monks from 22 different nations are living there with no apparent health issues shows that there are no issues with the food offered. In fact, Na Uyana food is so good that I've heard of monks staying there just for that.
SarathW
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Re: Na Uyana or Mahamevnawa?

Post by SarathW »

Na Uyana food is so good that I've heard of monks staying there just for that.
I hope they will graduate to the next level one day.
:popcorn:
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
fornoxe
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Re: Na Uyana or Mahamevnawa?

Post by fornoxe »

Can you explain a bit for me what you said sarathW? :sage:

What is next step? Because for me staying in a place just for food is just totally crazy for a monk who must control his sensual feeling.
BKh
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Re: Na Uyana or Mahamevnawa?

Post by BKh »

SarathW wrote: Fri Jun 15, 2018 2:30 am
Na Uyana food is so good that I've heard of monks staying there just for that.
I hope they will graduate to the next level one day.
:popcorn:
I honestly think you are misinterpreting the situation.

It is important for people to understand how much digestion problems can impact a foreigner's decisions. Some people are able to handle the change in food, but for many people the problems are so severe that they must leave the country to find relief.

It's good if we can avoid jumping to conclusions and having judgments be the default response. It's easy to criticize people and situations we actually know nothing about. And having this habit towards the sangha is especially unseemly.
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SarathW
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Re: Na Uyana or Mahamevnawa?

Post by SarathW »

It's easy to criticize people and situations we actually know nothing about.
Agree.
This is the general attitude towards Sangha in Sri Lanka.
There is not much respect for the Sangha even though outwardly it is not obvious.
This is the result of too many corrupted monks, not following the Vinaya and general lack of knowledge of the Buddha's teaching.
Many people think monkhood is another life style.
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
Suranga
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Re: Na Uyana or Mahamevnawa?

Post by Suranga »

Sroberto wrote: Sun Apr 29, 2018 1:10 pm I am planning to ordain in Sri Lanka at the end of this year. I am seeking a monastery where there is an opportunity to focus on meditation, long term stability, and an English speaking teacher...
Regarding your question and the responses you've got I feel its all non relevant. Apart from the dietary matters for a foreigner. All those main forest monestries (Na Uyana ,Meethirigala ,and Mahamewnawa ) has enough to cater foreigner in this regard.

But The main point is .. Almost all of the responses here do not consider that you are planing to ordain. Most of the responses I see as a lay persons aspect. As a ordained monk you will need special training (not just Meditation) . I know this very well. You might go to Na Uyana or Meethirigala for couple of weeks or months and see the monestary from outside. Read that again...OUTSIDE. But you will never see the inside life as as monk. because according to vinaya they will not discuss most of the things with you. What I know is Na Uyana has had a good traning system in place for novice monk. Even for a foreigner. Head monk speaking English or not is relevant only up to some level. Those days Meethirigala didnt had good traning system in place for a novice. because there is non who can train you. Ven Dhammajeeva mostly interested in Lay meditation courses . And you will live your own. As a monk its totally different life style. Before learning to meditate you need to learn the life of a monk. You can ordain as a monk physically.But what matters is how do you ordain your mind. All these different kind of meditation methods donnot cater this nowadays. I realy do not know the situation about Meethirigala today . But In Na Uyana you can find plenty of teachers who will can teach you. But there is a little down side about Na Uyana I have heard. Na Uyana Meditation is bit different from PA Auk myanmar. I know this because I have been to Pa auk. Even I heard ven.Pa Auk sayadaw is also not happy with what taught in Na Uyana.

But one thing I want to tell you..Just remember why you going there? This is the thing one of my teacher sayadaw in Myanmar ask me to keep in my mind all the time when I was there. Are you going to train your mind or teach the abbot in the monastery ? If you think abbot's teachings are different from the original commentary. do not go and criticize him. Just leave the monastery keeping good relations with him to a new one. read that bold words again. If you do this then all these visa problems foreigners facing will not arise. If you go to preach to abbot ..then of cause he will kick you out of the monastery. It will happen every where.
Hope this will help
SarathW
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Re: Na Uyana or Mahamevnawa?

Post by SarathW »

My advice is you learn Buddhism before becoming a monk.
It is not easy to find a good teacher.
Then you listen to your prospective teacher.
Think before the jump.
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
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StormBorn
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Re: Na Uyana or Mahamevnawa?

Post by StormBorn »

Suranga wrote: Sat Aug 11, 2018 7:45 am But In Na Uyana you can find plenty of teachers who will can teach you. But there is a little down side about Na Uyana I have heard. Na Uyana Meditation is bit different from PA Auk myanmar. I know this because I have been to Pa auk. Even I heard ven.Pa Auk sayadaw is also not happy with what taught in Na Uyana.

But one thing I want to tell you..Just remember why you going there? This is the thing one of my teacher sayadaw in Myanmar ask me to keep in my mind all the time when I was there. Are you going to train your mind or teach the abbot in the monastery ? If you think abbot's teachings are different from the original commentary. do not go and criticize him. Just leave the monastery keeping good relations with him to a new one. read that bold words again. If you do this then all these visa problems foreigners facing will not arise. If you go to preach to abbot ..then of cause he will kick you out of the monastery. It will happen every where.
How about this same abbot asking his students to lie to the Sayadaw regarding the meditation. And, when silently left the monastery not wanting to lie, the abbot informed other monasteries not to admit him since "this is a disobedient foreigner who came to Sri Lanka to destroy the Buddhism!" :guns:

Read the bold words again. What kind of a teacher advocates a lie? So, NO! All these visa problems foreigners facing are not simply due to preaching to the abbot. :rofl:
“Greater in battle than the man who would conquer a thousand-thousand men, is he who would conquer just one—himself.”
fornoxe
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Re: Na Uyana or Mahamevnawa?

Post by fornoxe »

What kind of lies?

I will be there in few weeks. I have the BPS list of monastery. And Pa Auk empahasis on meditation look great for me. That should be my first choice.

I go there without waiting anything about teacher. I build my meditation mainly by my own (and books). Since years, I discover who I am, finding my own purity. Understanding deeply my ego. How I work. And obviously doing anapanasati.

So, I want to say, we should dont care too much about teacher. Sure, finding a good one who can guide you is great, but we have already solution inside us if we really want to go further in spiritual realisation.

On path, we will find bad monk and bad lay meditor (?). But I dont care about that, I do it for myself and my own hapiness. They will not disturb me.
To be realise, be a monk is not a obligation. For me, be a monk is a easy way to take all my time for what I love : be happy. I know and i deeply realise woman, sex and drugs are just superficial. My ego need love, care and security. But since many years I live without that. I dont want to feed my ego. And because he is starving, my essence going up and up.

I am reading a Jack Kornfirld book (after extase, the laundry) : at the beginning, he say the Dalai lama invit people from all tradition. So this meeting should be the place for people highly realise. But he said that you have a lot of...not darkness. Maybe pain is the right world. So the perfect teacher, fully realise does not exist (or please PM :D ). I do my path step by step. Alone. And that works.

I had echo that theravada is not as strong as tibetan. I dont have any idea about that. Really. On paper, theravada looks better for me. But I can go in north India after few month in Sri Lanka. Thats a very different teaching (And you understand why I like theravada when you read what I wrote). I never thank to do that but someone very special told me that. I keep everytime doors open.

And to come back to my first sentence : if a teacher will ask me to lie (a good lie, like for exemple, someone dying, and could lie to keep him in peace for last second...like "yes, she/he told "I love u" ".

Create your own purity. Dont wait another people.

Ps : english is not my mothertong. I hope I did not put too much french words.

:yingyang:
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Volo
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Re: Na Uyana or Mahamevnawa?

Post by Volo »

StormBorn wrote: Sun Aug 12, 2018 3:48 pm How about this same abbot asking his students to lie to the Sayadaw regarding the meditation.
Can you be more specific? Since such hints create many rumors.

What concerns staying in the monastery only because of food: Some people do not realize how important the food issue is for the foreign monks in countries like Sri Lanka, where the food usually contains tonnes of chilli. It might be okay to eat for a week, but if you would keep eating it for years you can really hurt you digestion (which in fact happened to some of the monks as I've heard). In Na-Uyana they make food less spicy, however I still couldn't eat many of their curies, but fortunately some dishes they make without chilli.
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StormBorn
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Re: Na Uyana or Mahamevnawa?

Post by StormBorn »

Volovsky wrote: Tue Aug 14, 2018 12:32 am
StormBorn wrote: Sun Aug 12, 2018 3:48 pm How about this same abbot asking his students to lie to the Sayadaw regarding the meditation.
Can you be more specific? Since such hints create many rumors.
The post that I replied, mentioned “Na Uyana Meditation is bit different from PA Auk myanmar. I know this because I have been to Pa auk. Even I heard ven.Pa Auk sayadaw is also not happy with what taught in Na Uyana.”

So, I was referring to some incidents where the abbot of Na Uyana (Rev. Ariyananda) asked his students to lie to the Rev. Pa Auk Sayadaw regarding the meditation.
“Greater in battle than the man who would conquer a thousand-thousand men, is he who would conquer just one—himself.”
fornoxe
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Re: Na Uyana or Mahamevnawa?

Post by fornoxe »

Can you explain the difference? :namaste:
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Volo
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Re: Na Uyana or Mahamevnawa?

Post by Volo »

StormBorn wrote: Tue Aug 14, 2018 3:29 pmSo, I was referring to some incidents where the abbot of Na Uyana (Rev. Ariyananda) asked his students to lie to the Rev. Pa Auk Sayadaw regarding the meditation.
I understood that. But my question is: what did he asked monks to say to Sayadaw? If you accusing Ven. Ariyananda of asking monks to lie, why cannot you tell the details, what exactly had happened?
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StormBorn
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Re: Na Uyana or Mahamevnawa?

Post by StormBorn »

Volovsky wrote: Tue Aug 14, 2018 10:59 pm I understood that. But my question is: what did he asked monks to say to Sayadaw?
Asked to lie about attainments and how achieved those so-called attainments.
Volovsky wrote: Tue Aug 14, 2018 10:59 pm If you accusing Ven. Ariyananda of asking monks to lie, why cannot you tell the details, what exactly had happened?
Search and do your homework. There's an infamous book about Na Uyana and more than enough past discussions in this forum about Na Uyana. Still, people want to fall for it! Btw, the food there is superb, even for Sri Lankan standards. :tongue:
“Greater in battle than the man who would conquer a thousand-thousand men, is he who would conquer just one—himself.”
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Volo
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Re: Na Uyana or Mahamevnawa?

Post by Volo »

StormBorn wrote: Sun Aug 19, 2018 1:09 pm Asked to lie about attainments and how achieved those so-called attainments.
Search and do your homework. There's an infamous book about Na Uyana and more than enough past discussions in this forum about Na Uyana. Still, people want to fall for it! Btw, the food there is superb, even for Sri Lankan standards. :tongue:
You still keep giving vague answers, hinting that it was a big deal, but not telling anything precisely, advising me to search by myself somewhere among several thousands topics of this forum without providing any link. Whereas it would take just few more sentences to explain what had happened. That makes me think that either you yourself don't know the details or the details do not really support your accusations.
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