Ajahn Chah tradition in Sri Lanka?

[fornoxe]

Hi everyone,

I took my ticket plane, and I will be there end of september. I plan to extend as far as posible my tourist visa until I will take lay visa in the monestery I will like.

So I plan to do some of them like :
-Na uyana
-nissarana
-Dikhena BM : Pa Auk meditation center (teach Mahasi also)
-Primrose garden (learn Sinhale there)
-Paramita international buddhist center (but noisy and pollution)
-Sri Subodharama international buddhist (aff. to Amarapura nikaya)
-Rock hill hermitage international meditation center
-Mahamevnava Bhavana asapuwa (Ven. Kiribathgoda Nanananda)
-Tanjan Tenna (guldawa)
-Island hermitage?
-Opata with Ven sugunasara a meditation teacher in Pa Auk
-Diddeniya (Guldawa).

I found also a lot of Mahasi teacher I dont feel this method is for me (I did it in International meditation center in Lumbini).

But I cant find any Ajahn Chah tradition in Sri Lanka. The "official" website say nothing about Sri Lanka ( https://forestsangha.org/community/monasteries )

And because Guldawa tradition (most of the monastery above are in Guldawa : It's a tradition from Thai forest. And if I unterstand thai forest was created by Ajah Chah?

I read a book from a Ajah Chah student : the name of this book was something like : meditation method from theravada. A very clear book for steps and method. So I would like to find something near or under this teaching.

I will pass my first part of my life journey in BPS in Kandy to learn things I cant know from internet. And also to give time to the governement to extend my visa.

[pitakele]

But I cant find any Ajahn Chah tradition in Sri Lanka. The "official" website say nothing about Sri Lanka
(https://forestsangha.org/community/monasteries )

And because Guldawa tradition (most of the monastery above are in Guldawa : It's a tradition from Thai forest. And if I unterstand thai forest was created by Ajah Chah?

I will pass my first part of my life journey in BPS in Kandy to learn things I cant know from internet. And also to give time to the governement to extend my visa.

Many years ago in Sri Lanka, I met a Sri Lankan monk, Ven. Kondañña, who ordained in the A. Chah tradition, but he didn't live in an arañña. Afaik, there is no centre affiliated with that tradition in Lanka.

You can download A.Chah ebooks here https://www.abhayagiri.org/books

The Thai forest tradition wasn't started by A. Chah, but was revived by other monks (including A. Mun?) in the first half of last century.

Galduwa is part of the Ramañña sect with lineage roots in Myanmar

It usually takes half a day to extend your tourist visa to 3 months, cost @ 4,600 rupees for most nationalities.

In Kandy, you may be able to meet the Dutch monk, Ven. Ñānatusita, editor of BPS. He wrote a couple of guides to Lankan monasteries etc.

[fornoxe]

Do you think galduwa (ramanna sect) and Ahah Chah are more or less a similar view? Do you know the empasis of both?

Ajahn Chah is on anapanasati and Jhana. (from what I read)
Galduwa, from thai forest (like all rammana sect, I could not find facs on it), is a sect to go back near the buddha teaching (?)

cheers

edit : And yes, I will try to find the BPS editor

[pitakele]

Do you think galduwa (ramanna sect) and Ahah Chah are more or less a similar view? Do you know the empasis of both?

Ajahn Chah is on anapanasati and Jhana. (from what I read)
Galduwa, from thai forest (like all rammana sect, I could not find facs on it), is a sect to go back near the buddha teaching (?)

cheers you

edit : And yes, I will try to find the BPS editor

I would say there is are major differences in practice & feel between the Ramañña Sect and the A. Chah Thai forest traditon (which is part of the Mahanikāya). Galduwa, esp. can be study oriented with a lot of emphasis on commentarial Vinaya. Robes are worn in Burmese style & they use a distinctive type of palm leaf umbrella which is also used a parasol. There are usually two meals a day & there is very little tradition of alms round. In comparison, the A. Chah tradtion is more ascetic, with less study and one meal a day collected from alms round. There are many meditation monasteries in the Ramanna Galduwa sect, including Na Uyane & Meetirigala - there some monks practise one meal a day. There is also a much smaller Ramañña sub sect, the Delduwa sect.

Regarding meditation, in earlier times, samatha meditation predominated in the Ramanna sect, but after some famous Burmese teachers visited Lanka in the fifties, the Mahasi method was taught. In the last thirty years, the Pa Auk system was introduced. At Na Uyane, I think there will be good instruction on ānāpānasati practice.

[pitakele]

the Ramañña Sect.... Robes are worn in Burmese style

Edit: robes aren't worn in Burmese style, although many Ramñña forest monastery monks' robes are a distinctive maroon colour created by dyeing with boiled mahogany tree chips

[fornoxe]

Great post




In fact, I am looking for an ascetic place.... I am not against eating 2 meals (one meal is an ascetic proposition from Buddha, optional one if I remember correctly), but I care about alms round.
In Sri Lanka, they call that Pindapata no?
I dont know how Ajah Chah is near from the sutta. I would like to know that. But what I read before was clear and near with what I felt in my past. I did not have nimitta, with I got something like crazy feeling of love twice in my life. I dont have name of that but I mean what I want is doing meditation deep in the forest. I want to realize jhana.
i read Visuddhimagga also.

Thats why i was looking in Pa Auk. But I have to say I never practise this teaching.

If you have any tips or whatever, I take


thanks you

[paul]

I got something like crazy feeling of love twice in my life. I dont have name of that but I mean what I want is doing meditation deep in the forest. I want to realize jhana.
i read Visuddhimagga also.
Thats why i was looking in Pa Auk. But I have to say I never practise this teaching.
If you have any tips or whatever, I take

Don't confuse that "crazy feeling of love" with jhana. Feelings of the flesh must be separated from feelings not of the flesh, so the practitioner should identify pleasurable feelings associated with the breath. Thanissaro provides instruction on this. Another allowable feeling is the sense of peace from wilderness which should constitute a foundation separate from human society.

[pitakele]

Great post




In fact, I am looking for an ascetic place.... I am not against eating 2 meals (one meal is an ascetic proposition from Buddha, optional one if I remember correctly), but I care about alms round.
In Sri Lanka, they call that Pindapata no?
I dont know how Ajah Chah is near from the sutta. I would like to know that. But what I read before was clear and near with what I felt in my past. I did not have nimitta, with I got something like crazy feeling of love twice in my life. I dont have name of that but I mean what I want is doing meditation deep in the forest. I want to realize jhana.
i read Visuddhimagga also.

Thats why i was looking in Pa Auk. But I have to say I never practise this teaching.

If you have any tips or whatever, I take


thanks you

Afaik, at Na Uyane, you will be instructed in ānāpānasati (or maybe another meditation subject) with the aim of attaining jhāna. The emphasis is on individual practice, however, there is a meditation hall where yogis (monks & laypeople) are practising all the time. I have visited, but not practised there. Maybe someone else who has spent time there can give more details.

At Ajahn Chah monasteries in Thailand, there is more emphasis on communal activities, e.g. eating in the same place, daily chores.

[fornoxe]

I got something like crazy feeling of love twice in my life. I dont have name of that but I mean what I want is doing meditation deep in the forest. I want to realize jhana.
i read Visuddhimagga also.
Thats why i was looking in Pa Auk. But I have to say I never practise this teaching.
If you have any tips or whatever, I take

Don't confuse that "crazy feeling of love" with jhana. Feelings of the flesh must be separated from feelings not of the flesh, so the practitioner should identify pleasurable feelings associated with the breath. Thanissaro provides instruction on this. Another allowable feeling is the sense of peace from wilderness which should constitute a foundation separate from human society.

I know I did not have a jhana. I felt somethings else. I was under any meditation when I had that (et drugs neither). I dont have name on that. I cant explain. I felt disapear. One with everythings and ... felt like Love Is God and God is Love.

[fornoxe]

pitakele : sounds good. If anyone knows some another monastery looking to this one.


For Pa Auk method, I found any books translate in french. I can read english, but hard to get everythings. (And I have plenty of french book to read furtheremore)