Western teachers - Burmese ordination/traditions

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pilgrim
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Re: Western teachers - Burmese ordination/traditions

Post by pilgrim »

I wish to introduce Ven Ariyadhammika an Austrian Thera who has experience in several of the Burmese traditions - U Ba Khin, Pa-Auk, Mahasi, Mogok, and Tejaniya. Ven Aggacitta of Malaysia speaks highly of him and his Vinaya practice and has encouraged him to act as Upajjhaya. He is seen here ordaining two monks (probably his first students), a Polish and a Frenchman at the sima in Malaysia with a quorum of Malaysian and temporary Burmese monks. Truly an international sangha. At the moment he is in Sri Lanka
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samseva
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Re: Western teachers - Burmese ordination/traditions

Post by samseva »

pilgrim wrote:I wish to introduce Ven Ariyadhammika an Austrian Thera who has experience in several of the Burmese traditions - U Ba Khin, Pa-Auk, Mahasi, Mogok, and Tejaniya. Ven Aggacitta of Malaysia speaks highly of him and his Vinaya practice and has encouraged him to act as Upajjhaya. He is seen here ordaining two monks (probably his first students), a Polish and a Frenchman at the sima in Malaysia with a quorum of Malaysian and temporary Burmese monks. Truly an international sangha. At the moment he is in Sri Lanka
12938154_1007161785985793_4930445084121459780_n.jpg
Sādhu. Must be quite an honour for him.
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pilgrim
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Re: Western teachers - Burmese ordination/traditions

Post by pilgrim »

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Just learnt of Ven Nanadassana, who actually spent most of his monastic life in Sri Lanka at Na Uyana, which has very closeinks to Pa-Auk.

"Bhikkhu Ñāṇadassana (Greek) is a Mahāthera of 30 vassa who lives in Sri Lanka and was closely connected with the late Ven. Nāuyana Ariyadhamma Mahāthera. He is the author and translator of more than ten Buddhist books in English, German, Sinhala, and Pāli and is adept at preaching the Dhamma in English and Sinhala. He received his Sāmanera ordination in 1982 and for four years he practised under the guidance of the late Most Venerable M. Ñāṇārāma Mahāthera, the renowned meditation master of Nissaraṇa Vanaya Meditation Monastery, Meetirigala, Sri Lanka. In 1986 he took the higher ordination with the late Most Venerable Rājakīya Paṇḍita K. ShrīJinavaṃsa Mahāthera as his preceptor. He then studied the Tipitaka with its Commentaries and Subcommentaries under three learned Mahātheras. In 1997 he received the degree of Vinayācariya. From 2003 till 2007 he practised meditation at Pa-Auk Tawya Meditation Centre, Mawlayimine, Myanmar, and then returned to Sri Lanka where he is currently staying at Nāuyana Forest Meditation Monastery."
NobleDhamma1
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Re: Western teachers - Burmese ordination/traditions

Post by NobleDhamma1 »

pilgrim wrote: Fri Jun 03, 2016 12:07 pm I wish to introduce Ven Ariyadhammika an Austrian Thera who has experience in several of the Burmese traditions - U Ba Khin, Pa-Auk, Mahasi, Mogok, and Tejaniya. Ven Aggacitta of Malaysia speaks highly of him and his Vinaya practice and has encouraged him to act as Upajjhaya. He is seen here ordaining two monks (probably his first students), a Polish and a Frenchman at the sima in Malaysia with a quorum of Malaysian and temporary Burmese monks. Truly an international sangha. At the moment he is in Sri Lanka (outdated; he lives permanently in Malaysia now)
UPDATE
Another group of Western disciples was recently ordained by Ven. Ariyadhammika. See https://www.flickr.com/photos/sasanarak ... 7955677085
His biodata is available here: https://sasanarakkha.org/2018/08/30/ariyadhammika/
Info about SBS Monk Training Centre can be found here: https://sasanarakkha.org/monastery/
ChooChoo
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Re: Western teachers - Burmese ordination/traditions

Post by ChooChoo »

Ajahn Pannadhammo at Arrow River Monastery in Ontario, Canada practices Mahasi style meditation, though it says on his website he ordained as a Thai Forest Monk.
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Dhammanando
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Re: Western teachers - Burmese ordination/traditions

Post by Dhammanando »

ChooChoo wrote: Sat May 18, 2019 12:03 am Ajahn Pannadhammo at Arrow River Monastery in Ontario, Canada practices Mahasi style meditation, though it says on his website he ordained as a Thai Forest Monk.
I think the Burmese connection is a little tenuous in Ven. Punnadhammo's case. As far as I know he didn't train in Burma but learned the Mahasi method before ordaining at Wat Pa Nanachat. His teacher was the householder yogi Kema Ananda (Eric James Bell).

Kema Ananda learned it in Canada from the Canadian monk Ven. Ānanda Bodhi (aka Leslie Dawson, aka Namgyal Rinpoche).

Ānanda Bodhi learned it in Thailand from Phra Jodok Ñāṇasiddhi (aka Chao Khun Dhammadhīrarājamahāmunī), the founder of Section 5 (the vipassanā section at Wat Mahathat in Bangkok). Ānanda Bodhi also spent some time in Burma, but his training there wasn't with Mahasi but with the healing and pagoda-building monk U Thilawuntha.

And Phra Jodok Ñāṇasiddhi learned it at the Mahasi Centre in Rangoon, being instructed by Sayādaws Āsabha and Indavaṃsa. Sayādaw Āsabha was later to move to Thailand and found Wat Vivekasom in Chonburi, which, along with Section 5, was one of the two pioneering places for the teaching of this method in Thailand.
Rūpehi bhikkhave arūpā santatarā.
Arūpehi nirodho santataro ti.


“Bhikkhus, the formless is more peaceful than the form realms.
Cessation is more peaceful than the formless realms.”
(Santatarasutta, Iti 73)
ChooChoo
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Re: Western teachers - Burmese ordination/traditions

Post by ChooChoo »

Thanks for clearing that up.

It says on the website Ajahn Pannadhammo does Anapana and Mahasi. Is it common for Monks to practice two or more styles of meditation? I know in the Goenka tradition they are really forward about telling people to not practicing other types of meditation.
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mikenz66
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Re: Western teachers - Burmese ordination/traditions

Post by mikenz66 »

ChooChoo wrote: Sun May 19, 2019 6:35 pm Is it common for Monks to practice two or more styles of meditation? I know in the Goenka tradition they are really forward about telling people to not practicing other types of meditation.
Most monastics that I've talked to have tried a variety of approaches, and most teachers will offer a variety of approaches to students who have difficulties with the main approach that they teach. For example, some people find breath meditation completely unsuitable, and most teachers will have alternatives.

The Goenka organisation has some good points, but the insistence on everyone sticking to one particular approach (anapanasati followed by body scanning) is somewhat unusual. In any case, it is not a monastic organisation.

:heart:
Mike
ChooChoo
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Re: Western teachers - Burmese ordination/traditions

Post by ChooChoo »

mikenz66 wrote: Sun May 19, 2019 7:35 pm
ChooChoo wrote: Sun May 19, 2019 6:35 pm Is it common for Monks to practice two or more styles of meditation? I know in the Goenka tradition they are really forward about telling people to not practicing other types of meditation.
Most monastics that I've talked to have tried a variety of approaches, and most teachers will offer a variety of approaches to students who have difficulties with the main approach that they teach. For example, some people find breath meditation completely unsuitable, and most teachers will have alternatives.

The Goenka organisation has some good points, but the insistence on everyone sticking to one particular approach (anapanasati followed by body scanning) is somewhat unusual. In any case, it is not a monastic organisation.

:heart:
Mike
That's what I don't understand abot the Goenka tradition. It's not a monastic organistation but they talk about Ledi Sayadaw being one of the founders, so how exactly is Goenka vipassana different to what Ledi Sayadaw taught or practiced? Being that Ledi Sayadaw is such a respected Monk, there must be monastics that practice the same mediation he did. How does it differ from what is taught at Goenka retreats? :shrug:
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pilgrim
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Re: Western teachers - Burmese ordination/traditions

Post by pilgrim »

It makes sense not to mix traditions when one is attending a retreat. A lot of grief and frustration arises when students mix traditions and then bring their problems and questions to the teachers. However, neither Anapanasati nor Vedananupassana which are the mainstay of Goenka's technique is unique to it. What is unique to Goenka is it's template of reproducing standard instructions for its retreats.
:offtopic:
ChooChoo
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Re: Western teachers - Burmese ordination/traditions

Post by ChooChoo »

pilgrim wrote: Mon May 20, 2019 1:25 am It makes sense not to mix traditions when one is attending a retreat. A lot of grief and frustration arises when students mix traditions and then bring their problems and questions to the teachers. .
:offtopic:
Yes during a meditation retreat obviously you need to stick to what is being taught. That it not what I meant. :anjali:
JoahM
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Re: Western teachers - Burmese ordination/traditions

Post by JoahM »

I spoke to Alan Clements on my podcast (https://insightmyanmar.org/complete-sho ... n-clements) about the spread of Dhamma in the West as well as his early days as a monk under Mahasi Sayadaw and Sayadaw U Pandita. You might find part of the interview relevant to your discussion here as we go into quite a bit of detail.
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