Steve Armstrong

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Buckwheat
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Steve Armstrong

Post by Buckwheat »

Hello All,
I just enjoyed a dhamma talk by Steve Armstrong and quite enjoyed it. I just wanted to ask there are any common critiques or controversy to his approach that I should keep an eye out for. Assuming he is widely respected, I would also like to open up general discussion of his approach / methods, especially in what makes his approach unique.

I did a little poking around and didn't see anything, but if there is already a related topic, I would not mind having my post moved into that topic.
Sotthī hontu nirantaraṃ - May you forever be well.
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mikenz66
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Re: Steve Armstrong

Post by mikenz66 »

Hi Buckwheat,

Steve is one of the people whose talks I listen to reasonably regularly. His main background is Mahasi/U Pandita style (he was a monk in Burma for several years), so his explanations are consistent with the background of my main teachers. So, of course, for me, he's not controversial...

More recently he's been studying with U Tejaniya, which has led to some different perspectives.

:anjali:
Mike
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Goofaholix
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Re: Steve Armstrong

Post by Goofaholix »

mikenz66 wrote:Steve is one of the people whose talks I listen to reasonably regularly. His main background is Mahasi/U Pandita style (he was a monk in Burma for several years), so his explanations are consistent with the background of my main teachers. So, of course, for me, he's not controversial...

More recently he's been studying with U Tejaniya, which has led to some different perspectives.
That's it in a nutshell, until he changed to U Tejaniya style I'd have said he was more orthodox Mahasi than most IMS teachers.
Pronouns (no self / not self)
“Peace is within oneself to be found in the same place as agitation and suffering. It is not found in a forest or on a hilltop, nor is it given by a teacher. Where you experience suffering, you can also find freedom from suffering. Trying to run away from suffering is actually to run toward it.”
― Ajahn Chah
Buckwheat
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Re: Steve Armstrong

Post by Buckwheat »

Thanks for the replies. Steve sounds like a great source for me, as I have for quite a while wanted to learn more about Mahasi.

:anjali:
Sotthī hontu nirantaraṃ - May you forever be well.
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seaturtle
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Re: Steve Armstrong

Post by seaturtle »

Hi Buckwheat. I just joined this forum recently. Steve Armstrong is also in my lineup of dharma talks I listen to regularly. I don't know much about Mahasi Sayadaw. I listen to some of his more recent talks - I can share links if you'd like, and from listening to his talks I learnt about Sayadaw U Tejaniya and got copies of his books. Which of Steve's talks have you listened to?
:jumping:
To be born human and encounter the great joy
of the good Dharma is a chance rarer than
a turtle thrusting its neck through a yoke
floating freely in the great ocean.
Buckwheat
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Joined: Thu Nov 24, 2011 12:39 am
Location: California USA

Re: Steve Armstrong

Post by Buckwheat »

seaturtle wrote:Hi Buckwheat. I just joined this forum recently. Steve Armstrong is also in my lineup of dharma talks I listen to regularly. I don't know much about Mahasi Sayadaw. I listen to some of his more recent talks - I can share links if you'd like, and from listening to his talks I learnt about Sayadaw U Tejaniya and got copies of his books. Which of Steve's talks have you listened to?
:jumping:
I've been listening to the ones on dhammaseed.org and audiodharma.org. There is plenty of material to keep me busy for quite a while, as I am also listening to talks from several of the other Mahasi Sayadaw inspired teachers.

Thanks,
:anjali:
Sotthī hontu nirantaraṃ - May you forever be well.
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mikenz66
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Re: Steve Armstrong

Post by mikenz66 »

See this talk:
Dhamma Lessons - Complementary Practice Traditions
http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/170/talk/18905/
for a discussion of how Sayadaw U Tejaniya's approach differed from the Mahasi appraoch he had been practising and teaching. He seems to now teach some sort of mixture...

:anjali:
Mike
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seaturtle
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Re: Steve Armstrong

Post by seaturtle »

Thanks. Looks like a fairly new talk. I like listening to some of the retreats Steve teaches at, like this one http://www.dharmaseed.org/retreats/784/. The first talk by Steve that really stuck with me was this one http://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/170/talk/6793/ and it had a little bit about how he developed his style, but not much, so it's nice to get a better sense of his teaching history.
To be born human and encounter the great joy
of the good Dharma is a chance rarer than
a turtle thrusting its neck through a yoke
floating freely in the great ocean.
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