Sunday, February 23, 2025

Ajahn Mun's nirvana: Forest Tradition


Ãcariya Mun: The Buddhist master who took the gods to school

Maybe Kali's just time, destruction
(American Esoteric) Feb. 19, 2025: [The Theravada Thai Forest Tradition of Isan (Northeast Thailand) has produced numerous enlightened practitioners. How is that possible? All the Zen folks, at least the fans of Joko Beck, say such a thing isn't possible nowadays, now, in the Kali Yuga, the dark decadent age of Hindu cosmology. (Kali is a goddess who kicks arse and is here to kick a lot of arse). It would be silly to think of achieving anything in Zen, which would be so un-Taoist. Of course, the historical Buddha didn't say such things. In fact, it is considered wrong view to believe no one attains nirvana anymore, no one is enlightened, there is no other world, or there's nothing to be done here in this world during this life.

What's a deva or "shining one"?
There is much to be done for the sake of calm and insight, much to practice. But if we let ourselves believe, "Ah, what's the use?" or "There's no one who gets anywhere anyway," we miss the mark and miss the boat. Did Ajahn Mun take such an attitude? It is exactly because there were meditators a few decades back who took the historical Buddha's Teaching seriously and put those teachings into practice that there came to be a Thai Forest Tradition harkening back to the Buddha's time and how things were done back then. Because those teachers attained something, there students were able to. This included Western students like Ajahn Brahm, Ajahn Sumedho, Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg, and others.]

TIMESTAMPS
  • 00:00-3:31 The dhutanga (sane ascetic) practices
  • 3:32-7:09 Early psychic phenomena
  • 7:10-8:43 Embracing fear
  • 8:44-11:45 The deva of Sarika Cave
  • 11:46-16:07 Remote viewing
  • 16:08-20:36 Discipline and progress
  • 20:37-22:27 Realms and devas
  • 22:28-26:29 Miracles and powers
  • 26:30-29:19 Life-death-rebirth
  • 29:20-31:00 The hypercritical naga
  • 31:01-34:28 The spiritual warrior
SOURCE
What do the devas have to do with anything?
  • Venerable Ãcariya Mun Bhuridatta Thera, A Spiritual Biography by Ãcariya Maha Boowa Nanasampanno (2004)
  • Collin Conkwright, American Esoteric, Feb. 19, 2025; Sayalay Aloka and Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

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