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About Anandapanyo Bhikkhu
Expertise
I can answer questions about Buddhist practice, Buddhist understanding and how to apply Buddhism to daily life. I can help analyze Buddhist sayings and teachings. In addition, I can help with questions Buddhism stories, fables and Vinaya(rules). I have meditated for over 10 years and can help you start with meditation. In addition, I can help provide insight into what to do when you feel that you have hit a wall with your meditation. My main area of expertise is how to think in accordance with Sammaditthi (the right view - and number 1 in the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path. If I cannot answer your question, I have many able teachers with over 20 years experience to help me, so chances are I will be able to find an answer for you.

Experience
I have been practicing Buddhism for over 13 years. I started studying under various famous Thai Theravada masters. Finally, I met and studied under Phra Acariya Thoon Khippapanyo who has recently passed away on Nov 11, 2008 and is widely accepted as a great Arahant (fully enlightened) teacher of our time. In addition, I have personally read and studied much of the Buddhist scriptures and popular literature available. I have recently undertaken the ordination vows and have become a Buddhist monk in the theravada forest monk tradition. I reside at a temple with many dedicated practitioners and great teachers. I have been practicing training my mind to be aligned with right view (sammaditthi) for over 10 years. I have also been meditating for over 10 years. In my time spent with Acariya Thoon, I learned many things and was able to incorporate them into my life. In addition to practicing Buddhism within temples and my home, I used to own two restaurants and managed commercial real estate. I had to deal with many different and problems. I learned how to use Buddhism to fix my problems, both externally (my environment) and internally (within me).

Organizations
Wat San Fran Dhammaram Temple KPY - a non-profit religious organization

Publications
none

Education/Credentials
Electrical Engineering Degree from the University of California Santa Barbara MBA from San Francisco State

Awards and Honors
none

You are here: Experts > Homework Help > Buddhism > Buddhists > buddhism

Buddhists - buddhism

Expert: Anandapanyo Bhikkhu - 10/19/2009

Question
QUESTION: so it is a wrong view to think buddha is a divine being that saves people akin to salvation by just beliving?

what about buddhists saying that questions about teachings can make anyone even more confused you gotta practice so that you know like come and see? should buddhists at least make dhamma clear on inquirers?

how can it is possible the buddha can extend his own life? my mahayanist friend even told me the buddha can resurrect????

is it sufficient to know about rebirth anicca anatta and attain sotapanna by pure understanding even without good deeds? is sotapanna possible by just understanding?

ANSWER: Dear Jaya,

It is not right or wrong to think that,

"so it is a wrong view to think buddha is a divine being that saves people akin to salvation by just beliving?"

however, the more accurate way to see it is this, Buddha helped us HELP OURSELVES. He only pointed us in the way, WE had to walk it.

"what about buddhists saying that questions about teachings can make anyone even more confused you gotta practice so that you know like come and see? should buddhists at least make dhamma clear on inquirers?"

The Buddha said to not trust everything but try practicing it first. Once you receive results you can compare those results to what was taught and nature. Then you will KNOW YOURSELF if something was right or wrong. Just asking CANNOT and WILL NOT generate true understanding. Dhamma is clear, but inquirers who just want to argue or point out weaknesses are not truly inquirers, they are just people who are arguing over semantics.

"how can it is possible the buddha can extend his own life? my mahayanist friend even told me the buddha can resurrect????"

The Buddha could do many things, but just because he didn't do it, it doesn't mean he couldn't.

"is it sufficient to know about rebirth anicca anatta and attain sotapanna by pure understanding even without good deeds? is sotapanna possible by just understanding?

In order to be a Ariya-Puggala, a noble person. You need to accomplish two things. You must have Tassanayana AND yanatassana.

Tassanayana is to know before seeing
Yanatassana is to see before knowing

We need to KNOW AND UNDERSTAND. Just knowing or understanding alone is not sufficient.

To know the world is impermanent, but not understand it in your life, will not solve any problems. To understand the impermanence in your life is good, but without knowing what it is, you won't know what you understand.

You ask many good questions, I hope you put them into practice.

Sincerely,

Phra Anandapanyo

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: so buddhism is all about practice and observations no involvement of metaphysics and occult?

one article say that buddhism need not supernatural revalations or extraordinary experience, just by looking out would do it like seeing people are living and dying getting sick and etc?

how about good deeds? should we desire to do it? how do you do good deeds is it by desire?

are the stories of buddha and the gods real or any buddhist stories? as if historically happened?

what's the function of good deeds of doing good deeds in practice? are they related to understanding the dharma? or understanding is a different thing?

does the mind lives on after final parinirvanna death?

i just ask this question anagamis are supposedly on the higher worlds why in the story of buddha there are instances anagamis in the human sphere?

the buddhist monk in our town once said getting into insight reaching formless worlds = reborning there in the formless worlds? arahants are supposedly in theh higher heavens rather thn earth

ANSWER: Dear Jaya,

"so buddhism is all about practice and observations no involvement of metaphysics and occult?"

The Buddha's teaching of the path to deliverance is all practice. You only study to supplement your practice. You question in order to get encouragement to practice. Without practice, you have nothing. As for metaphysics and occult, the Buddha refrained from teaching those things. His explanation was that they could not bring about the path to deliverance, therefore they were not part of his path to enlightenment.

"one article say that buddhism need not supernatural revalations or extraordinary experience, just by looking out would do it like seeing people are living and dying getting sick and etc?"

The Buddha Dharma is set in nature, it is nature and it is undeniable. A car is dharma, a house is dharma, you are dharma, do you need supernatural revelations or extraordinary experience to see that?

"how about good deeds? should we desire to do it? how do you do good deeds is it by desire?"

In the end, we should not desire good or bad deeds. However, since we are not at the end yet, we need good deeds to help fight off the bad deeds. Once we can use the power of good deeds to refrain from bad deeds, then we can begin not to desire good deeds. So, until you are at the door of enlightenment, we still need to desire and cling to good in order to combat the bad that we can't help but do. So, as long as we do bad, we need to desire to do good.

"are the stories of buddha and the gods real or any buddhist stories? as if historically happened?"

Whether they are true or not is not the true benefit of hearing them. The true importance contained in the stories is to teach us a lesson.

"what's the function of good deeds of doing good deeds in practice? are they related to understanding the dharma? or understanding is a different thing?"

Good deeds help ward off the bad deeds. They also give you encouragement and energy to practice. Understanding the Dharma can come from ANY deeds, good or bad.

"does the mind lives on after final parinirvanna death?"

Nobody knows, and nobody can know.

"i just ask this question anagamis are supposedly on the higher worlds why in the story of buddha there are instances anagamis in the human sphere?"

Anagamis can exists in the higher worlds AND the human sphere.

"the buddhist monk in our town once said getting into insight reaching formless worlds = reborning there in the formless worlds?"

You should ask him to explain.

"arahants are supposedly in theh higher heavens rather thn earth"

No. Arahants are in Nirvana. Either Arahants are in the world (alive) or in Nirvana (dead). If they are in heaven, they are NOT arahants.

I hope I have answered your questions,

Sincerely,
Phra Anandapanyo

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: what does it mean a man or a car is dharma? is it some sort of a pantheistic all is one notion?

is it possible to be enligten by just meditating without good deeds? since all you gotta see is the true nature of existence?

is that true that doing good deeds will help you see things as they are more clearly? bad people wont see the true nature?

is the phrase correct that many lives here and now we are going to work out our karma bad or good? before enligtenment, are we going to remove current karma or karma (all time)?

Answer
Dear Jaya,

"what does it mean a man or a car is dharma? is it some sort of a pantheistic all is one notion?"

Dharma means truth, it is all around us. There is truth in everything. Existence is truth, death is truth, suffering is truth, rebirth is truth.

Every Man has truth in him. He was born, he will get older, he will suffer, he will die. He is prone to suffering, he is impermanent.

Every Car has truth in it. It was created, it gets older, it will deteriorate, it will eventually transmute into various different elements.

What is NOT Truth? A car CANNOT cause suffering, it CANNOT be the cause of a misconception. WE think, therefore WE misconceive.

"is it possible to be enligten by just meditating without good deeds? since all you gotta see is the true nature of existence?"

Meditation alone, without insight and wisdom and contemplation CANNOT lead to enlightenment. However, Insight, wisdom and contemplation CAN lead to enlightenment. You see the true nature of existence through insight, wisdom and contemplation.

As for good deeds, they are like money, can you live without it? Sure. But life would be easier if you had it. However, just like money, good deeds can become addictive and add a sense of self-worth and value which can hinder you.

"is that true that doing good deeds will help you see things as they are more clearly? bad people wont see the true nature?"

Both good deeds and bad deeds are a result of your points of view. When you do good or bad deeds you are basically acting out the script your points of view has written. So, you will see true nature when you do both good and bad deeds.

"is the phrase correct that many lives here and now we are going to work out our karma bad or good? before enligtenment, are we going to remove current karma or karma (all time)?"

I don't understand the question.

Sincerely,

Phra Anandapanyo

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