AboutAnandapanyo 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
Question QUESTION: if insight is simple realization of the truth of existence how it is possible for psychic skills to materialize?
if meditation is simple reflection of the mind how the scenarios of seeing gods, going to other places, powers and out of body came to place? a lot of burmese books portrayed these scenarios?
how can a person know he will never be reborn again like already enligtened?
is it ok for practicing meditationsimply for exercise and good deeds?
what do u see in meditation?
how it is diff from the yoga we know today?
what does it mean walking meditation?
ANSWER: Dear Jaya,
"if insight is simple realization of the truth of existence how it is possible for psychic skills to materialize?"
Insight and psychic are different topics. It is like planting apples and oranges. Where do apples come from? From planting apple seeds. Where do oranges come from? From planting orange seeds. With insight and psychic powers, it is the same thing. Insight comes from practicing insight. Psychic skills comes from practicing psychic skills.
"if meditation is simple reflection of the mind how the scenarios of seeing gods, going to other places, powers and out of body came to place? a lot of burmese books portrayed these scenarios?"
They came to place from many lifetimes of cultivating such actions.
"how can a person know he will never be reborn again like already enligtened?"
This is something that can only be known by the person and the Buddha. How do you know when you are full? You just know.
"is it ok for practicing meditationsimply for exercise and good deeds?"
Sure why not?
"what do u see in meditation?"
For me personally, I usually meditate upon my thoughts with my eyes closed. So, I don't try to see anything other than my train of thoughts.
"how it is diff from the yoga we know today?"
Yoga is usually physical, whereas, sitting meditation is stationary.
"what does it mean walking meditation?"
Walking meditation is another method of practicing meditation. You focus as you take each step. Instead of focusing on your breath, you focus on each step. Otherwise, you do it for the same reasons.
I hope I have answered your questions.
Sincerely,
Phra Anandapanyo
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: you mean i only know that im enligtened? ala subjective? nor other people can know? are there any signs? a lot of people are sometimes thought they are enligtened by seeing dead people, rise and fall, sufering so you mean being enligtened is simple knowing the facts of life? no other hocus pocus like metaphysical involved?
how about effects what yoga can offer vs vipasanna? what can you say yoga is offering psychic skills to devotees and godhood? can you give a simple comparison of the 2?
the characters of sakyamuni life getting enligtened is not one life immediate but accumulations of merits to get enligtened?
if buddhahood is possible for girls why thailand and theravada nations dont have order of nuns? if women are equal with man why there are stricter rules for nuns?
where does the arahant's psychic skills got from? if meditation is simply insight of reality that we are egoless why there is out of body, stillness, god visitations involved even absorption to deep states?
ANSWER: Dear Jaya,
"you mean i only know that im enligtened? ala subjective? nor other people can know? are there any signs? a lot of people are sometimes thought they are enligtened by seeing dead people, rise and fall, sufering so you mean being enligtened is simple knowing the facts of life? no other hocus pocus like metaphysical involved?"
Jaya, what you are doing is taking my words and adding a second element that I did not say. Yes, each enlightened person will know that they are enlightened. But it is not subjective. It is not just saying you are enlightened and then you are. When you become enlightened, you will achieve different amounts of the Samyojana. The Arahant will have freed himself from all ten. The three The Sotapanna will have freed himself from the first three. If you have not at least conquered the first three Samyojana, you are not enlightened, no matter what you see or think or experience.
"how about effects what yoga can offer vs vipasanna? what can you say yoga is offering psychic skills to devotees and godhood? can you give a simple comparison of the 2?"
Yoga is just action, such as walking, sleeping, jumping or running. Actions themselves are just actions. However, Vipassana is insight thinking. Insight thinking can acquire or contemplate knowledge and wisdom. They are not mutually exclusive. You can do Vipassana without Yoga. You can do Yoga with Vipassana.
"the characters of sakyamuni life getting enligtened is not one life immediate but accumulations of merits to get enligtened?"
I don't think I understand this question.
"if buddhahood is possible for girls why thailand and theravada nations dont have order of nuns? if women are equal with man why there are stricter rules for nuns?"
"Enlightenment" is possible for all humans, - men and women.
"Buddhahood" is not possible for all humans, - men and women.
The reason Thailand and Theravada nations don't have an order of Bhikkhunis is because they believe the lineage has been cut off.
Women are equal to men in that they are able to be enlightened. However, women are different from men, just look at society and our physical bodies. The stricter rules are for their protection.
"where does the arahant's psychic skills got from? if meditation is simply insight of reality that we are egoless why there is out of body, stillness, god visitations involved even absorption to deep states?"
Arahant's skills comes from countless lives of cultivation. There are out of body, stillness, and other things, because we can focus the mind. This just proves that the mind is not attached to the body.
I hope I have answered your questions.
Sincerely,
Phra Anandapanyo
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Arahant's skills comes from countless lives of cultivation. There are out of body, stillness, and other things, because we can focus the mind. This just proves that the mind is not attached to the body., so it is possible when the mind is not attached to the body you can do innumerable feats and a thing like detach from the physical body? so the idea of self is loosing thats when the notion of anatta will reveal itself? what category of meditation are psychic skills?
i mean to say devadatta mogallana ananda etc disciples gotami are not enligtened simply one life of buddha instruction but before that they had already removed most of their fetters?
how true is the saying if women joined the order dhamma will be cut fotr 500 years? is it an addition or the buddha said so?
is that true women in thailand wanted to be born as males to be more effective? i watched a documentary about thai women are that because of a possible bad karma?
how does vipasanna differs from the meditation offered by hinduism?
what does it mean again "empty your mind" or remove all thoughts? blank your mind? remove discriminating thoughts or false beliefs? let it be? how does the notion of discernment reconcile an detached mind?
you mean youre not enligtened if you understand anatta duka and anicca but still a being of evil? you dont believed in a self and God but youre still greedy? so morals and insight must be as one?
so the mind is source of psychic skills? wait... how can a person meditating can go to diff dimensions? is it merely imagination?
is meat eating bad? how about those butchers are they accumulating bad karmas? since animals are killed for food?
Answer Dear Jaya,
"Arahant's skills comes from countless lives of cultivation. There are out of body, stillness, and other things, because we can focus the mind. This just proves that the mind is not attached to the body., so it is possible when the mind is not attached to the body you can do innumerable feats and a thing like detach from the physical body? so the idea of self is loosing thats when the notion of anatta will reveal itself? what category of meditation are psychic skills?"
Yes, when you see the truth the the mind and the body are not one, through seeing the suffering and impermanence, that is when Anatta will reveal itself.
Psychic skills are the result of many lifetimes of meditation practice. But please be aware that it does not lead to enlightenment. The Buddha said that one should beware of these meditative attainments, as they lead to delusion, ego and suffering.
"i mean to say devadatta mogallana ananda etc disciples gotami are not enligtened simply one life of buddha instruction but before that they had already removed most of their fetters?"
All the disciples are not enlightened in past lives, they have not removed fetters until they met the Buddha.
"how true is the saying if women joined the order dhamma will be cut fotr 500 years? is it an addition or the buddha said so?"
I don't know. I cannot tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Buddha said this. But to me, it doesn't matter. What does matter is each individual and their practice. Buddhism will not disappear within our lifetime, so why does it matter if women affect the longevity or not? What should matter is if you have practiced yet.
"is that true women in thailand wanted to be born as males to be more effective? i watched a documentary about thai women are that because of a possible bad karma?"
I can't speak for women in Thailand. You have to solicit individual opinions to learn what they want.
"how does vipasanna differs from the meditation offered by hinduism?"
I am not qualified to answer this, since I do not know the meditation offered by hinduism.
"what does it mean again "empty your mind" or remove all thoughts? blank your mind? remove discriminating thoughts or false beliefs? let it be? how does the notion of discernment reconcile an detached mind?"
You are not really emptying your mind, you are merely focusing on one thing such as breathing.
"you mean youre not enligtened if you understand anatta duka and anicca but still a being of evil? you dont believed in a self and God but youre still greedy? so morals and insight must be as one?"
If you are enlightened, you will never break the five precepts again. If you are not, you are still subject to doing evil. Morals alone will not lead to insight, but insight can lead to morals.
"so the mind is source of psychic skills? wait... how can a person meditating can go to diff dimensions? is it merely imagination?"
Yes, the mind is the source of psychic skills. I cannot explain how a person can go to different dimensions. It might be real, it might be their imagination. You would have to ask that individual person, however, whether or not you believe them is up to you.
"is meat eating bad? how about those butchers are they accumulating bad karmas? since animals are killed for food?"
Eating meat is only wrong if any of these four conditions are met:
1. You killed it
2. You ordered its death by someone else
3. You rejoice in its death, even though you did not kill it or order its death
4. You are unsure if you are at fault or not.
Butchers or anyone who kills are accumulating bad karma.
