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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 > panna

Buddhists - panna

Expert: Anandapanyo Bhikkhu - 11/3/2009

Question
Hi Anandapanyo,

I was just looking at your profile on this website and I would like to ask you a question about Panna. What exactly do you mean by Panna? How can we use it to bring about enlightenment without meditation? And if meditation alone cannot bring about enlightenment, what's the point in it?

Thanks

Katy

Answer
Dear Katy,

Thank you for your question.

Panna can be described as investigative contemplation. It can be described as contemplative analysis. But it simply is just thinking. When you let your imagination go wild, you are letting your panna work towards imagination. Panna is the pen that writes the thoughts of your life. The one that helps you make decisions. That is Panna.

"How can we use it to bring about enlightenment without meditation?"

Before we talk about enlightenment, allow me to explain why we are here, why we suffer. We suffer because we make certain actions and say certain speech. We do and say these things because of the thoughts in our head. The thoughts in our heads are the results of the orientation of the points of views we hold. These points of views are the reason we are reborn and experience suffering. They are the keys to our suffering. Keys can both lock and unlock a door. Just so, our points of view can lock us in this world, or help free us from it.

The ultimate goal is to change our perceptions (points of view) in order to achieve enlightenment. Well, one key step is to identify how these perceptions are generated. Every belief, every perception has a cause. That cause is rooted in thoughts. So, to undo the roots, you must undo each thought.

For example, if I were to ask you what you imagined when you see the word "Pasta," what would you see? Lets say you saw long angel hair pasta on a thick round plate adorned with cilantro and garnish. On top of the pasta is red marinara sauce. The pasta plate is on a square table that seats two in an Italian restaurant with green table cloth. All the thoughts and descriptions are what we call the "process." This is the process by which you commit "pasta" to your memory. Every little description holds a feeling. You might like angel hair pasta, but dislike marinara sauce. You might consider Italian food classy, and therefore you picture the pasta in a nice restaurant. All this is part of the "process." However, what is pasta really? Is it just noodles, whether angel hair, linguine, fettuccini, or ravioli? Is it just cooked flour? It is even that? It is actually just medicine (food) for our sickness (hunger). It is made up of elements and serves a simple purpose. However, instead of seeing it as it truly is, we add feelings, memories, experiences and attribute all of these things to the pasta. Then we attribute like or dislike to it. These are the perceptions that guide us into continuous rebirth.

When you get angry, the same thing happens. You tell yourself things to help make you more angry. In simple terms, you color your anger. Just as a black and white sketch might not provoke feelings, that same sketch when colored with blood red can invoke strong feelings.

So, the way to enlightenment is through OUR mis-perceptions. We have to undo all the damage WE have created in OUR minds. That is why, IF we use PANNA properly, we can undo the damage and then we will reach enlightenment, with or without meditating.

Many people expect that meditation is the ultimate tool to bringing them towards enlightenment or new knowledge. They feel that if they are peaceful and calm, they have destroyed their anger or suffering. However, this is not true, all tumors are not destroyed UNTIL you cut them out. Meditation does not cut. Meditation just ignores the problem. When we meditate, we try not to think. However, not thinking is not cutting. Not cutting means that the tumor is still there. The tumor still being there means, we are NOT CURED.

There are three main types of meditation.

1. Meditation to stop thoughts.

2. Meditation to follow our thoughts.

3. Meditation to lead our thinking.

The first type of meditation is the most common. We sit and focus on our breaths and expel all thoughts. We do this in hopes to calm ourselves, become one with ourselves in hopes that new knowledge will spontaneously appear and we will become enlightened. However, this is impossible. Can a child who has never gone to school, sit quietly and learn all that a 5th grader knows? No, he has to do the work. Just so, we cannot gain knowledge by not thinking. Someone who gets angry and meditates will temporarily not be angry (while meditating), however, when they meet their problem again, they will just get angry again. This is not because the meditation is at fault. This is because they never destroyed the cause (tumor) of their anger.

The second type of meditation is becoming more popular. We focus on feelings AS THEY ARISE. However, we just watch them, and watch the path (process) of thoughts that arise and disappear. Then we think that they are gone. But upon more watching we see it arises again. With this step, we are aware of our delusion, or our faults, however, we do not know what to do with them.

The last type of meditation can be reclassified as "contemplation or meditating on a concept." It doesn't need to be done sitting down, quietly or in a temple or retreat atmosphere. It can be done anywhere, anytime and at any place. What we do is ask ourselves questions in order to discern the truth. Once we arrive at the truth, we compare our current points of views (perceptions) to the truth. Then we adjust our points of views so that they are congruent with the truth. The more truths that we hold, the closer we are to enlightenment. The more falsities we hold, the more rebirths and sufferings we must undertake.

Seeing things as the truth is better know as Sammaditthi or Right View. Sammaditthi is the MOST IMPORTANT thing on the path to enlightenment. Without Sammaditthi no one will ever reach enlightenment, no matter how much they meditate or practice. Sammaditthi is like a compass or a map. Without knowing where your destination is, you will never reach it. Even if you find a way to reach it, you won't even know you have arrived at your destination.

Therefore, before we practice, we must know why we practice. Before we fix our view points, we must know which ones are wrong. Sammaditthi should be the first thing Buddhists learn about before they begin practice. Sammaditthi is the first step of the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path which teaches the path to enlightenment.

Panna can be used to generate Sammaditthi or Michaditthi (wrong views). Therefore, Panna is all that is really needed to reach enlightenment.

"And if meditation alone cannot bring about enlightenment, what's the point in it?"

Meditation alone will not generate or even lead to enlightenment. But it is a VALUABLE tool along the way. Meditation of the first variety helps to create focus. This focus is called Sati. With this focus, we can think about ONE topic from start to end. We will not easily be distracted or taken off track, due to our FOCUS.

The second type of meditation helps us CATCH ourselves in the act. When experience suffering, it is important to realize that, "we are suffering" and "this is suffering." Without knowing WHEN we suffer, we won't know what to fix.

Most importantly, once we have the focus, and have caught ourselves, we must contemplate and explore our Michaditthi's in order to change them to Sammaditthi. We must delve into our wrong view points and discover how and why they are wrong. Only then, can we change them and take a step towards the right view.

I hope I have answered your questions. If you require extra explanations or perhaps an example or two, feel free to ask a follow-up question. I look forward to your future questions and hope that I have helped you.

Sincerely,

Phra Anandapanyo

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