Contemporary Teachers
-
greggorious
- Posts: 263
- Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2011 6:40 pm
Contemporary Teachers
Are the likes of Joseph Goldstein, Jack Kornfield and Sharon Salzberg Theravada teachers, or are they more of a modern Vipassana (with a bit of Mahayana thrown in)? I'm never sure where theravada ends and a vipassana group begins?
"The original heart/mind shines like pure, clear water with the sweetest taste. But if the heart is pure, is our practice over? No, we must not cling even to this purity. We must go beyond all duality, all concepts, all bad, all good, all pure, all impure. We must go beyond self and nonself, beyond birth and death. When we see with the eye of wisdom, we know that the true Buddha is timeless, unborn, unrelated to any body, any history, any image. Buddha is the ground of all being, the realization of the truth of the unmoving mind.” Ajahn Chah
-
Goofaholix
- Posts: 4030
- Joined: Sun Nov 15, 2009 3:49 am
- Location: New Zealand
Re: Contemporary Teachers
So are a lot of people and you'll get various opinions. They learned from Theravada teachers and mostly teach Theravada techniques, they quite often have Theravada monks teaching at their centre, or vis versa.greggorious wrote:Are the likes of Joseph Goldstein, Jack Kornfield and Sharon Salzberg Theravada teachers, or are they more of a modern Vipassana (with a bit of Mahayana thrown in)? I'm never sure where theravada ends and a vipassana group begins?
I think it depends on what you find important in Theravada, if it's doctrine, tradition, culture, or religious trappings you'll see them as separate, if meditation you'll see them as belonging.
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
“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
Re: Contemporary Teachers
check out there website, Insight Meditation Society, Barre MA. or spirit rock, california.
Take care of mindfulness and mindfulness will take care of you.
Re: Contemporary Teachers
I agree. There's lots of good stuff in their teachings. I find Joseph's talks to be very much in tune with other Theravada teachers I find helpful. Jack has more of a synthesis of approaches and I personally feel less connection with his approach than Joseph's. Sharon I don't have much familiarity with, though her book on the Brahmaviharas was very good.Goofaholix wrote: I think it depends on what you find important in Theravada, if it's doctrine, tradition, culture, or religious trappings you'll see them as separate, if meditation you'll see them as belonging.
Mike