Perhaps you are right. The conclusions that others drawn, and interpretation made of Ajahn Brahm's words can be inaccurate and quite hasty. Ven Yuttadhama wrote a Critique without reading the book " Mindfulness , Bliss and Beyond" , but only the booklet which is just an in complete and condensed introduction to the book " Mindfulness, bliss and Beyond" . Actually, he wrote a critique after just reading the introduction to the booklet that is introducing the complete book itself. Misrepresentation is inevitable.Sylvester wrote:
Hi morning mist
It's not a misconception, but a clear misrepresentation. Some people just need strawmen.
These strawmen tactics allege that Ajahn Brahm teaches asanna samadhi. If Ajahn Brahm's students were truly asanna, there would be absolutely no possibility for experiencing, remembering, recollection and review of the states that were and had passed in the Jhanas. But time and time again, Ajahn Brahm emphasises the Anapanasati's 4th tetrad of dhammānupassī. So much data being collected and remembered from a jhana does NOT count as asanna.
Dhammavicaya truly has to function outside of a jhana. I would like to see Geoff give a categorical answer to my 2 questions above about his brand of vipassati and whether it proceeds in the absence of Dhammavicaya.
The complete book goes into details about developing insight, which is not the case with the little booklet. Perhaps this is one reason why many thought that he taught samatha without the means to develop vipasssana. But people just stop after reading the little booklet or worst, the introduction to the little booklet. He clearly emphasized the need for both samatha and vipassana, which is called bhavana.
With metta,