Ajahn Brahm in Las Vegas!

Theravāda in the 21st century - modern applications of ancient wisdom

Ajahn Brahm in Las Vegas!

Postby David N. Snyder » Mon Nov 12, 2012 2:58 am

Ajahn Brahm is in Las Vegas speaking at the Healthcare Professionals of Southern Nevada meeting, organized by Dr. Mailika. While he was here in Las Vegas he made time to come by my place, Maha Bodhi Las Vegas for lunch and a Dhamma program. He was well-received and the Buddhists here were very happy to meet this famous monk. I had the chance to have some nice talks with him about jhanas and other Dhamma matters. It was truly a treat to have him here in Las Vegas.

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Ajahn Brahm and Bhante Subhuthi at Maha Bodhi Las Vegas

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Woini, Ajahn Brahm, me

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Ajahn Brahm, me, Dr. Malika, Earl

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Lunch dana for Ajahn Brahm and Bhante Subhuthi at Maha Bodhi Las Vegas

I should be able to upload some videos soon with excerpts from his Dhamma talks here.
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Re: Ajahn Brahm in Las Vegas!

Postby Sylvester » Mon Nov 12, 2012 3:36 am

May I have your permission to repost these on the FB page for us AB junkies?
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Re: Ajahn Brahm in Las Vegas!

Postby David N. Snyder » Mon Nov 12, 2012 3:47 am

Sylvester wrote:May I have your permission to repost these on the FB page for us AB junkies?


Sure, no problem; (Ajahn Brahm has given permission too).
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Re: Ajahn Brahm in Las Vegas!

Postby Sylvester » Mon Nov 12, 2012 5:12 am

Much obliged. :anjali:
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Re: Ajahn Brahm in Las Vegas!

Postby mikenz66 » Mon Nov 12, 2012 5:14 am

That's great David.

I like the way you have the same haircut and glasses.

Now you just need to work on the smile... :D


:anjali:
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Re: Ajahn Brahm in Las Vegas!

Postby Sylvester » Mon Nov 12, 2012 5:18 am

David looks like Stanley Tucci here!
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Re: Ajahn Brahm in Las Vegas!

Postby David N. Snyder » Mon Nov 12, 2012 6:03 am



Excerpt from the Dhamma talk.

At around the 2:40 mark, I ask Ajahn Brahm if one needs to go through the rupa-jhanas to reach the arūpa-jhānas/realms and he confirms that one must proceed to the arūpa realms via the jhanas.
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Re: Ajahn Brahm in Las Vegas!

Postby David N. Snyder » Mon Nov 12, 2012 6:06 am



Short excerpt from the Dhamma talk.

At around 2:45 mark, Ajahn Brahm tells me to "get lost" as a "compliment." :tongue:
After that I ask Ajahn Brahm if Ajahn Chah was an arahant.
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Re: Ajahn Brahm in Las Vegas!

Postby Reductor » Mon Nov 12, 2012 6:23 am

That is a great video clip, David. Love the part about Ajahn Chah.
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And friendliness towards the world is happiness for him who is forbearing with living beings. -- Ud. 2:1
To his own ruin the fool gains knowledge, for it cleaves his head and destroys his innate goodness. -- Dhp 72

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Re: Ajahn Brahm in Las Vegas!

Postby Monkey Mind » Mon Nov 12, 2012 9:52 am

I would have flown to Vegas for that. Nice work on hosting him.
"As I am, so are others;
as others are, so am I."
Having thus identified self and others,
harm no one nor have them harmed.

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Re: Ajahn Brahm in Las Vegas!

Postby retrofuturist » Mon Nov 12, 2012 10:05 am

:thumbsup:

Metta,
Retro. :)
If you have asked me of the origination of unease, then I shall explain it to you in accordance with my understanding:
Whatever various forms of unease there are in the world, They originate founded in encumbering accumulation. (Pārāyanavagga)


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Re: Ajahn Brahm in Las Vegas!

Postby Alobha » Mon Nov 12, 2012 5:35 pm

Sadhu sadhu sadhu David!
Looks like all of you had a great time there!
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Re: Ajahn Brahm in Las Vegas!

Postby David N. Snyder » Mon Nov 12, 2012 7:06 pm

mikenz66 wrote:I like the way you have the same haircut and glasses.
Now you just need to work on the smile... :D


:D :thumbsup:

There were a few other men attending who were also bald and when Ajahn saw all of us he said, "do you have to have a haircut like David's to be a member of this group?"
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Re: Ajahn Brahm in Las Vegas!

Postby David N. Snyder » Mon Nov 12, 2012 7:15 pm

Monkey Mind wrote:I would have flown to Vegas for that. Nice work on hosting him.


:oops: Sorry about that. I didn't think those from far away places would want to attend so only announced it in the Southern Nevada, Southern California areas. I'll keep you in mind if it should happen again with someone like Ajahn Brahm.
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Re: Ajahn Brahm in Las Vegas!

Postby Ben » Mon Nov 12, 2012 8:50 pm

Well done, David.

I look forward to viewing the videos on the weekend when I am back in town.
Much merits to you!
with metta,

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Re: Ajahn Brahm in Las Vegas!

Postby marc108 » Tue Nov 13, 2012 1:25 am

What a great blessing for you. Thanks for posting the pics and videos!

Do you know if he'll be giving talks in the area anytime soon?
“The unawakened mind tends to make war against the way things are. To follow a path with heart, we must understand the whole process of making war within ourselves and without, how it begins and how it ends."
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Re: Ajahn Brahm in Las Vegas!

Postby SamKR » Tue Nov 13, 2012 7:12 am

:anjali: :anjali: :anjali:
It's nice to know Ajahn was here in Nevada.
Also very nice to know about the activities in the Dhamma center in Las Vegas.
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Re: Ajahn Brahm in Las Vegas!

Postby LonesomeYogurt » Tue Nov 13, 2012 4:12 pm

Great photos and video!

Do you know why he was talking at a healthcare professionals summit? I guess I don't know much about his pre-monk life, was he a doctor?
Gain and loss, status and disgrace,
censure and praise, pleasure and pain:
these conditions among human beings are inconstant,
impermanent, subject to change.

Knowing this, the wise person, mindful,
ponders these changing conditions.
Desirable things don’t charm the mind,
undesirable ones bring no resistance.

His welcoming and rebelling are scattered,
gone to their end,
do not exist.
- Lokavipatti Sutta

Stuff I write about things.
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Re: Ajahn Brahm in Las Vegas!

Postby David N. Snyder » Tue Nov 13, 2012 5:19 pm

marc108 wrote:What a great blessing for you. Thanks for posting the pics and videos!
Do you know if he'll be giving talks in the area anytime soon?


Thanks. I don't think he will be back for a while. It took about 2 years of planning just to get him here for the three days he was here. But you never know, he might come sooner considering the great interest there was. A few people traveled from Los Angeles and another couple came from Arizona just to see him and hear him in person.
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Re: Ajahn Brahm in Las Vegas!

Postby Modus.Ponens » Tue Nov 13, 2012 5:21 pm

LonesomeYogurt wrote:Great photos and video!

Do you know why he was talking at a healthcare professionals summit? I guess I don't know much about his pre-monk life, was he a doctor?


Ajahn Brahm graduated in physics by Cambridge University.
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