Bhante Vimalaramsi

A discussion on all aspects of Theravāda Buddhism
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mirco
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Re: Bhante Vimalaramsi

Post by mirco »

tiltbillings wrote:I have not seen that in any of the teachers I have worked with. Look at this video and listen to his comments and watch his body language as he talks about other teachers. I have not seen or heard any of that in any of the teachers I have worked with.
Your personal choice of past teachers does not tell anything about the level of the teachers or that they where right or state of the art or anything. It was just your choice correlating to your level of personal development. Btw, how sensitive to critics are you?

Regards :-)
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mirco
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Re: Bhante Vimalaramsi

Post by mirco »

Cittasanto wrote:
Vimalaramsi wrote:Even today if you go to teachers of one-pointed concentration and ask them: “How does craving arise?” Or you ask them: “What is craving?” They can’t tell you.
Where has Ven. Vimalaramsi answered these questions?
Check his teachings and you'll know.

Regards :-)
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Cittasanto
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Re: Bhante Vimalaramsi

Post by Cittasanto »

mirco wrote:
Cittasanto wrote:
Vimalaramsi wrote:Even today if you go to teachers of one-pointed concentration and ask them: “How does craving arise?” Or you ask them: “What is craving?” They can’t tell you.
Where has Ven. Vimalaramsi answered these questions?
Check his teachings and you'll know.

Regards :-)
i had and could not find it precisely.
Blog, Suttas, Aj Chah, Facebook.

He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them.
But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion …
...
He must be able to hear them from persons who actually believe them … he must know them in their most plausible and persuasive form.
John Stuart Mill
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tiltbillings
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Re: Bhante Vimalaramsi

Post by tiltbillings »

mirco wrote:
tiltbillings wrote:I have not seen that in any of the teachers I have worked with. Look at this video and listen to his comments and watch his body language as he talks about other teachers. I have not seen or heard any of that in any of the teachers I have worked with.
Your personal choice of past teachers does not tell anything about the level of the teachers or that they where right or state of the art or anything. It was just your choice correlating to your level of personal development. Btw, how sensitive to critics are you?
As for myself, I do not care on a personal level what other people think of me, but that has not a thing to do with the question at hand. I am making no claims about the teachers I have had, other than I have never seen, heard, or heard tell of them being critical of other teachers, especially in a dismissive, self-aggrandizing manner, all the while claiming to have discovered the true technique (not understood by other teachers) the Buddha meant us to use, as is evident in the video that opens this thread: http://dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f= ... =0#p116920" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If Vimalaramsi speaks to you as a teacher and you are getting value out of your relationship with him, fine. But, by his own public statements, he has opened himself up to this sort of scrutiny by his self-made claim about himself and most especially about others whom he -- I feel -- very unfairly dismisses. How, or if, you respond to criticisms of Vimalaramsi is your choice. I can see that these criticisms are difficult for you, and for whatever discomfort I may causing you with this, I am sorry.
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12

This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
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mirco
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Re: Bhante Vimalaramsi

Post by mirco »

Cittasanto wrote:
Vimalaramsi wrote:Even today if you go to teachers of one-pointed concentration and ask them: “How does craving arise?” Or you ask them: “What is craving?” They can’t tell you.
Where has Ven. Vimalaramsi answered these questions? I had and could not find it precisely.
Here are two from the articles section: If one listens to the talks or reads the transcipts, one will stumble over his explanations of what craving is and how it works over and over again.

Warm Regards,
Mirco
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mirco
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Re: Bhante Vimalaramsi

Post by mirco »

tiltbillings wrote:How, or if, you respond to criticisms of Vimalaramsi is your choice. I can see that these criticisms are difficult for you,
Yeah, that is so true. Don't like it, but it's still like that. I tend to glorification.
tiltbillings wrote:and for whatever discomfort I may causing you with this, I am sorry.
That has reached me.

Kind Regards,
Mirco
Last edited by mirco on Wed Dec 12, 2012 5:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Cittasanto
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Re: Bhante Vimalaramsi

Post by Cittasanto »

mirco wrote:
Cittasanto wrote:
Vimalaramsi wrote:Even today if you go to teachers of one-pointed concentration and ask them: “How does craving arise?” Or you ask them: “What is craving?” They can’t tell you.
Where has Ven. Vimalaramsi answered these questions? I had and could not find it precisely.
Here are two from the articles section: If one listens to the talks or reads the transcipts, one will stumble over his explanations of what craving is and how it works over and over again.

Warm Regards,
Mirco
I see nothing in this that is unique.
Blog, Suttas, Aj Chah, Facebook.

He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them.
But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion …
...
He must be able to hear them from persons who actually believe them … he must know them in their most plausible and persuasive form.
John Stuart Mill
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mirco
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Re: Bhante Vimalaramsi

Post by mirco »

Cittasanto wrote:
mirco wrote:
I see nothing in this that is unique.
Good for you :-)
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Dan74
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Re: Bhante Vimalaramsi

Post by Dan74 »

Yes, most, if not all, teachers are imperfect. Even the Buddha made mistakes.

It is great to feel gratitude to the teacher who has brought the Dhamma into ones life and hard to see his faults sometimes. But if the teacher's intentions are basically good and there is some Right View, she/he can be a wonderful blessing inspite of the imperfections, I feel.

I am sorry if this is :offtopic: here, I don't know the teacher under discussion and I agree that "mine is the only way" rings alarm bells, but I hesitate to criticize.

As an aside anecdote, a fellow Buddhist Religious Ed teacher at the school I do this, is a student of a student of Geshe Micheal Roach, a Tibetan teacher who had gone off the rails some years ago. I actually had read a fair bit about it, but I never mentioned anything to her - it's all widely available and I am no judge of anyone else's practice. Instead a positive support is more useful I think...
_/|\_
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Cittasanto
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Re: Bhante Vimalaramsi

Post by Cittasanto »

mirco wrote:
Cittasanto wrote:
mirco wrote:
I see nothing in this that is unique.
Good for you :-)
why good for me?
Blog, Suttas, Aj Chah, Facebook.

He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them.
But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion …
...
He must be able to hear them from persons who actually believe them … he must know them in their most plausible and persuasive form.
John Stuart Mill
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badscooter
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Re: Bhante Vimalaramsi

Post by badscooter »

As stated earlier in this thread,if Vimalaramsi's technique works for you, then by all means use it.. I was just pointing out that his outlandish remarks of other teachers, ideas, and techniques (and his nonfactual story of Buddhaghosa) are unintellectual, untrue, and unwarranted... He could have simply stated that this was his way of interpreting the suttas and that this technique works for him and left it at that.. Instead he tried to bad mouth very respected monks and teachers and make an unsuccessful attempt to downgrade and belittle others' practices and beliefs. Doing so without a shred of evidence on top of it.. Monks are not supposed to spread false truths (especially of other good monastics), I find that this is hard for him to follow.


may all be well
"whatever one frequently thinks and ponders upon will be the inclination of one's mind"
dhammarelax
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Re: Bhante Vimalaramsi

Post by dhammarelax »

Khalil Bodhi wrote:Hi All,

I have heard some criticisms of late of Bhante Vimalaramsi and would be interested in hearing why some people have an issue or issues with him. I haven't heard him personally attack any other teachers so would appreciate links to the same if possible. In addition, his techniques seem sound to me but I may be wrong. I ask because I have been experimenting with his teachings so I am personally invested in knowing all there is to know about him as a teacher. Metta.

Mike
Hi Mike

I saw your post and although is being a while since you wrote it I think is worth answering it, me as many have been on the path for many years, some things I experienced along with some teachers are very good but as far as I have seen there is nothing out there that compares to the results that Bhante Vimalaramsis method renders, practicing one day following his advise (Brahmaviharas) I experienced all the jhanas and the cessation of feeling and perception, on one day of practice I had more progress than in my about ten year meditation practice, now I think that says it all.

With metta
Dhammarelax
Even if the flesh & blood in my body dry up, leaving just the skin, tendons, & bones, I will use all my human firmness, human persistence and human striving. There will be no relaxing my persistence until I am the first of my generation to attain full awakening in this lifetime. ed. AN 2.5
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tiltbillings
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Re: Bhante Vimalaramsi

Post by tiltbillings »

dhammarelax wrote:
Khalil Bodhi wrote:Hi All,

I have heard some criticisms of late of Bhante Vimalaramsi and would be interested in hearing why some people have an issue or issues with him. I haven't heard him personally attack any other teachers so would appreciate links to the same if possible. In addition, his techniques seem sound to me but I may be wrong. I ask because I have been experimenting with his teachings so I am personally invested in knowing all there is to know about him as a teacher. Metta.

Mike
Hi Mike

I saw your post and although is being a while since you wrote it I think is worth answering it, me as many have been on the path for many years, some things I experienced along with some teachers are very good but as far as I have seen there is nothing out there that compares to the results that Bhante Vimalaramsis method renders, practicing one day following his advise (Brahmaviharas) I experienced all the jhanas and the cessation of feeling and perception, on one day of practice I had more progress than in my about ten year meditation practice, now I think that says it all.

With metta
Dhammarelax
And Vimalaramsi verified this?
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12

This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
dhammarelax
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Re: Bhante Vimalaramsi

Post by dhammarelax »

Hi tiltbillings

I have never spoken to Bhante Vimalaramsi but I think that I can correctly assert that the attainment is such because after some time I had again the experience of cessation of perception and feeling and this time I experienced the fruition as well, now what follows the fruition is really something that can not be mistaken, is a very happy feeling that lasts for a long period of time we are talking a few days or so and after that there is a real personality change. The hindrances still arise but they will not take control so easily they are much more manageable and I became much more calmed.

I say that what follows the fruition cannot be mistaken comparing it with the path attainment that is seeing the links of dependent origination, this links present themselves as blinks of light that can be easily mistaken for something else or for something without importance.

with metta
dhammarelax
Even if the flesh & blood in my body dry up, leaving just the skin, tendons, & bones, I will use all my human firmness, human persistence and human striving. There will be no relaxing my persistence until I am the first of my generation to attain full awakening in this lifetime. ed. AN 2.5
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tiltbillings
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Re: Bhante Vimalaramsi

Post by tiltbillings »

dhammarelax wrote:Hi tiltbillings

I have never spoken to Bhante Vimalaramsi but I think that I can correctly assert that the attainment is such because after some time I had again the experience of cessation of perception and feeling and this time I experienced the fruition as well, now what follows the fruition is really something that can not be mistaken, is a very happy feeling that lasts for a long period of time we are talking a few days or so and after that there is a real personality change. The hindrances still arise but they will not take control so easily they are much more manageable and I became much more calmed.

I say that what follows the fruition cannot be mistaken comparing it with the path attainment that is seeing the links of dependent origination, this links present themselves as blinks of light that can be easily mistaken for something else or for something without importance.

with metta
dhammarelax
No doubt you attainted something.
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12

This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” HPatDH p.723
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