Ajahn Brahm for sale?

[tiltbillings]

I can't believe the bunch of sour faced prudes we have here.

"Naughty bhikkhu."

[Cittasanto]

well I certainly wasn't saying anything remotely related to this and your opinion of levity, dourness, or clinging.

But: Oh, the inhumanity of it all. Naughty Ven B. Shame, shame, shame and more shame, scandlaizing us dour Buddhists with levity. Heavens to betsy, what are we to do? Maybe get over it, let it go, move on, tend to our own business, look within.

you have accused two people with no ground. but heaven forbid anyone engage with the outside world or have an opinion about it.
lets all find a hole and hide from any expectation of conduct and benefit we gain from our livelihood.

Actually, thank you, you have made my point, again.

and what point is that?

[m0rl0ck]

Some of you all are just hilarious

I thought about this at work today and came to the conclusion that while i may enjoy the good humoured cheerfulness of his talks on occasion 7 days of unruffled, cheerful, equanimity would probably drive me up a wall. If i won id have to send him out on a lot of errands or something.
I bet he is like that first thing in the morning too.

EDIT: you think he can cook worth a darn? do windows maybe?

[tiltbillings]

and what point is that?

Hmmm. A trick question.

[LonesomeYogurt]

Some of you all are just hilarious

I thought about this at work today and came to the conclusion that while i may enjoy the good humoured cheerfulness of his talks on occasion 7 days of unruffled, cheerful, equanimity would probably drive me up a wall. If i won id have to send him out on a lot of errands or something.
I bet he is like that first thing in the morning too.

EDIT: you think he can cook worth a darn? do windows maybe?

Yeah, I like Ajahn Brahm but this is my first thought as well - I don't think I could handle a week of that. Part of me wonders how much fun it would be to set up an equanimity obstacle course and see what manner of annoyances he could endure before snapping and slapping me.

[m0rl0ck]

Yeah, I like Ajahn Brahm but this is my first thought as well - I don't think I could handle a week of that. Part of me wonders how much fun it would be to set up an equanimity obstacle course and see what manner of annoyances he could endure before snapping and slapping me.

I thot something similar, sending him to my job for a week to see if his equanimity gradually eroded.
Im pretty sure that monk baiting is probably heavy karma tho.

[tiltbillings]

A better use for this thread rather than the finger wagging is: What to do with a meditation master for a week.

I'd have my own prvt retreat and let him run the schedule.

[Mr Man]

I have said as much, if not more than, I should have and my only response to all of this kerfuffle is:

Cuould't you put it down?

A better use for this thread rather than the finger wagging is:

There is a fair bit of finger wagging go on all around here.

[tiltbillings]

Cuould't you put it down?

There is a fair bit of finger wagging go on all around here.

Too much fun finger wagging at the those who think monks should be dour.

[Mr Man]

Cuould't you put it down?

There is a fair bit of finger wagging go on all around here.

Too much fun finger wagging at the those who think monks should be dour.

I don't know if they have to be dour but they do have great symbolic significance (a manifestation of the tripple gem) and are part of a tradition.

[Cittasanto]

and what point is that?

Hmmm. A trick question.

Ok if you have no point or don't want to explain, buy!

[tiltbillings]

I don't know if they have to be dour but they do have great symbolic significance (a manifestation of the tripple gem) and are part of a tradition.

Unquestionably, but I wonder if they need to suffer under conformity to the symbolic significance, which seems to be what this thread is really about.

[LonesomeYogurt]

I'd have my own prvt retreat and let him run the schedule.

I'd take him Go-Kart riding.

[retrofuturist]

Greetings,

I don't know if they have to be dour but they do have great symbolic significance (a manifestation of the tripple gem) and are part of a tradition.

Unquestionably, but I wonder if they need to suffer under conformity to the symbolic significance, which seems to be what this thread is really about.

It's hardly "suffer[ing] under conformity" to not be auctioning one's self and the bhikkhu's saffron robes to the highest bidder.

Metta,
Retro.

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

If I were to put a positive spin on it I would say that it meant more as a wake up call and to make it clear that more support is needed and this is how far the Ven. Ajahn will go rather than a serious new development in fund raising techniques.

I would say its an indication of desperation. Apparently the nuns are not getting as much financial support as they need, or are their plans just too ambitious?

Perhaps Ajahn Brahm should try to get some bookings for stand-up gigs instead of sit-down gigs?

The baseless accusations of dour-faced Buddhists disapproving of the Venerable Brahmavamso's silliness just shows that some are totally ignorant of the Vinaya and the Buddhist tradition.

If the nuns are serious about following the Bhikkhuni Vinaya, they should reject any funds received by inappropriate methods. If they want to live the holy life in full let them try to raise their own funds in ways that are appropriate for monastics — which basically means waiting for an offer of support to be made (although if one has no dwelling place it is allowable to drop a hint). Such limitations do not apply to lay supporters or devotees — they can appeal for funds, or organise food-fairs, etc., to raise funds even for a “multi-million dollar project.”

NP20: Should any bhikkhu engage in various types of trade, it (the article obtained) is to be forfeited and confessed.

[tiltbillings]

The baseless accusations of dour-faced Buddhists disapproving of the Venerable Brahmavamso's silliness just shows that some are totally ignorant of the Vinaya and the Buddhist tradition.

Probably not totally baseless or totally ignorant, bhante, but I am certainly finding the intensity of the negative response to Ven Brahm's curious choice interesting and bit unfortunate. As i have said, those of you who are finding Ven B's action a scandal, you should get together and send him a detailed objection to his "selling" of himself. No doubt his response would be of no small intertest to many of us on either side or no side of this tea-pottish storm.

[Dan74]

Some may be interested in our sister site Dharma Wheel's response to the same news:

http://dharmawheel.net/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=12060&sid=c0b8fee8bf2fd9567b1190ad601c31a4

[Rasko]

If this sale thing is OK for bhikkhus, then in my opinion the bhikkhunis should have gone for:

Bhikkhunis for sale!

With photos and intro videos, if they are otherwise unknown. They should strive for independence instead of always relying on some father figure.

[tiltbillings]

Some may be interested in our sister site Dharma Wheel's response to the same news:

http://dharmawheel.net/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=12060&sid=c0b8fee8bf2fd9567b1190ad601c31a4

Those Mahayanists. Not dour.

[retrofuturist]

Greetings,

Those Mahayanists. Not dour.

... with their institutionalized precedent of Vinaya violations in the name of skilful means and bodhisattva ideals?

Doesn't work for me, but best of luck to them.

Metta,
Retro.