Ajahn Brahm, unconventional

Exploring Theravāda's connections to other paths - what can we learn from other traditions, religions and philosophies?
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Crazy cloud
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Re: Ajahn Brahm, unconventional

Post by Crazy cloud »

Hi, I like Krishnamurti's lectures, and there is one thing that he always try to hammer in to my mind, and that is: dont belive in Krishnamurti - dont belive in gurus - dont belive in prophets - be a light on to oneself ...

And that's what I follow, so who is there to blame?

Besides that, I highly regard many of our dear ajhans, and Ajhan Brahm surely has a place in my puzzle called "walking the path" - but he's also a human and I respect his shortcomings as well of his experiences and inspiring manner and wit.

be well and happy :)
If you didn't care
What happened to me
And I didn't care for you

We would zig-zag our way
Through the boredom and pain
Occasionally glancing up through the rain

Wondering which of the
Buggers to blame
And watching for pigs on the wing
- Roger Waters
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mikenz66
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Re: Ajahn Brahm, unconventional

Post by mikenz66 »

See these threads on Krishnamurti:
http://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=305
http://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=11184

I've nothing against Krishnamurti (or most other spiritual teachers), and I'm sure his talks and writings are helpful to many, but it appears that stating that he was not a Buddhist practitioner is an accurate statement.

Ajahn Brahm's comment from about 47:38 in the above linked video also seems to be quite consistent with some of the comments on the threads I've quoted above.

Clearly no one is perfect (neither Ajahn Brahm nor Krishnamurti).

:anjali:
Mike
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waterchan
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Re: Ajahn Brahm, unconventional

Post by waterchan »

Denisa wrote: One teaching Ajan Brahm repeatedly talk about is not to find fault with others. At least he should practice what he preached.
Criticism is not synonymous with "fault-finding". Pointing out something that flagrantly contradicts Buddhist teachings is not fault-finding. As I recall, Krishnamurti did seem to think that there was a transmigrating essence outside of the five aggregates. If Ajahn Brahm suspects that some people might confuse Krishnamurti's teachings with Buddhism, then it would be prudent for Ajahn Brahm to dispel any possible misconceptions.

In the suttas, the Buddha himself criticized people for holding pernicious views, sometimes more harshly than anything I've heard from Ajahn Brahm. If it doesn't come from an unwholesome volition, it's not wrong speech.
quidquid Latine dictum sit altum videtur
(Anything in Latin sounds profound.)
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Mr Man
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Re: Ajahn Brahm, unconventional

Post by Mr Man »

waterchan wrote: As I recall, Krishnamurti did seem to think that there was a transmigrating essence outside of the five aggregates.
Hi waterchan, do you have an examples of this?
hermitwin
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Re: Ajahn Brahm, unconventional

Post by hermitwin »

I have been following ajahn brahm's teachings for a few years now.
I think he is a wonderful teacher, wise, creative, humorous and compassionate.
I disagree with the criticisms of him.
But that is not important.
He is what he is, people can say what they want about him but nobody can change the truth.
I am reminded of this verse though...

According to the Lord Buddha Gotama, no one is blameless.

"This, O Atula, is an old saying;
it is not one of today only:
they blame those who sit silent,
they blame those who speak too much.

Those speaking little too they blame.

There never was, there never will be, nor does there exist now, a person who is wholly blamed or wholly praised"

--Dhammapada verse 227/228
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Jetavan
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Re: Ajahn Brahm, unconventional

Post by Jetavan »

One of Australia's senior monks, Ajahn Brahm, was invited to deliver a speech on Gender Equality at the UN Day of Vesak Convention in Vietnam in May 2014. Unfortunately, Ajahn Brahm was prevented from delivering his speech by a ban imposed by conference organising committee the day before it was due to be given at the Convention. Ajahn Brahm's paper had been pre-approved by the conference organising committee several months before the event.
....
Ajahn Brahm's paper presented a solid case for the full ordination of women in the Theravadin tradition, supported by references from the Buddha and the Vinaya rules that govern Buddhist monastic life.

Please read below the full text of Ajahn Brahm's banned paper: Theravada Buddhism and UN Millenium Development Goal 3 (MDG 3)....
Denisa
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Re: Ajahn Brahm, unconventional

Post by Denisa »

Crazy cloud wrote:Hi, I like Krishnamurti's lectures, and there is one thing that he always try to hammer in to my mind, and that is: dont belive in Krishnamurti - dont belive in gurus - dont belive in prophets - be a light on to oneself ...
Thanks a bunch for reminding me that. Buddha is perfect, so does his Enlightenment, therefore his words are giving me enough nourishment, no need to worry about other gurus.

Buddha said: “Ānanda, be islands unto yourselves, refuges unto yourselves, seeking no external refuge, with the Dhamma as your island, the Dhamma as your refuge, seeking no other refuge.”
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manas
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Re: Ajahn Brahm, unconventional

Post by manas »

Hi polar
polarbuddha wrote:My main point was simply that it is clear human beings cannot touch the sun and it seems highly highly highly improbable that the human mind is capable of bending the laws of physics like we're in the matrix.
according to science, every single sensory impression you are perceiving right now, is taking place in total darkness, deep inside your brain. You are not seeing the world as it is, but rather, your brain's reconstruction of it. However, I would go even further and say that ultimately the only 'thing' we can even actually know and touch as it were, is the mind, and that although there most probably 'is' a physical world 'out there', we can never know it directly; we can only know our mind's reconstruction / interpretation of it. That being the case, it is not matter that has primacy in the scheme of things, but rather, mind that has primacy. So what's to stop an extremely well-developed mind from bending 'the laws of physics' if it so chooses?
To the Buddha-refuge i go; to the Dhamma-refuge i go; to the Sangha-refuge i go.
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waterchan
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Re: Ajahn Brahm, unconventional

Post by waterchan »

Mr Man wrote:
waterchan wrote: As I recall, Krishnamurti did seem to think that there was a transmigrating essence outside of the five aggregates.
Hi waterchan, do you have an examples of this?
Sorry, I don't have any direct references. I remember reading about it in an old (2002) talk given by Ajahn Brahm.
quidquid Latine dictum sit altum videtur
(Anything in Latin sounds profound.)
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Dan74
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Re: Ajahn Brahm, unconventional

Post by Dan74 »

waterchan wrote:
Mr Man wrote:
waterchan wrote: As I recall, Krishnamurti did seem to think that there was a transmigrating essence outside of the five aggregates.
Hi waterchan, do you have an examples of this?
Sorry, I don't have any direct references. I remember reading about it in an old (2002) talk given by Ajahn Brahm.
He didn't talk about this but if you read his biography than possibly something like this can be surmised. There were a number of mediumistic phenomena and visitations.
_/|\_
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Jetavan
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Re: Ajahn Brahm, unconventional

Post by Jetavan »

Dan74 wrote:
waterchan wrote:
Mr Man wrote:....
Sorry, I don't have any direct references. I remember reading about it in an old (2002) talk given by Ajahn Brahm.
He didn't talk about this but if you read his biography than possibly something like this can be surmised. There were a number of mediumistic phenomena and visitations.
How do mediumistic phenomena and visitations indicate a phenomenon outside the five aggregates?
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