Bhikkhu Ñanananda

[Sekha]

For those of you who have been reading the Samyutta Nikaya, reading Ven Nanananda's translation anthology of the Samyutta Nikaya is well worth the time, particularly for his footnotes. http://www.seeingthroughthenet.net/eng/ ... =other&p=1

[aryashrawaka]

May the triple gem bless you all!

I am a person who has been in search of pure teaching for many years. I have read/listened to thousands of books/ sermons of various monks who are known as veteran,educated, intelligent etc. But until I came accross ven. K.Nanananda's books my thirst for dhamma was never appeased.

as I listened to a few recordings I was in bad urge to visit ven. K.Nanananda's just to worship his feet & pay homage.Visitors are allowed only during the weekend. But the day I went, I got to know from other visitors, venerable is in bad health & better to limit the visit to a few minutes.

We had to write the reason we came & send it to the hermitage/cave for venerable approval prior to visit. Once approved, we entered to a small cave with minimum facilities.Rock bed covered with a robe and a table made with a few planks & a cupboard which venerable keeps books. Books are for the visitors. I got handful of books, copy from each book he had at that moment. also a few CDs. I just had a short visit & payed my homage by worshiping his feet. without any doubt, it's the most precious moment of my life. I rejoice it over and over. Lord Buddha said it's very hard to visit real monks. it's well said.

Venerable is passing his last years & is not in good health. He has breathing problems. So visitors are requested not to make venerable talk much. Probably the upasthayka committee may decide that no more visitors if venerable's health may not turn better.

most insightful, intellegnet, wise monk I ever know & who has an open mind & a lots of wisdom.

may ven. K.Nanananda attain nibbana very soon!

with metta

[retrofuturist]

[adeh]

Thanks for the link......can't wait to read the famous "The Magic of the Mind" and this other work "Towards a Better World" looks like a bit of a gem too...

[Prasadachitta]

Greetings Tilt,

Greetings,

Nibbana Sermons 1-25 can be downloaded as a single PDF from http://lirs.ru/do/sutra/Nibbana_Sermons,Nanananda.pdf

Metta,
Retro.

Geez, only 809 pages.

809 pages of genius.



Metta,
Retro.

I have finished sermons 1-6 and it is enough to bring tears of joy. I am sure I will finish the rest of the text within a few more days. This exposition is of extraordinary value. I have spent the past month on a silent meditation retreat and just happened to begin reading it now. Perfect timing.




Thanks

Gabe

[grasshopper]

There is a famous native Sri lankan Bhikkhu called Kiribathgoda Ñanananda: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiribathgo ... anda_Thero

Is this the monk you guys are talking about in this thread?
Thanks.

[retrofuturist]

Greetings,

No - different person.

Metta,
Retro.

[BlackBird]

Hi Retro

Since arriving in Sri Lanka I have heard Ven Ñanananda's name come up on more than a few occasions. His unorthodoxy is a bit scandalous for the majority, indeed he tends to get lumped in with Nyanavira in the 'oddball' category. Some people describe him as an Arahant, some have described him to me as an 'old rambler'. I've not had the chance to meet the Venerable Sir, and even after meeting him I would probably refrain from passing judgement, all I can really say is that from my experience his mention tends to polarize people.

metta
Jack

[tiltbillings]

some have described him to me as an 'old rambler'.

Ah, but such eloquent, insightful rambling.

[retrofuturist]

Greetings Jack,

Thanks for letting me know. It's quite sad, though given the picture of Sri Lankan orthodoxy painted by Nanavira Thera in his Letters, not altogether unexpected. Nice to see that some think highly of him - probably those that have actually lent an ear to what he has to say.

Metta,
Retro.

[atulo]

interesting. I just posted a link about papanca-sanna-sankha. It is theme which is rarely discussed, and Nananada was one of rare brave ones. Here is (again) the link to Nanamoli's article http://pathpress.wordpress.com/2010/08/ ... na-sankha/

[mikenz66]

The two books listed above are now available for download on http://www.what-buddha-taught.net (down at the bottom) saving everyone the hassle of rapidshare.

metta
Jack

Hmm the scan is missing pages 4 and 5, and resumes near the beginning of the quote that Geoff (Ñāṇa) kindly provided here: http://dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?f= ... =40#p72889

However, the text does seem to be available here:
http://nibbanam.com/?p=49

Mike

[Ñāṇa]

Hi all,

Some of Ven. Ñāṇananda's books can be downloaded here: http://seeingthroughthenet.net/eng/gen.php?gp=books&cat=other&p=1

His Ideal Solitude: An Exposition on the Bhaddekaratta Sutta can be downloaded here: http://www.bps.lk/olib/wh/wh188.pdf

Audio files of Ven. Ñāṇananda reading the first 25 of his Nibbāna Sermons (in English) can be downloaded here: http://seeingthroughthenet.net/eng/gen.php?gp=sermons&cat=nn&p=1

His Seeing Through: A Guide to Insight Meditation can be downloaded as a .doc file here: http://www.beyondthenet.net/calm/SEEING%20THROUGH.doc (You will need to have the Times_CSX+ fonts installed in your operating system fonts folder for the diacritics of this .doc file to display properly. They can be downloaded here: http://www.beyondthenet.net/calm/clm_main1.asp.)

All the best,

Geoff

[mikenz66]

There is now a Wikipedia page for Bhikkhu Ñanananda, with some useful history and links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katukurund ... anda_Thera


Mike

[Ñāṇa]

There is now a Wikipedia page for Bhikkhu Ñanananda, with some useful history and links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katukurund ... anda_Thera

Thanks Mike.

Apparently the venerable bhikkhu is a time traveler. According to the Wikipedia page:

Ven. Nanananda Thera delivered 33 sermons on the subject of Nibbana, during the period 1998.08.12 – 1991.01.31.

If someone has a Wikipedia account it would be a good idea to correct these dates.

All the best,

Geoff

[Paññāsikhara]

Hi Retro

Since arriving in Sri Lanka I have heard Ven Ñanananda's name come up on more than a few occasions. His unorthodoxy is a bit scandalous for the majority, indeed he tends to get lumped in with Nyanavira in the 'oddball' category. Some people describe him as an Arahant, some have described him to me as an 'old rambler'. I've not had the chance to meet the Venerable Sir, and even after meeting him I would probably refrain from passing judgement, all I can really say is that from my experience his mention tends to polarize people.

metta
Jack

All the Sri Lankan Buddhists I know, who are mostly scholars, be they bhikkhus or upasikas, really think very highly of this Venerable. A couple of people around here remember him from his old days as a lay scholar.

[mikenz66]

All the Sri Lankan Buddhists I know, who are mostly scholars, be they bhikkhus or upasikas, really think very highly of this Venerable. A couple of people around here remember him from his old days as a lay scholar.

Besides, his scholarship seems to have been quite influential. His definition of papañca, in particular, comes up in essentially any discussion of the Honeyball Sutta: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html (see Bhikkhu Bodhi's notes in the Nanamoli/Bodhi translation of the MN) and is inserted in the later editions of Ven Nyanatiloka's dictionary (of course added after the Ven Nyanatiloka passed away...).
http://what-buddha-said.net/library/Bud ... pa%C3%B1ca

Papañca: Sanskrit prapañca In doctrinal usage, it signifies the expansion, differentiation, 'diffuseness' or 'manifoldness' of the world; and it may also refer to the 'phenomenal world' in general, and to the mental attitude of 'worldliness'. In A. IV, 173, it is said:;As far as the field of sixfold sense-contact extends, so far reaches the world of diffuseness or the phenomenal world; papañcassa gati as far as the world of diffuseness extends, so far extends the field of sixfold sense-contact. Through the complete fading away and cessation of the field of sixfold sense-contact, there comes about the cessation and the coming-to-rest of the world of diffuseness papañca-nirodho papañca-vupasamo. The opposite term nippapañca is a name for Nibbāna S. LIII, in the sense of 'freedom from samsaric diffuseness'. - Dhp. 254:;Mankind delights in the diffuseness of the world, the Perfect Ones are free from such diffuseness; papañcābhiratā pajā nippapañca tathāgatā The 8th of the 'thoughts of a great man' mahā-purisa-vitakka A. VIII, 30 has:,This Dhamma is for one who delights in non-diffuseness the unworldly, Nibbāna; it is not for him who delights in worldliness papañca. For the psychological sense of 'differentiation', see M. 18 Madhupindika Sutta:;Whatever man conceives vitakketi that he differentiates papañceti and what he differentiates, by reason thereof ideas and considerations of differentiation papañca-saññā -sankhā arise in him.; On this text and the term papañca see Dr. Kurt Schmidt in German Buddhist Writers WHEEL 74/75 p. 61ff. - See D. 21 Sakka's Quest; WHEEL 10, p.

In the commentaries, we often find a threefold classification tanhā-, ditthi-, māna-papañca which probably means the world's diffuseness created hy craving, false views and conceit. - See M. 123; A. IV, 173; A. VI, 14, Sn. 530, 874, 916.

Ñānananda Bhikkhu, in Concept and Reality: An Essay on Papañca and Papañca-saññā-sankhā Kandy 1971, Buddhist Publication Society, suggests that the term refers to man's;tendency towards proliferation in the realm of concepts; and proposes a rendering by;conceptual proliferation,; which appears convincing in psychological context, e.g. in two of the texts quoted above, A. IV, 173 and M. 18. - The threefold classification of papañca by way of craving, false views and conceit, is explained by the author as three aspects, or instances, of the foremost of delusive conceptualisations, the ego-concept.

Since Ven Ñānananda's definition is the standard one in almost all of the material I've read, it it perhaps difficult to appreciate its novelty, but comparing the above passages one can certainly see the depth and power of his scholarship. The old section of the dictionary entry seems rather obscure in comparison...


Mike

[pulga]

Papañca: Sanskrit prapañca In doctrinal usage, it signifies the expansion, differentiation, 'diffuseness' or 'manifoldness' of the world; and it may also refer to the 'phenomenal world' in general, and to the mental attitude of 'worldliness'...

Do you know whether that addition to the Buddhist Dictionary was written by the Ven. Ñanaponika? I rather like the interpretation of papañca as "worldlihood"; i.e. so long as we understand that it refers to our being-in-the-world, as opposed to our being before the world.



Mike[/quote]

[mikenz66]

Do you know whether that addition to the Buddhist Dictionary was written by the Ven. Ñanaponika?

Yes, I think so:
http://what-buddha-said.net/library/Bud ... -titel.htm

Fourth Revised Edition,
edited by Nyanaponika Mahathera

As a small help in the situation described, a number of alternative renderings used by other translators have been included in some articles of this edition. In a very few cases, unacceptable though familiar renderings have been bracketed. The Venerable Nyanatiloka's own preferences have been placed in inverted commas. Generally it may be said that his renderings, based on his comprehensive knowledge of texts and doctrine, are very sound and adequate. Only in a very few cases has the editor changed the author's preferred rendering e.g. 'fermentation' for āsava (instead of 'bias'), 'right view' for sammā-ditthi (instead of 'right understanding'). The latter change was made for the sake of economizing with the few English equivalents for the numerous Pāli synonyms for 'knowing', etc.; and also to avoid having to render the opposite term, micchā-ditthi by 'wrong understanding'.
NYANAPONIKA :
Kandy, Ceylon
February 1970

Only few and minor revisions have been made to the text of the Fourth Edition which is now issued by the Buddhist Publication Society.
NYANAPONIKA :
Kandy, Sri Lanka
March 1980

It would be interesting to know if the comment was added in 1970 or 1980. Presumably Ven Nyanaponika would have already seen Ven Nanananda's work at that point, though the book did not come out until 1971, since, as I understand it, he encouraged Ven Nanananda to publish it.

I rather like the interpretation of papañca as "worldlihood"; i.e. so long as we understand that it refers to our being-in-the-world, as opposed to our being before the world.

Yes, that's a good observation.


Mike

[rowyourboat]

I just wanted to share some good news: I will be meeting Ven Nananda for 2-3 hours in a few days time.