Ven Gampaha Pemasiri Thero

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SarathW
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Ven Gampaha Pemasiri Thero

Post by SarathW »

Ven Gampaha Pemasiri Thero

I found this very interesting and unique Dhamma teacher. He is the only Sri Lankan monk I came across that he does not know what Panna means. (claiming not to be an Arahant) His talks are very interesting filled with humor. On a serious note, he said that his teacher said god bye (Ehenam mama yannam - ie then I will go )to him just minutes before his death in a typical Sri Lankan way. I am not sure whether he is still alive as he seems to be past his 70's. His interpretation of Dhamma also unique. It appears that the five hindrances eliminated in Satipathana are not the same as the five hindrances eliminated in Jhana. (it is a different ie higher level) He got a very small following by the way.
The following video is in the Sinhalese language.

“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
SarathW
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Re: Ven Gampaha Pemasiri Thero

Post by SarathW »

This monk gives an account of the death of his two teachers.
In the first incident, his first teacher counts from one to four and asked him to observe Four Satipathana and passed away.
In the second instance, his last teacher asked him to take care of the temple and said god bye and passed away.

“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
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SamD
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Re: Ven Gampaha Pemasiri Thero

Post by SamD »

Hello Sarath,

Ven Pemasiri is the current abbot of Sri Sumathipala Nahimi Hermitage (adjacent to Kanduboda Vipassana Center)
Just as Kanduboda Ven Pemasiri teaches Mahasi Satipattana.
SarathW
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Re: Ven Gampaha Pemasiri Thero

Post by SarathW »

SamD wrote: Mon Apr 26, 2021 8:45 am Hello Sarath,

Ven Pemasiri is the current abbot of Sri Sumathipala Nahimi Hermitage (adjacent to Kanduboda Vipassana Center)
Just as Kanduboda Ven Sumathipala teaches Mahasi Satipattana.
Thank you for let us know about him.
I felt this monk is somewhat unique.
:D
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
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confusedlayman
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Re: Ven Gampaha Pemasiri Thero

Post by confusedlayman »

SarathW wrote: Mon Apr 19, 2021 9:23 am Ven Gampaha Pemasiri Thero

I found this very interesting and unique Dhamma teacher. He is the only Sri Lankan monk I came across that he does not know what Panna means. (claiming not to be an Arahant) His talks are very interesting filled with humor. On a serious note, he said that his teacher said god bye (Ehenam mama yannam - ie then I will go )to him just minutes before his death in a typical Sri Lankan way. I am not sure whether he is still alive as he seems to be past his 70's. His interpretation of Dhamma also unique. It appears that the five hindrances eliminated in Satipathana are not the same as the five hindrances eliminated in Jhana. (it is a different ie higher level) He got a very small following by the way.
The following video is in the Sinhalese language.

during satipatana I think the 5 sense still work but using wisdom u dont cling to them... in jhana 5 sense completely absent and hence no need to apply wisdom on 5 sense impression as they dont have any footing..
I may be slow learner but im at least learning...
SarathW
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Re: Ven Gampaha Pemasiri Thero

Post by SarathW »

during satipatana I think the 5 sense still work but using wisdom u dont cling to them... in jhana 5 sense completely absent and hence no need to apply wisdom on 5 sense impression as they dont have any footing..
Agree. But the problem is when you come out of Jhana you are back to where you stated again. But in Vipassana not going back as you do not emerge from it.
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
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pitakele
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Re: Ven Gampaha Pemasiri Thero

Post by pitakele »

These are ebooks in English compiled from talks with Ven. Pemasiri. Titles include 'Walking the Tightrope', 'Mango Tree Wisdom', 'Beautiful Flame' etc.

https://ksnsa.com/pdf-download
aniccā vata saṇkhārā - tesaṁ vūpasamo sukho
SarathW
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Re: Ven Gampaha Pemasiri Thero

Post by SarathW »

pitakele wrote: Tue Apr 27, 2021 1:17 am These are ebooks in English compiled from talks with Ven. Pemasiri. Titles include 'Walking the Tightrope', 'Mango Tree Wisdom', 'Beautiful Flame' etc.

https://ksnsa.com/pdf-download
“He knew the day and hour of his death in advance. Literally a
few hours before that time came, he delivered a lecture on the value of
generosity and morals, after which he suffered a heart attack. I rushed
to his kuti”.
“His last words were: ‘I will now leave you, Pemasiri. Take care
of this place. Do not worry about me. Be concerned about yourself and
make utmost effort to attain your Liberation’. It was almost the same
advice as Buddha gave his disciples and students in the last moment
of his life”
“In the past, yogis didn’t read books on meditation. If they didn’t
know the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta, that was good! So, many of them were
ready to follow the teacher in everything. One day, I collected all
books on jhāna from the library and burned them! I felt an immense
relief”, he said, laughing. “New books will have the same fate: I will
burn them, too”.
Thank you for the link. Very interesting reading with lot of Mysticism.
I did not know he was such a famous monk! So my gut feeling about him with just seen few videos seems correct.
:D
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
SarathW
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Re: Ven Gampaha Pemasiri Thero

Post by SarathW »

“When I was twelve, I discovered the ability to cure other people.
Monastic code prohibits bhikkhus from engaging in medicine, but
before the ordination I could do that. I could predict events. Say, a cyclist
passed by me and I foresaw him falling, and then he would indeed fall.
When I lived in the forest, I felt who would come to see me and when,
and it would always come true. I had such abilities from birth”
I had similar abilities when I was eight years old. I saw a truck and said to my brother he will crash just few seconds before he crashed. I was scared that it was my fault! :D
“Sometimes, people insist that they are real, and later it turns out
that it wasn’t true. As a hypothesis, I can suggest that some immaterial
creatures who are linked to me by kamma take the shape of my
acquaintances in order to tell me something or to accumulate merit for
their own purposes”
I hope he is not suffering from Schizophrenia.
Do you really want to
57
know your past lives, Jane? Why? Imagine if you remember being rich
and powerful and now you are not, it’s going to upset you. And if you
remember times when you lived in poverty and pain – you will feel
resentful and hurt”
Agree. Not knowing the past life could be a blessing.
“When I lived in the jungle, I liked climbing on a high mountain
in order to meditate there all night and then would come down in the
morning. Once, around two o’clock in the morning, the mountain
suddenly lit up with a very bright light emanating down from beyond
the peak, even illuminating the ground for the tiniest crawling insects.
The light was so bright, it resembled spotlights used in cities to light
up buildings. That light was coming from the sky”.
Perhaps this could be a meteorite. But the stories following this are supernatural.
Pemasiri Thera gave an example of a woman who studied under
Sumathipāla Na Himi and who at one point experienced serious health
problems that prevented her meditating – her body was literally paralysed.
The teacher, being able to understand the root causes of various hindrances,
came to the conclusion that these problems derived from the woman’s
behaviour toward her husband, who was a good meditator. She insulted
him several times and once even kicked him when he was in samādhi.

Sumathipāla Na Himi urged her to apologise to her husband because her
attitude with him was a stumbling block to her practice
Is this sounds familiar. :D
“It’s a similar situation with intellectuals. Often their knowledge
and intellect become a hindrance in meditation, due to habits of
thinking, analyzing and reflecting, which make it difficult for them
to concentrate and ‘release’.Teachers of these students also find
they are prone to excessive skepticism and arrogance, and also to
argumentativeness. For them, it is not difficult to understand the
weaknesses of others, while not recognizing their own defects”
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
SarathW
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Re: Ven Gampaha Pemasiri Thero

Post by SarathW »

From the previous link:
“Sati is a pure form of effort, which comes through faith. Sati
painstakingly keeps the wholesome. Everything wholesome is rooted
in sati. When there is sati, mind is free from defilements; and if they
suddenly appear, a yogi knows it”
It seems Sati is always wholesome. Then What is Micchasati?
Chapter 19 is fully dedicated to explaining Sati. But I still could not understand what Sati means.
:(
One part of Satipaṭṭhāna is samatha, and the other is vipassanā.
It all happens by itself. Without pressure or duress, samatha
turns into vipassanā.
“Thīna-middha is the mind when it is tired of looking for the
wholesome. For instance, when a yogi who wants to go to the meditation
hall, but instead decides to attend a puja, or instead of puja, engages
in idle talk with someone, thus giving preference to something less
wholesome than he could do, or not doing anything wholesome at all.
I thought this is called Arati, not Thina-middha.
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
SarathW
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Re: Ven Gampaha Pemasiri Thero

Post by SarathW »

Another great Dhamma discussion.
He said many teachers confused the attention (Manasikara) for the Sati.
He says that when Manasikara in conjunction with Sati is called Sampajañña.
The subtitle is available in another language which I am not sure of.

“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
SarathW
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Re: Ven Gampaha Pemasiri Thero

Post by SarathW »

Link to another topic on this thread.

viewtopic.php?t=43691
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
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