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Accessible Buddhist presentation
zenguitar
Bad BuddhistNew England Veteran
You may disagree, but I think she presents Buddhism in a simple, straightforward, accessible way. Plus, since she is not a bald, robed monastic, I think the average Westerner with little knowledge of Buddhism can relate to her well.
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What has she said that we haven't....?
(Actually, her monotonous voice is slightly irritating to my ears.... and I think some of her interpretation is open to discussion....)
I have listened to her briefly and liked what I heard in terms of clarity and 'fresh' ways to present battered old ideas
I have heard the same thing over and over again and then someone different says it and I 'hear' it. I get different levels of understanding from the written word than I do 'hearing' it. It's like it engages a different area of my brain? Maybe? It must.
One thing I've found is that in a group of dharma students in a class with a teacher, some will come away with something different from others. Fascinating. They all heard the same thing, but some got something different.
So some will find this woman irritating and others will find brilliance.
Isn't she a well-known teacher in Australia? Just because she's not wearing robes doesn't mean she's not a teacher.
Indeed
I glossed over Eckhart Tolle and Byron Katie for years as New Agey but in the spur of the moment decided to listen to The Power of Now audiobook -- purchased 11 years ago and yet unheard. He's no joke and neither is Katie. When the student is ready . . . or when the student has had such and such experiences, THEN something hits home. Or I dropped my position long enough for something to slip by (as above) and prove itself worthy of further thought or study.
What little I've read of Tolle impressed me. He's kinda new Agey, and that's ok, too, but it's not the path I'm on. Just the same I can find no fault in what he teaches.
Kindas like Osho. A lot of people poopoo the guy, but if you've ever read his teaching on Lojong.....he's not half-bad.
I don't know a thing about Katie.
Absolutey. We all have our guru, and when we're ready, he/she appears.
My own guru says that true devotion to a guru is an open heart.
Quite right. Lay teachers are very common. I know 3 Lamas personally that never wear robes. Ever. One of them earned an Acharya degree. Lay teachers can be as good as, if not better than, monastics.
I didn't listen to the whole talk. I may tomorrow. What I heard seemed like straight-up, no frills, Hinayana, just like Ani Pema teaches. I liked what I heard. I also found her voice far from irritating. Accented to be sure, but nowhere near as much as some Australians I've met.
I don't know. Note that I didn't say she was not a teacher. She certainly appears to be. I just said I thought the average Westerner with little experience of Buddhism could probably relate to her better than to a monk or nun. It would be a shame if a person missed an opportunity to learn Dharma simply because they didn't like the appearance of the teacher, IMHO.
Maybe her calm presentation of Buddhism is more appealing than the slightly impatient exposition that we sometimes find here.
Apples and oranges. You can't compare this video, which is unchanging and non-interactive, to what happens on a forum.
Both have their places, but are entirely different.
@federica, true. I guess I wanted to post it here since this forum is accessible to everyone, not just the members. So if someone stumbles on it as a result and becomes interested in Buddhism, that's good, IMHO.
Her calm presentation probably has more to do with the fact that the recording does not have to answer to the same question over and over again on a sometimes daily basis.
A forum is a place for the exchange of opinions about things we more or less know already, not quite a place to impart teachings.
We read, we learn, we practice on our side, then we come here to exchange points of view in more or less skillful or impatient ways.
There are sites specifically designed to learn about Buddhism. Buddhanet and Access to Insight pop to mind.
This one is not quite it.
Really? Then why is it called "New Buddhist" ? Rather than "Old Know-It-All Buddhist"? :wink"
Nobody said you have to be an Old-Know-it-all.
But at some point, after a lot of asking, one tends to learn.
Given the circumstances, "impatient" is not quite the epiteth I would use for contributors' more than generous comments and willingness to answer -once more- every time.
Ok, @dhammadragon. But, I am not referring to any present company here, but I have seen a number of times when newbies (not me) have posted questions to this site, and some "experts" have responded quite inappropriately. Impatient at best, rude in the worst case.
I'm sure people have read this, but maybe not. It seems to contradict some assertions of others above about this place not being for newbies and/or the ignorant:
http://newbuddhist.com/discussion/14143/what-is-newbuddhist-com#latest
"A safe place where there are no stupid questions" I like that.
There ARE no stupid questions.
But for my part, as a PERSON capable of stupidity.....
She spent several years as a nun and also has a degree in psychology.
http://www.enthusiasticbuddhist.com/aboutme/
Yes, there are no stupid questions.
But my personal view is: you can't expect the site to be the only source for learning about Buddhism, and some people's questions give away that they are not doing all the homework by themselves, rather, sometimes even expect other members to do that legwork for them.
There is a bibliography to be read and a certain practice to do.
You can't expect the site to supply what you are not doing by yourself.
Also, newbie is the person new to Buddhism and / or to the forum.
Not the person who asks the same question over and over again.
It is probably at that point that a question becomes stupid.