Ajahn Maha Boowa passes away

Jason

Sad to hear that Ajahn Maha Boowa passed away a few hours ago. He was one of the last (if not the last) of a generation of forest monks who trained with Ajahn Mun.

For anyone interested in him or his teachings, check out Access to Insight and Wat Pah Baan Taad.

DhammaDhatu

Visually, Maha is/was my favourite monk.

Why? He looks very free, non-attached but extremely down to earth, as though his mind is fully in tune with the world, life & reality.

For me, his image exudes my idea of enlightenment. Not radiantly blissed, not detached & empty but, instead, salt of the earth (understanding & empathy). Giving dhamma but at the same time not demanding or impinging; as described in the Tao Te Ching.

For an excellent gradual teaching, I like the following book by Maha:

http://www.what-buddha-taught.net/Books2/Maha_Boowa_Life_of_inner_Quality.pdf

caz

Its always a shame to see great teachers pass away. I hope he comes back shortly

Cloud

He was only a reflection of the world to begin with, the moon as seen in the water, with its unique ripples and swirls; the same as all of us. No one gained, no one lost. Respect, remember, but don't fret... remain diligent in the practice. :om:

federica

I think it's fine and appropriate to express sorrow, Cloud.
if I'd said that after my father's death last year, my mother would have slapped me up. And rightly so.
Your sentiments are accurate.
They might possibly be deemed to be inappropriate.....?
Not unlike those of Richard Gere, who, shortly after 9/11, asked all Americans to show kindness, tolerance, compassion forgiveness and understanding, for those responsible.
Absolutely, inarguably spot on.

His timing though, was absolutely way off the table...

Cloud

Nothing wrong with expressing sorrow. My aunt just died yesterday; I'm not untouched by personal loss myself. It's just helpful to view it in a way that doesn't bring about more pain than is necessary, that's all. If we can accept that we are reflections of the world we live in and the conditions which gave rise to the aggregates, and that others are no different, we can lessen the pain of loss and the fear of our own death. This is beneficial, and a fruit of the practice in the here-and-now. (If my words came off other-than-helpful as a reflection of equanimity, I apologize to any offended.)

Vangelis

Its always a shame to see great teachers pass away. I hope he comes back shortly

From what I understand the fire has been extinguished. There will be no more coming back.

pegembara

...Those who have reached full release from conventional realities of every sort, you know, don't assume themselves to be more special or worse than anyone else. For this reason, they don't demean even the tiniest of creatures. They regard them all as friends in suffering, birth, aging, illness, and death, because the Dhamma is something tender and gentle. Any mind in which it is found is completely gentle and can sympathize with every grain of sand, with living beings of every sort. There's nothing rigid or unyielding about it. Only the defilements are rigid and unyielding. Proud. Conceited. Haughty and vain. Once there's Dhamma, there are none of these things. There's only the unvarying gentleness and tenderness of mercy and benevolence for the world at all times.


Things as They Are
Venerable Acariya Maha Boowa

DhammaDhatu

Its always a shame to see great teachers pass away. I hope he comes back shortly

From what I understand, the fire has been extinguished. There will be no more coming back.

caz

Its always a shame to see great teachers pass away. I hope he comes back shortly

From what I understand, the fire has been extinguished. There will be no more coming back.

Compassionate ones please come back...If they all leave then...:(

Glow

...Those who have reached full release from conventional realities of every sort, you know, don't assume themselves to be more special or worse than anyone else. For this reason, they don't demean even the tiniest of creatures. They regard them all as friends in suffering, birth, aging, illness, and death, because the Dhamma is something tender and gentle. Any mind in which it is found is completely gentle and can sympathize with every grain of sand, with living beings of every sort. There's nothing rigid or unyielding about it. Only the defilements are rigid and unyielding. Proud. Conceited. Haughty and vain. Once there's Dhamma, there are none of these things. There's only the unvarying gentleness and tenderness of mercy and benevolence for the world at all times.


Things as They Are
Venerable Acariya Maha Boowa

Beautiful. What little I've read of Ajahn Maha Boowa's teachings has struck me as imbued with the forces of deep wisdom, metta and compassion. I'm inspired to look for more of his teachings.

[DeletedUser]

So long as there are still beings have yet to be liberated, he would return and driven by unconditional compassion.

federica

Not necessarily, Wilfred....

caz

Not necessarily, Wilfred....

Thats not very good for us then If they all dissapear...

Cloud

@caz, Where did the wise monk come from? From the world that he was born into and taught him; there was no separation, all things are connected. He changed along with the world, together with the world, and when he "dies", that world is still there... nothing has been lost. If we feel that it is to our disadvantage when a wise man dies, if we allow there to be feelings of loss and despair at the thought that they don't "come back", then we do not understand the nature of wisdom yet fully for ourselves.

This is the same for us. It was the same for the Buddha. The Buddha did not change the world, but was at the center of the change. The change remains, even after the Buddha died! It is the same for Jesus of Nazareth. To the extent that the world changes through the actions of a human, we remember them as saints or great sages. Truly it was not a "being" coming to this of their own accord, but interdependent upon the world and its conditions at that time. No one can take credit as if they have not been fully interdependent with the world and with others at every moment since their birth; the Buddha understood this, though I can't remember where exactly it is in the sutras to quote it.

If you believe that beings must come back to save us, and another (i.e. federica or myself) tells you it might not be so, what is the result? You suffer. Is your suffering caused by the other person's view? No. It is caused by clinging to the belief. However the wisdom that there is truly no loss bears a freedom, a peace of mind, that is greater than belief. And so practice, find the truth, and be free to live and die without fear.

Namaste

Dazzle

Teachers can only point to the path, we still have to practice and consequently "save" ourselves.

"Purity and impurity depend on oneself; no one can purify another."

(Dhammapada Ch12 v.165)

Cloud

Gotta love the Dhammapada. Even found it for Kindle for free, now I just have to get a Kindle (lol).

caz

@caz, Where did the wise monk come from? From the world that he was born into and taught him; there was no separation, all things are connected. He changed along with the world, together with the world, and when he "dies", that world is still there... nothing has been lost. If we feel that it is to our disadvantage when a wise man dies, if we allow there to be feelings of loss and despair at the thought that they don't "come back", then we do not understand the nature of wisdom yet fully for ourselves.

This is the same for us. It was the same for the Buddha. The Buddha did not change the world, but was at the center of the change. The change remains, even after the Buddha died! It is the same for Jesus of Nazareth. To the extent that the world changes through the actions of a human, we remember them as saints or great sages. Truly it was not a "being" coming to this of their own accord, but interdependent upon the world and its conditions at that time. No one can take credit as if they have not been fully interdependent with the world and with others at every moment since their birth; the Buddha understood this, though I can't remember where exactly it is in the sutras to quote it.

If you believe that beings must come back to save us, and another (i.e. federica or myself) tells you it might not be so, what is the result? You suffer. Is your suffering caused by the other person's view? No. It is caused by clinging to the belief. However the wisdom that there is truly no loss bears a freedom, a peace of mind, that is greater than belief. And so practice, find the truth, and be free to live and die without fear.

Namaste

Its a concern that there are so many sentient beings whom have not entered the paths the more excellent teachers around the better

Cloud

True that.