Ajahn Anan

Ajahn Anan

Ajahn Anan frequently relates a question he asked Ajahn Chah as the main turning point in his practice. At the time, Ajahn Anan was  starting to gain deep calm in the mind for long  periods and wanted to ask Ajahn Chah what to do next. He felt that investigating the body was too coarse to be the fastest way to enlightenment and that investigating the mind must be the correct method. When he asked Ajahn Chah about this, the teacher responded, “You're asking me this, but right now is your mind calm?” 

Ajahn Anan recalled the experience: “In those days, asking Ajahn Chah about your practice was a huge deal. I was petrified and shaking like a leaf, so more out of fear than anything, I replied that my mind was calm. 

He told me—and made it more than clear—that if the mind is calm, you have to investigate the body. For me to assume my practice was beyond that point at the time was foolish. I was like a little kid who wants the biggest, juiciest mango on the tree, but the stick I was using to get it was too long and heavy for the job.” 

Ajahn Anan continued: “The key lesson every meditator should take away from this is that when the mind is calm, use that calm to investigate the body as impermanent, suffering, and not-self. This is because the roots of all defilements are attached to this body.” 

“You can go straight to investigating the mind and see the Dhamma,” said Ajahn Anan, “if you already have a lot of accumulated merit and your practice is very advanced. For example, when the Buddha investigated the five aggregates—form, feeling, perception, thought and consciousness— he broke through ignorance and attained Dhamma. 

You have to remember though, the Buddha already had a lot of accumulated merit and his practice had progressed to the final point. 

Because of this, he was able to contemplate dependent origination and become enlightened— but normal people like us? 

Even the great Thai Forest masters like Ajahn Mun and Ajahn Chah practiced investigating the body first, and taught others to do the same.”

~•~•~•~

Reflections from Emptiness Dhamma- Quotes on the Path to Liberation by Venerable Ajahn Anan Akiñcano

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27 September 2023

Ajahn Anan on Guanyin (Avalokitesvara) Bodhisattava & Pure Land

Ajahn Anan on Guanyin (Avalokitesvara) Bodhisattava & Pure Land

According to Ajahn Anan, Bodhisattavas like Manjushri, Guanyin, Samantabhdra are real, as well as Pure Land of Amitabha Buddha. 

Apparently some of the Ajahns who are good in meditation have been able to converse with these high bodhisattvas like Manjushri.   

At Wat Marp Jan (Ajahn Anan's monestary) there is a temple deidcated to Avalokiteshvara.

Ajahn Achalo, who was ordained by Ajahn Anan, has confirmed that Ajahn Anan had said that this pure land does in fact exist and that if one recites the mantra of Amitabha throughout ones life, one's perceptions may very well turn to that realm at the time of death. 

This may come as a surprise to some as some Theravadins don't even consider Mahayana to be the teachings of the Buddha. From a grand cosmic perspective, it's quite possible, considering the unfathomably huge number of universes, galaxies, solar systems out there. 

There's already one real Bodhisatta in training right now for our world system: Metteyya. 

There's no reason to rule out the possibility about the existence of others out there. It's important to understand, Ajahn Anan indicates that at one stage when one practices and develops confidence in the Buddha's teaching, these sort of questions cease.

A disciple once asked Ajahn Anan: 

Q: My mother told me Kuan Yin is my godmother. True compassion is my godmother. I feel faith in Kuan Yin [the Chinese name for Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara].

Luang Por Anan: I am happy for you. It is good to pay homage to Kuan Yin and recall the compassion of Kuan Yin.

Some references:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcFOZ9YtizU (at 22:00 min Ajahn Anan talks about Guan Yin and other Bodhisattavas)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGfOQqEiDfc (Ajahn Anan tells us about the great aspiration of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, and how the pāramī of the arahants are still here.)

https://youtu.be/cxBTR9emMKE 

https://www.dharmawheel.net/viewtopic.php?f=60&t=33148

https://dharmagiri.org/smsonline/sms_0304.html

https://watmarpjan.org/en/giving-and-receiving-the-unity-of-religions-and-lovingkindness/

https://www.clearmountainmonastery.org/2023/03/31/arahant-or-bodhisattva-path-qa-with-ajahn-nisabho/

https://www.reddit.com/r/Buddhism/comments/10ow7xo/wellknown_theravada_monk_ajahn_anan_believes/

8 June 2023

The Teaching of Luang Phor Anan

The Teaching of Luang Phor Anan

Q: Where should a Phra Sivali statue be kept and how should we recollect Phra Sivali?

Luang Phor Anan: The statue should be next to the Buddha statue.

To recollect Phra Sivali, remember all the good things he did in order to become the foremost in gains, and how he received the good results of all those good actions. After reflecting like this you can feel fullness of heart, rapture, and happiness. Then build goodness yourself and you will be able to receive gains yourself.

A monk from America, Phra Jivako, once did a tudong of about 1,000 kilometers from Melbourne to Sidney. 

He asked for metta from me before his journey and I determined the goodness of Phra Sivali to help him on his journey. He had people put food in his bowl every day, and even, sometimes when he wished for coffee, someone would come to him and bring him coffee. This is truly miraculous. Devas can know one’s wishes and help in this way, with the power of Phra Sivali.

When we build goodness then devas come and help that person who has built goodness. They rejoice in the goodness of that person and support him or her in any lifetime that they are born into.

Phra Sivali had the faith to ordain as a monk. And when the preceptor shaved his head, before the first bunch of hair fell he attained to sotapanna, and then attained successively to sakadagami, anagami, and finally to arahant before he had finished shaving his head. And Phra Sivali, who was foremost in gains, because he had done many merits in the past, everywhere he would go, the devas would come and support. And he would let the devas rejoice. 

This is the parami he made since the past Buddha’s time by making a great offering of fresh honey. So by this power of goodness and the parami of Phra Sivali Maha Thera, may you all have gains wherever you go, whether far or near, may you all have success in all your aspirations, may you not be lacking in anything and may you not encounter any difficulties. May you have just fulfilment, happiness, and much wealth, and may you have devas supporting and looking after you.

Luang Phor Anan

Wat Marp Jan

Rayong Province

Cr: Wat Marp Jan Website

12th November, 2022

Reflections from Emptiness Dhamma Quotes on the Path to Liberation by Venerable Ajahn Anan Akiñcano

When I was at Wat Nong Pah Pong, there was a very intelligent monk well versed in the scriptures. He asked Ajahn Chah for permission to teach dependent origination to the monks by way of charts and diagrams. Ajahn Chah gave him permission and the monks gathered together in the Dhamma hall to hear his exposition. This monk explained the topic with both clarity and detail, putting on quite an impressive show of his apparent deep knowledge into the Dhamma. 

That night I was assisting Ajahn Chah. He turned to me and said, “Anan, let’s go and see what this guy is teaching everyone.” We both quietly walked to the hall and stood outside in the dark without anybody noticing us. We listened for a while and then Ajahn Chah said, “When you teach the Dhamma wrong, you drop to hell! Come on Anan, let’s get out of here.” He never said another word about it again. 

The moral here is that if you teach the Dhamma but don’t see and know it truly within your own heart, then no matter how smart you may be, you can end up teaching the wrong way and develop bad kamma for yourself.

***

Reflections from Emptiness Dhamma Quotes on the Path to Liberation 

by Venerable Ajahn Anan Akiñcano 

https://watmarpjan.org/en/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/RFE-PDF-for-WEB_Final-Version-1.pdf

The Teaching of Ajahn Anan.

The Teaching of Ajahn Anan.

And I have a story to share with you. Once there were 7 to 8 monks living in Wat Nong Pah Pong. The food received from almsround was divided proportionately. Each monk should have taken just one portion, but some took more than their share of food. So when it came to the novice who stood at the end of the line, there was no more alms food left. 

The novice felt upset that he didn't get to eat any food from the alms round. He wondered, "Why did the monks lack metta and karuna?" It was usually the case in monasteries where novices would respect and serve the senior monks. After the novice monk would finish eating, he would take the senior monk’s bowls to wash and wipe the bowls dry, this was his regular duty. 

But because some of the monks lacked metta, the novice refused to wash their monk bowls anymore. This came to Luang Pu Chah's attention, when he saw that the monks and novices were abandoning their usual duties and practices. He realised it started because some of the monks were selfish - they had taken too much food. They didn’t leave some behind so that it would reach the novice. 

Therefore Luang Pu Chah decided to change the system by having all the food offered to the novice first. 

He had the novice take the food first before the monks. But it so happened that the novice did not dare to take the food first before the monks. 

[Admin: This is because traditionally, the Thai Sangha tends to follow a hierarchical structure, where the Bhikkhus take first priority, followed by the Samaneras then finally all the lay 8 preceptees wearing white. So it is quite unheard of for the novice to eat first before his Kruba Ajaans]

Not daring to take the food and eat first, the novice then decided to offer all the food to Luang Pu Chah. 

So Luang Pu ate the alms food himself. He did this for about 3 days, which was the teaching he wanted to convey to all the monks. Luang Pu wanted them to see that all the offerings they got was because of the parami and merit of the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha - so why are they fighting over it instead of self-sacrificing and sharing them?

The lay people have offered a share of their food to honour the monks. They have practiced self-sacrifice. 

If you monks do not self-sacrifice, then your hearts have fallen even lower than the lay people. The lay people at least have sacrificed part of their possessions. So if we lack harmony, then working as a team will inevitably result in problems, because there is a lack of sacrifice and sharing. 

Luang Phor Anan 

Wat Marp Jan, Rayong

watmarpjan.org 

[edited for clarity]

The Teaching of Luang Phor Anan.

 The Teaching of Luang Phor Anan.

Monk: I have the doubt arise that after offering the cremation fire to the Buddha after his passing, how many major relics of the Buddha were there? And what are the benefits of giving puja, homage, to the relics? 

Luang Phor Anan: We can’t count how many pieces there were, because after the cremation, there was a white cloth, the last cloth, that covered all of the Buddha’s relics. It was all gathered into this white cloth. 

All the bodily bone relics of the Buddha. Here, Dona Brahmin separated them out for the big countries, the ones who had power at that time. He separated them out for their puja. 

And to give puja to relics have great benefits. Because we puja and homage the relics, for the purpose of recollecting the noble virtues: the metta, loving-kindness, the great compassion (maha karuna), the wisdom, and the great purity of the Buddha. This is merit and goodness. 

And the benefit is that one will gain all good things in all ways. Having happiness in this life, and happiness in the next life. But greater than this is not that we just recollect the merit, but we practise as well. The important thing is to use it to practice. 

And another thing is that some people go to puja the relics, and they have happiness. But if the relics fall or it disappears , they have suffering coming up. Here we have to be careful as well. 

Because when the merit arises, we feel pleased. And after that, if the relics grow in number, we are pleased and feel happy. But we think, “Will any of the relics fall?” And one day, if some of the relics disappear, the number reduces, we will have suffering. “Is it because we don’t practise well?” We have thoughts like this arise. So we need to be careful of this. We should know that to recollect the relics is in the field of merit and goodness. But we should take Dhamma practice as the important foundation. 

Luang Phor Anan

Wat Marp Jan

Cr. watmarpjan.org

The Reflections of Venerable Ajaan Anan

The Reflections of Venerable Ajaan Anan

Is it necessary to go to the 4 Holy Pilgrimage

sites - where the Buddha was born, attained Enlightenment, gave his first sermon and entered Parinibbana?

Phra (Monk): Excuse me, Tahn Ajaan, yesterday I was doing work with K. Boss, and I had a question about the 4 holy sites of pilgrimage. Is it necessary to go there to pay homage at the actual sites? And if one doesn’t have any opportunity to go, then what should one do?

Ajaan Anan: If we ask, is it necessary? 

This is up to our situation.

1. We have the faith already.

2. Do we have the money and funds?

As monks, our lives are supported by pindapata (alms). If there are lay people who have given us a pavarana, an invitation, they have faith and they invite us. We are fit to go, our health is good. We have the opportunity. 

Then it is possible that we do go to travel to the important places of the Lord Buddha.

If we ask, is it really necessary? In regards to Dhamma practice, the Kruba Ajaans, the great teachers of the era of Phra Ajaan Mun, they had practiced and many attained to becoming arahants. And most of those monks didn’t go to the holy sites. So the importance is with Dhamma practice. If we practice according to the teachings of the Buddha, then we’ll be able to see and attain to Dhamma.

Here Phra Ajaan Chah has said something about this. He said, “Can’t the Buddha be born in Thailand? I thought then, how was it possible that the Buddha was born in Thailand? 

There was only one Buddha. He was born, attained enlightenment, passed away into Parinibbana, and taught Dhamma in India and Nepal.

But Ajaan Chah asked, “Isn’t it that the Buddha will attain enlightenment in Thailand? 

This is being ‘Buddha’, that is, being a Savaka Buddha, a noble disciple of the Buddha, which is up to our own practice. If we can practise following the Buddha, then we can reach the state of ‘Buddha’ (Awakened).

We can be in Thailand, we could be in Malaysia, we could be in America, in the UK, or in any country in the world, the Buddha can arise. This is important. But if we are prepared in all ways, then we can take the opportunity to go once. We have gained the faith already, then we use it to do our utmost homage through our practice (patipada puja). This is the important point.

Phra Ajaan Anan

Wat Marp Jan

Rayong Province

The teachings of Luang Phor Anan

The teachings of Luang Phor Anan

The fact that a Buddha can arise in the world, that one can realize enlightenment, cannot have come about by just being born in this lifetime only. The Buddha wasn’t just suddenly able to attain to enlightenment as the foremost in the world, greater than all other humans, heavenly beings, and gods within the three-world system. That’s not how it happened.

In order to become the Fully-Enlightened Buddha, He had to perfect the ten pāramīs over countless lifetimes, much more than other human beings. This was so that in His final birth He could reach enlightenment with a heart more supreme than any other in any realm. 

It’s not the case that He was able to become the Buddha without ever having developed Himself previously. 

That’s not how it was. 

With regard to our beliefs, some things we cannot prove. At times we must rely on faith instead. There is faith in the Great Teacher who was enlightened over 2500 years ago along with the ability to recollect His previous births and the ability to know the future. The teachings of the Buddha are flawless. 

Heavens, hells, brahma realms and Nibbāna definitely exist. These are facts which the Buddha proclaimed on the basis of His knowledges of previous births and the disappearing and reappearing of beings according to their karma. He saw absolutely clearly that death is followed by rebirth, as opposed to annihilation.

The heart takes rebirth according to our karma, repeatedly cycling through samsāra in various forms of existence. 

And because our various births are dictated by our karma, if we create bad karma the heart will accordingly take birth in a lower form of existence where one finds only suffering and torment.

Therefore the heart is the important thing. All forms of karma are performed in our actions, in our speech, or in our thoughts. When we create virtuous karma we will be happy. This is because our heart is not harming itself or others. It is abiding in goodness. And at the time of death, a heart that is pure and established in goodness will go to heaven, the Buddha said. A heart that is afflicted, on the other hand, will go to hell. This is dependent on the state of the heart at the moment the body dies.

Luang Phor Anan

Wat Marp Jan 

Rayong Province

Sometimes when tired I watch too much YouTube. This feels bad. What should I do?

 Q. Sometimes when tired I watch too much YouTube. This feels bad. What should I do?

Luang Phor Anan: One needs to be careful. 

Being aware and taking a rest is better. You can make a vow to not watch YouTube when tired, and keep this vow solemnly like an extra moral precept. The internet can be worse than alcohol since one can use it all the time.

When I practiced I saw the reality of death and uncertainty. I wanted to find something that did not die. I saw all the world burning, burning with old age, sickness, and death.

With this insight I felt great rapture and happiness for three days and three nights.

A young western girl came to visit and asked why I ordained. I wondered how to answer her as she was quite young. 

I asked about her wishes for her life, and she said she wanted to be a veterinarian when she grows up and that she loved rabbits.

I asked her: ‘If the rabbit goes away would you suffer?’

She said ‘Yes, but it would come back.’

I asked, ‘What if the rabbit died, then would you suffer?’

She said ‘Yes, I would suffer.’

I replied ‘Well, I ordained to find the rabbit that would not die.’

She seemed to understand this.

Luang Phor Anan

Wat Marp Jan

Rayong Province

Cr. Wat Marp Jan Website