In Depth Study of today's Dharma Teachers teachings

Upvote:1

http://www.acidharma.org/aci/index.html

The website link above has breakdowns of works by Je Tsongkhapa, -- (Specifically his work on Lam Rim) -- Nāgārjuna, Shantideva, and various lojung texts with their respective analysis.

The audio classes are MP3 streams, and the teachers tend to do a sentence by sentence breakdown of the works being discussed. They come with PDFs of student notes, lectures and outlines, and readings in both English and the original Tibetan.

Some sutras are also available in both languages, and the website is entirely free of any charges.

Upvote:4

There are many people who are attached to Mahasi Sayadaw on Dhammawheel and Bhikkhu Pesala (http://aimwell.org/ or on DW) is for sure on person (since he translated much) who can help out in the sphere of his understanding.

You also can try to get in contact with Upasaka Florian. He runs a blog and pages on facebook and g+ concerning much about Mahasi Sayadaw and communities around it and he had studied much. He would for sure also know other places.

As for Ajahn Chah, Atma is sure, that it would really not make sense to

Each pertinent scentence might be studied one by one, the translation of each scentence might be scrutinized, the scriptural origins would be analyzed and each scentence might be made better understood with real examples of what is meant.

You would, in the case of Ajahn Chah, need to meet an Ajahn Chah and most would and do not like it to be confronted by him, even get mad. And you even would need to start with sweeping and other services.

Atma would also say, if not even understand an interpreter, is better to do it among the original source and get then an understanding of what the particular teaches tells.

Having read some of his books a little Atma thinks that there are less who would understand many things, if not good leaned in the scripts or have certain experiences by one self. The teachings also carry much danger of developing certain views.

The problem of not understanding the path or not coming on to it, is most seldom the teaching or the explaining, but simply the not willingness to start seriously with the home work. Dana, Sila.

Making Tables & Chairs

It's good to make the mind pure and at peace, but it's hard. You have to start with the externals — your bodily actions and words — and work your way in. The path that leads to purity, to being a contemplative, is a path that can wash away greed, anger, and delusion. You have to exercise restraint and self-control, which is why it's hard — but so what if it's hard?

It's like taking wood to make a table or make a chair. It's hard, but so what if it's hard? The wood has to go through that process. Before it can become a table or a chair, we have to go through the coarse and heavy stages.

It's the same with us. We have to become skillful where we aren't yet skillful, admirable where we aren't yet admirable, competent where we aren't yet competent.

Maggots

When we give rise to right view in our hearts, we can be at ease wherever we are. It's because we still have wrong views, still hold onto ideas that are poisonous, that we're not at ease. Holding on in this way is like being a maggot. Where it lives is filthy; its food is filthy. Its food isn't fit to be food — but it seems fitting to the maggot. Try taking a stick and flicking it out of the excrement where it's feeding, and see what happens. It'll wiggle and wriggle, eager to get back to the pile of excrement where it was before. Only then does it feel right.

It's the same with you monks and novices. You still have wrong views. Teachers come and advise you on how to have right view, but it doesn't feel right to you. You keep running back to your pile of excrement. Right view doesn't feel right because you're used to your old pile of excrement. As long as the maggot doesn't see the filth in where it's living, it can't escape. It's the same with us. As long as we don't see the drawbacks of those things, we can't escape from them. They make it difficult to practice.

(108 Dhamma Similes)

Atma likes to add, that if you, a group, friends... would seek for an environment to do such, lessons, teaching, what ever, please feel free and invited to use the environment of this online monastery and don't hesitate to ask for help or what ever in this regard. Your are free to perform it if you like to put an effort into it.

(Note: this answer has not been given with the agreement to be means of trade or the purpose of/for trade and/or keep people trapped and bound. How you handle it lies in your sphere, but does not excuse the deed here either.)

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