Well, I coined the term for myself. The first monk I listened to, on tape cassettes back then, was Ajahn Buddhadasa (ท่านพุทธทาส) after I went to the Vipassana retreat organized by his temple called Suan Moak Nana Chat. His throaty drooling voice was really relaxing. At the retreat, sometimes we listened to monks, nuns and lay persons giving talks, but sometimes we listened to Ajahn Buddhadasa on tapes. I remembered how I was so touched when he talked about how much we owe to our parents that I wept. His dhamma talks gave me good basic understanding of what Buddhism is all about and its underlying components.
Because I ran out of things to listen to (nothing much on internet back then), I moved to ท่านว. วชิรเมธี and ท่านปยุต (พระพรหมคุณาภรณ์). I love Ajahn Wachiramethee for how he can make Dhamma accessible to the mainstream public, and how he can make it relevant to everyday life, e.g., he talks about love, work, or business. I like Ajahn Payut for his clarity and his insights. He must be an extremely fine scholar and teacher. The way he organizes his talk is really amazing; it is highly structured and step-by-step. One thing leads to another, and one cause feeds into another effect. This is especially impressive considering that monks don't have Powerpoint slides or written notes when giving talks. So, it's like he has filing cabinets or a well designed database in his head that he can just pull any subject out and their related issues will come with it in a neat diagram. Clarity is beautiful.
Now I'm a fan of Luangpor Pramote's talks, but they mostly revolves around the mindfulness practices so I get bored sometimes. Thus, I also listen to Western monks who were trained under Luangpor Chah. Because I went through (i.e., being brainwashed under) a Western education system, my tastes and preferences are influenced by that type of culture. Even though truth is truth, no matter what language it is expressed in, dhamma from the perspectives of these Farang monks are appealing to me.
I especially enjoy Luangpor Sumedho's talks. He's an American who now lives in the UK. He has been ordained for 40+ years (now he's 73). Because he did his BS and MS in Asian studies, his word choices are exceptional. I thought I understood the meanings of Pali Buddhism terms that are commonly used in Thai language, e.g., วิบาก or ทุกข์, until I listened to these Farang monks explain them in plain English. I was like, wow, I misunderstood them for so long...
Also, translating P'Ed's blog helps. I looked up the Pali-English Buddhism dictionary. For some people, it is enough to do the practice, but I also like the philosophical side of it. I can't appreciate what I don't understand, at least conceptually. Well, if I understand it first hand, then it means that I'd have reached the initial stage of enlightenment.
Because I ran out of things to listen to (nothing much on internet back then), I moved to ท่านว. วชิรเมธี and ท่านปยุต (พระพรหมคุณาภรณ์). I love Ajahn Wachiramethee for how he can make Dhamma accessible to the mainstream public, and how he can make it relevant to everyday life, e.g., he talks about love, work, or business. I like Ajahn Payut for his clarity and his insights. He must be an extremely fine scholar and teacher. The way he organizes his talk is really amazing; it is highly structured and step-by-step. One thing leads to another, and one cause feeds into another effect. This is especially impressive considering that monks don't have Powerpoint slides or written notes when giving talks. So, it's like he has filing cabinets or a well designed database in his head that he can just pull any subject out and their related issues will come with it in a neat diagram. Clarity is beautiful.
Now I'm a fan of Luangpor Pramote's talks, but they mostly revolves around the mindfulness practices so I get bored sometimes. Thus, I also listen to Western monks who were trained under Luangpor Chah. Because I went through (i.e., being brainwashed under) a Western education system, my tastes and preferences are influenced by that type of culture. Even though truth is truth, no matter what language it is expressed in, dhamma from the perspectives of these Farang monks are appealing to me.
I especially enjoy Luangpor Sumedho's talks. He's an American who now lives in the UK. He has been ordained for 40+ years (now he's 73). Because he did his BS and MS in Asian studies, his word choices are exceptional. I thought I understood the meanings of Pali Buddhism terms that are commonly used in Thai language, e.g., วิบาก or ทุกข์, until I listened to these Farang monks explain them in plain English. I was like, wow, I misunderstood them for so long...
Also, translating P'Ed's blog helps. I looked up the Pali-English Buddhism dictionary. For some people, it is enough to do the practice, but I also like the philosophical side of it. I can't appreciate what I don't understand, at least conceptually. Well, if I understand it first hand, then it means that I'd have reached the initial stage of enlightenment.
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