Do you know, Middle Way is the Technique Lord Buddha made self enlightenment?
Sam
that leads him to self enlightenment, one will gain vision and
knowledge that leads to Peace, Supreme Knowledge and
Enlightenment.However, according to many well-known Meditation Masters,
the real knowledge of meditation practice on the path of "The Middle
Way" had been lost from this world for about 500 years after the
passing away of the Lord Buddha. "The Middle Way" concept of
meditation became lucid and more practical to meditation practitioners
again in 1916 after the attainment of "Dhammakaya" of Luang Pu Wat
Paknam (The late Abbot of Wat Paknam), a renowned Buddhist Monk and a
celebrated Meditation Master. The word "Dhammakaya" is an ancient
word means the Body of Enlightenment (Dhamma means the truth or the
enlightenment and Kaya means body). This term was found many places in
many old Buddhist scriptures both in Theravada and Mahayana schools. It
is not the new term or new theory from the Teaching of the Lord Buddha.
The Dhammakaya tradition in our era started in 1916 when
the Great Abbot of Wat Paknam (Phra Monkolthepmuni) strove with a
determination to the degree he was prepared to devote his entire life,
to rediscovering through meditation the knowledge known to the Buddhas.
Meditation, previously considered nothing more than a mental exercise
or spiritual austerity, became popular through this master's
dedication to teaching and research in the Dhammakaya tradition he has
discovered.
The greatness of the Ven. Phramonkolthepmuni /Luang Pu
Sod Chandasaro or Luang Pu Wat Paknam came as a result of his
meditation on the full moon day of the tenth lunar month of 1916 when,
he strove to re-discover the way to attain dhammakaya, the body of
enlightenment or the Buddha Nature. His determination in this quest was
so great, he was prepared to lay down his life. Based on his knowledge
and insight of meditation, he declared that the technique of meditation
he had rediscovered was the original mainstream of Buddhist Practice
that had disappeared five-hundred years after the Buddha attained
Nirvana (passed away).
For most Buddhists in Thailand Luang Pu Wat Paknam is
best known by his miracles, prophecies and super-natural healing
powers. Hundreds of thousands of Thai Buddhists pray to him daily
asking for help and guidance in their lives. Stories frequently come to
light of those who have witnessed his miracles, especially the aversion
of disasters, even in the present day.
Behind the veil of superstitious awe surrounding Luang
Pu Wat Paknam however, runs a true living tradition of meditation
passed down from master to disciple, by word of mouth, since his time.
It is this system of meditation and the knowledge it brings that makes
Luang Pu Wat Paknam stand out amongst hundreds of thousands of
contemporary Thai monks. During the lifetime of Luang Pu Wat Paknam his
way of teaching, Dhammakaya meditation, was already known to be
systematic, and quick in giving results and providing the missing link
between scriptural theory and meditation practice.
In present time we recognize that Dhammakaya meditation
is way ahead of its time and its discoverer in re-aligning Buddhism
with the other religions of the world. The important feature of the
meditation is that it goes beyond the texts in the same way that we can
learn more about the moon from walking on it than we can by seeing its
reflection on the water.
Advanced meditators can discover new things within their
meditation in the same way that a scientist through experimentation can
discover new facts about nature.
During the Great Abbot's life time he managed to train
many meditators to the advanced level and ran a meditation
'workshop' for over thirty years where meditators of sufficient
calibre could work as a team to conduct spiritual research.
The spreading popularity of the Dhammakaya meditation in
Luang Pu Wat Paknam's time was directly related to the miracles and
healing surrounding the personality of the Great Abbot and his
disciples. Some are surprised to find out that most of the outstanding
disciples in his time were female, not monks. At present, the
development of the technique by simplifying meditation for beginners
has done much to place an emphasis upon the technique itself.
Somehow though, the determined personality of the Great
Abbot, Luang Pu Wat Paknam is always in the heart of those who practice
Dhammakaya meditation. He continue to be a legend for meditators of the
modern day to live up to, but at the same time a forward looking
example leading us in spiritually happy practice into the next
Millenium.
Please visit http://www.dhammakaya.or.th, and
http://www.meditationthai.org for more information
Ronald 'More-More' Moshki
Just as insane as the gibberish at all the Christian threads.
WWE.