Here’s an 86-min recorded video Dhamma Talk (151MB .mp4).

Topics:

  • Cosmology, monotheism, polytheism, devas, angels, giving credit where it’s due, Tayana, Pali Canon, Early Buddhist texts, EBTs, attitudes, limits, titles, entitlements, deserving, modern-day Buddhism, wisdom, authority, teachers, gate-keeping, vetting process, no monk as successor to the Buddha, attainments, charlatanry, Pārājika, Parajika, confession, humility, nissaya, acariya, respect, Sanghakamma, Appalokana


Dhamma References:

  • SN 12.65 - simile of Nibbana as a “lost city”, which the Buddha re-discovered:

    “Suppose, bhikkhus, a man wandering through a forest would see an ancient path, an ancient road travelled upon by people in the past. He would follow it and would see an ancient city, an ancient capital that had been inhabited by people in the past, with parks, groves, ponds, and ramparts, a delightful place. Then the man would inform the king or a royal minister: ‘Sire, know that while wandering through the forest I saw an ancient path, an ancient road travelled upon by people in the past. I followed it and saw an ancient city, an ancient capital that had been inhabited by people in the past, with parks, groves, ponds, and ramparts, a delightful place. Renovate that city, sire!’ Then the king or the royal minister would renovate the city, and some time later that city would become successful and prosperous, well populated, filled with people, attained to growth and expansion.

    “So too, bhikkhus, I saw the ancient path, the ancient road travelled by the Perfectly Enlightened Ones of the past. And what is that ancient path, that ancient road? It is just this Noble Eightfold Path; that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. I followed that path and by doing so I have directly known aging-and-death, its origin, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation. I have directly known birth … existence … clinging … .craving … feeling … contact … the six sense bases …. name-and-form … consciousness … volitional formations, their origin, their cessation, and the way leading to their cessation. Having directly known them, I have explained them to the bhikkhus, the bhikkhunīs, the male lay followers, and the female lay followers. This holy life, bhikkhus, has become successful and prosperous, extended, popular, widespread, well proclaimed among devas and humans.”

  • AN 4.21 - “Uruvelā (1)”. Without reverence and deference, one will suffer - even if one is an arahant:

    “Bhikkhus, on one occasion I was dwelling at Uruvelā, by the goatherds’ banyan tree on the bank of the Neranjarā River, just after I had attained full enlightenment. Then, while I was alone in seclusion, a course of thought arose in my mind thus: ‘It is painful to dwell without reverence and deference. Now what ascetic or brahmin can I honor, respect, and dwell in dependence on?’

    “Then it occurred to me: (1) ‘If my aggregate of virtuous behavior were incomplete, for the sake of completing it I would honor, respect, and dwell in dependence on another ascetic or brahmin. However, in this world with its devas, Māra, and Brahmā, among this population with its ascetics and brahmins, its devas and humans, I do not see another ascetic or brahmin more accomplished in virtuous behavior than myself whom I could honor, respect, and dwell in dependence on.

    (2) “‘If my aggregate of concentration were incomplete, for the sake of completing it I would honor, respect, and dwell in dependence on another ascetic or brahmin. However … I do not see another ascetic or brahmin more accomplished in concentration than myself….

    (3) “‘If my aggregate of wisdom were incomplete, for the sake of completing it I would honor, respect, and dwell in dependence on another ascetic or brahmin. However … I do not see another ascetic or brahmin more accomplished in wisdom than myself….

    (4) “‘If my aggregate of liberation were incomplete, for the sake of completing it I would honor, respect, and dwell in dependence on another ascetic or brahmin. However, in this world with its devas, Māra, and Brahmā, among this population with its ascetics and brahmins, its devas and humans, I do not see another ascetic or brahmin more accomplished in liberation than myself whom I could honor, respect, and dwell in dependence on.

    “It occurred to me: ‘Let me then honor, respect, and dwell in dependence only on this Dhamma to which I have become fully enlightened.’

  • DN 16 (BPS: DN II 154,4–8) - the Buddha expressly refused to appoint a personal successor; instead he instructed the Saṅgha that the Dhamma and the Vinaya should represent him after his passing (when he taught the 4 great references, search for “22. The Four Great References” here)

  • Parajika 4 - has a steep punishment for any monk who lies about, or exaggerates any spiritual attainment:

    Should any bhikkhu, without direct knowledge, claim a superior human state, a truly noble knowledge and vision, as present in himself, saying, “Thus do I know; thus do I see,” such that regardless of whether or not he is cross-examined on a later occasion, he—being remorseful and desirous of purification—might say, “Friends, not knowing, I said I know; not seeing, I said I see—vainly, falsely, idly,” unless it was from over-estimation, he also is defeated and no longer in affiliation.

  • Also interesting is the Commenterial concept of “virtual Parajikas”; one being that it’s effectively a Parajika to be a “thief of seniority” - which means to lie about the number of years of seniority (laying claim to more years as a Bhikkhu/Bhikkhuni than is true).

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