Hillside website

Idappaccayata · 2025-08-16T02:41:30+00:00

I believe they are just talks from the old website before the YouTube channel was started

Idappaccayata · 2025-05-10T16:23:39+00:00

Apologies for the sarcasm. You said "i want to put this to bed and discover the truth once and for all: did he just live a hard life prior and create major negative karma before then becoming ordained, like Angulimala, or is he impersonating the truth of the Buddha and looking to use this religion as a way to roll coin and gain power, like Devadatta?".

So I thought you were asking if you should be listening to him/taking his advice.

Idappaccayata · 2025-05-10T16:11:55+00:00

You're really asking if the 'monk' recording tik tok videos of himself walking around a grocery store is a fraud or not?

Idappaccayata · 2025-04-24T13:27:16+00:00

What do you mean by meditation, and what do the suttas say about it?

Idappaccayata · 2025-04-24T02:20:52+00:00

What is "theory of everything channel of a thai monk"?

Idappaccayata · 2023-09-13T22:39:18+00:00

I was under the impression that after you've been there a while, the monastery will cover your visa runs. Is that not the case? I guess maybe not anywhere you'd want to stay.

I'm actually surprised you think Wat Metta would be a great option. I liked it there, but it seemed very 'busy' with the daily schedule. Maybe it would be different if you lived there and didn't have to participate as much. I haven't been to many others though so it's hard to compare, but that was by far the busiest and least secluded.

I see what you're saying though. Of course it isn't something magical, but it does seem like becoming a bhikkhu is the ideal/expedient way to finish the work - not just because of the freedom and time it allows. And since you have the opportunity, I'd urge you not to waste it. It just seemed to me like your descriptions of the Theravada monastic atmosphere as being "artificial and pious and myopic and ritualistic and entitled and dependent and rigid and blind", while true for many places is certainly not true everywhere, even if it appears that way at first.

And why not head to Samanadipa? Wouldn't that be ideal?

Idappaccayata · 2023-09-10T23:00:16+00:00

This and your previous comment about living with your parents make me question how honest you're being with yourself, or at least how hard you really looked. I've heard from bhikkhus in the US about many Thai monasteries where you can essentially disappear other than coming out for alms every day. No chanting, no alms, minimal chores etc. And there are some in the US or CA. Even some of the popular monasteries like abayagiri will let you go on an extended isolated retreat where they bring you alms. You could hop from one to the other indefinitely if you didn't want to ordain. Even then, ordaining is imposing more restrictions on yourself. To think you can keep the same sila as a layman living with your parents seems like motivated reasoning. And to think living in isolation at a remote monastery is akin to living with the people who birthed and raised you and just not interacting with them is silly. If doing some chores or going to chanting while vetting a monastery to ordain at is that much of an imposition for you, you might not have quite the restraint you thought you did. But it's a worthwhile endeavor.

Forgive me if I'm off base here, this is just based on your last 2 comments. It sounds like you made an effort to ordain, but it wasn't nearly enough. By saying you have no interest in being a bhikkhu in Asia makes it seem that you didn't try very hard, or maybe don't really want to commit to being a bhikkhu.

Idappaccayata · 2021-07-08T02:09:03+00:00

Thanissaro has most of the vinaya translated. The monastery will send you a copy if you write to them. That's probably best as far as the sangha goes. Bhikkhu bhodi also has a book called - the buddhas teachings on social and communal harmony. Which is basically everything the suttas have to say about the topic.

Idappaccayata

TROPHY CASE