Who is ready to be a teacher

Thanks for sharing. Beautiful

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Luang Po Chah used to regularly stick completely new and untried monks in the teaching seat. He’d even make them keep going when they were clearly struggling, to get over their nerves and ego. There are hundreds of monasteries in his lineage, and he said, “I’ve built lots of monasteries but I haven’t built many monks.”

One of the most characteristic practices in the Ajahn Chah tradition is the all-night ceremony with Dhamma talks. Folks come because of the headliners, famous monks who will rouse people up in the late evening. Then midnight comes around, and a succession of … less inspiring teachers.

One monk was famous for never giving up the microphone. He kept his talk going so long, he was still going when the monks were putting their robes on for almsround. “And there the monks are in the courtyard, putting on their robes. Ajahn so and so is there, and Ajahn so and so. Looks like most of them have their robes on now. So if you’ve got anything to offer, now’s the time. Go on, get it ready, the monks will be leaving soon. …”

Theory and practice I guess.

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Do we know how often that actually happened? Did he do it with Thai monks as well as westerners? I’m just curious if it was really a common thing, or just something that happened to some now famous monks which is why we hear about that all the time.

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Hard to say, yes, but it’s definitely the case that he differed quite a lot from Ajahn Mun in this way.

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Once a year and only at Ajahn Chah’s temple. (though I there were a few one off’s where he would pass the mic to someone else)

Yes. Even the young novices! (according to Ajahn Jayasaro)

Indeed, and Luangta Mahabua even more so!

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Not sure if it happens now but this did also happen at UK monasteries at the end of vassa. I think the teaching aspect of the occasion was more for the one giving the talk rather than the audience. More a sharing occasion than a teaching occasion.

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Just to clarify, I wasn’t talking about the thing often done at the end of the vassa in the TFT where all the monks have to give short talks. I was asking about the method of forcing someone to talk for hours even when they didn’t have anything else to say.

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The Dhammakathikasutta (SN 12.16) says

Sir, they speak of a ‘Dhamma speaker’. How is a Dhamma speaker defined?

If a mendicant teaches Dhamma for disillusionment, dispassion and cessation regarding old age and death, they’re qualified to be called a ‘mendicant who speaks on Dhamma’.

If they practice for disillusionment, dispassion and cessation regarding old age and death, they’re qualified to be called a ‘mendicant who practices in line with the teaching’.

If they’re freed by not grasping, by disillusionment, dispassion and cessation regarding old age and death, they’re qualified to be called a ‘mendicant who has attained extinguishment in this very life’.

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I think that is kinda smart actually. At some point, people would just be too afraid to let you give a talk.

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