Ep112: Relaxing Into Nibbana - Bhante Vimalaramsi
In this interview I am joined by Bhante Vimalaramsi: author, American Buddhist monk, and abbot of the Dhamma Sukha Meditation Center in Annapolis, Missouri.
In this episode Bhante Vimalaramsi describes how twenty years of dedicated practice of Mahasi-style vipassana meditation left him unsatisfied and how discarding that method and learning to relax and smile unlocked the spiritual path.
Bhante describes how his current teaching approach, based not on Buddhaghosa’s Visuddhimagga but on Vimalaramsi’s interpretation of the earlier Buddhist scriptures, sees anything from 25% to 50% of his students attain nibbana in a single 10-day retreat.
Bhante Vimalaramsi also details the four path model of enlightenment found in the Theravada schools, and claims that his advanced students experience a permanent cessation of sexual activity and the ability to meditate for up to 7 days without breathing or heart beat.
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Topics include:
00:00 – Intro
01:05 – Krishnamurti and Ram Dass
02:30 – Beginnings in Mahasi-style vipassana meditation
07:55 – Attending to U Sīlānanda and ordaining in Thailand
09:56 – Dissatisfaction with the Mahasi method
13:49 – Learning to relax and discarding the Visuddhimagga
32:05 – 50% of students attain stream entry in Bhante’s 10-day retreats in Asia
37:10 – How to handle hinderances
44:59 – Defining ‘mindfulness’
46:39 – The importance of having fun
52:41 – 25-30% of students attain nibbana in Bhante’s 10-day retreats in America
54:37 – How to become enlightened
59:38 – Overcoming anxiety and PTSD
01:03:58 – Effects of becoming a stream enterer, sakadāgāmin, anāgāmi, and arahant
01:09:30 – Dipa Ma and other anagamis can sit for up to 7 days without breathing
To find our more about Bhante Vimalaramsi, visit:
Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James