> Dave K wrote:

>>
>> I have listened to many hours of recordings of Thanissaro Bhikkhu's
>> (Ajahn Geoff) talks and this does not seem correct. His approach to
>> Buddhism to me appears very practical, fairly intellectual, and even
>> quite literal at times. He seems to have great conviction in the
>> Buddha's teachings as recorded in the Pali Canon, and oft times very
>> critical of the Mahayana teachings. He has made it pretty clear that
>> he has some biases and prejudices and these seem to lean clearly away
>> from the Mahayana teachings. If anything his bias towards theravada
>> leads him away from transcendental talk.
>>
>> His views on Atman are very clearly expressed here:
>> http://www.audiodharma.org/talks/ThanissaroBhikkhu.html
>>
>> In the talk on the five aggregates. It's a four hour talk and is
>> pretty thorough.
>>
>> His "study guide" is here: ...

> When coupled with the idea of some pre-existent luminous mind waiting to
> be discovered and the idea that these awakening experiences happened "in
> a surprising way, as if I had done nothing to cause them" it all seems
> quite mystical, which runs contrary to my own mundane, yet wonderful
> experiences of Buddhism.