Matthew Letten:
Hello again,
I came across the following website the other day and wondered what people here thought of it/ knew of the guy and where he's coming from?
http://www.greatwesternvehicle.org/
In Dharma,
Matthew
Hi Matthew, I have had my own dealings with Mr. Brooks. I was once part of his yahoo group(s). It was during the time I was learning about the jhanas. It wasn't long before I realized I was learning from an egotistic self-deluded man who is trying to re-invent buddhism according to his own ideas. I soon walked away. Having read his "critiques" of other teacher's jhanas, I'd soon realized Jeff Brooks has no real idea of what a "True One-pointed" Absorption is. You can read them yourself. He discredits EVERY OTHER jhana teacher in the world. His only reasoning is always, "they seemed to talk about aborption in the depth that the visuddhimaga talked about, hence, they don't know what jhana is. Since "we" have 30 years of meditation and contemplation experience. And we believe the visuddhimaga is only a commentary, not part of the sutta." You will notice that's his defense against every argument. That if he has not experienced it, it is not real jhana. Then he'll post links to his many self-written essays to back up his argument. I have been practicising the jhanas for about 3 to 4 years now since that time. And I get the idea that Jeff Brooks (who also ordained himself to be a bhikku and calls himself a sotappana) is trying to lower the standards of the jhana absorptions so he can get more people to join him. If you've read many of his postings all over the internet, Him and his partner "Nirodha" are always arguing and bad-mouthing all the other meditation teachers around the world, citing that theirs is not the real jhana, only his is.
As a serious meditator, I read books and listen to audio from all sorts of teachers from Ajahn Brahm to Leigh Brasington. Ajahn Brahm is a real monk and a real jhana teacher, who has passed down the teachings from his master, Ajahn Chah, who is a highly regarded arahant in the community. Their standards of absorption is very deep. More than most people can follow. Many people have to go on retreats for months before they can experience the first jhana. Jeff Brooks thinks if you experience just a little sensation of piti and sukha (tingling or vibration) you are already in the first or second jhana. This of course was the reason I followed him for a bit. He had told me I had attained the jhanas in such a short time. I was lead in the dark by a blind man.
In a nut-shell, Jeff Brooks(Jhanananda) and his partner Nirodha are active on the internet in their efforts to convert as many people to their "Great Western Vehicle" as they can. I have never seen such aggressive attempt other than the Christian Evangelicist or the Jehova's witness. If you read their comments online, you can tell from their tone of voice, a desperate need for power and self-righteousness. Ajahn Brahm always talked about buddhist respecting one another. Clearly these two do no follow that precept, or any for that matter. All that is important to Jhanananda is absorption. Insight means nothing to him. He believes he has already attained nibbana, having reached the 8th or 9th jhana that he claims. So why does he feel the need to recruit people? He always claims as a defense to his authority that he leads the "Largest jhana yahoo group" on the internet. And he always goes back to the "we have 30 years of contemplative experience." That itself tells me he does not understand the dharma. He thinks having authority and credentials on the internet helps prove his jhana experiences? The man is clearly deluded. He thinks he is ahead of the curve on buddhism and the jhanas, and all the past teachers (except the buddha) are wrong. I have never seen anyone, other than hitler, who's more deluded.
Case in point, stay away from Jhanananda and Nirodha. Concentrate on your practice with real teachers. Do not follow the easy path. If you want some material, Tina and Stephen Snyder are good sources on the jhanas. They have been offically authorized to teach the jhanas by Pa Auk Sayadaw, a real jhana teacher/monk living in Burma. Ajahn Brahm is another good source. Leigh Brasington, who is not a monk, but authorized to teach by the late bhikkuni Aya Khema is also another good start.
Good luck to you, and us all.