Recollections of Venerable Ñāṇavimala

A Western monk shares observations of Ven. Ñāṇavimala during his walking tours in the early 1980s. Celebrated for his exceptional sense restraint, gravity, and complete self-containment, Ven. Ñāṇavimala carried almost zero possessions. He routinely tested younger monks on their scriptural training and independent practice. Firmly rooted in a conservative, sutta-based framework, he championed the vital necessity of meditative absorption (jhāna) and strict monastic code (Vinaya) for making authentic progress.