- Once again, Christian, you can say what you want, but as long as you have not renounced the lay life, you are not in a good position to criticize them. Nowadays it is almost impossible to become a Lay Arahant or Anagami. If one is really serious about attaining Nibbāna as quickly as possible one should take the robe immediately. When one does not do so, it is better to avoid criticizing those who do except if they do bad deeds with the robe.
- The life of a bhikkhu is the most suitable one to easily attain all the stages of Nibbāna. The monks of the monastery all want, for the most part, to become arahants. Most Venerable Bhante Waharaka Thero predicted the advent of many arahants. Personally, I believe that Jethavaranama will be the foundation of this advent. Venerable Abbot Bhante Nivanthpa Thero said that their goal is to become arahants nothing else. Of course, everyone is free to believe or not.
- Personally, I prefer to listen to people who have renounced their worldly life and who have committed themselves to the path of Lord Buddha than to simply lay people on an internet forum. As I said, the life of a bhikkhu is not easy. I have tried it personally, and it is not given to everyone. It takes a level of purity to live it fully. It is a double-edged sword. One can either end up like Venerable Arahant Sariputta or like Bhante Devadatta (if he does evil deeds). It is a testament to their sincerity on the path. Of course, there are corrupt bhikkhus, however, they are relatively easy to recognize. You just have to see if they contradict the Tipitaka and teach wrong views. I have not seen anything wrong in their speeches. My example of the Venerable Nanda and the Lord Buddha was to show that there are different ways of teaching the Dhamma. Of course, Lord Buddha is supreme and no one is comparable to him. However, the disciples of Lord Buddha are led to imitate him in different aspects. No one in this world is immune to criticism. Even Lord Buddha has been abused and accused of manipulating, destroying society and sugarcoating as you like to say. Puthujunas might say that Lord Buddha is a manipulator who only wants to keep his younger brother in the Sangha. Venerable Nanda wanted to leave the Maha Sangha if you read the text. No matter what anyone says, Venerable Nanda became an arahant. You can accuse the noble monks of Jethavaranama of sugarcoating and even manipulating, but that will not stop non-Buddhists from following them and even becoming Bhikkhus or anagarikas. In a Dhamma sermon, one must consider one’s audience. Depending on the audience, one must adapt one’s speech. You can see it as sugarcoating if you want. I am 100% sure that you have not watched most of their video. In some videos, they go further and use the Abhidamma. In their Sinhala videos, they go much further than all their English sermons. Sir Lal and anyone who speaks Sinhala can know this. It is better to give up everything that hinders Nibbāna (including worldly life) to be able to better educate others on the path. Criticizing serious bhikkhus while enjoying worldly life is not beneficial.
- This is just my opinion. I learned the Dhamma from bhikkhus. All my knowledge of the stories of the Dhammapada, the suttas, the Vinaya and some parts of the Abhidamma comes from my stay with bhikkhus and anagarikas in Thailand. This is why I revere the Maha Sangha monks and anagarikas. I learned to recognize corrupt bhikkhus, and I can assure you that Jethavaranama truly represents the ideal of the Maha Sangha, therefore far from corruption. This is a community animated by the 4 Brahmas viharas. By discussing almost every week with them and the testimonies of the members of the forum who live there, I can only admire them.
It is not beneficial to dwell too much on this subject. Sir Lal gave excellent advice that it is more important to practice Dhamma than this kind of subject.