All Questions
Tagged with buddhist-text or texts
175 questions
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Which text does the four sights story come from?
One of the most famous stories of the Buddha is that of the four sights in which the Buddha sees old age, sickness death and a monk for the first time. However I read that this story doesn't actually ...
- 21.1k
2
votes
1
answer
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Unenlightened monks indebtedness to the laity
Was there an incident in the Buddhist scripture where the Buddha said of the indebtedness of the unenlightened monks to the laity that they should at least generate metta?
- 21
17
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8
answers
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Why isn't there a Buddhist Bible?
Why is it that Buddhism never compiled a reasonably concise set of canonical texts like the Bible? Buddhism itself has universal beliefs such as the 4 Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path and the notion ...
- 21.1k
4
votes
1
answer
997
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What is the story where some of the Buddha's followers commit suicide?
There is a Buddhist story when some monks (or followers of the Buddha) misinterpret what the Buddha is saying and commit suicide. Does anyone know anymore details about the story and where it comes ...
- 21.1k
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2
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Are there canonical texts for secular Buddhism?
Does secular Buddhism have a set of texts that are particularly relevant to it. I can imagine that there are texts that won't have any relevance to secular Buddhists such as the twin miracles. But are ...
- 21.1k
9
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2
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Where's the story in which the Buddha praised a non-returner for keeping the knowledge of his attainment private?
I'm trying to find a specific story in where the Buddha spoke about the attainment of one Anagami lay person with a group of monks while praising his good qualities. Later, when those monks went for ...
- 25.7k
72
votes
22
answers
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Is rebirth a delusional belief?
I find it difficult to assign a meaning to the word 'rebirth'.
Here are some hints that rebirth might not be real:
Views regarding one's past and future existence are included in the "62 false ...
- 47.4k
1
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2
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First Buddhist text translated into a Western language
As a follow-up to another question:
What was the first Buddhist text to be translated into a Western language? (That probably means French or Latin, but other options are also possible)
When was it ...
- 2,722
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5
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What was the first Buddhist text to be translated into English?
What was the first Buddhist text to be translated into English? When was it translated and by whom? Was it reasonably available to those interested and did it have much of an impact within academic ...
- 21.1k
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votes
3
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Does Zen Buddhism have canonical texts?
I'm aware that Theravada, Tibetan and Chinese Buddhism have a canon of texts. However I have never heard of a canon for Zen Buddhism. Does it have a canon or does it just not bother with such a thing? ...
- 21.1k
7
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3
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Which canon and traditions does the Flower Sermon text belong to?
I've heard of a Buddhist story in which the Buddha just holds up a flower and one monk in the audience understands then becomes instantly enlightened. I believe it is a foundational text for Zen ...
- 21.1k
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Are ecological concerns supported explicitly in Buddhism?
Many practising Buddhists that I know also have strong ecological concerns. Is this concern for 'green' issues part of Buddhism or do the two things just attract the same kind of people i.e. people ...
- 21.1k
4
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4
answers
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Are any of the three poisons considered stronger or more difficult to break than the others?
Are any of the three poisons (unwholesome roots) of greed, hatred and delusion considered stronger or more difficult to break than the others. Or are they all seen as equally difficult to break, ...
- 21.1k
6
votes
2
answers
238
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Is the Pali Canon the only canon in modern Buddhism?
This is inspired by a comment on this meta post.
Is the Pali Canon the only canon in Buddhism as it currently stands today? So would the term canon be completely synonymous with Pali Canon in the ...
- 21.1k
3
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2
answers
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Autobiographies of Buddhist masters
Can you recommend any good autobiographies of Buddhist teachers and monks? I'm currently reading Getting Off, A Portrait of an American Buddhist Monk and I find it very interesting.
- 475
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3
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Does Buddhism have a concept of blasphemy?
Considering this definition of blasphemy
the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for a
God, to religious or holy persons or things, or toward something
considered sacred ...
- 21.1k
6
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2
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Why are the Perfection of Wisdom sutras seen as a coherent collection?
The Diamond Sutra, Heart Sutra, the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra in 8000 lines and others are grouped together as Prajnaparamita (perfection of wisdom). Why is this?
Why are they seen as a coherent ...
- 21.1k
10
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7
answers
2k
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Which book by Nagarjuna provides an introduction to his teachings?
I've noticed there are a lot of YouTube video lectures on Nagarjuna. It seems he was a very prolific writer on Mahāyāna Buddhist philosophy. Which of his works would be appropriate to get an ...
- 2,199
5
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1
answer
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Do Buddhists have sacred scripture to read?
Christians have The Holy Bible, Muslims have The Noble Quran, Hindus have Bhagavad Gita and many more.
Do Buddhists have sacred scripture(s) to read?
- 781
8
votes
5
answers
960
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What are the salient differences between the Pāḷi Nikāyas & Chinese Āgamas?
What are the salient differences between the Pāḷi Nikāyas & Chinese Āgamas?
I'm looking specifically for a comprehensive list of discourses that are unique in the Āgama collection and differences ...
- 3,776
7
votes
1
answer
166
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Which early canonical references help one find a skillful teacher?
There is a similar question from the Vajrayāna stand-point in which I gave an answer that was partially off-topic since it wasn't from that tradition's texts. So I thought it could be useful for ...
- 3,776
12
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4
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2k
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What is the oldest text/sutra of the Mahayana tradition?
I'm often interested in the history of Buddhist texts and, being a Theravadan, I'm not very familiar with the Mahayana texts. Please help to educate me in this manner.
- 2,028
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4
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171
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What are the canonical texts for the Buddhisms of the world?
And as a follow up, what institutions are charged with expanding the list of canonical works, if any?
- 7,173
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What is the Avatamsaka Sutra about?
I'm not really expecting a short summary, but I'd be happy to get one. This is a 1600 page sutra in English (and cost over $100 on Amazon). It gets reference a lot in the Brahma Net Sutra and Huayan ...
- 7,173
13
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2
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What are the texts that contain words which can be attributed directly to the Buddha?
If I understand correctly, the Buddha never wrote anything but some Buddhist texts quote him by describing meetings or situations where he was present. Is there a comprehensive list of all scripts ...
- 233