Questions tagged [consciousness]
The consciousness tag has no usage guidance.
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Is this the meaning of one practice samadhi in the fukanzazengi?
Is this the meaning of one practice samadhi in the fukanzazengi (sorry for the convoluted language, it may be unncessary)?
stop labelling thoughts / consciousness / anything
Two points
I was ...
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Does consciousness, or wakefulness, have any relationship to space or time?
In my years of meditation practice, I have both experienced time contracting (appearing to pass at great speed) or dilating and seeming to come to a near standstill.
I begin my meditation practice by ...
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Is All-Is-One a buddhist belief?
As I underestand, buddhists beliefe there is no-self, means no permanent soul in creatures like us humans.
Would a buddhist say, we all are part of one absolute consciousness?
If so, is the degree of ...
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What are these positive terms?
Again another passage from Ñanavira's Notes on Dhamma, Cetana:
It will be seen that intentions by themselves are a purely structural affair, a matter of negatives; and when the question is asked, '...
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Why is a soul reincarnated, and the purpose of reincarnation?
A soul from a previous generation is reincarnated in a later
generation into a specific set of circumstances which are tailored to
engineer a rectification of a previous sin
Are there instances in ...
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Have any historical texts identified whether a reincarnated soul's true identity can be identified?
If reincarnation were true, in that a soul takes on different human bodies across several different lives during that soul's existence, have philosophers, theologists, scholars or any scriptures ever ...
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Is nirvana a mere conscious experience, and if so of what kind?
What is nirvana if it is not just a beatific consciousness free from suffering in all meanings? I want to move away from that and the idea of the perfections (both seem slightly off).
So there is ...
user23322
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Looking for Buddhist videos that explain the Buddhist view on consciousness in a clear succinct way
I am looking for Buddhist videos (by Buddhist monks preferably or lay teachers) that describe briefly (under 10 minutes) how Buddhists view consciousness.
Most I find are either lectures an hour-long, ...
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The Nature of Viññāṇa as a Nidāna in the Cycle of Paṭiccasamuppāda
In the cycle of paṭiccasamuppāda, if we start from avijjā, the next nidāna is that of saṅkhāra which in turn conditions the origin of viññāṇa, loosely termed as consciousness. This viññāṇa in turn ...
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The rootless, mirth-producing, mind-consciousness element [duplicate]
What is hasituppāda, the so-called rootless, mirth-producing, mind-consciousness element of an Arahant? What is its basis? What is its purpose, if any? Could someone provide me the details of the same ...
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Why is it profitable to stop the cycle of rebirth?
Why is it profitable to stop the cycle of rebirth if it is not "me" who is reborn? Or maybe to ask differently - to whom it is profitable?
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How does buddhism describe what exactly, or where exactly, or how exactly, consciousness exists?
As a computer scientist interested in the origin of the universe and the mind, I finally have found some ancient stuff of the type of substance and depth I am looking for, the Abhidhamma. The first ...
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How is 'consciousness' (vinyaana) defined in Buddhist texts?
How is 'consciousness' (vinyaana) defined in Buddhist texts? How similar or different is it from the way the word is used these days -- particularly in scientific studies of consciousness ?
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When I empty out intentions and relax in meditation, what is this force that moves my body in complex patterns?
When I empty out intentions and relax in meditation, what is this force that moves my body in complex patterns?
For example, when I let go for a bit I start walking and making circles and doing ...
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What happens to consciousness/awareness when entering Paranirvana?
If consciousness/awareness as the 5th skandha is impermanent (?), shouldn't it cease to exist when entering Paranirvana?
But in SN 22.53 the Buddha says:
"If a monk abandons passion for the ...
user20063
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Consciousness - "Facets of One Entity"
I wonder if 'Consciousness' is many "Facets Of One Entity" and that in itself all things from Good to Bad are part of this entity, and from this the Entity is itself playful, and that all ...
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How is consciousness measured?
There is a sphere of infinite space and there is sphere of infinite consciousness.
It is easy to comprehend what is infinite space is but it is not clear what is meant by infinite consciousness?
Does ...
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Can Buddhist practice lead to pure consciousness experiences?
First, how is "pure consciousness experience" (abbr. PCE) defined for the purpose of this question?
A PCE is when one’s sense of identity temporarily vacates the throne and apperception ...
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Is Buddha Nature the original state, i.e. Awareness/ Consciousness without Existence?
Existence, Consciousness, Bliss is described as Brahman by Vedanta but surely that only applies when viewed through the veil of Maya and experienced as the universe. As awareness/ consciousness is ...
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How to nullify the expectations?
Buddhist teachers say things like
Do not expect anything from anyone,
and also:
Do everything with good heart and expect nothing in return and you
will never be disappointed.
Such a wonderful ...
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What are the five kinds of seeds?
In the Seeds Sutta (SN 22.54), we find there are five kinds of seeds, which can grow, when they are fertile, undamaged and securely planted on the ground with water to nourish them.
Water is delight ...
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Are the differences between Advaita Vedanta and Buddhism merely semantic/perspective?
having studied Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta, I've seen that the differences between the two are almost non-existent.
This video does a good job at fleshing out the Vedanta and Buddhist perspective ...
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How can the world's youth discover careers that are aligned with consciousness and Buddhism?
Millennial's and the young workforce are faced with a difficult choice of discovering alternate careers/gigs. Can spirituality, universal consciousness, meditation, environment trigger a human-plus ...
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Why are plants not sentient beings?
Why in Buddhism plants are not recognized as sentient beings?
Can it be immoral to kill a plant? Can a plant be reincarnated as an animal? Is a plant alive?
Edit: I read somewhere a theory ...
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Where is the consciousness located? Cosmic Consciousness?
I recently became aware of questions regarding the location of consciousness. The argument put forward is that the consciousness is separate to the body. This is not something I considered before.
...
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Does anyone recognise this haiku?
I was staying at samye ling Tibetan monastery in Scotland and writing a lot of poetry. I wrote this haiku in one go without any consideration or counting syllables, and did not feel as if I wrote it. ...
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Is being conscious of actions' consequences enough to attain nibbana?
I apologize if this has an answer on this site or if this does not make any sense. I am wondering if being conscious alone is enough to attain nibbana? If not, why?
I think conscious person will (...
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Is Buddhist lifestyle harmless to living beings?
Is the Buddhist lifestyle harmless to living beings? Lot's of creatures are being killed in various human activities (walking, farming, building, etc.) Did Buddhists found a way to live while not ...
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How can the sixth channel of dhatus be understood?
Could someone help clarifying the sixth channel of the eighteen dhatus - that is - the mental objects (dharma-dhatu), the mental faculty (mano-dhatu) and the mental consciousness (mano-vijñāna-dhatu)...
user11699
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Which specific process determines where consciousness will alight?
As the title indicates, I don't know how the mind "picks" which sensation to focus on. Considering the huge amount of sense-data being received by the mind each moment, which condition directs ...
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Is there a proper name for my recent experience?
I don't meditate often, and I've never had an experience like the following while meditating, but I feel that the following experience probably has a proper name in Buddhism (or Hinduism for that ...
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Does Viññāṇa generate Nāmarūpa in the sense that would make "uploading concsciousness" impossible?
Does Viññāṇa generate Nāmarūpa in the sense that would make "uploading concsciousness" to a computer impossible?
I was reading this question on philosophy.stack
I'd suspect that it's impossible to ...
user2512
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Growth, increase, landing, establishing of consciousness
The following quotes talk about consciousness. Through relishing, intending or having underlying tendencies, consciousness would grow, increase, mature, land, establish.
What does growth, increase, ...
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Comparing Chinese Agama the ? Bundles of Reeds Simile with Pali Nalakalapiyo Sutta
In commenting a post, I have just been introduced to the "two bundles of reeds leaning up against each other" Sutta. The comments have just been moved to chat and I hope it would be kept for awhile ...
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Other types of consciousness (viññāṇa) in Theravada?
There are the six types of consciousness (viññāṇa) based on MN 38, namely those related to the six sense media: eye, ear, nose, tongue, touch or mind.
In MN 49, there was a "consciousness without ...
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What is the invisible consciousness or consciousness without surface?
From MN 49 (trans. Sujato):
Consciousness that is invisible, infinite, radiant all round—that’s
what is not within the scope of experience based on earth, water,
fire, air, creatures, gods, the ...
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How is re-linking consciousness reconciled with MN 38?
In the essay "Buddhist Reflections on Death", V.F. Gunaratna wrote:
The terminal thought goes through the same stages of progress as any
other thought, with this differences that whereas the ...
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Where does the consciousness (cittas) originate inside the body?
I have heard that all consciousness arise in hadaya vatthu rupa (blood inside the heart) except the five doors perceiving consciousness (Cakku vinnana, Sota vinnana, Ghana vinnana, Jeevha vinnana, ...
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If consciousness arises from mental formations is it correct to say that consciousness has a specific tone or opinions with it?
Example:
I see something moving, there's contact.
Then there's an unpleasant feeling and perception recognize it as a spider.
Mental formations on how to deal with the "threat" of a spider arises.
A ...
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Harmlessness to non-sentient nature and can consciousness (pure awareness) exist?
Buddhism teaches us to practice harmlessness. Would it be considered harmless to go around destroying non-'sentient' parts of nature? Can consciousness, particularly the pure awareness aspect, reside ...
user8619
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Vijñāna and Śūnyatā... How are they seen as different?
Consciousness is often used to describe Śūnyatā by some teachers but in Buddhism consciousness is one of the aggregates.
user14082
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Does the Consciousness vanish when the objects of consciousness are removed?
In the following excerpt from the book Yoga Sutras by Edwin Bryant, the author is arguing that the fundamental difference between Buddhist and Hindu philosophy is that Buddhists believe that when 'all ...
user13135
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Meditation, sleep paralysis, spinal vibration
I have meditated off and on since childhood, before I knew what it was, and since my 30s I have been interested in the spiritual concepts of Buddhism. I had an experience in 2010 wherein I awoke from ...
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Is Vinanna a Reification of Recognition?
I read on the Internet that Experience (Vijnana) which is really nothing but reification of Recognition (or Interpretation) of new observations in terms of internalized old observations.
Is this ...
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Seeing there is no subject experiencing subject and object?
I'm energetically trying to uproot the view of self, meaning, the sense that there is a subject of experience.
I have read/heard authors such as Sam Harris and Joseph Goldstein say that the self as a ...
user8619
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What is the substantial cause of an instance of consciousness?
Context: I'm considered a skeptic of rebirth in my tradition which is the Gelug branch of Tibetan Buddhism. I'm asking this question to help me understand what other traditions think. In my tradition ...
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Are there any detail exposition of Consciousness without surface (viññanam anidassanam)?
I asked this question recently to understand why consciousness is different from the intellect itself and considering the answer given I now think that Consciousness is not something higher than ...
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What is intellect-consciousness and why is it different from intellect itself?
In SN 35.93 quoted below, it reads intellect-consciousness arises in dependence on the intellect and ideas, but if this consciousness is also a thinking about the work of intellect on ideas then it in ...
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Is the new "Spread Mind" philosophy actually Buddhism?
I recently stumbled upon a fascinating series of conversations on consciousness in the New York Review of Books by an MIT Fulbright scholar named Riccardo Manzotti. That series led me to his The ...
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Hesitation between Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta
I hesitate between Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta.
Buddhism pleases me very much for its willingness to seek an end to suffering, being depressed it speaks to me a lot.
But intellectually, ...
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