Questions tagged [lay-buddhism]
Otherwise known as the householder path, the lay buddhist path is a path for non-monastic buddhists.
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Am I following Buddhism as a sort of Escapism?
Some body close to me said to me, "you failed in the real world and so now you are chasing Nirvana and running away". It hurt me a little but set me thinking if he is right?
The story is, I ...
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Can a non-Buddhist get Nirvana?
No religion teaches what Buddhism teaches at its core. A true Hindu or Christian or Muslim believes in God and soul.
Can a Hindu or a Christian or a Muslim, who is not aware of Buddhist philosophy, ...
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Can the noble eightfold path be followed in its entirety by a lay follower?
Does the noble eightfold path fits a lay life perfectly? Or is there any part of it that cannot be followed/accomplished by a lay buddhist?
If that's the case, what part(s) doesn't have fit with lay ...
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How do I make non-buddhists help understand I operate with a different view?
I have started on my path not very long ago and because I'm very unsure where it will take me, I am hesitant to label myself as a Buddhist or even a meditator or such. Also where I live, eastern ...
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A Good Career for a Buddhist?
I am a business woman and my job is stressful. It is entirely motivated by greed. I want to leave my career but I have a dream to help poor people in my country and also to make my parents proud of me....
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Buddhism broke up my marriage
The title is provocative but sums up my problem: when I am immersed in Buddhist thought, I can no longer love my wife.
Buddhism clearly contradicts romantic love. It tolerates it up to a certain ...
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How to bless someone?
How to bless someone with special words in Buddhism ?
My friends ask me for keep them in my pray but we don't believe in praying.
So what should my answer to them ?
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Enlightenment finding me
How can a small woman in a small country who does
not understand many of these questions, let alone
the answers, ever hope to become enlightened.
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What is the best strategy to confront Non-Buddhist ideology?
I am sure everybody in this world thinks that 'my religion is the only true religion' etc and its variables. As we live in a diverse society, in today's age of information we invariably bump into ...
user13135
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What do buddhists do in a situation of war where all able-bodied men must become soldiers?
I was reading a chapter called "The Buddhist Stand on the Death Sentence" on p. 390-393 in the book "What Buddhists Believe" by Ven. K. Sri Dhammananda. In here it is written that the law is supreme ...
user2424
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As a Buddhist how do I get over hatred towards my previous religion?
I am filled with genuine hatred towards my previous religion. My hatred is not directed towards other religions it's just towards my past. And this constantly bubbles up during meditation.
I don't ...
anon
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Is the age of monastic life over? Is it societal conditioning or keeping up with the times?
I hear a lot of "spiritually awakened" people, on shows like batgap.com and on forums like dharmaoverground.org claim that the age of the monastic life is over, and in the present day one must learn ...
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Buddhist path X Romantic Relationships and Sons
First of all I will apologize because it will be hard to put that as a clear and simple question.
Once a person decides to enter the Buddhist path, it becomes clear that one should avoid engaging in ...
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Should I always put another person's interest before mine?
I try to become a kinder person. Sometimes I feel bad ( guilty) after not doing a service for someone, even if it's not in my benefit to do that thing. How can I understand when it's kindness toward ...
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If there are no past and future lives, why should we practice Buddhism?
If there are no past and future lives and everything ends at the moment of death. Why should we bother with anything at all?
Why would the Buddha teach for 45 years if all our problems are definitely ...
user11545
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How should a lay person respond if they see a monk teaching something contrary to Dhamma?
Let's say if a lay person sees fault of a monk (something against the monastic code, or against the Dhamma). Should the lay person just stay silent (thinking it would create bad karma), or should they ...
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If a Buddhist believes lay life is not ideal for the practice, why does he or she continue?
Usually in the evening, when I am about to retire, I commit myself to finding and entering into a residential Sangha permanently.
When morning rolls in, I fall back into my usual patterns like work, ...
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What tenets must a person accept to be a Buddhist?
I'm curious what minimal tenets a person must accept in order to be considered a Buddhist.
As an example of the type of answer I'm looking for, I'll give you the minimal tenets of Christianity as I ...
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Special connection with animals
After I started to practice meditation and the Dhamma, I had some very unusual situation with animals, receiving a lot of kindness from them, I was never very "popular" with cats and dogs and it ...
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When it comes to commercial products, is there harm to choosing a more beautiful and well-designed option?
I am new to buddhism and this is my first question here. I hope I can provide something of value and that I am clear in my phrasing.
So I have recently started learning about the teachings of the ...
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How does one escape suffering when they cannot provide for those they love
Taoism and Buddhism say we should distance our self from suffering and accept life as is if we cannot change it. But what if we have serious clinical depression or cannot provide properly for those we ...
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Where does morality come from in Buddhism?
I have a hypothetical question.
Let's say I don't believe in karma, reincarnation, or any deities of any sort. I also saw in some texts and videos that, to achieve higher awareness, I should not ...
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A question on morality
As I understand it, we carry out generous and selfless deeds for the purpose of acquiring positive kamma and/or promoting our spiritual quest. However, this seems like a form of greed, one of the ...
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How can a lay person approach the learning process of Buddhism?
I've read many books on Buddhism in the last 3 years and I started to meditate daily 10 months ago. I have a general idea about many topics, without a deep understanding of any of it. Is there a ...
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Full view on right livelihood [closed]
I have seen some questions on what the scope of right/wrong livelihood is, however most of the questions I have seen only touch on a specific point, so I would like to consolidate these questions and ...
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Should one call oneself a Buddhist?
When people ask me about my religion, it always gets me thinking as how I should announce to another person that I practice Buddhism, should tell that I am:
A Buddhist
Follower of the Buddha
...
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Loneliness in Buddhism
I am wondering what is the antidote to loneliness, or the approach towards it, within Buddhism. I am finding myself quite lonely despite being previously familiar and at ease with solitude.
I am ...
user7302
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Does being a lay Buddhist have any advantages over a Monk?
That's the question. Is there any advantage in being a lay Buddhist over being a Monk who has gone forth, that is in as far as following the Dhamma-Path to Nirvana is concerned?
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What are the resources a Buddhist can use during very hard times?
I will try to fit that in a question so it will make sense in this forum: What are the resources a Buddhist can use during very hard times?
Currently I'm working 12h a day under a lot of pressure, ...
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Can one follow Hinduism and Buddhism at the same time?
I am born Hindu and have been following Buddhism for more than a year. The change has been a life changing experience but now I find myself at the junction of two religions. I sometimes face ...
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Need some pointers about the current phase
I know this is a big letter but it is important. Would really appreciate your help.
My spiritual path very much goes along with my career.
I knew since my school days that I never wanted to be part ...
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Should a Buddhist lay-practitioner schedule his/her daily life
I'm currently considering making schedules for my daily life in order to counteract boredom and restlessness. Does anyone has experience with doing this and maybe can give me some tips? Is it ...
- 1,765
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Moderation in meditation for lay people
Vipassana-style meditation has been adapted to treat patients to prevent recurrence of depression and anxiety through MBCT, and to treat chronic pain and stress through MBSR. More info on this can ...
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A noobs balance. Where to go on my journey?
I’ll keep this short and sweet. Recently I’ve been pondering the idea of becoming a professor of Eastern Religions, particularly Buddhism. I can’t put my finger on it exactly, but something about ...
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Occasional doubt in Buddhist Teachings
For about two years now I have been reading about Buddhism (Theravada) and have been trying to meditate and contemplate the Buddhist teachings. From this I have experienced some calm and a feeling of ...
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How are Buddhists supposed to spread Buddhism?
Some religions spread through its followers actively seeking out new followers. Some religions do their own thing and inspire others to join. Some religions preach openly to people and let them decide....
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Are Amitabha and Sakyamuni the same?
Buddha is the name for the Supreme Being, right? So are Amitabha Buddha and Sakyamuni Buddha both Supreme Beings but of different galaxies or something? I assume there are more buddhas than just these ...
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If someone insults you what should you do?
There is a famous story of such an encounter between the Buddha and a ‘difficult person’ named Akkosina. Akkosina’s name means “Not Getting Angry” but he was the exact opposite of his name. Akkosina ...
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Buddhism view on mercy
When I come across animal or bird or bug injured and in pain, no resources available nearby to shelter, do I leave it to nature or kill it to end its misery. What is Buddhism view on mercy?
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Is it wrong to watch fight events like boxing, MMA, judo etc.?
From a Buddhist's perspective, is it wrong to watch such sports on television for example? Of course, I'm talking as a lay person. Monks have a completely different approach regarding entertainment.
...
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What is useless/meaningless speech?
An elaborated answer on meaningless speech as in ten unwholesome acts is expected
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What is a skillful way to meditate in the midst of a migraine headache?
When the Bod-hisattva Quan the Am, who has been such a source of
inspiration of peace workers in Viet- nam, saw into the reality of the
five aggregates giving rise to emptiness of self, she was ...
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Does Buddhist's Time Dilation have something to do with Physics's Time Dilation?
I've just seen Interstellar. And they say 1 year on the planet is equal to 7 years on earth. because it sounds familiar to the Buddhist text I used to read ,if they both refer to the same thing, how ...
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Mission on earth (In Buddhism)
Many religions claim we came to this earth on a mission, everyone has a different mission, a specific reason to be here.
In Buddhism I couldn't find anything like that, the "mission" would be the ...
- 9,857
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How can a person become a real Buddhist?
In this society a lot of people say "I'm a Buddhist" but they're just saying that. So my question is, how can a person become a real Buddhist? And how do we know he's a real Buddhist?
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Would Buddhists help non-Buddhists continuing their attachments?
Let's take 2 examples:
A Buddhist notices a crying girl. After asking it turns out that she lost her mother, and don't know where to find her
Alice and Bob has a complicated relationship. Bob wants ...
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How to deal with immense guilt over past acts of cruelty? Is sincere repentance and striving really enough?
I won't go into details, but I am dealing with horrible guilt and shame over cruel acts I have committed in the past. It feels like I am now come to terms with the significance of these actions, and ...
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How did Mahayan, Hinayan,Vajrayana come into Buddhism?
How many types of sects like Mahayans, Hinayans,Vajrayana are there in Buddhism? How did they come into Buddhism? To my knowledge Buddha never talked about any sort of 'yans'.
Who created these 'Yans'...
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Does Buddhism kill creativity?
My decrease in creativity does most likely not have anything to do with my feeble meditation attempts, because it is natural to have ups and downs, even when it comes to creativity.
But still, ...
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Non-striving and happiness
I have only an informal understanding of Buddhism, so please excuse the informal language used in this question. My intent is to understand Buddhism better, and I welcome any answers or resources that ...
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