Questions tagged [personal-practice]
Questions containing or motivated by some aspect of personal experience. The experience can be during formal Buddhist practice or during everyday activity however the experience will be related to Buddhist practice or doctrine. The questions will necessarily have a subjective quality however the question or answers will contain references to Buddhist scripture, doctrine or an established teacher.
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Eyes moving upwards - mild lights - sense of space - pleasure
Hello Beautiful People,
I have a quick question. After years of meditating with a mixture of Mahasi and Goenka style, I would like to ask the following.
Very often when I sit to mediate, it is a ...
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Is Karma different for accidental killing than intentional killing?
Ever since I have started following Buddhism, I have stopped killing any type of insects but during the course of time I have accidentally killed few insects when I had no intentions of harming them ...
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How does the Nimitta occur?
How does the Nimitta occur? I mean does it come all of a sudden (like torch turned on) as a shining bright white light or does it come as light gradually increasing brightness of varied colors?
I am ...
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Which category from the Kalama Sutta does "relying on common sense" fall under
I was reflecting on a craving I had for something addictive tonight while going to bed, and realized, "My notion of having 'just a little bit' of this addiction is just my relying on common sense....
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Is impersonating breaking the 4th Buddhist precept?
Most if not all of us had used alias, pseudonym or avatar at one time or another while interacting with others on the Internet. There may be good reasons for doing so such as the desire to protect our ...
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Sensing vs Knowing inhalation and exhalation in Anapana according to Goenka Tradition
I have been following Goenka tradition of vipassana for a few months now(one 10 day retreat and 5 months of daily practice). We are instructed to keep our attention below the nostrils and observe the ...
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Is the dharma thicker than both blood and water?
I’m the only Buddhist in my family and there are very few Buddhists in my community. To make matters worse, the closest Buddhist temple to me is a New Kadampa Tradition meditation center. Because of ...
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Is there a correlation between depth of concentration and the length of a practice session?
I am asking this because now, after three years of daily samatha, I sit between forty-five minutes to an hour. Should I be sitting longer? I stopped timing myself about two years into practice, and ...
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What is the right practice around empathy?
This is a practice-related question. In Buddhism the goal is to not suffer, but empathy seems to mean suffering because someone else is suffering.
In several places in the Pali Canon and elsewhere, ...
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Practical steps in sense restraint
Right Effort in the Noble 8 fold path has 4 components, the first being the prevention of the arising of unarisen unwholesome states. I've found in Bhikhu Bodhi's 'The noble eightfold path: Way to the ...
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How do someone find romantic love?
As someone in his 30s, I wish to find a partner to grow old with. At the same time, it’s quite stressful that nowadays my family and friends are constantly pushing me to find someone quickly as I am ...
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What are the criteria for calling someone a high or low capacity?
Some Buddhist teachers and writings I have seen differentiate between (students of) “high capacity” and “low(er) capacity”. As far as I’ve understood, some of the criteria for saying that some people ...
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Is Buddhism a kind of truth seeking mental device?
It has been my experience that Buddhism has set me from blind obedience when it comes to religious rules. I was free to think what was good spiritually and no one can tell me otherwise.
Is this what ...
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How to decrease crave in daily-life?
In theory, many ways of meditation have been given to stop cravings and aversion.
What about practical life?
During day to day life, it has often been seen and experienced as well that, "we tend to ...
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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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Can equanimity overcome physical pain?
I saw this scientific article -- Learning to Accept Discomfort Could Help You Thrive -- on overcoming pain, discomfort and negative emotions. There is one part in the article which seems incredible:
...
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Buddhist attitude(s) towards failures in life
Perhaps for the enlightened ones, those on the path to enlightenment and those aiming for higher goals, worldly pursuits are not issues of concern. But they are important to many ordinary folks.
What ...
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Annatta and taking responsibility
I'm a bit confused about "not self". How do you take responsibility for your actions if you don't see them as your actions but just a process happening? For example if you're an alcoholic part of the ...
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Implementing the Satipatthana Sutta IRL [HELP]
I want to put this book to practise and use in real life. I want to be able to apply this book in three ways: (Reading Analayo's version)
a. How can I practise a specific part of the SS when I'm ...
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Is Buddhism elitist?
If you have means, Buddhist notions are much easier to live by. If you do not, you may have to break the precepts in order to survive. This is particularly true for women and other vulnerable peoples. ...
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Following Buddhist concepts in non Buddhist society
How do you reconcile Buddhist concepts/faith in a non-Buddhist society? For example if you live in a society where you are to kill(stray or sick animals) or expected to lie as part of your livelihood?
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Vipassana meditation in day to day life
During meditation practice have seen thinking stops ,then for 2 or 3 minutes no thinking. What have experienced?is it the pure mind?
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Trouble understanding "sensual misconduct"
Is this phrase analogous to over-indulgence in sense pleasures, or is indulgence in any sense pleasure at any level considered a form of misconduct? Thankya
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Misunderstanding of the Buddha’s words on karma
I have often seen the Anguttara Nikaya 4.77 being quoted as in this post against pondering on the precise workings of karma. My question: is there a misunderstanding of the Buddha’s words thus ...
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Lust arises every time I am alone
Similarly as this question When I started vipassana with my room mate and we both meditate peacefully, but now he left and I am alone, I have noticed lust in mind that it goes less me to wrong ...
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Converting knowledge into wisdom
This question arises from a recent post. There is a related question on the difference between knowledge and wisdom but this is more on how wisdom (insights) can arise from knowledge.
The definition ...
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Serious asthma and meditation, how much should I struggle? Is anxiety at night ok?
I have struggled with serious chronic asthma all my life. I started meditating and in general felt very relaxed. However a few years into the practice my asthma became very serious. One night I ...
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How does one cope with despair using Buddhist practises?
I had rather severe melancholia for some time and I still feel deep despair occasionally.
For example, today, just after the workout and a good meal, I felt severe, yet inexplicable, mental suffering....
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Why the view "I am the owner of my karma" not contradict anatta?
Why did the Buddha advise lay people and monks to think, "I am the owner of my kamma, the heir of my kamma; I have kamma as my origin, kamma as my relative, kamma as my resort; I will be the heir of ...
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Can meditation change your hormone and neurotransmitter system?
Meditation can cause a lot of rest and peace. But can it also change the levels of hormone and neurotransmitters? Do they increase or decrease? I tend to think that fe your adrenaline is getting down ...
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Why do I struggle to meditate daily or regularly?
I have been meditating for more than 10 years now. My aim is to meditate daily, but somehow I always get lost in activities that feel more important or urgent at the time. Then, suddenly I realize ...
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Rationalism and The spirit of inquiry
Is a logical questioning process of every thought(almost) a useful way to break through thought itself and possibly understand enlightenment? For eg:- What is this thought? What is the mind? And try ...
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💚What did the Buddha say about courage?
☸What did the Buddha say about being afraid & handling fear?
☸Are there any scriptures about fear & courage?
☸What did he say about facing fear?
☸Is there any Buddhist practice that will help ...
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How effective are guided meditation sessions in achieving the benefits of meditation?
I find it difficult to meditate without guidance. I wish to use guided meditations for my practice.
How effective are guided meditation sessions in achieving the benefits of meditation?
What is the ...
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What is bodhisattvahood in personal practice?
I've read a lot of english language scholarship on the mahayana, probably about 150 books thoroughly, with notes, though not always with very good notes. I wanted an opinion from a broadly Mahayana ...
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What does delusion feel like?
In his book Breath by Breath Larry Rosenberg writes about meditating on the three kleshas directly i.e. meditating on craving, aversion and delusion. He is talking in the context of the Anapanasati ...
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What is the difference between 'Witnessing' and 'Mindfulness' from the context of meditation?
Since for my last question, I did not get a satisfactory answer I am reducing the question to its barebones.
What is the difference between 'Witnessing' and 'Mindfulness' from the context of ...
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How to get away from the desire to become a Buddhist Teacher or some influencer followed by many?
My mind creates this desire or a dream that I will get enlightened and become some sort of Guru who teaches Buddhism to many, I will become someone like Bodhidharma or Milarepa etc.
I want some ...
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Can open monitoring meditation lead to states of Jhana?
I have read about the states of Jhana through Focused Attention Meditation by focusing on breath in Ajahn Brahm's book Mindfulness, Bliss and Beyond. But I find it extremely difficult to focus my ...
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Am I "studying" too much and practicing too little?
I am new to practicing Buddhism. I was first introduced to it through reading "What The Buddha Taught" by Walpola Rahula. Since then I've begun practicing Ānāpānasati and zazen, as well as ...
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Will aiming for emptiness instead of awareness of breath help attaining meditative absorption states?
I am finding it difficult to focus on the incoming-outgoing breath. Whenever I become mindful of my breath, the Mind kicks in. I cannot even focus for 5-10 breaths, the mind activates. Giving the mind ...
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Meditation and 'not trying to change anything'
I've been practicing mindfulness meditation for around three months now. I've heard many times that a key aim for meditation is to be with whatever thoughts and feelings are present, without trying to ...
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Any advice on leg numbing during sitting?
It happens at about 20 minutes every time lately... either in half lotus (a traditional position that I would like to honor), or with one leg laying in front of the other, or Indian style... doesn't ...
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What is stream entry?
While doing meditation I had experienced sudden stop of mind for a second. Then restart again reflecting that is peaceful. What was that experienced?is it stream entry?
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Asking questions a "childish" way to learn, to teach?
In modern world it's often regarded as "poor" if asking questions. "What, you don't know?", others would fast lower others, yet forgeting that they have been given before as well.
It is also the ...
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Expaining The Holocaust & karma to a non-Buddhist
How can you explain karma in the genocide of babies and "innocents" (For example: The Holocaust) in Buddhist terms to a non-Buddhist, without seeming cold and uncaring? Yesterday, I tried--by saying, "...
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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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Mind moving too fast to note?
What to do when the mind starts moving so fast that individual experiences cannot be noted? And as far as I have experienced, the mind can only be in one place at a time, but it begins moving so fast ...
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Health anxiety - how to deal with it?
Health anxiety is defined in the quote below. A person suffering from it may mistakenly believe certain fluctuations in bodily sensations to be dangerous or a sign of impending critical illness, and ...
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How to prolong post meditation emotions, feelings and thoughts?
Whenever I get a good meditation, meaning pleasant feelings arise, they subside after some time. I know that's not the goal of meditation and I should let go of anything, not cling to anything. But ...
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