Questions tagged [reference-request]

A question asking for a single text or a set of texts. This can be from a general request on a subject area or a specific request for a text where the questioner knows a fragment or detail of it.

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3 votes
5 answers
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Examples where inference is used in the suttas

Pramana refers to sources of knowledge in Indian epistemology. The wikipedia article on Pramana states: Buddhism holds two (perception, inference) are valid means ... to knowledge. This sutta ...
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Zen Master verse about an ‘eternal battle on the temple steps’

I think I once read a Zen Master verse about an “eternal battle on the temple steps”, possibly it was referenced by Hakuin(?). Please could you let me know who said this, and what the verse was?
1 vote
1 answer
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Textural reference(s) for Bhadda Kapilani, a practitioner who for many lifetimes made the aspiration to be reborn as a woman?

I just read '. . . Bhadda Kapilani, a practitioner who for many lifetimes made the aspiration to be reborn as a woman.' What are the textural references for this?
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3 answers
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Have large Buddhist reference library to donate

Dear Friends in the Dharma, Over the years i have accumulated a large Buddhist reference library along with other associated topics. The collection together is far more valuable and useful than the ...
1 vote
5 answers
127 views

Who are the noble ones and who are their disciples?

In the suttas, we read about the noble ones (ariya) and the disciples of the noble ones (ariyasavaka). Who are the noble ones? Do they include only the four persons who are the stream enterers, once-...
1 vote
2 answers
100 views

Which sūtras about cosmology are being referenced?

The wikipedia page for Buddhist Cosmology has a section titled "Origins" in which the following sentence occurs: No single sūtra sets out the entire structure of the universe, but in ...
1 vote
2 answers
115 views

Parallel practices in Buddhism to kavacchas

Buddhism although doesn't address the path of the gods for enlightment, it is seen that they are largely addressed for their existence. There are entities - dakinis, pisachinis, etc that are negative ...
4 votes
7 answers
801 views

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 ...
15 votes
10 answers
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What is the meaning of the Zen quote: "Before Enlightenment chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment chop wood, carry water"?

In the question "A question regarding the level of worldly participation for a buddhist monk", Bhante gave an answer containing a Zen quote. The quote is; "Before Enlightenment chop wood, carry ...
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0 answers
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In which sutta does Buddha say roughly '..and that would bring me sorrow[sad]?

I recall regarding a sutta awhile back of an encounter between Buddha and some wandering ascetic (not Bahiya). in that, the ascetic might have been too old or whatever, and buddha discourages him and ...
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2 answers
72 views

Need help finding a Sutta in which the Buddha details the rebirth destination of a soldier

There is one specific Sutta in which the Buddha details the rebirth destination of a patriotic soldier who dies in battle for the sake of his country? Can someone please help me find it. Metta to all.
2 votes
1 answer
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Are you familiar with a particular AN or SN sutta on bowing?

There is a sutta AN or SN, I believe, I read months ago that discussed about a kingsman who wanted to give respect to the Buddha by bowing but couldn't because he would lose a good job, family, and ...
0 votes
1 answer
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Reference request: Skulls higher than the Himalayan mountains

I’m looking for a sutta wherein the Buddha talks about the aimless wandering in Samsara and gives several analogies, one of them being about taking all the skulls one has left behind and piled them on ...
2 votes
2 answers
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Brahmcharyavas : starting, ending

Last question:- "Bramchariyavas has started" -> "ब्रह्मचर्यवास शुरू हुआ"। Did this "occur" to anyone in past and the same has been mentioned in books? What are the ...
1 vote
2 answers
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How to persuade my mother to stop her infidelity?

I am beginner in journey of way to truth, and life in general, through Buddhism. It's not long since I discovered Buddhism, and it really gives me insight in life. My question is that I'm having ...
3 votes
3 answers
146 views

is jhana required to realize the four supramundane paths?

Where does it say jhanas are necessary (or not) to realize the four supramundane paths (stream-entry, etc)?
3 votes
4 answers
431 views

Quotes from the Buddha about sexual desire

I am trying to find sources of info of if the Buddha ever explained any reason why we as humans are afflicted by sexual desire. Conventionally we are animals so are innately afflicted with a ...
2 votes
1 answer
68 views

Reference request: Where is this this story about a pair of shoes, a stupa, and virtuous actions?

A teacher told us this story about virtuous actions that goes something like this: A person passes by a stupa when it is raining. In order to protect the stupa from the rain, they remove their shoes ...
7 votes
3 answers
1k views

Help locating a widespread quote attributed to Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche

This quote is widely attributed to Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche: The bad news is, you’re falling through the air, nothing to hang on to, no parachute. The good news is, there’s no ground. Among the ...
0 votes
3 answers
120 views

What does wrong freedom or wrong release mean?

This is from the Paṭhamaadhammasutta (AN10.113). Katamo ca bhikkhave adhammo ca anattho ca? Micchā-diṭṭhi, micchā-saŋkappo, micchā-vācā micchā-kammanto, micchā-ājīvo, micchā-vāyāmo, ...
2 votes
1 answer
66 views

What are the name and content of this Zen Buddhist koan?

I remember reading offhand on a website a Zen Buddhist Koan that had not worrying as its theme, and one of the lines was "if you're about to go to Hell, don't worry". That's all I can ...
4 votes
1 answer
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Where is the Tibetan Book of the Dead online in Tibetan script?

THLib contains the Kangyur and Tengyur in Tibetan script, which is a lot of text. But it doesn't seem to contain the Tibetan Book of the Dead :( Is there any place online that has the Tibetan Book of ...
2 votes
5 answers
688 views

Where does it say 'You Are Already Enlightened'?

I've heard Zen Buddhism characterised by the notion of 'Everyone is already enlightened'. Is that correct? - does Zen Buddhism actually say that and if so can someone give a reference to a text where ...
1 vote
2 answers
156 views

The sutta that describes how little suffering there is

I remember reading a sutta where the Buddha compares how much suffering there is, or grief or pain or whatever, as if it were a grain of sand, or a bit of dirt on the ground, compared to all the ...
1 vote
1 answer
157 views

What is the source of the Four Dhamma Summaries?

What is the source of the Four Dhamma Summaries? From which sutta does it come from? The world is swept away. It does not endure. The world offers no shelter. There is no one in charge. The world ...
2 votes
2 answers
99 views

Find Sutta: eat first before hearing the teaching

Trying to find the Sutta where Buddha says for some person who has come to hear him teaching something like give him to eat first, and then he can hear my teaching. There was some setup I dont ...
2 votes
3 answers
86 views

Teachings on truthfulness

In MN 61 the Buddha teaches his young son the importance of being truthful.  This is an amazing sutta! So wise, and yet so elegant and straightforward, that even a seven-year-old can learn something ...
3 votes
3 answers
179 views

Do all Dhamma teachings aim us at release?

I read the statement recently that all Dhamma teachings aim to produce disenchantment, for the purpose of release / unbinding. Any thoughts on this subject are welcome, but my question is: Which ...
2 votes
1 answer
132 views

Is “there is no such thing as a ‘thing’” a buddhist view?

On the Eleven-ThirtyEight blog, I found the following statement: [...] the Buddha would argue that there is no such thing as a ‘thing’ - that the concept of an independent, autonomous ‘thing’ is an ...
2 votes
1 answer
43 views

Source of Ajahn Chah quote

I'd like to read the context for the following quote from Ajahn Chah: I want those who train with me to see the truth, not just read the scriptures. I want them to see if their hearts have been ...
7 votes
1 answer
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Stages of Compassion in Mahayana

Dear friends, I am looking for references pertaining to the notion of the Four Stages of Compassion in the Mahayana traditions. Thank you for your kind and generous help, may you all be well and safe. ...
3 votes
3 answers
242 views

Source of Golden Rule quote

Hayy and thank you for being here. I have heard quotes of the Golden Rule, which is the foundation of all religions. The Buddist one I received was "Hurt not others in ways that you yourself ...
2 votes
4 answers
171 views

Is there any advice in the Buddhist scriptures that would help a leader balance a safe economy with people's concerns about sickness & death?

Is there advice in the various Buddhist scriptures that a leader could use in this Coronavirus situation? Is there advice in the Buddhist scriptures that a lay-person could use in this Coronavirus ...
7 votes
6 answers
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"When the iron bird flies and horses run on wheels, the dharma will come to the land of the red faces"

"When the iron bird flies and horses run on wheels, the dharma will come to the land of the red faces" is a quote from ~700AD that is too good to check. It is also the title of a reasonably good ...
1 vote
3 answers
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Criticism of atman and the vessel analogy

Some Indian Hindu philosophers (AFAIK from the Vaisheshika school) argued for the existence of atman like this: ideas, feelings, desires and knowledge need a vessel in which they are contained. And ...
1 vote
1 answer
239 views

Where did the Buddha say: "What a person considers and reflects upon for a long time, to that his mind will bend and incline."?

As the Buddha says, "What a person considers and reflects upon for a long time, to that his mind will bend and incline." The above quote is from Nyanaponika Thera, found here at Access to ...
4 votes
6 answers
286 views

Can you break the five precepts (except for lying) if the need arises?

I have come across someone stating that you can break any of the five precepts with exception of lying if the need may arise. Is this true? In Theravada Buddhism.
3 votes
4 answers
211 views

What's the difference between having a view and clinging to a view?

The Buddha said that clinging is stress. Also, that there are four kinds of clinging: "Monks, there are these four clingings. Which four? Sensuality clinging, view clinging, habit-&-practice ...
3 votes
3 answers
96 views

Are there any Buddhist scriptures about motivation & discipline?

Is there a sutta suitable for monastics or laypeople, that helps one become motivated when one is having a hard time disciplining themselves?
1 vote
1 answer
33 views

looking for a particular sutta

i'm after the sutta where the Buddha says something like 'you can get to know another person if you have some awareness and wisdom, but even then you must live close by and observe them in all their ...
5 votes
4 answers
4k views

What exactly did Lord Buddha say about Size of Atom?

I have heard that Lord Buddha wrote or discussed about the smallest indivisible particle i.e the atom. What exactly did he say. Is it mentioned in some scriptures? If yes, did he give any argument or ...
2 votes
3 answers
96 views

Where is the sutra source of Buddha[s] (plural) existing and blessing peoples minds?

Tibetan/Mahayana Buddhists believe in such a thing, that somehow specific Buddhas exist....somewhere and emanate in forms in the world and are able to bless other peoples minds. My question is where ...
3 votes
3 answers
119 views

Where does the Buddha say, There is no happiness without calm?

Where in the canon does the Buddha say, There is no happiness without calm? I've heard the statement only second hand, and paraphrased.
8 votes
9 answers
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Scientific approach of Kamma

The concept of Kamma implies that information is stored in the mind (not the brain) and after the being is dead, this mind (or this data "storage") goes on and carries with it the current position of ...
1 vote
3 answers
115 views

Buddha saying he doesn't have to follow all the rules?

In which sutta does the Buddha state that he does not have to follow all the monastic rules and austerities closely because he is already liberated and free, as an arahant? I remember reading this ...
4 votes
3 answers
715 views

How do we know 'Buddha says?'

I think I correctly assume this Buddhism site is (appropriately) open to many, if not all, forms of Buddhism(?) However, when folks say things like “Buddha said” I often wonder what to make of this....
-1 votes
1 answer
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How Lord Buddha did sermon for the people who was long distance

If my memory is correct, Lord Buddha did a sermon for the long-distance people. It is mentioned that Lord Budha can do a sermon even for someone in another solar system. How is it possible? Because to ...
1 vote
1 answer
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Sutta request: One should be fed before being able to listen to a Dhamma talk

The following quote can be found at this link: On the farmer's arrival the Buddha ordered that some food should be given him, and when the man was comforted and his mind was ready the Buddha preached ...
14 votes
7 answers
6k views

Is there a story or a mentioning about masturbation in the Buddhist teachings?

Is masturbation wrong? In what exact way is it wrong? I just need to know if the act of masturbation is wrong. This may include watching nudity while masturbating. Even though it's an addiction, I was ...
3 votes
2 answers
115 views

The Vanishing of Greed, Hatred, and Delusion ~ Nyanatiloka

At the beginning of his talk, The Vanishing of Greed, Hatred, and Delusion, Ajahn Viradhammo reads verses about Nibbana from a translation by Nyanatiloka of a fragment of the Pali Canon, from the ...

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