Questions tagged [sutras]
A type of literary composition in of varying length. In Buddhism this mostly refers to canonical texts. Sutras is a Sanskrit term however the Pali term sutta is often used by certain traditions. The two terms are equivalent.
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Is the Buddha advocating delighting in sensuality in SN 42.12?
There are a few questions I have about this Sutta (SN 42.12 Rasiya Sutta) based on the following passages:
They make themselves happy and pleased. This is the second ground for praise.
They don’t ...
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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 ...
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What's the role of "conceit" in the Dhamma?
I read the following on the internet:
Some rules assume the conceit, "I am". Importantly, Buddhist rules do
not. For example, take the first three rules of MN8:
MN8:12.2: ‘Others will be ...
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5
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What's the role of "blameless" in the Dhamma?
The word "blameless" is often used in suttas: https://www.google.com/search?q=blameless%20site%3Aaccesstoinsight.org
AN 4.62 suggests it's highly good:
Seeing clearly — the wise one —
he ...
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Where did the Buddha teach about the "flow of tears"?
Bhikkhu Sujato's translation of SN 15.3:
As we understand the Buddha’s teaching, the flow of tears we’ve shed
while roaming and transmigrating is more than the water in the four
oceans.
Where else ...
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3
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Why is Chapter 15 of the SN not 'Eternalism'?
Saṁyutta Nikāya (SN) 15.3 when translated by Ven. Sujato says:
Transmigration (samsara) has no known beginning. No first point is
found of sentient beings roaming and transmigrating, hindered by
...
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3
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78
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Mercy killing (not assisted suicide) and the ramifications of the karmic action
Of course one of the 4 imponderables is the results of karma.
I am just asking if there is any sutta explanation on the effect of killing with malice compared to mercy killing?
Difference between ...
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Looking for sutta about purification of fish, turtles, etc
Is there are sutta in which the Buddha says if bathing in Ganges River could purify beings; then the fish, turtles, crocodiles, etc, would be purified?
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Which sutta(s) say that Rahula was the Buddha's son?
I have seen some suttas where the Buddha addressed Rahula. Are there suttas which explicitly state that Rahula was the Buddha's son, or does this come from the commentary?
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Can a layperson/householder live the 'Holy Life'?
I read the following (here) on the internet:
Not able to take on the Jīva (stand/robe of the Arahats, eg. right view, leaving home), what should/can a house/stand-maintainer expect to validate holy ...
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SN 12.35- why is there no living the holy life?
SN 12.35 says:
“Not a valid question,” the Blessed One replied. “Bhikkhu, whether one
says, ‘What now is aging-and-death, and for whom is there this
aging-and-death?’ or whether one says, ‘Aging-and-...
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3
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SN 12.35: why do both phrases have the same meaning?
SN 12.35 says:
“Not a valid question,” the Blessed One replied. “Bhikkhu, whether one
says, ‘What now is aging-and-death, and for whom is there this
aging-and-death?’ or whether one says, ‘Aging-and-...
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Why is "jīva" translated as "soul"?
SN 12.35 is translated by Bhikkhus Sujato, Bodhi & Thanissaro as follows:
Mendicant, if you have the view that the soul and the body are the same thing, there is no living of the spiritual life.
...
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What is MN 116 ( paccekabuddha sutta) about?
MN 26 describes the Buddha after his awakening, as follows:
If I were to teach the Dhamma, others would not understand me, and
that would be wearying and troublesome for me.’ Thereupon there came
to ...
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Need a list of all the people in Buddhas life
I need a list of all the people mentioned in the Pali canon who were in the story of the historic Gautama the Buddha. For e.g. Angulimal, Ananda etc. I did a google search for the same but did not ...
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What are those "deck of cards" objects that various sutras are printed on?
I used to go to a Tibetan Buddhist community where they were constantly reading Buddhist scriptures off of little stacks of cards. They were wide aspect ratio, and had the syllables of various mantras ...
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Sutras are in which Tripitaka
I have one query. All the Sutra's ( lotus Sutra, heart Sutra) belongs to which Tripitaka (first second or third)?
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What is the reference for taming a ferocious bathhouse Naga into a tiny snake in a bowl?
I remember Ajahn Punnadhammo telling a story about maybe the Buddha or Moggallana taming a ferocious bathhouse Naga and emerging from the bathhouse displaying that it was now a small snake in a bowl. ...
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What is meant by "claims the bull’s place, roars his lion’s roar in the assemblies" and was an actual loud lion-like sound ever uttered by the Buddha?
What is meant by "claims the bull’s place, roars his lion’s roar in the assemblies" and was an actual loud lion-like sound ever uttered by the Buddha? One example of the quote is mentioned ...
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Is there a difference between Sanskrit during the time of the Buddha vs Sanskrit during the time of Nagarjuna?
I'm trying to understand if Sanksrit during 500 BCE to 1 CE is the same Sanskrit of 1 CE to 500 CE.
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How to understand this teaching: "Whenever others treat me badly, may I accept this defeat myself and offer the victory to others"
Below is one of the verses from the "Eight Verses for Training the Mind" by Geshe Langri Tangpa
Whenever others, because of their jealousy, treat me badly
with abuse, insult, slander, or in ...
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Where does the Buddha talk about investigation of energy (offering him some relief while in physical pain)?
If remembering correctly I once heard a Dhamma talk about the Buddha finding solace in/with the investigation of energy while (at least once) experiencing physical pain. What's the sutta reference(s) ...
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What are the sutta references for the Buddha unsuccessfully attempting to stop wars/battles?
I remember hearing that on one, two, or maybe more occasions the Buddha attempted pretty much unsuccessfully to intervene in war or battle. Maybe one had to do with fighting over water rights. I also ...
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Where are the most common places to find Pali/Buddhism Anki decks in 2021?
Anki, is by far the most popular "spaced repetition tool" to enable long term retention of learned material in 2021.
It does so using a scheduling algorithm which prompts the user to recall ...
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Why did the Buddha contradict about His teachings in these two different suttas?
In the Simsapa Sutta the Buddha said;
"In the same way, monks, those things that I have known with direct
knowledge but have not taught are far more numerous [than what I have
taught].
I would ...
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Are there differences in the way Buddhism and Theism treats scripture?
Historically, Buddha rejected the validity of the Vedas, I suspect there might be some differences in the way scripture is treated in Buddhism and other religions, especially Theistic ones.
For for ...
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What do the (Pali) suttas say about "sacrifice" in general (and why it's not necessary)?
Requesting sutta references mentioning "sacrifice" along with pali words commonly (and uncommonly) translated as "sacrifice" along with thoughts and commentary please
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What is the (commentary) source for Buddha's daily schedule?
What is the (commentary) source for Buddha's five-part daily schedule, as mentioned at The Buddha's Daily Routine (Buddhanet) and A Day in the Life of the Buddha (YouTube video, Bhikkhu Bodhi).
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Can Abhidhamma be reconciled with Sutta? Citta & vinnana
This question could comprise of many examples but here I will choose one and only four aspects of this one example. The Abhidhamma says:
Rūpakkhandho anārammaṇo. 530.2Cattāro khandhā sārammaṇā.
530....
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Was Sariputta alive during the time of Buddha's death?
I have found two Suttas and I am a bit confused about Sariputta's death.
In DN 16, there is a part about Sariputta being alive at the time of Buddha's death. (look at 4. Sāriputta’s Lion’s Roar in DN ...
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Were monastic training texts written down during the Buddha's life?
It seems a commonly held notion that the actual written text of Buddhadharma were only recorded well after the life of the Buddha. However, this sutta seems to indicate that was not so:
"Take a ...
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About the Upasakasila Sutta and LGBT
Is the upasakasila sutta based on the Tipitaka (Pali Canon) or is it based on the Mahayana teachings?
Also, I understand that Buddhism doesn't condemn LGBT, but in the Upasakasila Sutta, it is written:...
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Searching for a sutta where Buddha talks about Nibbana
I am searching for sutta where Buddha talks about Nibbana.
Also, there is one sutta where he says, "ah nothingness, great is this nothingness..." or something and his disciple replies, "...
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Why did the Buddha not answer Vacchagotta (SN 44.10), but did answer the monks (MN 140)?
It has been said that the reason the Buddha did not answer Vacchagotta was because the discussion was not about the doctrine & terminology of the Buddha, but rather about the illogical doctrine of ...
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What did the Buddha mean in MN 140 about what happened to clansman Pukkusāti after a cow killed him?
Bhikkhu, ‘I am’ is a conceiving; ‘I am this’ is a conceiving; ‘I shall
be’ is a conceiving; ‘I shall not be’ is a conceiving; ‘I shall be
possessed of form’ is a conceiving; ‘I shall be formless’ is a
...
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Sankhara on a wave, a wood, and a rock?
Purpose:
I want to know which sutta is this story coming from.
Background:
I remember that when I joined the 10-day Vipassana course held by S.N.Goenka, he said,
You can carve your Sankhara like an ...
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Are there any Buddhist suttas in the scriptures about retaining memory?
As I understand, the early Buddhist teachings were transmitted orally and memorized by monks and they were written down only much later. It must have been tremendous feet of human memory to retain so ...
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After the Buddha's enlightenment, did he receive any teachings?
There's not much background to this question. Did the Buddha ever receive a teaching after his enlightenment; a teaching that he accepted and made use of, either his own or another - or perhaps a ...
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How to practice “In the seen will be merely what is seen”
"In the seen will be merely what is seen”
I’ve red this http://theeyeofdhamma.blogspot.com/2013/10/ditte-ditta-mattan-bhavissathi.html?m=1
I’m still not sure how I should apply & practice ...
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What did the Buddha mean in AN 5.38 with the fifth benefit to a person of faith?
What did the Buddha mean in AN 5.38. when he said:
“Mendicants, a faithful gentleman gets five benefits. What five?
The good persons in the world show compassion first to the faithful, not so much to ...
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What is The Prediction as defined by the Mahayana tradition?
Please see this section taken from the wiki page titled Boddhisattva which might help you answer the question:
...what early Mahayana sutras like the Aṣṭa do is to help individuals
determine if they ...
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Logic of Emptiness still unconvincing. Please help explain
I've been a practitioner of Vipassana and Mahamudra for 2 years now. One thing quite bothering me is various explanations from different teachers on emptiness logically disturbing...
Usually, it goes ...
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Music and Right Livelihood
A lay follower should not engage in five types of business i.e. business in weapon, human being, meat, intoxicant and poison. But there are many jobs can be considered harmful but not included in the ...
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What does it mean to be upright?
In karaniya metta sutta,
He who is skilled in (working out his own) well being, and who wishes to attain that state of Calm (Nibbana) should act thus: he should be dexterous, upright, exceedingly ...
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The Buddha and the act of smiling
Namo tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma Sambuddhassa.
Even though it may at first hand appear to be a shallow subject and inquiry, I happen to find it of relevance to the practice and wondered about it.
...
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SN 35.116 - Is "the world" ("loka") an objective reality perceived via the senses?
I read the following on the internet:
One perceives 'the world' through the senses - however the senses
themselves are in the world (lokasmiṃ). That does not imply the world
is a state of mind, but ...
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Is the Avatamsaka Sutra the only Buddhist scripture that talks about multiverse?
I know the Avatamsaka Sutra teaches about a multiverse flower garland, which represents all of reality, is made up of infinite universes which all reflect one another.
Is this the only scripture that ...
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In what sutta does the Buddha talk about Paccekabuddhas?
Question is in the title.
Thank you for your time.
user19910
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Among 9 jhanas which is deep sleep?
Please provide suttas
I plan to do a meditation until I can achieve the same experience as my deep sleep but I don't know whether it's the first jhana or even cessation of feeling and perception or ...
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What is the (middle length) sutta, where Buddha exposes a monk, who has an ignorant view of non-self?
In one sutta a monk was teaching, that there's something that is behind our existence, that is permanent (opposite of non-self). Buddha asked for this explicitely, got confirmed, and corrected the ...
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