Questions tagged [traditions]

Traditions within Buddhist daily life including but not limited to holidays, death rituals, marriage, patterns regular worship and methods of personal address.

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Is S. Dhammika's book The Broken Buddha, a misleading angry reaction?

Recently I happened to read the following review and comments about the book "The Broken Buddha." The Broken Buddha and its Implications The Broken Buddha: The revenge of the unfaithful monk ...
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The Various Theravada Traditions

What are the various specific traditions in Theravada Buddhism? If you could please describe, compare, and contrast each of them that would be greatly appreciated. May you be well.
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Is it acceptable for Buddhists to celebrate Santa Claus at Chistmas?

I'm a lay Buddhist and it's almost Christmas, and I would like to know if it is acceptable for Buddhists to celebrate Santa Claus. I have children and want them to be happy. Does anyone know the ...
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Choosing between contemplative traditions

When choosing between the contemplative traditions—Vipassana, Tibetan and Zen, is the following saying accurate? Zen is for poets, Tibetan is for artists, and Vipassana is for psychologists (Robert ...
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North American: Where Can I Ordain Under The Tradition of Mahasi Sayadaw?

I am a Theravada Buddhist living in North America practicing the Mahasi Sayadaw tradition. My queries (regarding Theravada monasticism) are the following: 1) Can anyone recommend a or more than one ...
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Pleasure in Shower

Q: I follow Yuttadhammo's tradition and I wanted to know how to prevent the pleasure I get in taking showers. Everytime I take them, I have a clinging to the warmth of the water and the feeling of it....
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Can a Sikh enter a buddhist temple with a turban?

As I went to worship at one of the most famous & sacred temples in Sri Lanka a Sikh person entered with his turban. As per the religious traditions we are not allowed to wear any head coverings ...
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When and why did the color orange (and yellow and 'red') become associated with Buddhism?

Buddhist religious figures often wear orange robes. And I think that orange is, also, associated with Buddhist religious buildings -- and other religious "stuff" (although this may be simply a ...
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Buddhist origin of tobacco and its relation to Native American use [closed]

Can anything wholesome, helpful, wise and skillful be mentioned about the (Chinese and/or nearby regions) origin(s) of tobacco and how it may and/or may not relate to tobacco use among Native American ...
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A good Abhidhamma monastery to ordain?

I am looking for a monastic community that fits these criteria; Abhidhamma compliant Vinaya compliant; one meal a day, no afternoon snacks, not using money etc Analytical attitude towards the ...
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In which tradition Om Ma Ni Pad Me Hum mantra is used Mahayana or Thervada?

It is Tibetan mantra. In which traditon Om Ma Ni Pad Me Hum mantra is used Mahayana or Thervada? Or it is used in all three traditions, since this is Buddhism teaching?
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Tirokudda Kanda: Do the dead really benefit from the gift given by the living?

Tirokudda Kanda briefly out line the benefits the dead receive from the gifts given by the living.. and there are many more injection in the Pali Cannon with similar tone. My question is are we to ...
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Can Buddhism be fundamentalist?

Is it fundamentalism if Buddhists believe Buddha's path is the only path, and that all other spiritual traditions or sects are false? And if so, does it exist much in Buddhism? By fundamentalism, I ...
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Duty of Student

I have list of Question can any one suggest answer of these question from me from Buddhist tradition. what is duty of student? what are elements that useful for student from Destruction? How Vipasana ...
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Critique of interview with secular Buddhist author of "Why Buddhism is True"

I wonder what critique other self-identified Secular Buddhists on this forum would have of this new interview with self-proclaimed Secular Buddhist author Robert Wright. What are the specific ...
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Is it disrespectful or unlawful to have dharma tattoo in Sri Lanka?

I read sometime ago that a woman with a Buddha tattoo was deported from Sri Lanka. Is it illegal because it's a Buddha image? Or other symbols like the dharma wheel are not allowed as tattoo as well? ...
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Is "ghost month" really a Buddhist concept?

I currently live in Taiwan, and we are currently experiencing "ghost month". The Wikipedia article for Ghost Festival starts with: The Ghost Festival, also known as the Hungry Ghost Festival, ...
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Information on the best vow/Baare to do for a child's health and safety

I am a Sri Lankan Buddhist looking for help .. Our child is very sick and doctors have said any help is difficult to be given at this time for her or operated on. I would like to ask for ...
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Can there be another Dalai Lama?

From what I understand, the Panchen Lama is supposed to choose the next Dalai Lama. If he has been captured, is there any hope for another Dalai Lama to be chosen?
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Is Uposatha on full moons or specific days?

I want to start observing Uposatha, but I'm a little unclear on what days it is. I'm finding calendars that it is the days of full moons in Sri Lanka or other countries. Should it just be celebrated ...
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Anyone know about the use of the skull for magic in the Burmese traditions?

I am doing research on the Burmese Weikza traditions and wanted help as to the usage of the skull in their magical practices.
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What would be a secular interpretation of animal rebirth

For people who don't believe in literal rebirth as animals,(secular or non) how would they describe the mental state associated with rebirth in the animal realm? E.g, if stress is associated with ...
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What happens when your tank is empty, and you’ve got nothing left to give?

Today I happen to read the article “Charitable giving by country: who is the most generous?” Then this question came up. When it comes to generosity, sometimes people look at what they’ve got and ...
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What is a Buddhist ceremony or service called, and what day of the week is it likely to be?

I am a student at Manhattan College. I am in a class on religious discrimination. For my class I must go to a religious service other than mine. I picked Buddhism. However I don't know what a service ...
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Heaven and Hell in Buddhism

I need to understand some concept about Buddhism. Does Buddhists believe on after live of Paradise and Hell? What are the belief of Buddhists regarding this?
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Did Japanese Buddhists once use sky burial?

In the Chinese Wikipedia article on sky burial, there's a section saying that sky burial is illegal in Japan: 棄屍嫌疑 在某些地方,天葬的行為,可能觸犯遺棄屍體的罪行。 日本 刑法第190條(死体損壊罪) Google translation: ...
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What is Buddhist law of marriage ? Is there any?

Should both partners be Buddhist in a marriage? If they want get a love marriage can they still get married if one of the partners is not Buddhist. What is the law in Buddhism about marriage?
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Iconography in Buddhism - from the Greeks? And why isn't the Buddha bald?

When you read or hear about Gotama leaving his home and family, the story is usually something like "he shaved his face and head and went out to be a wandering monk". But very few depictions of the ...
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Celebrate Christmas

Is it wrong when Buddhist celebrate Christmas? I definitely shocked when I saw a monk facebook's status then he wrote that we do the wrong thing when we celebrate Christmas. Is that true?
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Did Buddha say "this is the Middle Way"?

Various Buddhist schools and traditions can have rather different outlooks. And they don't deny this. But most traditions seem to have at least one thing in common and that is calling themselves/their ...
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How do different traditions define "intoxicant"?

Since the mapping of Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS) began about ten years ago, around 500 new subsatances has been discovered. This is a somewhat different situation than what was the case 2500 ...
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Are reasons causes?

When we ask someone "why do you do that?", we are asking for her/his reasons. It someone asks me "why do you play tennis?" and I say "I like to stay fit and I like to have fun. Tennis is good ...
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According to Buddhism, what separates humans from animals?

Philosophers throughout history have been trying to pin down what it exactly means to be human - what it is that separates humans from (other) animals. Some have voted for our ability to make ...
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Saying Grace before meals

When I was in rehab (15 years ago) I was at a Camp Hill community. It wasn't really that helpful for my drug problem. Maybe I wasn't ready at the time and because I don't believe in God, I had a lot ...
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How different is the lifestyle of male monks from that of the female monks?

Lifestyle means the daily activities carried out, the monasteries, the rules and regulations, etc. If there are more than one types of the traditions, then please focus your answer on Tibetan ...
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Is there a defined sequence of events when a Buddhist enters a temple?

As there are sequence of events which happen in other religions, do such things happen in Buddhism also? For example: Consider Christianity, it starts with a worship, then a sermon follows, ...
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What are the rotating cylinders in monastries, and why are they there?

Sorry, as I don't know the right term for them. But, I have noticed these huge copper cylinders(when I went to visit a temple in Dharmashala), which are kept like 5-6 in a row. They have engravings ...
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A thought-experiment about the importance of Buddhist traditions

Suppose a leading Buddhist figure -- say a well-known Tibetan monk -- were to suddenly start displaying cultural behavior appropriate to other religious faiths. For instance, suppose this monk were to ...
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Purpose of scattered thing or food under tree?

We often see things scattered under the main tree in the Buddhist Theravada temple yard. There is also fresh fruit cut open. It seems they are put under the tree deliberately and regularly. Does ...
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Does Buddhism cause longevity?

In this book about Bodhisattvas it says that traditionally Buddhism can cause longevity in a way that parallels the longevity that is sought after by Taoism. This kind of longevity arises in the same ...
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Do any Buddhist traditions emphasize pilgrimage?

I'm aware that other religions such as Islam have a great emphasis on pilgrimage. Do any Buddhist schools or traditions also have an emphasis on pilgrimage and if so where do they go? I know that ...
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Could someone provide a list of all Buddhist schools?

If someone could provide a list of all Buddhist schools (both extinct and extant) it would be much appreciated. If this is unmanageable due to the high number, major schools would be good, or a link ...
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What to make of Jhanas as explained in the pragmatic dharma movement?

In this set of videos two experts (Kenneth Folk and Nick Halay) go through the 13(?) jhanas Several aspects of this video make me wonder - primarily, I find it curious that they can speak and move ...
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Is praying to a statue of the Buddha for bad things to happen part of Buddhism?

A lady at my work has a Buddha on her desk. She's on vacation an today and i had to work at her desk. I accidentally touched it and her friend said oh 'my don't touch that she prays to that Buddha ...
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A question regarding the level of worldly participation for a buddhist monk

I noticed some buddhist monks spend a lot of their time teaching and giving dhamma talks, while other monks spend minimal time on these things. I was wondering if there are any rules in the monastic ...
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What was the 1st Buddhist Council about?

I'm interested in the 1st Buddhist Council, i.e. why was it held, where was it held, who attended it and what were the outcome? I'm not looking for an in-depth and detailed answer. More like an ...
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What is the mental factor of Adhimokkkha (determination) use for?

I am interested in what many ways Adhimokkha(determination) is used in meditation or other purposes in different traditions.
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What is Hardcore (Pragmatic) Dharma?

I've come across this term recently and have seen quite a few opinions and definitions. My understanding is that it is actually a hardcore Theravada movement that is in some ways a conservative ...
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What is the benefit of staying with one method, lineage or Dharma tradition?

I've been thinking around this recently ... we are privileged as a generation to have access to so much information - contemplative methods, traditions, teachers, books etc. How does this inform our ...
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Does your lay Buddhist name follow you for life or does it change with different temples and masters?

When you are laity and given a Buddhist name does it change with different masters and temples or do you carry it with you for life? While mostly pertaining to the Vietnamese tradition I'm very ...
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