15
votes
Accepted
Investing in poultry stocks and Buddhism
Honestly I would say that it's not even a grey area. For me, investing in stocks in the meat industry is not in keeping with right livelihood. To quote the Vanijja Sutta in full
"Monks, a lay ...
- 20.8k
15
votes
Buddhism broke up my marriage
I don't suppose that any of us are qualified to advise you on your marriage or the optimal duration of it.
In theory, I really don't think it's fair to say that Buddhist love is non-romantic. The ...
- 151
14
votes
Accepted
Should one call oneself a Buddhist?
The way I was taught Buddhism: identifying oneself with anything is a fetter. Self-identification is a form of clinging, and as such it inherently leads to conflict between "this" and "that", hence ...
- 55.2k
14
votes
Accepted
What is the best strategy to confront Non-Buddhist ideology?
There's an apocryphal Christian story, that I heard or read long ago -- where somebody asks someone else (possibly a Buddhist):
Have you ever thought of becoming a Christian?
... to which ...
- 43.2k
14
votes
Accepted
Am I following Buddhism as a sort of Escapism?
This is a profound question. Somebody may want to delve into spirituality because he is a "loser" and isn't prospering in life. This is not a new concept. In fact, the Ratthapala Sutta ...
13
votes
Accepted
As a Buddhist how do I get over hatred towards my previous religion?
Think of the followers of your former religion as people who believe that the earth is flat. There's no point getting angry at them. It's ok to argue with them in social circles if you feel it might ...
- 25.6k
12
votes
Can the noble eightfold path be followed in its entirety by a lay follower?
At a higher level the 8 fold path consists of 3 fold training:
Development of morality
Development of control or mastery over the mined
Development of knowledge of the reality pertaining to one's ...
12
votes
Accepted
How to bless someone?
If someone is willing to be blessed the Buddha's way, then I could think of no more suitable & special words than the words from the Mangala Sutta that tells us what are the blessings in one's ...
- 6,734
10
votes
Buddhist path X Romantic Relationships and Sons
You are mixing up the monk's life with lay life. Lay people are only expected to follow the five precepts on regular days and the eight precepts on Poya days. So they can still get married and have ...
- 25.6k
10
votes
Accepted
How are Buddhists supposed to spread Buddhism?
It varies by sect. These questions generally attract a bunch of people who think you are advocating in-your-face Christian style evangelism.
The patterns I'm going to describe appear to be true for ...
- 7,016
10
votes
Is the age of monastic life over? Is it societal conditioning or keeping up with the times?
This series of questions is quite involved and surely a book could be written to properly assess the status of how well a very traditional monastic community is holding up in modern times.
But a few ...
- 9,472
10
votes
Mission on earth (In Buddhism)
This is going to be one of those Zen answers that tend to irritate people.
When I asked my teacher this question, he said something like:
Mission, hmm... You want to be told what to do? Why?
This ...
- 55.2k
10
votes
As a Buddhist how do I get over hatred towards my previous religion?
Well... I hate to say it (wink-wink)... but... having that rage and seeing that other religion as a collection of "lies" and those people as "liars" does say something about your level of realization ...
- 55.2k
9
votes
Special connection with animals
I had a similar experience when I wrote a program that would kind of simulate the experience of past lives that the Buddha talks about.
It randomly distributes your previous births
around various ...
- 1,807
9
votes
Can the noble eightfold path be followed in its entirety by a lay follower?
I started to read a book, The Buddha's Teachings on Prosperity written by Bhikkhu Basnagoda Rahula.
This book says:
The Buddha recognizes and admires happiness
The Buddha wants laypeople (lay society)...
- 43.2k
9
votes
How does one escape suffering when they cannot provide for those they love
The real answer is that one cannot - it is the caring that causes the suffering:
Seek no intimacy with the beloved and also not with the unloved, for not to see the beloved and to see the unloved, ...
- 23.8k
9
votes
Saving for the future
The wise endowed with virtue shine forth like a burning fire,
gathering wealth as bees do honey and heaping it up like an ant hill.
Once wealth is accumulated, family and household life may follow....
- 25.6k
9
votes
Why are buddhists hostile?
When ever you question something that is supposedly controversial, they tell you to read more on buddhism
Leaving aside Buddhism even in any forums if you ask some basic questions some may not always ...
8
votes
Should one call oneself a Buddhist?
In a way it's up to you how you self-identify. For a long time I struggled with calling myself a Buddhist. I come from an atheist background so identifying with a religion of any sorts was a struggle. ...
- 20.8k
8
votes
How do I make non-buddhists help understand I operate with a different view?
As long as what you are doing is not immoral in my case I would go along with what the others are doing.
Main point is by doing this you should not accumulate more fabrication. One way is to reduce ...
8
votes
Accepted
When it comes to commercial products, is there harm to choosing a more beautiful and well-designed option?
That kettle example tells me you admire a certain attitude to life, an attitude of doing things right, properly, with attention to fulfilling the essential function and not having undesired side-...
- 55.2k
7
votes
Taming the mind and Homelessness
In Zen we are not taught to abandon things. Instead we are taught to let go of our attachment to things. The key here is that it is not the things themselves that make us suffer, but it is our ...
- 1,163
7
votes
Is the age of monastic life over? Is it societal conditioning or keeping up with the times?
What do you think, how many generations shall do that nice life that we have at the moment (do "we"?) Assembling and metabolizing the Dharma should point away from short-term perspectives. The Buddha -...
- 754
7
votes
Buddhism view on mercy
Definitely no killing. That's the first among the Five Precept to be observed. Do what you can to help. If it's a large animal, call the local animal shelter helpline. If it's a small animal like a ...
- 9,608
7
votes
Accepted
Should a Buddhist lay-practitioner schedule his/her daily life
Routine is a good thing to have for a Buddhist, I believe. While this will vary person to person based on their circumstances, these are my suggestions to incorporate in a daily routine of a lay ...
- 1,653
7
votes
Why I'm feeling hopeless about life?
I guess the reason why you were feeling hopeless is that you were anxious about the past, a memory ... but the past isn't something you can conveniently change.
You were also anxious about the future ...
- 43.2k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible