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 ...
- 21k
13
votes
Accepted
Is playing computer games an unwholesome activity?
There are different degrees of unwholesome activity. The term akusala (lit. unskillful, unwholesome) is a broad term that in addition to referring to 'bad' deeds (e.g. killing, stealing, adultery etc.....
- 7,442
12
votes
Can a Buddhist own and run a billion dollar business?
Sure! It is allowed for lay people, as long as they observe the five precepts and virtue (sila), which includes Right Livelihood (samma ajivo). Please also see this answer.
The Vanijja Sutta states:
&...
- 37.4k
12
votes
Help with alcoholism?
From the time I had decided to stop it took me years to finally quit, I have been everywhere from jail to hospitals, detox centers and rehab twice. I read just about all of the Buddhist books on ...
- 121
8
votes
Accepted
Is Karma different for accidental killing than intentional killing?
The background story to the first verse of the Dhammapada is of an arhat killing insects accidentally, because he's blind.
The verse says,
All mental phenomena have mind as their forerunner; they ...
- 46.3k
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-...
- 58.3k
7
votes
Is playing computer games an unwholesome activity?
There is a Sutta (SN42.2) where the Buddha is approached by the head of an acting troupe and asked, “I have heard that it has been passed down by the ancient teaching lineage of actors that 'When an ...
- 1,378
7
votes
Celebrate Christmas
Whatever the monk said on Facebook needs to be looked in context and should not be taken at face value. You will get that context only from that monk and hence I will not comment on what he said.
Now ...
- 1,209
6
votes
Accepted
Shouldn't we take Lord Buddha's word above the all others?
A good Dhamma teacher would frequently refer to sutta/vinaya references to back up his point. If s/he doesn't do that, there's no guarantee their point is valid or that it really comes from the Buddha'...
- 9,707
6
votes
Celebrate Christmas
If you are concerned about what a monk or another teacher of Buddhism has said, I find it is worth knowing about the wonderful Kalama Sutta from the Anguttara Nikaya. I do not read Pali and so have ...
- 116
6
votes
Accepted
Should a Buddhist go to the gym?
i think it depends on the attitude and the frame of mind
a care to keep in mind the fact that it's a business of maintaining fitness of a frail and mortal bag of bones and impurities may negate the ...
- 1,683
6
votes
Why do I have to suffer due to a thing that a person in a past life has done that I have no control over?
Your friend believes they are suffering due to past life kamma. I have never read such a belief in the Pali suttas. Further, if this belief is true, there is no way for your friend to stop suffering ...
- 40.5k
6
votes
Are the movie Fight Club, and Project Mayhem in it, buddhist?
I don't think so.
it predicates detachment from material possessions
That's not enough to call it Buddhist.
Buddhism might be known for what it is, rather than for what it isn't. Maybe Buddhism isn'...
- 46.3k
6
votes
Can a Buddhist own and run a billion dollar business?
It is unlikely Buddhist practise can run a major corporation due to so many unethical things occurring in large business. For example, Apple was using cobalt from child labour in Congo; is said to ...
- 40.5k
6
votes
When it comes to commercial products, is there harm to choosing a more beautiful and well-designed option?
OP: "This might sound ridiculous as a jumping off point but it made me
consider my attraction to certain products rather than others."
Actually, it is a remarkably astute jumping off point.
...
- 4,693
5
votes
How to reconcile Buddhist Cosmology with modern worldview, especially astronomy?
First of all you have misunderstood the meaning of 31 planes of existence. It doesn't mean there are 30 other planets in the universe. This simply suggests that there are 30 other realms that are ...
- 4,233
5
votes
Watching crime in apps or website
Let's separate this out. If you watch a recording of a crime on a website, does it impact the victim of the crime? Not in itself.
It DOES give a "view" to the video, and thus you are, in a sense, ...
- 301
5
votes
Accepted
Stages of Life according to Buddhism
There really isn't anything quite like ashrama in Buddhism, at least as it applies to an individual person's life. Buddhism takes a simple view that one is born, lives, and then dies, within a cycle ...
- 1,099
5
votes
Burst bubble : How to deal with a traumatizing event?
Know that they are only actors and don't watch it if it's going to traumatize you. Don't watch any movies unless you like distraction.
- 7,144
5
votes
Investing in poultry stocks and Buddhism
Actions are never wrong in Buddhism. Actions either lead to suffering or they do not lead to suffering.
Some practicioners get very technically crazy on the first precept. Some would say that ...
- 7,144
5
votes
Do you think that this Laughing Buddha Restaurant sign is a disrespect?
Intentions matter.
Only people and cultures take offense. The Dharma doesn't take offense. Awakened ones who have gone forth to become the Dharma can't take offense.
In certain strictly Buddhist ...
- 7,433
5
votes
How do you pray correctly in Buddhism?
is there a right or respectful way of praying in Buddhism?
Praying is conventionally understood as a petition or wish addressed to a deity.
In Buddhism, one might:
meditate spreading a heart full ...
- 9,336
5
votes
Accepted
Audio guided meditation recommendations?
The "How To Meditate" YouTube video playlist by Yuttadhammo Bhikkhu is highly recommended. It includes both sitting and walking meditation. This is more like vipassana meditation based on the four ...
- 37.4k
5
votes
How do I develop a healthier relationship with images?
Just drop it all and move on. Never hesitate to let go of old stuff that has done its job. Don't be nostalgic, don't regret - that is petty thinking. You had it, you got it, you done it - drop it and ...
- 58.3k
5
votes
Are lives of people who have, by birth or design, large amounts of money, worth more to the Buddha, than the poor?
OP: Are lives of people who have, by birth or design, large amounts
of money, worth more to the Buddha, than the poor?
Definitely no.
Listen to the story of Sunita the Outcaste below, who came from a ...
- 37.4k
5
votes
Help with alcoholism?
My main fear of drinking is the loss of courage. Alcohol robs a person of their ability to face reality and the pain it inflicts. Be it the pain from the loss of someone dear, a broken relationship, ...
- 787
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible