19
votes
Accepted
Logic of Emptiness still unconvincing. Please help explain
Your confusion is clear as day to me. :) As is the true meaning of "emptiness". The challenge is how to explain it to you in a way you can understand. :)
You are stuck on this idea of "...
- 57.2k
12
votes
Tripitaka Section Numbering
(UPDATED)
After some digging, it seems that indeed there is no one standard that can be truly relied upon to work for all version of the tipitaka, at least for the Samyutta and the Anguttara. For ...
- 24k
11
votes
Accepted
Sleep - What about it?
What are the proper relax / Sleep practices for a practitioner of meditation methods?
If you do Metta meditation before sleeping you are better off, as one benefit of Metta is you sleep well. ((Aṭṭha)...
10
votes
Accepted
What are the suttas in which the Buddha provides instruction on how to meditate?
To straighten view before meditation: Samma,ditthi Sutta
Anapana
Anapanasati Sutta
Satipatthana
Satipatthana Sutta and Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta
Kayagatasati Sutta
Saṅkhitta Dhamma Sutta
Elements / ...
9
votes
What is the oldest text/sutra of the Mahayana tradition?
The oldest existing manuscript clearly identified as Mahāyāna is a birch bark manuscript of the Aṣṭasāhasrikā-prajñāpāramitā-sutra or Discourse on Perfect Wisdom consisting of 8000 [Lines]. This ...
- 4,277
9
votes
Can anyone explain Sanskara / Sankara indepth?
There's an article in English titled Anicca Vata Sankhara in which Bhikkhu Bodhi describes the various meanings of the word. Here are very brief extracts from that article, a summary:
The word ...
- 45.1k
8
votes
Accepted
Was the Buddha harsh?
This question is addressed in the Abhaya Sutta from the Buddha himself, on the topic of Right Speech.
Your question should fall under "In the case of words that the Tathagata knows to be factual, ...
- 36.3k
8
votes
Does mind ever stop?
The mind occurs in both passive and active modes. The passive gives
way to the active when a stimulus is received through one of the sense
doors. The passive state of mind is called bhava"nga, ...
- 25.7k
8
votes
Accepted
How should one be mindful of death?
Oh, this is easy. This one I was taught many many times. Here is how it goes:
Regular untrained people live their life as if they will live forever. They 1) worry about small unimportant stuff, get ...
- 57.2k
8
votes
Invalid logic pertaining to karma in sutta AN 5.129?
The way my first teacher explained karma, it works like a matching machine, it just puts the "victim" in the situation when the odds of encountering a certain kind of people are increased. It's like, ...
- 57.2k
8
votes
Accepted
Buddhism on We are all one
OP: Is it right from a Buddhist point of view to say that you and me are the same because there is only one consciousness playing
different minds (egos, personalities, psychologies, etc) and bodies ...
- 36.3k
8
votes
Accepted
How to practice “In the seen will be merely what is seen”
This topic is famously developed in Vajrayana's highest tantras such as Mahamudra and Dzogchen.
The point is to shift the focus of experience from the samsaric mind with its constant judgement of ...
- 57.2k
7
votes
Accepted
In the Anapanasati Sutta, what is the difference between mind and mental processes?
From the Anapanasati Sutta
"Mindfulness of in-&-out breathing, when developed & pursued, is of great fruit, of great benefit. Mindfulness of in-&-out breathing, when developed & ...
- 9,522
7
votes
Accepted
Were different parts of the Pali Canon intended for different audiences?
Each Sutta was intended for a specific audience to address a specific issue. This is one of the reasons why there was a need for an Abhidhamma that consolidated the messages from all of the Suttas ...
- 1,368
7
votes
How does one become a "Māra"?
Abhisankhāra-māra - The Karmic force
Kleśa-māra, or Ma̋ra as the embodiment of all unskillful emotions.
Mṛtyu-māra, or Māra as death, in the sense of the ceaseless round of
birth and death....
- 1,705
7
votes
Why is the Heart Sutra so important in Mahayana Buddhism?
Maybe because Clinging/Upadana is such a powerful destructive force, even advanced practitioners still have a tough time dealing with. So the non-clinging theme reflected through insight into ...
- 9,691
7
votes
"The Blessed One", is it bad translation?
A couple of dictionary translations:
Bhagavā: venerable, fortunate, blessed, sublime. Generally designates the Buddha.
Bhagavant (adj. n.) [cp. Vedic bhagavant, fr. bhaga] fortunate, illustrious,...
- 45.1k
7
votes
Accepted
What is the phantom in the conclusion of the Diamond Sutra?
No phantom, no...
The Diamond Sutra in Classical Chinese, wherein one of the verses instantly enlightened the 6th Patriarch Huineng, the corresponding verse to your quote is this:
一切有為法，如夢幻泡影，...
- 2,291
7
votes
Monks who are not worthy and worthy
From the Ajañña Sutta (AN 8.13):
"In the same way, a monk endowed with eight qualities is worthy of
gifts, worthy of hospitality, worthy of offerings, worthy of respect,
an incomparable field ...
- 36.3k
7
votes
Accepted
Does the Buddha deny genetic differences?
MN 98 is about "jati" or "social identity". The Buddha says physical birth or "ancestry" is unrelated to jati; that the jatis are verbal designations assigned due to kamma (actions).
For example, ...
- 38.4k
7
votes
Among 9 jhanas which is deep sleep?
I've got a simple answer for you: Sleep is not a jhāna. The Buddha never says, not in Pāli not in Chinese not in Sanskrit, that sleep is a jhāna. Sleep is also not nibbāna. Sleep is also not nirodha. ...
- 1,103
7
votes
Why did the Buddha contradict about His teachings in these two different suttas?
The key phrase, I think, is: "those things that I have known with direct knowledge..." (emphasis mine).
Some things must be experienced as direct knowledge. Teaching or discussing them with ...
- 4,812
6
votes
How are Buddhist Sacred Texts used in practice and historically, given the questioned authenticity of some of them
From a more secular perspective the Pail Canon has the definite merit of being closer to the time of the Buddha so could (controversially?) be argued has the greatest authenticity. However there is an ...
- 21k
6
votes
Accepted
Why is the first lines of the Dhammapada twin verses sometimes translated using the word 'heart'?
Thanissaro's translations are... unique. The word being used, as others have pointed out, is "mano", the leader of an irregular group of nouns called the "manogana" - "the group with mano as its ...
- 24k
6
votes
Accepted
What are the teachings in Buddhism for good social Social Health?
I think the Sangaha Sutta would be helpful here, It gives the following as the basis for the bonds of fellowship
Generosity, kind words, beneficial help, & consistency in the face
of events,...
- 21k
6
votes
Accepted
Beings who are not aware of their own existence?
In some realms there are some beings who are not aware of their own existence (Some place in Brahma realm). How do their aggregates work when they themselves aren't aware of their existence?
...
6
votes
Accepted
What is Buddhism "for" (in favor of)?
In one of the teachings I received, there is this concept of Five Joys:
The joy of having your basic needs satisfied (food, shelter, safety).
The (higher) joy of material comfort and sensual ...
- 57.2k
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