45
votes
Accepted
Can the Buddha ever be a woman?
In the (translated into English) Pali text that I have, there's a section titled "The Admission of Women to the Order" within a chapter titled "Stability of Societies". This section describes Ananda's ...
- 43.2k
34
votes
Accepted
How do you tell a 4-year-old who the Buddha was?
A 4 year old can be told that the Buddha was a man who wanted to understand how to be happy and free and he worked very hard to understand how to be truly happy and free. Then he taught other people ...
- 9,472
24
votes
Can the Buddha ever be a woman?
This reminds me of a Zen story. A North-American female student approaches her Zen master and asks: "Is it true that a woman can never become a Buddha?" Zen master says "yup". The student gets into a ...
- 55.2k
22
votes
Accepted
Attachment is a poison. Why is attachment to the Buddha and to Buddhist philosophy not a problem?
Sez who?
Attachment to Buddhism and to Buddhist philosophy is a very serious problem, which every practitioner should be careful about, since it's so seductive: it's easy to be perceived as progress, ...
- 512
18
votes
Can the Buddha ever be a woman?
Can the Buddha never be a woman? If it is true, why can't they?
According to MN 115, a woman cannot be a Buddha and, as far as I know, the reason is not explained anywhere in the canon.
He ...
- 3,726
18
votes
Accepted
Does God exist in Buddhism?
Unfortunately, this is one of the first questions people ask, especially if they are coming from a theistic background. As a result, many who require the belief of a 'God' as a precondition, turn away ...
- 25.6k
17
votes
Did Gautama Buddha exist?
There are lot of archaeological evidence align with Buddha's life story. I think those can be considered as the most trusted third party evidence.
Here I am listing some of the web search findings.
...
- 1,619
16
votes
Should a Buddhist feel offended by misuses of Buddha's name or image?
What would be your plan of action, if you saw someone running a brothel with your mother's name and picture on it? Feeling angry or not depends on if you have eradicated anger. You can do Metta ...
- 25.6k
16
votes
Why do Buddhists believe there is no creator?
For most people God is a dualistic concept. Meaning, for a typical person the unspoken assumption is: "I am here and God is over there". So when I think about God, when I speak to God -- I inevitably ...
- 55.2k
15
votes
Is Gautama Buddha the greatest Buddha who ever existed?
No! All Sammasambuddhas are equal in their attainment of Buddhahood. They are all omniscient, equal in virtue, concentration and wisdom. However the time they take to cultivate Paramitha might vary ...
- 25.6k
15
votes
If there is no soul or self, why did the Buddha speak of his past lives?
How is it possible that he had past lives?
Because until he became the Buddha he hadn't eliminated craving.
Craving leads to clinging, clinging leads to becoming, becoming leads to birth.
how did ...
- 25.6k
13
votes
Accepted
What was the chronology of events in the Buddha's life?
This is from Hajimi Nakamura's "Gotama Buddha" vol. 1
Sorry about the quality...
1st 36 varanasi migadayavana
2nd 37 Vulture Peak Veluvana
3rd ...
- 55.2k
12
votes
Did Gautama Buddha believe in God?
As mentioned in another thread by @catpnosis, in MN 100: Sangarava Sutta:
“kiṃ nu kho, bho gotama, atthi devā”ti?
"How is it then, good Gotama; are there divine beings?"
“ṭhānaso metaṃ, ...
- 23.8k
12
votes
Accepted
Do monks not have responsibility towards parents and family?
Responsibility in Theravada Buddhism falls into two categories - practical and absolute. In an absolute sense, we only have two responsibilities:
“bhante, imasmiṃ sāsane kati dhurānī”ti?
"Bhante,...
- 23.8k
12
votes
Why did the Buddha suffer before he died?
Buddha did not experience suffering(mental). He experienced pain due to poor health during his final days. Enlightened beings do not create new Karmas. Also, they have removed the potential of all ...
- 25.6k
11
votes
Was Buddha one man?
"Buddha" is a title, not a name. It means "awake" or "enlightened". Usually, when one mentions "the Buddha", one is referring to Gautama Sidharta, who lived about 2600 years ago and founded what is ...
- 512
11
votes
Why is Buddha almost treated like a God in most Buddhist traditions?
Simply I can tell you this. When Buddhism was invented in certain countries, it mixed with their culture and believes. So if you want to filter what Buddha really said, you have to refer The Pali ...
- 534
11
votes
Accepted
Are there examples of the Buddha showing humour in the Pali Canon?
You could say the Buddha and arahants had a peculiar form of humour, as Konrad suggested in his comment above. The hasituppādacitta (smiling-producing mind) is a citta unique to enlightened beings. ...
- 23.8k
11
votes
Accepted
Why do Buddhists believe there is no creator?
First, some canonical background:
According to the Acintita Sutta, speculating on the origin of the cosmos or similar topics will lead one to confusion i.e. it cannot be understood.
According to the ...
- 33.7k
11
votes
When do I realize that I am free from rebirth?
From Milindapanha:
The king said, “Is there anyone who is not reborn
after death?”
“Yes there is. The one who has no defilements is not
reborn after death; the one who has defilements is ...
- 55.2k
11
votes
Accepted
Are there Goddesses in Buddhism? If yes, who are they?
I'll answer in two parts-- what sort of looks like a god in Buddhism and which of those are female.
Early Buddhism didn't see gods as important to solving their fundamental problem of ending ...
- 7,016
10
votes
Accepted
Did the Buddha ever mention the Upanishads or the Vedas?
The original Vedas themselves have little that a Buddhist would consider "wisdom", I think, being comprised mainly of battle hymns, sacrificial procedures, and ceremony. They are mentioned ...
- 23.8k
10
votes
What is the relation between Nirvana and Parinirvana?
What the Buddha experienced at 35 was called sa-upādisesa-nibbāna - nirvana with remainder. What he experienced at 80 was called anupādisesa-nibbāna - nirvana without remainder:
“dvemā, bhikkhave, ...
- 23.8k
10
votes
Why do Buddhists believe there is no creator?
"Monks, I will teach you the All. Listen & pay close attention. I will
speak."
"As you say, lord," the monks responded.
The Blessed One said, "What is the All? Simply the eye & ...
- 25.6k
10
votes
Was the Buddha misogynistic?
Buddha said women can be Enlightened.
In an unprecedented move for the times, Buddha allowed women to ordain as Buddhist wanderers.
Buddha added numerous rules to Vinaya to protect women practitioners ...
- 55.2k
10
votes
Did the Buddha have special instructions to deal with masturbation?
he didn't prohibit it for secular people, it's not even subsumed under sexual misconduct
but since it's a lustful urge and act it is unwholesome and unskillful, and those need to be handled using the ...
- 1,673
10
votes
Did the Buddha Meditate?
I can't find the reference at the moment but if I recall correctly, the Buddha continued to meditate after enlightenment for two reasons, according to the Theravada tradition: (1) To dwell in a ...
- 2,534
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