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 ...
- 25.7k
13
votes
Does the Buddha like dogs?
The Buddha taught 'birth' with an 'animal' state of mind is a state of woe (beset by chronic suffering) or lower state of 'existence' (being).
The Lokapala Sutta states that people who do not have ...
- 42.8k
10
votes
Life of Buddha, to be taken seriously?
the Buddha taught that there is unsatisfactoriness in this world and the way out of it which is more systemised as the 4 Noble Truths.
If these stories help you understand unsatisfactoriness and help ...
9
votes
Why does the Buddha, in the Pali Canon, periodically engage in harsh speech?
The answer to this comes in the Kesi Sutta:
As he was sitting there, the Blessed One said to him: "You, Kesi, are
a trained man, a trainer of tamable horses. And how do you train a
tamable ...
- 37.5k
8
votes
Accepted
Where does it say Siddhartha Gautama mastered all types of meditation?
In the Maha-Saccaka Sutta it describes his learning some meditation types/techniques, from teachers, before he sat and was enlightened:
Alara Kalama ... the dimension of nothingness.
~~~
Uddaka ...
- 42.8k
8
votes
Accepted
Did the Buddha ever weep in his days of Enlightenment?
A Buddha would never ever weep while in his days of Enlightenment. It is because of the quality Akampita. It means unshaken; calm; resolute; that which does not tremble; not to be shaken.
The ...
- 9,685
8
votes
Life of Buddha, to be taken seriously?
Three months after Shakyamuni's death the first Buddhist Council was convened. There was no written method to record his teaching so a group of monks, many with eidetic memories, were chosen to commit ...
- 942
8
votes
Accepted
What does "Namaste" mean in Buddhism context and why is it even associated with Buddhism?
Namaste is a greeting in the Hindu custom and does not have a context in Buddhism.
Namaste (/ˈnɑːməsteɪ/, Hindi: [nəməsteː] (About this sound listen))), sometimes spoken as Namaskar, Namaskaram is a ...
8
votes
Is it true that Lord Buddha was born in Sri Lanka?
Lumbini, Nepal has been recognized as the birthplace of Siddhartha Gautama since a stone pillar was placed at the site by the emperor Ashoka circa 245 BCE.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
8
votes
Accepted
Is it true that Lord Buddha was born in Sri Lanka?
Prince Siddhartha was raised, according to Buddhist texts, in Kapilawastu (I will not present sources for this as I think this would be undisputed).
The modern name for Kapilawastu is unknown: I will ...
- 236
8
votes
Accepted
Who was the Buddha's teacher?
Between Gayā and the Place of Enlightenment the Ājīvaka Upaka saw me
on the road and said: ‘Friend, your faculties are clear, the colour of
your skin is pure and bright. Under whom have you gone forth,...
- 25.7k
8
votes
Would Buddhists object if Gautama Buddha were seen as a Prophet by Islam
You see friend, it's a sad state of affairs. Even the Buddhists of this site reject your respect of our teacher on the grounds that your faith is wrong in their eyes. And if your faith is "wrong&...
- 58.9k
8
votes
Accepted
How does the Buddha subdue fear in MN4?
Good question! Not everyone finds this episode interesting - and yet it illustrates a very important point.
Buddha subdues his fear by bringing all of his attention to the present moment.
As I was ...
- 58.9k
7
votes
Accepted
What is happening to Lord Buddha after "parinirvana"?
Nothing
Because there is no person to happen anything, and there is no samsara. So that's The End. When a person achieves nirvana , there is no person anymore. Death is not the end of a person, ...
- 558
7
votes
Accepted
Can Buddhism help me find my passion?
The "passion" you talk about sounds like a craving for something which you haven't defined. Your question seems to be asking, "I crave something (I crave something to feel passionate about), but I don'...
- 47.1k
7
votes
Why is meat prohibited in Buddhism?
Buddhism does not explicitly prohibit ordinary people (lay people) eating meat although it prohibits monks accepting offerings of meat when it is known or suspected an animal was specifically killed ...
- 42.8k
6
votes
Accepted
Buddha said "Its better to travel well than to arrive", what does it mean?
“It is better to travel well than to arrive.” is a fake Buddhist Quote.
Meaning
Hope and anticipation are often better than reality.
Origin
This phrase is a Robert Louis Stevenson quotation, from ...
6
votes
Why are there are only one Buddha per universe?
The teaching attributed to the Buddha of 'there can only be one self-enlightened Buddha in a world-system (lokadhātuyā)' is found in the Bahudhātuka Sutta of the Majjhima Nikaya, which states:
He ...
- 42.8k
6
votes
Life of Buddha, to be taken seriously?
MN 123 describes the Buddha's physical birth; standing, walking & prophesying about himself. This contradicts MN 64, which states a new born child has no mental conceptions of self or identity.
...
- 42.8k
6
votes
Gautama self torture, holding his breath
In the ancient Hindu tradition, Tapasya or severe asceticism was the practice that was thought to give one special spiritual superhuman powers. There is some truth to that, if you think about it - it ...
- 58.9k
6
votes
Is it true that Lord Buddha was born in Sri Lanka?
I personally believe that Buddha was born in Lumbini in Nepal through in recent times there are a few small groups in Sri Lanka saying otherwise. I personally would be careful about these movements ...
6
votes
What interaction did the Buddha have with his family after leaving?
Apart from Dhammadhatu's answer regarding the Buddha's son Rahula becoming a monk, there are also other interactions with his family, like the founding of the order of nuns due to the insistence of ...
- 37.5k
6
votes
Accepted
What is the fastest way to reach enlightenment?
You're probably thinking of the Bahiya Sutta (Udana 1.10).
Once there was a bark-clad ascetic Bahiya who thought he was enlightened, but a deva told him that he wasn't and asked him to seek out the ...
- 37.5k
6
votes
I'm trying to find a specific sutta I think
Upaddha Sutta: Half (of the Holy Life)
Don't say that, Ananda. Don't say that. Admirable friendship, admirable companionship, admirable camaraderie is actually the whole
of the holy life. When a ...
- 42.8k
6
votes
Accepted
Does each Buddha find a new path?
Each Buddha rediscovers the same path and the same truth all over again, on his own.
You can find this narrated in the Pali Canon for Vipassi Buddha (SN 12.4), Sikhi Buddha (SN 12.5), Vessabhu Buddha (...
- 37.5k
6
votes
Did the Buddha endorse a cyclical cosmology?
DN 1 states:
There comes a time, monks, when after the lapse of a long period
this world contracts (disintegrates) ...
But sooner or later, monks, after the lapse of a long period, there
comes a time ...
- 37.5k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible