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1500 questions
11
votes
13 answers
Jainism vs Buddhism: did Buddhism borrow from Jainism?
I've come across Jainism through looking for texts on Buddhism and I've found there seems a considerable amount of overlap. Did Siddhartha Gautama encounter or study under any Jainist teachers? It seems Jainism predates Buddhism by a lot so were…
Oswulf
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11
votes
7 answers
Ignorant mind and Buddha nature
I read in a Mahayana Buddhist book (insight into emptiness) 2 concepts that I find hard to reconcile:
1- Our minds used to be pure, only Buddha nature, and got contaminated with ignorance that led to attachment and it makes us cycle in this cyclic…
konrad01
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11
votes
8 answers
Learning materials for Dependent Origination (Paṭiccasamuppāda) in Theravada Buddhism
I am listening through the talks and guided meditations from the retreat at Amaravati Just One More: Dependent Origination and the Cycles of Addiction Retreat, where there are a number of references to the teachings, and using them in meditation.…
FullPeace.org
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11
votes
9 answers
Will working for a company that engages in animal experimentation to alleviate suffering of humans be wrong livelihood?
I have been lurking here for a long time, but I made an account just to ask this because I am very conflicted, and I think some of you here maybe able to help me like you have many times before without you knowing.
I have the opportunity to join a…
zazenwallstreet
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11
votes
9 answers
Does downvoting an answer qualify as divisive and harsh speech?
In a comment to an answer on this site I saw this:
To the folks who insist on downvoting, please note that downvoting is
extremely unhelpful and actually qualifies as divisive and harsh
speech.
Do others agree? Does downvoting an answer…
user13375
11
votes
6 answers
What's the meaning of the Buddhist boy's message to Neo in the movie The Matrix?
In this scene from the first movie in The Matric trilogy, when Neo goes to meet the Oracle he meets the Buddhist boy who shows him that he can bend the spoon and then tells him that he can do the same when he can realize that 'there is no spoon',…
The White Cloud
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11
votes
10 answers
Why is Buddhism a venture of a limited few?
This question is further to my last question on Nirvana and evolution, and considering the answer... If we believe the Buddhist cosmology to be true and Nirvana as an evolutionary next step, then why is it that very few people actually tread the…
The White Cloud
- 2,294
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- 31
11
votes
6 answers
Compassion to friends: stepping in vs. letting them learn on their own
There is a story about how the Buddha will knock on your door if your house is on fire, but he will not kick it down because you have to answer the door yourself. This is analogous to the Four Noble Truths, in which one must realize their suffering,…
Nick
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11
votes
6 answers
How to overcome Depression with Buddhist teachings
There are several scientific methods to treat the psychiatric condition depression. Is there a method to overcome depression by Lord Buddha's teachings?
nimala9
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11
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5 answers
Are there different types of emptiness (Śūnyatā)?
Even though emptiness (Śūnyatā) seems like it should just be one thing (concept/experinece/realisation) does it in fact have different types? Can it be categorised in any way? I know Buddhism is very keen on lists. Is there a list of different types…
Crab Bucket
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11
votes
3 answers
What are the other Theravada Councils held between the 4th and 6th
The Wikipedia entry on the 5th council says:
However, there were a number of other councils held in Ceylon and Thailand between the fourth and sixth ...
What are these other councils? Where where they held? What was their significance?
Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena
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11
votes
2 answers
How should a married person get ordained in Theravada Buddhism?
Can a married person who does not have children ordain if he has the consent of his parents? Does his wife has to give permission? How much contact should he keep with his wife after he ordains?
John
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11
votes
6 answers
What dietary practices are most helpful for reaching enlightenment?
Gandhi, a Hindu ascetic, was adamant that the spiritual well being of a person was not disconnected from one's diet. He said "The body was never meant to be treated as a refuse bin, holding all the foods that the palate demands." Do the different…
Chris Mueller
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votes
2 answers
Where is the story of the non-returner who "sold" pots on the side of the road?
I'm trying to find a specific story in the Pali canon (or commentaries, probably), where an anagami who looks after his mother makes a living by firing pots and putting them out by the side of the road. When people go by, he says "take what you…
yuttadhammo
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11
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12 answers
Enlightenment finding me
How can a small woman in a small country who does
not understand many of these questions, let alone
the answers, ever hope to become enlightened.
Sue Hamilton
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