Buddhism Stack Exchange
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Does Zen distinguish between concentration and insight meditation?

Both the Theravada and Tibetan systems distinguish between two aspects of meditation -- concentration (aka shamata, serenity, calm abiding, shiney or zhiney (Tib.)) and insight (aka vipashyana, lhatong (Tib.)). (Some call them types of meditation,…
David Lewis
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Did Buddha practice group meditation with bhikkhus, bhikkhunis and laymen, just like in today's meditation center?

In today's meditation center, practitioners meditate with others in group sitting. After an hour or so of meditation, the practitioners may proceed to seek advices from the teacher on their progress. Did Buddha practice group meditation with…
fxam
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Is it ok for a Buddhist to participate in a demonstration?

I'm talking about a peaceful demonstration against a corrupt government. The point is: It can be seen as divisive speech because there will be people against it.
konrad01
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Shamata and vipassana - loss of willpower

I've been meditating (somewhat regularly) about one or two years back. Mainly shamata, and vipassana lately. Today I feel that my willpower is considerably lower than before. I mean, I used to be very interested in a variety things (such as music…
eric
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How irony and sarcasm are seen in Buddhism?

How irony and sarcasm are seen in Buddhism? For example, are they considered wrong speech in all ocasions?
konrad01
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What are the main schools of Tibetan Buddhism?

Can anyone provide short (maybe a couple of sentences) summaries of the main schools of Tibetan Buddhism and the differences between them. In fairly certain there are 4 main schools but I could be wrong in that. Also if there are more minor schools…
Crab Bucket
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Panic arising in meditation

I am a relatively new (about four months) meditator. My meditation technique is closing my eyes and focusing on the sensation of the breath as it passes in and out of my throat. Today I was meditating for 30 minutes and, as often happens, I saw…
Ian
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Does sutta recitation actually entail understanding of the text?

I'm particularly interested in Chinese morning and evening service Tibetan sadhanas that a monk recites every day Theravada Pali suttas and chants Are these read in modern times by and to an audience that understands the language? I obviously…
MatthewMartin
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What is the difference between Satipatthana and Vipassana?

In short, if i practice Vipassana meditation does it means i practice Satipatthana?
Blaze Tama
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Can We Teach Animals the Dhamma?

I have a dog that i love very much.I don't feel like his a dog.I have a lot of respect for him.And treat him like an old friend.As he is old now.I heard somewhere that animals who hear the Dharma can be reborn as a human??I don't know if that's true…
Orion
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Vipassana on arupa worlds

S. N. Goenka in Why Vedana and What is Vedana? says: It is clear that vedana as a part of the nama that is firmly rooted in kaya is what the Buddha wanted us to focus on when he talked about meditation to eradicate suffering. This is also the…
robermann
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Was meditation not practiced for most of the history of Buddhism?

In a recent Buddhist Geeks podcast the presenter Bodhipaksa stated that by the time the Buddhagosa wrote the commentary Visuddhimagga in the 5th Century CE, meditation had been largely abandoned. He goes on to state that there is good evidence that…
Crab Bucket
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What is required to achieve Nirvana in Buddhism?

Nirvana is considered by many religions the pinnacle to strive for. What do I need to do to achieve Nirvana? Are there different perceptions of the requirements held by different sects?
James Jenkins
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Should a Buddhist be afraid of death?

A friend of mine is a committed Buddhist, a teacher in a group that meets to discuss Buddhist teaching. He's explained many things about Buddhism to me. Recently, his father died after a long illness, and he is confident that his father has now…
Rusty
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What do you wish you knew when you started down the path of buddhism?

This stack exchange actually lead me towards the path of finding a lama and becoming a Buddhist. Thank You! This got me thinking, what would you tell sentient beings new to the path of Buddhism? Is there something you wish you knew when you started…
CarterMan
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