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1500 questions
8
votes
6 answers
Buddhism 101? Any first steps one should take to begin their journey as a buddhist?
Good day to all! Total beginner here hoping not to bother. I was wondering if there are any suggested reads, talks, podcasts or videos one in my starter level should dive into to understand a bit more about buddhist philosophy.
I've only watched a…
A.Carrasco
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8
votes
5 answers
Unknowingly Drinking Alcohol
Me and my brother visited this pizzeria recently and he ordered two apple juices. Ryder's Wild Apple to be exact. I drank a sip of it and it tasted and smelled a bit like alcohol and obviously had the apple taste. But it had that beer smell. And…
MicroVision Co
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8
votes
2 answers
When will Maitreya Buddha come according to the Manimekalai?
According to Buddhism, Maitreya Buddha is a Buddha who will come some time in the future. Some sources say he will come hundreds of thousands of years from now, but the Manimekalai, a 6th century Buddhist epic poem written in the language Tamil,…
Keshav Srinivasan
- 477
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8
votes
3 answers
Insight in Buddhism
What is "insight" the "knowing that I know" in Buddhism?
I understand the concept of consciousness a bit better but what about having Insight.
Carlos Raimundo
- 81
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8
votes
9 answers
Buddhism is kind of depressing
Please correct me if I'm misguided about this but I was doing some reading which seemed to be saying that life on this earth is nothing but suffering. That while we are ignorant we wander around in samsara experiencing the pain of birth, ageing,…
Sati
- 519
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8
votes
2 answers
What is the role of kōans in contemporary Buddhism?
I have a copy of The Iron Flute that I use to study individual kōans, and read the analysis provided. I feel like this provides me with some good insight, but it also feels... backwards.
How are kōans used in modern Buddhism?
Are they intended as…
Beofett
- 311
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8
votes
5 answers
Neither-pleasant-nor-unpleasant feeling vs not feeling
What's the difference? I'm having difficulty thinking of any real neutral feelings I actually experience.
For example, there's eating a food that is perceived as pleasant, and eating a food that is perceived as unpleasant. If your senses were…
oct
- 81
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8
votes
12 answers
Is it possible to adhere to the practices and beliefs of both Buddhist and Christianity?
What are the similarities and contrasts between Buddhism and Christianity? To what extent do they make it possible (or not) to practice in and hold the beliefs of both?
Thomas Schulte
- 415
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8
votes
10 answers
If each person's mind creates "reality" then why do we need to eat?
My teacher has been talking about how each person's reality (including the body) is in fact an illusion generated by the mind in each moment. As an extension of this, she teaches that there are no "good" or "bad" people, things or circumstances -…
user11124
- 141
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8
votes
18 answers
I don't like people
I'm trying to follow Buddhist teachings but I generally don't like people so I don't feel like practising metta towards them. They just irritate me and I don't care if they suffer or not. I usually just want them to F off and leave me alone. How…
Saddhā
- 646
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8
votes
6 answers
Lust arises every time I am alone
Similarly as this question When I started vipassana with my room mate and we both meditate peacefully, but now he left and I am alone, I have noticed lust in mind that it goes less me to wrong websites and in result in negative deeds.
I have tried…
Ritesh.mlk
- 918
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8
votes
4 answers
How does an ālaya-vijñāna work?
And in particular, is it eternal, unchanging and like any other formulation for a soul that we might have seen, in say Christianity or Hinduism?
This particular idea, that ālaya-vijñāna is like a permanent self, is mentioned in "Confessions of a…
MatthewMartin
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8
votes
6 answers
Where can I find a reference for someone becoming a sotapanna through meditation?
I've come across many stories in the Tipitaka where people attained arahanthood or became non-returners through meditation. However, I cannot recollect any instance where someone becomes a sotapanna through a meditation practice (including…
dmsp
- 4,263
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8
votes
7 answers
Which suttas in the Pali canon are relatively early or late?
Do people (monks and/or scholars) have a sense of how old (or relatively old) each sutta is in the Pali canon: i.e. which suttas are considered "earlier" or "later"?
If not for individual suttas, how about for whole Nikayas: are some Nikayas viewed…
ChrisW
- 46,455
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8
votes
5 answers
What are the salient differences between the Pāḷi Nikāyas & Chinese Āgamas?
What are the salient differences between the Pāḷi Nikāyas & Chinese Āgamas?
I'm looking specifically for a comprehensive list of discourses that are unique in the Āgama collection and differences between parallel discourses.
Unrul3r
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