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1500 questions
8
votes
6 answers
How is it possible to change habits cultivated over lifetimes
If one has cultivated a habit for countless lifetimes, how is it possible to reverse such habit? Is it possible at all? Is that person entirely at the mercy of external factors? (are we ever not entirely at the mercy of external factors? This is an…
Anton
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8
votes
2 answers
What is meant by Namu Amida Butsu and also Nam-myoho-renge-kyo?
In two schools of Buddhism, an important part of the practice is the repetition of special mantras which sound like simple expressions of honor or gratitude to those of us outside of the sects, but which have profound meaning to the practitioners.…
Robin111
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8
votes
3 answers
How do Buddhists justify or explain that monks and/or temples amass and use wealth?
This question applies mainly to Theravada Buddhism, which is the prevailing branch of Buddhism in my country (Sri Lanka).
I've observed, many times, how many temples and monks are amassing wealth and influence. Some monks travel in luxury vehicles.…
Thihara
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8
votes
5 answers
What do Buddhists do to prevent sexual desires?
Does Buddhism do anything to prevent sexual desires?
Do they do anything to lower sexual desires?
Prevent eating certain foods or something similar?
William
- 207
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8
votes
3 answers
Should I limit the time I do metta?
Metta feels great. It is unconditional love on tap. So, could there be too much of it? It is addicting.
Euphorbium
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8
votes
5 answers
What are the Pali translations for mindfulness?
I know that the Pali word for mindfulness is sati as in the Satipatthana Sutta but I've also heard that there is more than one word for mindfulness that is used throughout the Pali Canon.
Can anyone give a list of the different words used and…
Crab Bucket
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8
votes
1 answer
Why do Buddhist Stupas have various shapes?
I came across a gallery of Stupas from around the world and it made me wonder why some of them differ in shape considerably. Do they express different aspects of Buddhism or is the source of difference rather cultural/historical?
I am aware that in…
Rabbit
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8
votes
2 answers
What are any and all of the exceptions to eating after noon if you've taken 8 precepts?
Is broth and vegetable juice allowable?
I am preferably looking for an answer by an experienced monk.
Anatta34811
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8
votes
4 answers
What is taught about Buddha nature in Theravada Buddhism?
Reference: http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/snapshot02.htm
The very last row talks about Buddha Nature. According to this page, Buddha Nature is not taught in Theravada Buddhism, and to my understanding, Buddha Nature is the potential for a being…
Anton
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8
votes
5 answers
Is there any extreme of physical pain that a fully enlightened person would find unpleasant on any level?
In other words, by not conceptualizing sensations of physical pain, do fully enlightened people still experience unpleasantness and simply not label it as such, or is the experience fundamentally without anything that an unenlightened mind would…
rainbow_light
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8
votes
2 answers
Buddhas of The Ten Directions
What are the Buddhas of the ten directions? What are the applications of this teaching in the Buddhist traditions?
DharmaEater
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8
votes
2 answers
Buddhism in the Middle East
It is said, Buddhist missionaries made it to Alexandria Egypt and else where in the Mediterranean circa 200 BCE. Have any scholars and/or archeologists found any evidence of Buddhism being practiced in the Eastern Mediterranean?
DharmaEater
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8
votes
1 answer
Where is the Buddha originally quoted as saying "On heaven and earth, I alone am honored"?
In Chinese and especially Japanese Buddhism, the statement 天上天下唯我独尊 (Japanese tenjou tenge yui ga dokuson; not sure about the Chinese transliteration), which is typically translated as "On heaven and earth, I alone am honored", is considered to be a…
senshin
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8
votes
3 answers
How did Buddha's teachings about samsara differ from earlier Indian tradition?
Even before the Buddha, the wheel of birth and death was a common teaching in India, with the six stages or realms. This is something that has passed down into Buddhism (even today). What did the Buddha add to this traditional teaching, and how does…
Dan Hulme
- 475
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8
votes
1 answer
Nine Purification Breaths and Channels in Genderqueer and Intersex Individuals
When performing the Nine Purification Breaths (I have it from a separate source, but it is close to the one described by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche in Healing with Form, Energy, and Light) the position of the energy channels depends on whether the…
Hrafn
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