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1500 questions
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3 answers
Are Vajrayana and Tibetan Buddhism the same thing?
This is a hugely amateurish question, for which I apologize, but: are Vajrayana and Tibetan Buddhism the same thing? If not, how are they related?
In particular, does the term "Tibetan Buddhism" refer to a specific school of Buddhist thought and…
senshin
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19
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Do you have to follow a monastic lifestyle to attain enlightenment?
How do the different groups/sects of Buddhism view attaining enlightenment and living a common life? In other words, do they think it is possible to be a common person and achieve enlightenment? Even for someone who has a family, friends and…
eric
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18
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How concentrated is access concentration and how would one recognise it?
A meditation teacher I once had said that access concentration (the stage before the jhanas) is the same level of concentration that one has when reading a good book or when fully engaged in conversation. However when I've read about it in other…
Crab Bucket
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18
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Caught between two worlds
Hi my Name is Tobias and I am 31 years old. Of course there is a personal story behind my question and a lot of causes and conditions that led to my current situation but in brief the question goes somewhat like this:
What advice could you give…
Tobias
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18
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Is a belief in rebirth a necessity for Buddhist practice?
Can someone be a wholehearted Buddhist practitioner if they entirely reject rebirth? Or is anyone that follows the Buddhist path while not subscribing to rebirth only getting half the story? Or is the non-rebirth believer deluding themselves if they…
Crab Bucket
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18
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5 answers
How is sexual misconduct explained in regards to the five precepts?
The 3rd precept is:
I undertake the training rule to avoid sexual misconduct.
How is this precept explained?
Marriage is defined differently in different cultures, so are the commonly accepted rules in a given society considered as…
Nalaka526
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18
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15 answers
Why do Buddhists believe there is no creator?
Why do Buddhists believe there is no creator?
Do Buddhists in general also believe there is no supreme being, or do they settle on that there is no intervening supreme being?
Are these the Buddha's thoughts or a deductive conclusion from some type…
Jonas Byström
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How are 'conceit' and 'identity-view' not the same?
Looking at the Lists of fetters I see "conceit" and "identity view" listed separately ... and the four stages of enlightenment say that identity view will be abandoned (in the first stage) before conceit (in the fourth stage).
Wikipedia article…
ChrisW
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5 answers
As a Buddhist with a Muslim family, community, and background... how do you integrate/cope?
Coming from an Islamic background and having a community/Sangha that is loyal to the religion of Islam, how do you harmoniously integrate yourself and your Buddhist study and practice with the community you were born in including within a mosque?
Ahmed
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What are examples of identity-view?
Identity view (sakkāya-diṭṭhi) is the first of the ten fetters.
The "eradication" of identity-view is important towards enlightenment.
Presumably, "eradication of identity-view" is more than simply claiming, "Yes, there's no self anywhere!!"
So, how…
ChrisW
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17
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6 answers
What are the common buddhist practices to eliminate sleepiness?
I sleep the hours which are said to be needed, but I still feel sleepy. I've been drinking coffee recently to eliminate grogginess, and it does work for me. However, I was wondering if there are other methods of eliminating grogginess?
DLV
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17
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14 answers
Am I following Buddhism as a sort of Escapism?
Some body close to me said to me, "you failed in the real world and so now you are chasing Nirvana and running away". It hurt me a little but set me thinking if he is right?
The story is, I come from a Hindu background and long story short I got…
The White Cloud
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17
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8 answers
Chronological or other sequence for beginners
At least one of the "introductions to Buddhism" that I read included elements from, some biography of, the life of the Buddha, including:
Early life
Searching for enlightenment
Sermon at Benares (a.k.a. "Setting the Wheel of Dhamma in…
ChrisW
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Why isn't there a Buddhist Bible?
Why is it that Buddhism never compiled a reasonably concise set of canonical texts like the Bible? Buddhism itself has universal beliefs such as the 4 Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path and the notion of going for refuge. To me then it doesn't seem…
Crab Bucket
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17
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8 answers
How to deal with bad past karma that makes my current life miserable?
Before I practice Buddhism,I've made mistakes and hurt other. Sometimes I thought what happen to me now is the effect of what I did.
I try to keep doing positive things but sometimes I could not stand this hard situation. Could anyone tell me…
sherly
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