Buddhism Stack Exchange
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1500 questions
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8 answers

Where do thoughts arise?

I have been reading books on Buddhism, Zen, meditation. All mention observing one's thoughts and let it pass. My question is where does thought arise from and do thoughts create karma by just thinking about them? Thanks
user5010
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What's the buddhist stance on cognitive behavioral therapy?

Is it a good idea to expose yourself to situations that trigger fear and anxiety and use meditation to get through it, or is the desire to overcome fear and anxiety "bad" because it's technically a desire? (And fear and anxiety are only temporary…
bismillah
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How to Study the Suttas?

I practice the Theravada tradition. There are a lot of suttas, and I don't know how to go about studying them. Can I please get some pointers or guidelines on how I can study them? For example, which suttas to start with, or maybe some kind of…
Orion
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Did the Buddha discover jhana by himself?

I was reading Ajahn Brahmavamso's book 'The Jhanas' (available freely online) in which he says that the Buddha discovered Jhanas by himself, and what Alara Kalama and Uddakha Ramaputta taught, were not related to jhana. The reason I am requesting…
Kaveenga Wijayasekara
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What Buddhist Software is there?

I'm a programmer who is also interested in Buddhism and right now I'm in the planning stage for creating software inspired by Buddhism. I would like to know what Buddhism-related (or -inspired) software is already out there (including simple web…
sunyata
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Why is Metta Practice so Hard?

I find it very difficult to practice metta. I feel completely agitated when I sit to do metta even for a short period of time.is this normal? First I can't feel any metta being generated and I feel like I'm just repeating empty words to people I'm…
Orion
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Is it more important not to break precepts through proxy, or to not cause suffering to your family?

An important point I see is how one furthers death and lying. Through working, you are taxed, and taxes fund the breaking of the precepts. Taxes fund war and espionage, so killing and stealing are definitely two which you break just by earning…
Anton A. Zabirko
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Is Buddhism something that you should study?

Is Buddhism something that you should consider as a field that you should endeavour to study and develop a deep understanding of or is it enough just to simply sit, just as the Zen tradition seems to suggest? To elaborate a bit more, is it…
Jose B
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How to Practice Vipassana?

I have been practicing samatha for five years now and have rarely done any other kind of meditation. I have tried to practice vipassana in the past but get confused with how to do it. First of all you place your attention on your abdomen,when i'm…
Orion
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Apocarteresis in Buddhism

Apocarteresis is a form of suicide where a person stops taking food and/or water. Now, I want to make it very clear that I have no intention of committing suicide anytime soon. However, as the Buddha taught, old age, illness and death are part of…
Alessandro Macilenti
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What happens to the five aggregates after death?

What happens to the five skandhas of a particular person after death? Do they stay together, and cause birth of a one specific person (which can be called rebirth), or do they separate? If they separate, do they separate just into 5, or does each…
michau
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Do Arhats sleep?

I have read somewhere that Arhats (people who attained Nirvana) do not sleep like normal people do. Instead they just stay calm in a suitable position to give the rest required for the physical body, but their mind is always alert... Is this true?
PasanW
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Information Technology Careers and Right Livelihood Dharma

As a Buddhist looking for perfecting his Right Livelihood: finding a Livelihood which is so perfect and Right that it not only avoids bad-karma-making (killing, stealing, intoxication, etc.) but even furthers the level of Dharma in the world…
Ahmed
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What is the difference between the progress of low and high intensive meditators?

What is the difference between the progress of "low intensive" meditators as opposed to "high intensive" meditators? By low intensive I mean like a meditator who has never been to a ten day intensive retreat and spreads sitting time over a longer…
Lowbrow
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Drunk monks and the 5th precept

I have heard that the 5th precept was not a core of Buddhism, it was created later by the Buddha after some monks returned drunk from alms because they had something with alcohol (accidently I believe) My first question is: Is this story true? Many…
konrad01
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