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Frequently Asked Questions
I've decided to create a thread about some frequently asked questions and that way people would be able to benefit from it. 
Please feel free to point out any mistakes and give suggestions for this thread.
Frequently asked Questions.
What is the meditation ?
“Meditation, in the Buddhist sense of the word, is not mere desultory reflection but a
severe exercise in attention, discipline of will and mind, and concentration of thought.”
The purpose of meditation
Quote:
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td class="alt2" style="border: 1px inset;"> Meditation is to winnow the mind from all distractions and attachments (amongst which it is incessantly scattered and diffused from second to second) and by
focusing the attention upon a specific subject to attain to tranquillity. And not only tranquillity but to mental equipoise (samatha) and that one-pointed (ekaggatā) potential of concentrated-absorption called jhāna. </td> </tr> </tbody></table>
I've been meditating for quite a while but I can't experience any improvements. What are your suggestions ?
Keep on with your practice and don't give up as the quote below explains...
What are the benefits of meditation ?
Below is a list of benefits of meditation but they're not exhaustive.
. Greater Orderliness of Brain Functioning
· Improved Ability to Focus
· Increased Creativity
· Deeper Level of Relaxation
· Improved Perception and Memory
· Development of Intelligence
· Natural Change in Breathing
· Decrease in Stress Hormone
· Lower Blood Pressure
· Reversal of Aging Process
· Reduced Need for Medical Care
· Reduction in Cholesterol
· Increased Self-Actualization
· Increased Strength of Self-Concept
· Decreased Cigarette, Alcohol, and Drug Abuse
· Increased Productivity
· Improved Relations at Work
· Increased Relaxation and Decreased Stress
· Improved Health and More Positive Health Habits
I heard that there are some people who had gone mad or suffer from mental illness as a result is that true ? And why ?
Yes that is true, however that only applies to a minority. If meditation is done correctly and for the correct purpose it is impossible to suffer from any mental illness. Meditation have it's benefits as listed above.
The reasons why some people develop mental illnesses from meditation is because of their way of meditation. Some meditate, wishing to commit bad deeds. Actions and thoughts as such will cause the practitioner to go mad.
What is the purpose of practicing Buddhism ?
The ultimate goal for all Buddhists is Nirvana, the permanent place of refuge from samsara that is outside the three worlds and does not comprise of any of the five elements.
How can one reach or obtain Nirvana ?
It is a tough issue. Reaching Nirvana takes a lot of years, a lot of aeons and mahakalpas to be precise.
What does one need to do to start ? Or continue what you've done from your past lives. ?
The practice of Middleway (Majjhima Patipada) and the avoidance of two other paths which Lord Buddha had gone through before and marked them as dangerous.
They are:
1. the Path of sensual Pleasure
2. The path of practicing self-mortification
The Basic Three practices:
1. Practice Meditation
2. Practice keeping the five precepts*
3. Practice generosity
The practice of the Noble Eightfold Path:
(1) Sammā DitLtLhi (Right Understanding);
(2) Sammā Sankappa (Right Aspiration);
(3) Sammā Vācā (Right Speech);
(4) Sammā Kammanta (Right Conduct);
(5) Sammā Ᾱjīva (Right Livelihood);
(6) Sammā Vāyāma (Right Endeavour);
(7) Sammā Sati (Right Mindfulness); and
(8) Sammā Samādhi (Right Concentration).
Could you please elaborate what does the Noble Eightfold path require us to do ?
You can define the components of the Eightfold Path in terms of practice at two levels: Low(worldly) and high (transcendental)
1.Right understanding(Low) At low level Right view means having the discretion to believe in the working of karma: that doing good deeds will merit good outcomes and that evil deeds will cause unfortunate retribution
Right understanding(high): At high level Right view means the ultimate wisdom based on an attainment of Nirvana, which is devoid of any further influence of ignorance (avijja) or defilements (anusaya)
2. Right aspiration/Intention (low): At low level Right aspiration means having the wholesome intention to be generous, keep the five precepts, renounce the world to become a monk, avoid taking advantage of other people or animals
Right aspiration(high): At high level Right intention means the intention to dedicate oneself entirely to the attainment of Nirvana
3. Right Speech: Right Speech means avoiding the four types of False Speech:
1. Telling Lies (Musavada)
2. Divisive Speech (Pisunavaca)
3. Swearing (Pharusavaca)
4. Idle Chatter (Samphapphlapa)
4.Right conduct: right conduct means practicing the three wholesome physical deeds, namely:
1. Refraining from killing or physically torturing other living beings (panatipada)
2. refraining from stealing or obtaining things in a dishonest way (adinnadana)
3. Refraining from sexual relations outside marriage (Kamesumicchara)
Furthermore, one must not consume intoxicants such as alcohol that lead to heedlessness
5.Right Livelihood: Right live-hood means earning one's living in an honest way -- and in a way that avoids evils like telling lies, deception. For lay people the Buddha prohibits the following trades:
1. Selling weapons
2. Selling people (as slaves)
3. Selling animals (live ones for slaughter)
4. Selling alcohol or drugs*
5. Selling poison
6.Right Effort/Endeavor: Right Effort means endowing oneself with four sorts of striving:
1. Avoidance of evils not yet done
2. Abandonment of evils already done
3. Development of virtues not yet done
4. Maintenance of virtues already mastered
7.Right Mindfulness(low): At low level Right mindfulness means mindfulness that keeps our mind on wholesome thoughts liek that of meritorious actions like generosity, keeping the precepts, thinking of the Triple Gem, thinking of those whom you have a debt of gratitude like your parents or teachers
8.Right concentration(low): At low level Right concentration means determination of mind to be generous, keep the precepts, meditate, listen to Dhamma sermons. Such determination is a precursor of concentration called 'Khanika-samadhi'.
Right Concentration(high): At high level Right concentration means attaning neighborhood concentration(upacara-samadhi) and attainment concentration(appana-samadhi) -- the former means concentrating the mind to the degree that is so stable it rests on the brink of the 'absorption the latter means attaining the absorptions, from the first absorption upwards.
Cultivating Pāramitās
(1) Dāna (Charity)
(2) Sīla (Morality)
(3) Nekkhamma (Renunciation)
(4) Paññā (Wisdom)
(5) Viriya (Energy)
(6) Khanti (Fortitude)
(7) Sacca (Truth)
(8) AdhitLtLhāna (Earnest Resolve)*
(9) Mettā (Compassionate love)
(10) Upekkhā (Equanimity)Without these resources at one's command it would be futile to try, for they are the very qualities, in fact, which make a man intelligent, without guile, a non-deceiver, and upright.
Quote:
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td class="alt2" style="border: 1px inset;"> Regarding the building of pāramī (perfect qualities of consciousness), it may be said that it is not only a means to an end (Nibbāna) but, in a certain sense, an end in itself. </td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Does Buddhism seem too pessimistic ?
No. Buddhism does not emphasize on non-self, suffering and impermanence. Lord Buddha emphasize more on Self, Happiness and Permanence which he wants us to realize for ourselves through meditation
Does other universes and world systems exist ?
Yes they do exist, so many in fact they are uncountable.
Quote:
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td class="alt2" style="border: 1px inset;"> The picture of the world presented in Buddhist cosmological descriptions cannot be described
literally, with a literal description, or by any scientific experiment. This picture may be
inconsistent with astronomical data that has been used up to the present day. However, it can be perceived by everyone through the means of meditation: the entire universe has been seen through the Dibbayacakkhu (the divine eyes) by the Lord Buddha and people who have trained the mind enough to perceive the existence of all worlds and their interrelatedness.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
1) Does heaven and hells exist ?
2)I heard there are many levels of heavens and hells is that True ?
3) What factor determines one stay in the heavens ?
Yes, heavens and hells do exist and they're classified into many different levels and merit is the dominant determinant for a being rebirth in heavens or hells.
In Vertical Cosmology:
Quote:
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td class="alt2" style="border: 1px inset;"> The universe consists of many worlds (lokah), or planes, stacked one upon the next in layers. Each world corresponds to a mental state or state of being. A world in Buddhism is not so much a location as it is the beings that compose it; it is sustained by their karma and if the beings in a world all die or disappear, the world disappears, too. Likewise, a world comes into existence when the first being is born into it. The physical difference or separation, is not as important as the difference in mental state; humans and animals, though they partially share the same physical environments, still belong to different worlds because their minds perceive and react to those environments differently.
Vertical cosmology is divided into thirty‐one planes, thirty one realms or thirty one bumis, each
corresponding to a different type of mentality. All thirty one can be divided into three
categories (Tridhatu): the Arupadhatu (Arupabumi), the Rupadhatu (Rupabumi) and the
Kamadhatu (Kamabumi). In the latter scheme, all of the beings born in the Arupadhatu and the
Rupadhatu may be classified as “gods” or “deities” (devah), as can a considerable fraction of
the beings born in the Kamadhatu, even though the deities of the Kamadhatu differ more from
those of the Arupyadhatu than they do from humans. It should be understood that deva is an
imprecise term referring to any being living in a longer‐lived and generally more blissful state
than humans. However, all of them are not “gods” in the common sense of the term, but they
are involved with good deeds when they are humans. The fruits of different levels or amounts
of good deeds allowed them to be born in a higher and happier realm. But when the fruit of
those deeds have run out, they will be reincarnated as humans, or lower beings, according to
the inner fruits of their deeds.
The term “brahma” is used both as a name and as a generic term for one of the higher devas.
In its broadest sense, it can refer to any of the inhabitants of the Arupadhatu and the
Rupadhatu. In more restricted senses, it can refer to an inhabitant of one of the nine lower
worlds of the Rupadhatu, or in its narrowest sense, to the three lowest worlds of the
Rupadhatu. A large number of devas use the name “Brahma”, e.g. Braham Sahampati, Brahma
Sanatkumara, Baka Brahma, etc. </td> </tr> </tbody></table>
The Buddha's teachings about samsara and the universe seems limited is there more to what he teaches ?
Yes. There are many more knowledge to be learned about samsara and the universe. What the Lord Buddha taught is just for sentient beings to reach enlightenment. And below is a quote which the Lord Buddha had said.
Note: I couldn't find the more actual and realistic words so I've reworded them according to my memory. If anyone could find the actualy quote I would be very grateful.
Quote:
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td class="alt2" style="border: 1px inset;"> There was an occasion when Lord Buddha and his disciples walked into a forest.
Someone asked Shakyamuni Buddha about what he had taught whether they were everything he knew.
Lord Buddha picked up a handful of leaves and said "What I've taught is tantamount to the leaves in my hands, I will only teach sentient beings with knowledge that are beneficial."
"The knowledge of the universe is akin to the leaves in the forests, more numerous than the leaves on my hands". </td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Status: 40% completed
Do you have anything to add on ? Please share
Sources: 1) The Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta.
2) Documents from Triple-gem.net
3) The Internet (Wide-area-network)
Warmly,
Exonesion
Please feel free to point out any mistakes and give suggestions for this thread.
Frequently asked Questions.
What is the meditation ?
“Meditation, in the Buddhist sense of the word, is not mere desultory reflection but a
severe exercise in attention, discipline of will and mind, and concentration of thought.”
The purpose of meditation
Quote:
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td class="alt2" style="border: 1px inset;"> Meditation is to winnow the mind from all distractions and attachments (amongst which it is incessantly scattered and diffused from second to second) and by
focusing the attention upon a specific subject to attain to tranquillity. And not only tranquillity but to mental equipoise (samatha) and that one-pointed (ekaggatā) potential of concentrated-absorption called jhāna. </td> </tr> </tbody></table>
I've been meditating for quite a while but I can't experience any improvements. What are your suggestions ?
Keep on with your practice and don't give up as the quote below explains...
However, it may so happen that after weeks, months, and even years of Vipassanā no visible result is achieved. If so, there nevertheless will be invisible ones. Namely, each hour of concentrated practice bears inner fruit, in that it is an augmentation of merit (puñña) and Perfection (pārami), which exist independent of their perceptibility. With time, patience, and perseverance all things come into their own, the will being there.
What are the benefits of meditation ?
Below is a list of benefits of meditation but they're not exhaustive.
. Greater Orderliness of Brain Functioning
· Improved Ability to Focus
· Increased Creativity
· Deeper Level of Relaxation
· Improved Perception and Memory
· Development of Intelligence
· Natural Change in Breathing
· Decrease in Stress Hormone
· Lower Blood Pressure
· Reversal of Aging Process
· Reduced Need for Medical Care
· Reduction in Cholesterol
· Increased Self-Actualization
· Increased Strength of Self-Concept
· Decreased Cigarette, Alcohol, and Drug Abuse
· Increased Productivity
· Improved Relations at Work
· Increased Relaxation and Decreased Stress
· Improved Health and More Positive Health Habits
I heard that there are some people who had gone mad or suffer from mental illness as a result is that true ? And why ?
Yes that is true, however that only applies to a minority. If meditation is done correctly and for the correct purpose it is impossible to suffer from any mental illness. Meditation have it's benefits as listed above.
The reasons why some people develop mental illnesses from meditation is because of their way of meditation. Some meditate, wishing to commit bad deeds. Actions and thoughts as such will cause the practitioner to go mad.
What is the purpose of practicing Buddhism ?
The ultimate goal for all Buddhists is Nirvana, the permanent place of refuge from samsara that is outside the three worlds and does not comprise of any of the five elements.
How can one reach or obtain Nirvana ?
It is a tough issue. Reaching Nirvana takes a lot of years, a lot of aeons and mahakalpas to be precise.
What does one need to do to start ? Or continue what you've done from your past lives. ?
The practice of Middleway (Majjhima Patipada) and the avoidance of two other paths which Lord Buddha had gone through before and marked them as dangerous.
They are:
1. the Path of sensual Pleasure
2. The path of practicing self-mortification
The Basic Three practices:
1. Practice Meditation
2. Practice keeping the five precepts*
3. Practice generosity
The practice of the Noble Eightfold Path:
(1) Sammā DitLtLhi (Right Understanding);
(2) Sammā Sankappa (Right Aspiration);
(3) Sammā Vācā (Right Speech);
(4) Sammā Kammanta (Right Conduct);
(5) Sammā Ᾱjīva (Right Livelihood);
(6) Sammā Vāyāma (Right Endeavour);
(7) Sammā Sati (Right Mindfulness); and
(8) Sammā Samādhi (Right Concentration).
Could you please elaborate what does the Noble Eightfold path require us to do ?
You can define the components of the Eightfold Path in terms of practice at two levels: Low(worldly) and high (transcendental)
1.Right understanding(Low) At low level Right view means having the discretion to believe in the working of karma: that doing good deeds will merit good outcomes and that evil deeds will cause unfortunate retribution
Right understanding(high): At high level Right view means the ultimate wisdom based on an attainment of Nirvana, which is devoid of any further influence of ignorance (avijja) or defilements (anusaya)
2. Right aspiration/Intention (low): At low level Right aspiration means having the wholesome intention to be generous, keep the five precepts, renounce the world to become a monk, avoid taking advantage of other people or animals
Right aspiration(high): At high level Right intention means the intention to dedicate oneself entirely to the attainment of Nirvana
3. Right Speech: Right Speech means avoiding the four types of False Speech:
1. Telling Lies (Musavada)
2. Divisive Speech (Pisunavaca)
3. Swearing (Pharusavaca)
4. Idle Chatter (Samphapphlapa)
4.Right conduct: right conduct means practicing the three wholesome physical deeds, namely:
1. Refraining from killing or physically torturing other living beings (panatipada)
2. refraining from stealing or obtaining things in a dishonest way (adinnadana)
3. Refraining from sexual relations outside marriage (Kamesumicchara)
Furthermore, one must not consume intoxicants such as alcohol that lead to heedlessness
5.Right Livelihood: Right live-hood means earning one's living in an honest way -- and in a way that avoids evils like telling lies, deception. For lay people the Buddha prohibits the following trades:
1. Selling weapons
2. Selling people (as slaves)
3. Selling animals (live ones for slaughter)
4. Selling alcohol or drugs*
5. Selling poison
6.Right Effort/Endeavor: Right Effort means endowing oneself with four sorts of striving:
1. Avoidance of evils not yet done
2. Abandonment of evils already done
3. Development of virtues not yet done
4. Maintenance of virtues already mastered
7.Right Mindfulness(low): At low level Right mindfulness means mindfulness that keeps our mind on wholesome thoughts liek that of meritorious actions like generosity, keeping the precepts, thinking of the Triple Gem, thinking of those whom you have a debt of gratitude like your parents or teachers
8.Right concentration(low): At low level Right concentration means determination of mind to be generous, keep the precepts, meditate, listen to Dhamma sermons. Such determination is a precursor of concentration called 'Khanika-samadhi'.
Right Concentration(high): At high level Right concentration means attaning neighborhood concentration(upacara-samadhi) and attainment concentration(appana-samadhi) -- the former means concentrating the mind to the degree that is so stable it rests on the brink of the 'absorption the latter means attaining the absorptions, from the first absorption upwards.
Cultivating Pāramitās
(1) Dāna (Charity)
(2) Sīla (Morality)
(3) Nekkhamma (Renunciation)
(4) Paññā (Wisdom)
(5) Viriya (Energy)
(6) Khanti (Fortitude)
(7) Sacca (Truth)
(8) AdhitLtLhāna (Earnest Resolve)*
(9) Mettā (Compassionate love)
(10) Upekkhā (Equanimity)Without these resources at one's command it would be futile to try, for they are the very qualities, in fact, which make a man intelligent, without guile, a non-deceiver, and upright.
Quote:
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td class="alt2" style="border: 1px inset;"> Regarding the building of pāramī (perfect qualities of consciousness), it may be said that it is not only a means to an end (Nibbāna) but, in a certain sense, an end in itself. </td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Does Buddhism seem too pessimistic ?
No. Buddhism does not emphasize on non-self, suffering and impermanence. Lord Buddha emphasize more on Self, Happiness and Permanence which he wants us to realize for ourselves through meditation
Does other universes and world systems exist ?
Yes they do exist, so many in fact they are uncountable.
Quote:
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td class="alt2" style="border: 1px inset;"> The picture of the world presented in Buddhist cosmological descriptions cannot be described
literally, with a literal description, or by any scientific experiment. This picture may be
inconsistent with astronomical data that has been used up to the present day. However, it can be perceived by everyone through the means of meditation: the entire universe has been seen through the Dibbayacakkhu (the divine eyes) by the Lord Buddha and people who have trained the mind enough to perceive the existence of all worlds and their interrelatedness.
</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
1) Does heaven and hells exist ?
2)I heard there are many levels of heavens and hells is that True ?
3) What factor determines one stay in the heavens ?
Yes, heavens and hells do exist and they're classified into many different levels and merit is the dominant determinant for a being rebirth in heavens or hells.
In Vertical Cosmology:
Quote:
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td class="alt2" style="border: 1px inset;"> The universe consists of many worlds (lokah), or planes, stacked one upon the next in layers. Each world corresponds to a mental state or state of being. A world in Buddhism is not so much a location as it is the beings that compose it; it is sustained by their karma and if the beings in a world all die or disappear, the world disappears, too. Likewise, a world comes into existence when the first being is born into it. The physical difference or separation, is not as important as the difference in mental state; humans and animals, though they partially share the same physical environments, still belong to different worlds because their minds perceive and react to those environments differently.
Vertical cosmology is divided into thirty‐one planes, thirty one realms or thirty one bumis, each
corresponding to a different type of mentality. All thirty one can be divided into three
categories (Tridhatu): the Arupadhatu (Arupabumi), the Rupadhatu (Rupabumi) and the
Kamadhatu (Kamabumi). In the latter scheme, all of the beings born in the Arupadhatu and the
Rupadhatu may be classified as “gods” or “deities” (devah), as can a considerable fraction of
the beings born in the Kamadhatu, even though the deities of the Kamadhatu differ more from
those of the Arupyadhatu than they do from humans. It should be understood that deva is an
imprecise term referring to any being living in a longer‐lived and generally more blissful state
than humans. However, all of them are not “gods” in the common sense of the term, but they
are involved with good deeds when they are humans. The fruits of different levels or amounts
of good deeds allowed them to be born in a higher and happier realm. But when the fruit of
those deeds have run out, they will be reincarnated as humans, or lower beings, according to
the inner fruits of their deeds.
The term “brahma” is used both as a name and as a generic term for one of the higher devas.
In its broadest sense, it can refer to any of the inhabitants of the Arupadhatu and the
Rupadhatu. In more restricted senses, it can refer to an inhabitant of one of the nine lower
worlds of the Rupadhatu, or in its narrowest sense, to the three lowest worlds of the
Rupadhatu. A large number of devas use the name “Brahma”, e.g. Braham Sahampati, Brahma
Sanatkumara, Baka Brahma, etc. </td> </tr> </tbody></table>
The Buddha's teachings about samsara and the universe seems limited is there more to what he teaches ?
Yes. There are many more knowledge to be learned about samsara and the universe. What the Lord Buddha taught is just for sentient beings to reach enlightenment. And below is a quote which the Lord Buddha had said.
Note: I couldn't find the more actual and realistic words so I've reworded them according to my memory. If anyone could find the actualy quote I would be very grateful.
Quote:
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td class="alt2" style="border: 1px inset;"> There was an occasion when Lord Buddha and his disciples walked into a forest.
Someone asked Shakyamuni Buddha about what he had taught whether they were everything he knew.
Lord Buddha picked up a handful of leaves and said "What I've taught is tantamount to the leaves in my hands, I will only teach sentient beings with knowledge that are beneficial."
"The knowledge of the universe is akin to the leaves in the forests, more numerous than the leaves on my hands". </td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Status: 40% completed
Do you have anything to add on ? Please share
Sources: 1) The Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta.
2) Documents from Triple-gem.net
3) The Internet (Wide-area-network)
Warmly,
Exonesion
0
Comments
Here goes a heartfelt question which I hope you will answer in any way you like. Let me preface my question with an observation: We human beings quite often complicate things simply by seeking to have fun with cleverness.
My question: What kind of greediness is this that invites the spirit of misunderstanding and even aversion in other people, simply by our recklessly throwing comments around all the time at small things? Did not Buddha teach that we should be more earnest in our dealings with people? I know he warned his disciples about the insidious trap of chatter and how it is to be avoided like a plague. Or am I remembering it with too much emphasis? I cannot find the source right now. Please supply? _____________
I realize that everybody is different and we need to make allowances —and even thanksgivings— for that (How insufferably boring if we were all clones of each other!). Furthermore, one man's greed to be chattering away is no more greedy than my desire for quiet, is it?
IN WHAT WAYS does the Dharma lead us towards earnest following of the path, whether through noise or quiet, to be endearing companions for all we meet along the way? Is it not the most settling thing for the mind, making it most conducive to holy meditation, to neither give nor take offense?