Dhamma Wheel

Hi. I'm wondering... for Buddhists and Theravada Buddhism I'm particular, are there any beings, deities, spirits to pray to or invoke if you are in some sort of trouble? In short, no. Innumerable places in the Canon, the Buddha explained the job is ours to do ourselves. This confuses some, because ...

What does dont cling to form, feeling, perception, mental formations and conciousness mean? This is where a in person teacher can help you. I don't think that the answers here on the forum are helping you based on your line of inquiry. It seems like each question you ask leads to another, totally d...

user99 wrote: ↑Fri Oct 16, 2020 6:42 pm What is the five aggregates?

Form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and conciousness. User99, you may strongly benefit from an in-person teacher to help you. It can help you move faster along the path especially early on, or with struggles as you go.

user99 wrote: ↑Wed Oct 14, 2020 9:02 pm Can you show me a proof of that?

Your question is basically if enlightenment exists if I am understanding right. Stream enterer is just the first step.

binocular wrote: ↑Sun Oct 11, 2020 9:55 pm And while I recognize that this is simply the standard religious/spiritual strategy to treat people (=actively ignoring them)

You've gotten 7 pages on this thread alone of people "actively ignoring" you so far. If your horse gets much higher I'm not sure how you'll see us at all.

Inedible wrote: ↑Tue Oct 13, 2020 3:38 pm It is hard to want when the I can't is so much stronger.

It might be worth reflecting on this voice in your head as being a defilement. It certainly is.

I would second the encouragement to let the feelings come in breath meditation. You may weep, strong feelings will arise but if you let them come and watch and acknowledge them you will be OK. If you find it too much, you may need to speak to a teacher or therapist to help work your way through it.

Given that - as has been said - nobody is omniscient, nobody here knows whether someone is "worthless" and a complete lost cause in this life. But on a subjective level, it makes perfect sense to consider that some posters are unworthy of my time, unteachable by me, not worth my effort, a waste of ...

I drink coffee a in the morning before I meditate. I don't see anything wrong with it, except if you drink it right before meditating you may have to urinate soon after which could interrupt your sitting. Everyone is different with caffeine so they have to adjust to how or if it effects them.

Sounds to me like as Sam said, sloth and torpor--is sometimes referred to as "delusion concentration", which is where the mind feels focused but is actually day dreaming and fantasizing. I'd recommend speaking to a meditation teacher in person as this can take some effort to un-stuck.

It may be helpful here to take a look at Thanissaro Bhikkhu's perspective of "Buddhist religions", that it to say, there are at least 3 different religions which claim the Buddha as their leader/teacher. Different perspectives, different texts, different teachings, different understandings. This doe...

Metta is better thought of as goodwill, and for two reasons. The first is that goodwill is an attitude you can express for everyone without fear of being hypocritical or unrealistic. It recognizes that people will become truly happy not as a result of your caring for them but as a result of their o...

OP, If you have lost your faith due to over-intellectualizing the path, it is unlikely that resuming in the same manner will be fruitful. How about trying to meditate. Put the books down.

If Gotama has discovered "something outside of space and time" then that certainly does not apply to his teachings which where either "a product of his time" or chosen in a way to meet the thoughts and perceptions of his hearers which were "a product of his time". Therefore 'secular buddhism' might...