I'm a fairly new meditator and often times when I sit, my heartbeat becomes a distraction when trying to focus on the breath. I can feel and hear every beat. If there is background noise, I don't notice as much, but it is still affecting my attention. Any suggestions on how to work around this so i...

A friend asked me what I thought of how ethical it would be to pose as a nude model for an art class. I couldn’t find something in the suttas that says being naked in front of others is wrong in a non-sexual context, except for a commentary to dhammapada 316. Not reliable enough for me to say one w...

If you knew the guy you wouldn't trust racial hatred towards him. Even if the FBI were doing that, and it happened, what would have been their motive? Amusement value. To rub it in her face that her husband was not as good as he tried to appear. It sounds like you are saying that because the FBI wa...

Dr Martin Luther King Jr. was a great Christian Dharma Practitioner. If only all of us would have continually progressive, useful, Awake Dreams such as him. :candle: :buddha1: Are you serious? He didn't even maintain the 5 basic sila requirements. The FBI was frequently giving his wife proof that h...

I'm officially changing the subject line. Mithology is not a word.

Sin isn't really Buddhist. Especially Theravada Buddhism.

You decide. For yourself. If you are gaining weight, eat less. If you are losing weight, eat more.

It is entertaining to talk about theoretical situations. If you have to make the decision for real, I hope you don't act according to random opinions on the Internet. And if you can't make the decision, at least pick someone to do it for you.

To my way of thinking, if something happened to me I'd prefer to avoid a situation where they are telling my wife that I died anyway and now they want her to pay a million dollars for time spent in the ICU.

Mahabrahma wrote: ↑Sun Oct 01, 2023 4:47 am My knowledge of this is limited to Xena: Warrior Princess, so I probably shouldn't comment. Or should I?

The woman who played Xena was in a Spartacus series. She wasn't really on the good side, but she looked good doing it.

The point is that Stream Entry does not require Jhana, so it is within reach of a householder. It is a guarantee that the next 7 lives will be human or as a Deva. And that's all. Once you know you have done it, you know you are safe. But without a Buddha to confirm the attainment, you can't relax an...

Ayya Khema is a good choice to learn from. I don't know if she is one of the EBT types. Every time I see that I think electronic bank transfer.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayya_Khema

The Wikipedia page lists her books. One of the external links takes you to a page with 475 Dhamma talks by her.

I think the point was the grapes and the juice. It won't stay good forever, and there is a lot of it. You'll notice the smell changing and the taste will start to be more sour. Have a plan ready for something you can do with the rest of the juice so it won't have to go to waste. I was just googling ...

Use your judgment about when it is no longer safe to drink. And until then, maybe you can find ways to make topical skin treatments with the rest of the grape juice.

Speaking for myself, I see the Pure Land as an extension of taking Refuge in Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. I plan to do my best in the time that I have but I also want a backup plan in place. Although I see the Chinese version as sort of last choice for me. I have my doubts about my ability to say Ami...