But I see it this way. People can either belief that: 1) There is no rebirth: ----- You practice the Dhamma to be free from suffering in this life. Yes, they can. But no need to be a monk, hold celibacy, practise deep meditation and numerous precepts on the highest and sublime level and ect. No nee...

If all experiences are suffering, as was explained, then how can there be an experience of the end of suffering? Be careful with any concept of Nirvana. There is a reason that the suttas do not actually spend much time talking about or describing nirvana... it is indescribable. For this reason, I t...

There are similar statements in the Kalama Sutta. Rebirth or No-Rebirth, Kamma or No-Kamma, one will be better off by practicing virtue, training the mind, and developing wisdom. At the same time, it is pointed out in other places that the spiritual practice will grow even deeper once there is confi...

This formulation is simplistic, but I have it in mind for friends who know nothing about Buddhism, will only listen to a very brief summary, and don't want any jargon. Kind feedback is appreciated. There is suffering. Suffering has causes. You can choose nirvana. To do that, master virtue, concentra...

Here is the long answer which directly addresses the OP: (source http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/bmc1/bmc1.ch08-1.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) 4. Should any bhikkhu have an unordained person recite Dhamma line by line (with him), it is to be confessed. T...

Modern toilets have water in the bowls. Many Thai toilets had water up to the top of the bowl too. How would a monk get around this rule if they were not living in a forest. According to: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/bmc1/bmc1.ch10.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);retu...

But the real question is: why is it called the God particle? It's not a God particle. It's nothing to do with God, with religion, with anything to do with creation. Or at least any more than any other particle is. The name was created by Leon Lederman, a Nobel-Prize-winning physicist, for the title...

Just to pick at both sides of the debate over Skeptic's situation... First, isn't solitude considered an important thing to pursue? Fear of isolation is not an adequate excuse for indulgance. Also, one must recognize that even moderate indulgence does hinder spiritual progress and accept those conse...

Pain and suffering are opportunities to learn. Taking drugs to feel good for a few months still sounds like indulgence in pleasure, even if it's more subtle than craving the immediate high. There's probably worse things in the world, but meditating, exercising, and walking with friends are much more...

What a terrible nickname, "The God Particle". While I only have a fool's grasp of the Standard Model, it will be an important discovery / non-discovery. Discovery would not be the end of research. Generally, in science, every answer leads to six more questions. For instance, mapping the genome creat...

mikenz66 wrote:meditation exercises

Well said. You don't only use your physical muscles at the gym, you also use them throughout the day. The exercise is to give them a boost so the body does not get fat and lazy. Same for meditation exercises to prevent the mind from getting fat and lazy. I like that. Thanks.

Guinness wrote:So how does time fit in with Buddhism?

Sorry I got off topic. My main thrust is that time is a physical object. Therefore, it would fall under rupa (form), right?

Actually dave, there was a quite valid reason for that one: Yes, there was . But, is there? Times change, and given the motive for the rule, new and better environmental Vinaya could be undertaken, could it not? Actually, there still is a need for this rule, and maybe even more so. Fortunately, eve...

You got me excited... I really like chanting. It gets some blood flow, forces some deep breathing, connects the thoughts to the body, has a soothing feeling, etc. Then I realized you mean I get to listen to somebody chant on a recording.... that sounds horrible!! Don't let it worry you. Do what eve...

When your TV is damaged, the picture may appeared distorted and the sound garbled, but the TV waves itself is not damaged. The hardware only fails to manifest the waves to its full ability. Are you claiming that consciousness is a broadcast wave? Could multiple brains tune into the same wave? If yo...