Mental defilements both create and experience kamma. Without mental defilements, there is Nibbana - the ultimate reality. Dependent origination means "conditionally arisen phenomena". If there is no cause, there is no effect. Anyone with clarity can see the fact that an ego-entity cannot exist, beca...

That's your opinion, but I don't think you're entirely correct. Hello, TheNoBSBuddhist :smile: I really don't give out opinions, although I used to have lots of them. Now I don't even bother what sort of ideas I have about things. So if I post anything here (or there), it's of experience. But I'd s...

People can tell you all kinds of things about what sexual misconduct is. But you already know what it is. Sexual misconduct = pursuing the lust, and nothing else. And who knows what kind of lustful objects one has in mind? Lust and desire, if constantly cultivated, condition the mind to become degen...

I would say, since there is no reality as "ego", it's pointless to debate whether there is free-will or not, as all are conditioned mental processes. There is the mind - which conditions the kamma processes of a stream, and there is the path/fruition - which leads to unconditionality after it's atta...

Hello everyone, As a beginner I have tried breathing meditation few times. Yes it is certainly a good exercise to reduce stress, I can see that, but I don't understand how it would lead to enlightenment? 1. How will my cravings go away after meditation? Eg after meditation if I see some beautiful o...

1. Once you've attained nibbana, you no longer have a fixed conception of you and no longer place any importance on whether you continue or cease, or change or whatever. But, to the point, Nibbana is not a place and no one can 'go there'. You simply cease to cling to your own existence and no longe...

1) Can mind exist without the body according to Buddhist understanding? When you say "Buddhist understanding", does it sound like, say, "Christian understanding" to you? It kind of does to me. There is no "Buddhist understanding", as Buddhism is about being in touch with reality. It's not a belief ...

I don't know if it's common, but I've figured out and started this on my own, without hearing about it somewhere else. It was an idea I've come up with, and I see it works for me now. Since I've been doing this, my perception is dramatically increased. I can see into people. It doesn't help with my ...

You need to be mindful, that's the most important thing. You need to know why you need to be a Sotapanna. Do not grasp it wrongly, or it won't work. Purify the mind, and realize that in reality, all things are without a self. When you're a human being - 3 primary mental defilements MIGHT cause exist...

Gautama's teachings are not based nor built on belief systems (am I right on that?), and that's the reason I've become a buddhist. It's been a while, and I've been meditating since then. Just this one thing, has started to give me doubts. I often talk to buddhists, or zen masters, et cetera. They al...

Thank you all, for all the stuff you've provided. Actually, the thing I'm having trouble understanding is; the being that is born = is it the me of right now, or someone/something else. In meditation I focus on my breath, and try to put a distance between my current (momentary) mind and my heart. So...

TheNoBSBuddhist, thank you for the input. I don't know where you got all this 'information' from, but it's woefully inaccurate. I came across this article, and got myself an understanding, as i've described above. What can you tell me? Everybody is carrying other people's wounds. In the first place,...

Hello. I'm getting to know about Siddharta's teachings, and I've come a long way. But still, some things I cannot grasp. My questions are related to karma and rebirth, obviously. - There is no eternal soul, only a stream of consciousness ~ within the universe of form. This is a fact, correct? In tha...

Hi, just registered - this being my first thread i'd like to keep it as simple as possible. I'm new to Buddhism, for like a month old. I'm getting an understanding that -all is mind-, and a human being has to "blow out" in order to liberate its own consciousness. I've learned that the Buddha was sor...