When a school of Buddhism has a senior who passes away, is it common for the school to go into a type of dissarray, until a successor is chosen? Some years ago I joined the Shingon school. It was awkward at the start, then upon the death of the (senior/master/sorry-correct-title-undefined), everything went sidewards. The body of the school seemed to splinter into minor sub schools, some casting doubt about other seniors. For a newbie this was disconcerting as the study of Shingon requires a 1 to 1 relationship, but my sensei stopped teaching, so I had to find another. Twas 3 years ago and I've still not found a replacement sensei. No new senior has been chosen. Is this type of behaviour common in Buddhism?

I was wondering if anyone had any insight into the possibility of there being “Astral Projection” in Buddhism. I know “Tibetan Sleep Yoga” is involved with Lucid Dreaming, which is the internal. Yet I was wondering if Buddhism had a concept where you could leave your body. Any help would be amazing!

I am starting to explore [Luminous Essence: A Guide to the Guhyagarbha Tantra](https://wisdomcompassion.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Luminous-Essence-A-Guide-to-the-Guhyagarbha-Tantra.pdf) , where in the first section on the "title", says: > All phenomena of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa are inseparable with the enlightened state; **they dwell primordially as the eternal wheel of adornment of enlightened body, speech, and mind**. Not knowing much Tibetan buddhism (yet), what is meant by the "wheel" exactly? And by the wheel of "adornment"? Finally, what does it mean to dwell **primordially**, what is the actual word used that is translated to primordial from Tibetan? Same with the word wheel, what is the Tibetan word for it and also what is it talking about more specifically?

The [Luminous Essence: A Guide to the Guhyagarbha Tantra](https://wisdomcompassion.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Luminous-Essence-A-Guide-to-the-Guhyagarbha-Tantra.pdf) says "This universal tantra of the great **Magical Net** is a secret among secrets". Later it says: > Accordingly, mahāyoga teaches the complete nature of the ground, path, and fruition of the entire mantra vehicle. It is, therefore, essential to develop certainty regarding all aspects of mantra practice based on mahāyoga. Mahāyoga belongs to the inner tantras of secret mantra, and can itself be divided into an infinite number of categories. These all come about through the play of wisdom of the **magical net**. Later they refer to "the wheel of the magical net." In several other places "magical net" is mentioned. What is the magical net? Is that literally the etymology of "Guhyagarbha"? Searching the web reveals [mayajala](https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/mayajala) , but no insight is to be gained easily looking at that word.

I am starting to explore [Luminous Essence: A Guide to the Guhyagarbha Tantra](https://wisdomcompassion.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Luminous-Essence-A-Guide-to-the-Guhyagarbha-Tantra.pdf) , where in the first section on the "title", says: > All phenomena of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa are inseparable with the enlightened state; they dwell primordially as the eternal wheel of adornment of enlightened body, speech, and mind. Th is is what is meant by the term _secret_. It is referred to as such because **those who are obscured and unfit to receive these teachings do not realize this**, although it is **genuinely realized** by the profound wisdom mind of the victorious ones. It is secret in the sense that the three bodies go unrecognized due to the veils of temporary obscurations, though they are present within. Moreover, the profound views that reveal this presence are not known through one’s own power, nor are they pointed out by another, and, even if they are, they are hard to realize. In this way, they are hidden. Furthermore, unless this special view, meditation, and conduct are concealed from those who are unfit to receive these teachings, **the seal of secrecy will be broken and they will be misconstrued. Therefore, it is not taught to such individuals and must be concealed.** In this way, it is secret, both in the sense of being unseen and concealed. _(bold added by me)_ What are they saying exactly here? Why must it be concealed exactly? What is at risk? To me it sounds like they are saying, trying to describe the teachings of this Tantra to someone who is not ready or capable of hearing it will just make it even harder for them to understand its meaning, because they will not realize what you are saying and it will harden them in their own stance in disbelief of the teachings. So it is better to just keep it a secret and let them discover it for themselves. I could be way off, I know very little about Tibetan Buddhism so far, but I would like to explore what they are saying and not sure the full impact of what they mean when they talk about "the secret".

When you first learn about mandalas, you learn about [sand paintings](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandala) : But in the Guhyagarbha tantra, outlined in [Luminous Essence: A Guide to the Guhyagarbha Tantra](https://wisdomcompassion.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Luminous-Essence-A-Guide-to-the-Guhyagarbha-Tantra.pdf) , it is said: > The _subject matter_ of this tantra is the **maṇḍala of the ground**, the ultimate natural state of all phenomena, which is primordially of an enlightened nature within great purity and equality. Moreover, the tantra also shows the path, the various means that allow one to actualize this ground either directly or indirectly. Finally, the tantra reveals the maṇḍala of the fruition—perfect, total purity. In short, the tantra teaches the profound realization of mantra, as subsumed within ground, path, and fruition. Where can I find more information on this deeper meaning of mandala. What is the mandala of the ground?

Dhammapada Verse 61: ***If a person seeking a companion cannot find one who is better than or equal to him, let him resolutely go on alone; there can be no companionship with a fool.*** This is obviously self preserving pragmatism of the Aesop's Fables variety, it doesn't require a Buddha to say this, so perhaps there is a deeper meaning I don't spot. Besides, I spot a couple of problems. **One**: For me to associate with someone better, that person would have to accept me, his/her inferior. Ergo, one of us must break this rule and accept an inferior (not necessarily a fool) as partner or companion. **Two**: This doesn't sound very loving and compassionate. Fools will remain fools without the company of intelligent partners or teachers, is it not? Plus, the Buddha himself tolerated Devadutta and others who were often comically stupid in his order. The accompanying story of the Thera who blindly trusts his disciples is a little too simplistic, how is it that a senior teacher (Thera) needed to be schooled on such a trivial principle of common sense? If someone is obviously lazy and scheming, even treacherous, he or she should not be trusted. Did the Thera get undermined by a false sense of duty or compassion?

Good morning, to everyone, I'm new to this site and only recently been very interested in Buddhism, mainly because I have always believed in reincarnation, but to be honest I didn't know other people had the same views. So deep inside I have had this feeling but could not express how I feel to anyone as most people think I'm crazy. But I am very interested in the life of how Buddhist lives and want to learn as much as I can regarding this religion. Any help would be very much appreciated. Thankyou

Our reality is quite violent. Observing the violence of others causes mental conflict, And it will ruin your state of mind during meditation. What should be the reaction of a person to violence? Put Nirvana aside, Can you even think of a simple meditation when there is growing violence around you? How to deal with violence?

From [AsianClassics.org](https://asianclassics.org/library/downloads/) you find downloadable copies of the Tibetan Kangyur and Tengyur. I have copied the Kangyur Table of Contents to a CSV [here](https://gist.github.com/lancejpollard/19b25b49f193b7020accf7a27f823de1) . You'll notice many things are missing titles, some have titles in only Tibetan, etc. Is there any standardized list of table of contents for the Tibetan Kangyur/Tengyur? Or why isn't there? BTW what is the organization scheme they have going there anyways, with KL00044-002(eTB) and things like that?

When the Sublime Buddha discredited some wanderers' position by uprooting their stand, would it be correct to assume that such an act is made for their harm, the harm of many, even his own? What does someone who is informed on this matter think?

Dad admitted due to covid. Me, mum and Dad stayed in the same house so me and mum were close contact yet need to quarantined. I was tested negative with no syndrome for all 10 days quarantine. Mum had flu syndrome in the day 3 of quarantine. She was reluctant to perform PCR swab test because it's quite expensive. Mum can be quite stubborn too most of time. I believe most old folks will have this problem. I can't slowly or patiently talk to her too face to face as she doesn't even wear a mask neither i need a PPE suit nor special wearing to communicate with her for safety purpose. I hire another care taker that found online, pay him and request him to pretend as Buddhism community club to offer her free PCR swab test. Mum only accept in this way. I can't delay this as mum start developing psychosis mental illness too during this quarantine period. She will only feel much better when receiving free stuffs. If she found positive then need send to quarantine center immediately. At least me will not be infected. If all down, then who is gonna work and feed food to us? Mum indeed recovering well with mild syndrome. She is much happier too after this non exist Buddhism club care taker exist, received a lot free stuffs and start to accept Buddhism teaching too. Q) Did i committed a false speech fault by getting a "non exist" Buddhism club to offer help? What will be the punishment in this case base on Buddhism teaching ?

Why is it that when we feel pleasant and positive feelings, the state of heart-mind is evanescent while when we are feeling down and unpleasant feelings that state of heart-mind feels like everlasting? The default state seems unpleasant then we practice mindfulness and meditation, the pleasant state is attained for some time, as soon as it comes the mind tries to grab hold of it, it's gone. My question is about why the time for which they last the way it is?

When I am meditating, most of the time the thoughts feel like arising from the heart center, and sometimes they feel like lingering in the head. Same with the 'feeling of self', most of the time it feels like 'I am' feeling is located somewhere around the heart. I need to know as I think being mindful in this region will help a lot to stop thoughts and to attain 'anatta.

Can you help naming and listing god qualities :

I've looked at other responses on Buddhism exchange and googled it too, and I'm still confused about the cause of suffering. Is there one root cause? Multiple causes? Or does Buddhism claim not to know the root cause but only causes later in the chain of causation? Britannica seems to equate craving and attachment and suggest that is what Buddha considered the cause: > "The second truth is the origin (Pali and Sanskrit: samudaya) or cause of suffering, which the Buddha associated with craving or attachment in his first sermon. In other Buddhist texts the causes of suffering are understood as stemming from negative actions (e.g., killing, stealing, and lying) and the negative mental states that motivate negative actions (e.g., desire, hatred, and ignorance)." > > [Four Noble Truths](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Four-Noble-Truths) My initial understanding had been that it was not desire that caused suffering (we all desire things, like if we're cold we desire warmth, and even experienced meditators will feel that way) but becoming attached to a desire or identifying with it. But now I don't know anymore.

My name is Aidan, I am a senior student from a small High School in Ontario, Canada. I am doing a research project on Buddhism in a world cultures class. I would like to ask practicing Buddhists some questions about the religion to learn more about Buddhism. I have attempted to contact some local Buddhist groups to ask questions, however, none have responded to me. I figured this would be a good place to try and find some practicing Buddhists. If you would be interested in helping me learn more about the religion, I would greatly appreciate any responses. Below I have added the questions for those who would like to respond in the comments. Answer as many or as few as you’d like. - In your opinion, how would you define the organized religion of ‘Buddhism’? Were there any familial expectations to become involved in this religion or was this a personal choice that you made? What does it mean to be ‘Buddhist’ to you? - How long have you been practicing Buddhism? Has your religion been an influential factor in how you were raised? (Eg: have you ever been unable to partake in certain activities because it would compromise your religious beliefs/practices?) Is there a personal reason as to why you chose to become Buddhist? - What are some of the customary rituals and practices related to Buddhism? Are prayer and meditation essential components of this organized religion? If so, how many times a day/week do you pray? - In your opinion, does meditating help you obtain physical, mental and spiritual health? - Are there any items that should be avoided in this life if one were to become a practicing Buddhist? (ex. Foods, meats, alcohol?) - What does Buddhism suggest happens to you when you die? Is there such a thing as an ‘afterlife’ in Buddhism? What are your personal thoughts on what happens when you die? - Hinduism and Buddhism are two of the largest religions in the world. Both believe in reincarnation, however, both religions are very different from each other. What do you think are the key factor(s) that differentiate the two religions? - What do you think of the ideas of modern Atheists/Agnostics, who believe there is no God(s) or do not believe there is enough proof to determine if there is a God or not? Is the practice of Buddhism respectful of these ideas? - In the future, how do you think Buddhsim will evolve moving forward throughout the world - Do you think that there are any misconceptions that surround the organized religion of Buddhism and if so, what do you think they are? What solutions would you put forward to combat these misconceptions in Canada today and moving forward? - How could a person go about joining/becoming a buddhist? If you didn’t join via your family, how did you join buddhism? - How has COVID-19 affected how your practice buddhism?

What is meant by "claims the bull’s place, roars his lion’s roar in the assemblies" and was an actual loud lion-like sound ever uttered by the Buddha? One example of the quote is mentioned in https://suttacentral.net/mn12/en/sujato

Is "no arising" a thing or just something we may be taught? If it's a teaching only, I guess it's used to show that something else is not the case (showing e.g. that series do end). If it's a dharma in the other sense, then does it exist relative to things arising, so that something arises whenever another thing fails to (showing that series do not end)? More generally speaking, can we fully conceive of the mark of arising without 'no arising', and / or vice versa?

I'm reading the book [What the Buddha Taught](https://www.amazon.com/What-Buddha-Taught-Expanded-Dhammapada/dp/0802130313) . In the section *The Five Aggregates* of *Chapter II: The Four Noble Truths*, when discussing the relationship between the aggregate of consciousness and other four aggregates, the author said: > The Buddha declared in unequivocal terms that consciousness depends on matter, sensation, perception and mental formations, and that it cannot exist independently of them. He says: > > ‘Consciousness may exist having matter as its means (rūpupāyaṃ), matter as its object (rūpārammaṇaṃ), matter as its support (rūpa-patiṭṭhaṃ), and seeking delight it may grow, increase and develop; or consciousness may exist having sensation as its means . . . or perception as its means . . . or mental formations as its means, mental formations as its object, mental formations as its support, and seeking delight it may grow, increase and develop. > >‘Were a man to say: I shall show the coming, the going, the passing away, the arising, the growth, the increase or the development of consciousness apart from matter, sensation, perception and mental formations, he would be speaking of something that does not exist.’ (S III (PTS), p. 58) First of all, can you help me locate the corresponding sutra as quoted by the author? As I googled the quoted text and browsed a part of Saṁyutta Nikāya on the [dhammatalks](https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/SN/index_SN.html) but couldn't find it. I don't have a copy of Pali Text Society's Saṁyutta Nikāya at hand. Now as I understand it (correct me if I were wrong), the consciousness (as in viññāṇa) is like a sort of bare awareness, awareness of the presence of an object. If there were no light and eyes, there wouldn't be eye awareness of the light. So we can say the aggregate of consciousness depends on the matter. The consciousness arises out of the condition that there's a sense and a corresponding sense organ (both of which are matter). But I think sensation, perception and mental formations all happen with the consciousness (bare awareness) as a precondition. Especially for perception (sanna) which is to recognize the object specifically, shouldn't that be based on bare awareness? So my question, does the aggregate of consciousness depend on the aggregates of sensation, perception and mental formations? If so, why?