There are many good answers in the question https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/q/33361/13525 . I'll summarize some of the points here: - Buddhism only teaches that things don't last, not stop doing them. Love people knowing that someday we lose them; use things knowing they break; earn money to survive not out of greed; eat food only to be healthy not because taste good. Even if the girl is attaching to her mother, helping them or not will not make them less attaching anyhow. ([ashen25's answer](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/a/33365/13525)) - [Dhammadhatu's answer](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/a/33367/13525) even cites the suttas: >Buddhism has two levels of teaching: (i) moral, which includes attachment; and (ii) non-attachment (MN 117). The Buddha said his teaching of non-attachment was only for a minority of people (MN 26). >Therefore, a Buddhist would help ordinary people maintain their important social relationships. In fact, this is a duty of a monk (DN 31). The duty of a monk & of a Buddhist is not to "strip" ordinary people of their attachments & identities. The consensus in there is clear: helping them, not converting them. However, psychologically speaking, I think helping people necessarily requires both parties forming a relationship, or requires the helpers involves/attaches in other people's emotional dramas. Or when they are helping them, they need to have expectations on the outcomes. These are things a Buddhist would like to avoid. They can simply say "sorry, my goal is not to get attached with relationships. I'm not a suitable person to help you. I hope you get well with your life." Not only this is an acceptable manner, this would also conveniently help the helpees understand the value of non-attachment without the need to teach them anything. I think the solution is simple: as long as the helpers acknowledge that after the problem has been solved they can detach to it, then it would be fine. However, are there any sources discussing this?

Some people, althought saying that following the Buddhas teaching, but maybe do not have much trust or understandig into cause and effect, kamma, saying that richness and success comes from no fear to do evil. If that is the case, why are not all people who have no virtues, no Sila, rich, following their arguments pattern? Isn't it not merely because still having some merits that the downfall does not arises accurate, if one conducts wrong, thinking it will not fall to me? What's the effect of Sila, virtue, on wealth and success? *(Note: this is not given for trade, exchange, stacks, entertainment but for release from this wheel)*

Even if out of "compassion", what's the effect of association with [outcasts](http://zugangzureinsicht.org/html/tipitaka/kn/snp/snp.1.07.piya_en.html) , even appear as "family-member" of such? What's the effect of being related to those who are actually turned over the bowl? Associate with thieves, slander, people who speak in dispraise of Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha, gratitude, generosity, virtue... those who use generosity to offend the giver... with no regard for hospitality, training, teacher, faith... Do they risk to be avoided likewise by the wise and good? How are people adviced to act in regard of outcasts? To bear such, or to avoid any association or ways that look like as if? *(Note: this is not given for trade, exchange, stacks and entertaining but as a tiny door to exit this wheel)*

Does Buddhist psychology view the concept of "fake it 'til you make it" as an acceptable social behavior (eg, cheerful behavior rather than stressed behavior, or calm behavior rather than emotional behavior)? For example, I recently attended my first meditation retreat (a weekend event). I was overcome with emotion a couple of times during meditation practice and teaching sessions, with quiet tearfulness. Also, during the sharing time, at the end of the retreat on the final day, I wept as I finished my expressions of gratitude to the teacher and group. Should I have restrained that last public display of emotion? Was that display of emotion an ill-timed expression of ego/self, and, therefore, according to Buddhism, best to be avoided?

I've seen in a lot of discussions that there are two kinds of meditation methods with different but complementary goals: meditation for establishing tranquility (samatha) and meditation for establishing insight or clear vision (vipassana). But in a few places, some authors and practitioners say that both are not different styles, but two quatities and aspects that are developed during Samma Samadhi (Right Inmersion), and that in the Pali Canon there are no mentions of those two aspects being reached through different methods. So, what do the Pali Canon tell us about this? Are these two different methods, or just two different aspects that are eventually developed hand-in-hand? Thanks in advance for your time, wisdom and patience. Kind regards!

Beings are act-ually stingy because they think or argue, that when giving this, it will hurt be, be of disadvantage for me. Now, what does the Buddha mean by advicing to give when it does not harm oneself? Does he even promote stinginess, or what's the game of defilements here? *(Note: this is not given for trade, exchange, stacks or entertainment keeping in this wheel, but for an escape)*

Last year ,I lent a friend alot of money ,he convinced me that he lost his wallet and needed money for certain payment,promising that he will return it after 3 month,he payed some of it then delayed it to the next year and now he tells me to forget about it till he can return it. Now there is a feeling of regret not only because of the money which ,I Lent in expectation of getting it back but also because the friendship got affected . Feeling that he is a liar made me think , I should've been mindful of the deception.As well as not having any compassion for him. What should be done right now according to Buddhism?.

So first I'd like to say I have permission from a therapist to ask this question, so this is not "asking for medical advice". So I have OCD. It affects me all the time, I feel this constant stress, discomfort. Thoughts and stressors bother me a lot, and tons of things cause this emotional pain. My therapist has suggested a long meditation is the way to do it. Sitting for several hours every day until it's dead. So this is what I'm doing and want to continue to do, but I'd like some help doing it more effectively. So I've been studying Buddhism and meditation and very unsystematic way. I think I'm starting to understand alot of it now. But ultimatelly I dont fully understand what exactly I'm supposed to be doing/not doing in meditation. I've been doing some guided mediation on vedananupassana and so far I've been feeling better. But once again, I don't exactly know how to do it... Im supposed to look at the feelings but I dont know what im supposed to do? If I wasnt so sick right now (fatigue, acid reflux) Id probably just study buddhism formally and just practice meditation until I start feeling better. But thats not feasible right now. So what would your advice be for me to go about this? Are there any good online courses or something? Also an important note: Several times now, in the midst of all this stress and discomfort all over my whole body I suddenly get these pretty short lived moments of bliss. My body glows with comfort and bliss and then after a while kind of fades out. This has happened several times now and it's pretty interesting. This is what fascinates me. What do you think is causing this? My guess is I must be doing something in those moments correctly, letting go and not resisting the pain or something Thanks.

What do you know about the **Nirvana**? Most of this community people are from all around the world, and may have different teachers, and level of knowledge may vary. A brief explanation, with reference to the Tripitaka, is much appreciated. --- And, can someone please translate this: It's from the _Abhidhamma Margaya_ ("Way of Abidhamma") by Ven. Rerukane Chandawimala Thero.

I've been practising meditation with the breath as an object. While meditating, I am mindful of whatever arises. I feel that such awareness gives insight into the mind. However, I am wondering whether one should investigate the mind this way, or try and increase focus by narrowing onto the breath. **Would narrowing onto the breath provide more benefit?** Hence, I wonder **how close to the breath one should be in meditation? Should *all* thinking be ideally diminished?**

Do I get more merits if I give more? What is considered a reasonable donation? Please give some examples.

Kay so I have pretty strong OCD which manifests as just this constant stress. Under therapists advice ive been meditating for several hours a day for a month. I've made basically no progress. I also tried doing this several times over the past few years. Same thing. I've tried different objects (vedana, breath etc) and nothing really changes. However interestingly I've had these short moments of bliss that do occasionally happen. Not every session but its happened several times. What causes that. So I'm already expecting answers that are basically like "you have to be patient" but it's been a 2 months (and practicing mindfulness throughout the day) and nothing has changed at all. I dont think im like "treatment resistant" because like i said there are those short moments of bliss. But the thing is i dont even know what im supposed to do during meditation. Like what am i doing. Is samatha the one where im supposed to be really concentrated? Is that whats causing the bliss?

Upon asking about over-watching Youtube, I wondered if this activity was detrimental because it was merely sensory without much cognition. Buddhism usually promotes seemingly either attention (mindfulness), action (compassion), or even contemplation (analytical meditation). Therefore, I am wondering whether Buddhism considers that activities relying solely on the senses and the body cause detriment? **Do only activities with a cognitive or mindful component bring benefit?** Also, I feel vipassana is divided between bodily observations as the body itself and feeling, and mental observations as mind and dhammas. **Is this seemingly complementary approach linked explicitly with integration of body-mind?** Thank you

...as per the title. In the Theravada literature, the Buddha is seen as someone who found an end to suffering and taught that for all his life, urging his disciples to apply themselves to it, to not waste the opportunity and regret later. While there are many interpretations of what exactly is Nirvana in this tradition (and what is/is-not a tathagata after death etc), it's perhaps universally accepted by it's adherents that embarking on this doctrine culminates in the permanent cessation of suffering. Some may speculate or say more about Nirvana, but others might be silent and not add anything that the texts don't say. But what about Mahayana's Nirvana? * Is it the same same? Or is it more elaborated, like a realm where beings (Buddhas?) actually live? * Does it have the same requirements as the Theravada nirvana (e.g. elimination of the ten fetters, realization of four noble truths & dependent origination)?

How can I be completely aware in each and every moment, even working, walking, or talking? Is "continuous breath awareness" is an answer?

I have had experience in meditation, I want to have experience of living and learning with Buddhist monks. Where in Asia can I experience this for 8 to 10 weeks to start?

many times, I stumbled to start to dig something towards teaching of Buddha and at some point want to make focus on Buddhism. During my journey of looking bird eye of view, I passed through Vipassana, Therevada, Zen, Dalai Lama, Tibet, Nepal and Mynmar. Last read bit about Buddhism in Sri Lanka? How Arthur Schopenhauer inspired himself with Budda? Who guided him or how he came to know about terms like enlightenment.?

I have the intuition, from what I've heard within Buddhism, that formal meditation is rarely ever "wrong", and provides benefit if even slight form is held. Nevertheless, I am struggling to create a regular schedule. It has been years that I know of meditation, have investigated the techniques, and *still* I seem to avoid practising formally. Despite contemplation and walking meditation, I fail to progress to a formal routine. I wonder: 1. Is there really any remedy to this types of procrastination and laziness? I feel it may be pointless to try and seek advice on this topic, that my capacity is absent despite my present desire. 2. If they exist, what are the remedies to such a basic and pervasive laziness? Perhaps I should specify that the reasons I often tell myself against meditating (or other things) are: 1. Lack of obvious suffering. 2. Lack of ultimate goal. 3. Aversion to the effort.

It echoes in my mind that space time is not fundamental. I thought I read this in some psychics experiments, saw it in YouTube videos and/or read it in a book related to Buddhism. But I far from recall the details. I searched for space time not being fundamental on the topic of Buddhism but I am not really finding much about it. With space time not being fundamental I mean to say that it is a construct of the mind. One can understand it is a mental construct, but still experience space time. I am asking about the Buddhist view on space time, and the implications of that view. I am asking because of the following experience I had. Recently I experienced some different perception during meditation. It was like my perception of the room I was sitting in vanished and there was no perception anymore of me having a body, sitting in a room. But I would not say I changed, I was still present. And I had my eyes closed all along. This experience of no longer having a body happened to me a couple of times during meditation now. More recent I was doing a mental exercise to get the difference more clear about experience coming from sensory perception, and experience coming from the mind. I did so by focusing on my body, and then on some memory of how something felt tactically, and then switch focus back on my body, and so forth. I was switching like this continuously. Every time that I switched I mentally called out the difference (using my inner voice, so not out loud): > Experience from sensory perception and > Experience from mental perception At some point the distinction became more clear. At that moment it was clear to me the experience of space time arises because of a mental process. At that moment I could solely focus on sensory perception, and the awareness of space time was gone. And I could go back as well to experience space time again. I then experienced having a body again, sitting in the car, on a parking lot in front of the office. And I could go back again, focusing solely on sensory perception, where there was no experience anymore of me having a body. It was like space contracted to be dimensionless and I had no awareness of my body anymore, nor the car I was sitting in. Or maybe I should say that there was nothing more but the experience of the body. The bodily awareness was different. All encompassing vs being part of something else. I am having difficulties to describe my experience. I could still think of my body and the car though, but the experience of having a body and sitting in a car stayed away. It stayed away for as long as I kept this focus on sensory perception. It was like I was withholding my mind from creating the spatial awareness or something. I'm so curious to explore this more. Also how it relates to the self-awareness and experience of space time in dreaming (so a lucid dream). And I am really curious if there is some perspective from Buddhism on this kind of experience.

My goal with meditating was related to improving my concentration for academic reasons. At first I came across a method of meditating where I count out my breadth and avoid thinking of idle thoughts. I had a lot of success with this method and was able to focus much more but at a later point I grew curious on what happened if I didn't count at all or didn't pay attention to my breadth at all. So I repeated this process which was now easier just without any counting or attention. I again had success but my mind was very much blank at all times, it gave me some fright, I wasn't sure if it was going to be something harmful since I usually pick up on tiny details that relate to whatever I am doing but now my mind was just blank, so I stopped practising meditation as a whole for a while. I have recently discovered that a lot of things I have been attempting already exist so I am wondering if: - There are any better ways then what I have been doing to achieve higher levels of sustained concentration? - What end results I will face if I venture back into completely clearing my mind rather than improving its ability to focus through breadth counting? - If there are other components that seem useful to my goal that certain kinds of meditation can improve? - I also don't have much of an opinion on the forehead sensation that is commonly called a third eye but I can control it at will, I would also be wondering if there is anything particularly special about increasing the sensation or not? Any help is kindly appreciated. I have also been gradually resuming my breadth counting meditation with success. --- (edited to add:) I am happy and my mind is calm but it is filled with songs and memories that I like but are not related to the task I am working on and as a result get me distracted from it. As such I wanted to make my thoughts silent at will so I can keep focusing on tasks which make me less happy than my thoughts do.