Specifically, I am wondering if it is better to meditate at 7am or 7pm (even though doing both would be ideal).

Please help me, what to do. I've been meditating but not working for me anything. I get only tingling sensation on my forehead & constant buzzing sound. Besides, I have not gotten any slight improvements in my behavior. Would be helpful if someone suggests me following things. - How to meditate finally? That one method that can bring peace and calmness to me. - When to do ? Prerequisites. - How much to do?

My mind tends to be more unbalanced after waking up than before going to bed. I try to observe breath and sensations but the mind is pretty muddled. This raises the question if the mind is making sankharas in deep sleep too? How is that possible when I don't have a choice in the matter? What are the best practices after waking up?

I've been working on creating a (digital) **diary application for Buddhist laypeople** and would like to ask this community for **ideas about what can be written about in a journal like this which would be valuable for improving well-being and spiritual growth** Here some ideas that I've gathered so far (not written in stone, including here just to show the general idea that i have): * Meditation journal --- type of meditation (metta, anapanasati, etc), hindrances during meditation * Daily practice journal (mindful walking to and from the parking lot, etc) * Gratitude journal * Successes --- maybe in the areas of faith, virtue (five precepts), generosity, wisdom I've done some research by reading books about early Buddhism and practices for laypeople (for example "The Buddha's Teachings on Prosperity" and "The Buddha's Teachings on Social and Communal Harmony") but am having a hard time "translating" the information that I've gathered into something that would fit well inside a diary application Grateful for help with this! Kind Regards, Tord

To become a Buddha must a person be born in a highest caste in their society? Or if someone is born in a low caste, is he unable become a Buddha?

According to Buddhism, the cause of all suffering is desire and liberation from desire would lead to the cessation of suffering. But isn’t curiosity a desire? Is Buddhism against scientific attitude? Is it against scientific research? (as all research is about the desire to find answers to questions.)

I can't find much information on Metta-Bhavana and I want to know: 1. what it is. What is the purpose of this type of meditation? 2. details concerning its practice. How does one practice this meditation?

I suffer from a psychic disease (borderline disease of personality) which has turned my life into hell for at least half of the time, I spend several hours a day crying desperately and nothing helps, not the psychotherapy nor the medicines. I am obsessed with the idea that I'm suffering so much because in some way I "deserve" it according to the karma law, for having done something very bad in a past life. Is it true? It may seem weird, but this answer means a lot to me. Thank you for your answers in advance.

i have heard that buddism also says that multiverse exists. So, i want to ask something. Before few weeks, i saw two dreams in which I was totally aware of myself and at that time at those places, i can clearly feel that whatever I was experiencing, they are Real. In other word, if somebody would have come at that time and told me, this is your dream, than i would have laughed to much. In other words, I can still remember all the detail of that place(dream) and time, the detail of my hands etc. How can this be possible? As I've heard that worlds are just state of mind, similarly dream also. So does that makes, the dream world also as a real world, if a person is always their? Can I again feel such experience? That was very cool, I can still remember that. Before sleeping that night, I was thinking about how multiverse is possible, which I think sometime a because these things are very cool, specially from spirtual path. Were those two of the universe(world) among infinite other universe?

Attachment (aka craving or greed) is one of the Three Poisons. Why is attachment to Buddha not a poison? Perhaps it's related to the Tibetan Buddhist lojong "Don't make gods into demons"?

I have noticed when I look at Buddhists, or Buddhist monks, that they have shaved heads. Is there any significance to that? If so, then is it an obligation for Buddhists, or at least Buddhist monks to shave their heads?

SuttaCentral's Pāli text of SN 48.17, “Tatiya­vitthā­ra­sutta” is, > “Pañcimāni, bhikkhave, indriyāni. Katamāni pañca? Saddhindriyaṃ … pe … paññindriyaṃ—imāni kho, bhikkhave, pañcindriyāni. Imesaṃ kho, bhikkhave, pañcannaṃ indriyānaṃ samattā paripūrattā arahaṃ hoti, tato mudutarehi antarā­pari­nib­bāyī hoti, tato mudutarehi sasaṅ­khā­ra­pari­nib­bāyī hoti, tato mudutarehi uddhaṃsoto hoti akaniṭṭhagāmī, tato mudutarehi sakadāgāmī hoti, tato mudutarehi sotāpanno hoti, tato mudutarehi dhammānusārī hoti, tato mudutarehi saddhānusārī hoti. Iti kho, bhikkhave, paripūraṃ paripūrakārī ārādheti, padesaṃ padesakārī ārādheti. ‘Avañjhāni tvevāhaṃ, bhikkhave, pañcindriyānī’ti vadāmī”ti. In this Sutta: - What are asaṅ­khā­ra­pari­nib­bāyī and sasaṅ­khā­ra­pari­nib­bāyī ? - What is the meaning of vadāmī? - Do dhammānusārī and saddhānusārī mean Cula Sotapanna? - Is the maximum of seven lives applicable to Cula Sotapanna? Thanks.

Do we need to cheat the mind? For example: - A thought came: "Why not get Drunk tonight?" (I don't drink & smoke) - Next Thought: "No I am not supposed to do it" (is this 'mind' talking again?) - Next Thought: "Oh Come on, Don't be a child." - Next Thought: "No my room mates are good people, I can not." When I think about it, I came to know that my friends are also a major fact in helping me in making good habits. But what if someday I am with some guys, who are always drinking, and there is no pressure of insult? How to control mind? Is observing the feeling of lust actually helping me to know more about it? Is it true that we can never control the mind, and that we just have to cheat it by either focusing on some other thing (which is just to avoid the feeling, but it will come back), or to observe it? What exactly happens when I observe a feeling or sensation in the body? What is the best way to change a bad habit? Someone told me to know the reason why I want to change it, but would that be enough?

I think most would say that anger and prejudice are the main obstacles to compassion, but I'm wondering on the topic of sympathetic joy. If everything is empty, and suffering, and impermanent, how can we be happy for the joys of others which are empty, and ultimately suffering? I feel like being happy for a joy which is in fact suffering is like being glad someone took poison. I would like to develop compassion for other's joys--the real joys that will further their lives--but I find most of the things people are satisfied by detrimental things. Any thoughts? EDIT: Also, I wonder how, since everything is intrinsically empty, one can truly be happy for events occurring to someone else since they have no absolute effects. This would imply one would have to be happy for the happy emotions others have in themselves rather than what occurs, but once again, but Buddha explained these as suffering, even the most blissful states.

Whenever I examine the concept of rebirth in Buddhism, I cannot help it but feel great skepticism. To put it in my own clumsy words, we have many fears and one of the greatest is to cease to exist. The solution that I have found in Buddhist teachings is to outgrow that fear in particular and fear as whole, while you're at it. In contrast to that, religions commonly introduce some concept of life after death. Which I think is a just a very comfortable delusion, self-induced to cope with this primordial fear and with the loss of loved ones. What strikes me is that "Buddhists" talk quite a lot about rebirth and will actually give extremely precise and concrete responses to questions on rebirth, that can quite obviously not be challenged by the examining mind. It is my (limited) understanding though at its very core (if such a thing exists) Buddhism generally denies to answer any questions that cannot actually be challenged and [particularly denies to answer this question](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_unanswered_questions#Fourteen_questions) . I feel that much is to be gained from the concept of rebirth if explored as a metaphor, but it is my impression that believing it literally is diverting attention from the here and now and more practical aspects of Buddhist practice, thus ultimately being harmful. It seems to me like failure to [remove the poisoned arrow](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parable_of_the_Poisoned_Arrow) . At the same time it makes me nervous that I cannot see any truth in more physical and concrete notions of rebirth, because it's far more likely that I am just blind, rather than everybody else being deluded. So: what is it that I am missing? **What do I gain if I embrace the belief that "I" will roam this world in a new body once this one dies?**

I'm am completely new to meditation, and I have really been wanting to start it. The past few days, I've been doing Vipassana sessions for the first time; however, I hear people say that it doesn't matter if you mediate if you do not carry the practice into daily life. But, how can I continue to be mindful in daily life? Any tips for a newbie? Thanks!

When I was trying to do Vipassana at home, I experienced vibrations in entire body. But there, in the Vipassana training centre, my face becomes so heavy that I could not focus on my body. **Why was that happening?** Whenever I closes my eyes my entire face starts with vibrations. When I was trying to focus on nose, automatically I felt something very strong between eye brows, but gradually I was able to neglect it. One day my a certain part of my left arm was on fire (felt literally burning). **Does that mean something?** For every question, teacher had the same answer: “These are previous birth mind’s Disorder which are healing now”. On 6th day again face was so heavy, so I gave up and started talking with other people who were not so serious, bunked classes, went to the mountain near by, then I felt a bit normal; on lowering my diet I felt more normal; on 9th day I felt vibration flow in entire body only on surface of body. In between, for 3 consecutive days (4th, 5th, and 6th days), I saw a Dog, Snake and Centipede before sleeping, as soon as I closed my eyes. After attending this course I have more clear knowledge of how this technique works; but I want to know, **is that all Buddha taught, or is there something else?**

Mr Goenka teaches that there are six senses including mind, and that when we observe them in vipassana we eradicate our sankaras. My question is, nearly all my senses are on my face: like taste, smell, hearing, and seeing. Only "touch" and "mind" I am not sure of. So why not just focus on the my facial sensations, and do it smartly? Otherwise, what is the use of observing my legs' sensation, when I am fighting with anger, frustration, love, etc.?

What are some Buddhist practices which would make someone a better decision maker? Does Sila improve the right view thus enabling better decisions, thoughts?

if I am mad and my action would not have been performed if not for loss of reality (i.e. psychosis) will I still bear its -ve fruit? As a Buddhist or otherwise. Please answer sensitively :)