I'm aware that Theravada, Tibetan and Chinese Buddhism have a canon of texts. However I have never heard of a canon for Zen Buddhism. Does it have a canon or does it just not bother with such a thing? If it doesn't have a canon of texts then are there texts which can seen as foundational?

I am a Westerner raised in the Christian faith but have left it in search of a path that fits with my beliefs and philosophy. Over the past few years, I have studied, prayed, researched, etc of the different schools of Buddhism. In my readings, a type popped up that was more of a Buddhist/Hindu mix - it was a long word that started with an "A" and that is all I can remember. Can anyone help? Thank you!

I've heard Nirvana described as a state of bliss, but if there is no self then how can it be described as bliss when nobody is there to experience it?

Considering the 12 nidanas as represented on the Tibetan wheel of life. I can understand how the previous links cause (or condition) the subsequent ones for instance sensation is a condition for craving. However as the wheel turns it does birth -> conditions -> death -> conditions -> ignorance In what way is death a condition for ignorance? I can't see a casual link there.

I'm curious because someone translated it into Thai that the eleven-dimensional hyperspace is actually Nirvana in Buddhism. Does Michio Kaku literally mean that? What's his religion. Sorry if my question is too nonsense. > “What is gradually emerging from the data is a grand synthesis of > these two opposing mythologies. Perhaps, scientists speculate, Genesis > occurs repeatedly in a timeless ocean of Nirvana. In this new picture, > our universe may be compared to a bubble floating in a much larger > “ocean,” with new bubbles forming all the time. According to this > theory, universes, like bubbles forming in boiling water, are in > continual creation, floating in a much larger arena, the Nirvana of > eleven-dimensional hyperspace. A growing number of physicists suggest > that our universe did indeed spring forth from a fiery cataclysm, the > big bang, but that it also coexists in an eternal ocean of other > universes. If we are right, big bangs are taking place even as you > read this sentence.” > > Excerpt From: Michio, Kaku. “Parallel Worlds.” Anchor, > 2006-03-14T06:00:00+00:00. iBooks. This material may be protected by > copyright.

Alright, I'm having a lot of unnecessary trouble, and would like some advice regarding anapanasati. I've attempted to understand the technique as with the *Anapanasati Sutta*, with *The Attention Revolution* of Alan Wallace, with *Turning the Mind into an Ally* by Sakyong Mipham, and have taken many classes of meditation in different contexts. Still, I am having extreme trouble lol. Therefore, I'm going to attempt asking extremely detailed questions to clarify the meaning for myself, and hopefully others. To my understand, from *The Attention Revolution* explicitly and in the *Anapanasati Sutta* in the form of the directive to "calm bodily fabrications", relaxation is necessary. Question 1: Do they mean calming the body's physical tension, i.e. muscle tension or the mental sensation of tension in the body? Now, in *The Attention Revolution* and *Turning the Mind into an Ally*, stability comes next. This occurs with the decrease of conceptualization. Yet in the *Abhidhamma* I recall seeing that until the first jhana thought is still present. What does this mean? Question 2: What do we mean by calming thoughts? Calming all thoughts? Gross thoughts? Trying to calm thoughts even though they will not ultimately subside? Then, from my understanding clarity is developed. Personally, in all these texts, I fail to grasp what is meant by clarity. Question 3: Is clarity a kind of brightness of the object, or a greater focus? Is clarity a more detailed object? Is it a part of the object or the mind? How can it be recognized? Final question: I seem to have tried to figure out all these things and meditate in a proper way. Yet, if I sit and try to meditate every day, and attempt to focus on the breathing, and I meditating in a proper way? I don't quite get what distinguishes proper and improper meditation, and whether I *should* meditate or not when possible. How long should it take to see either results or a shift in my meditation. Thank you for any advice you could give me.

I am very sick and as such I have tried meditating a lot, and reading about the heart mantra, as far as studying meditation. When I was meditating I was going into a trance like state for about 3-4 hours, my first question was, is 3-4 hours, deep meditation or beginners meditation? My second question was, in at least one trance state I suddenly looked down and saw myself sitting, I was out of my body, I tried to look around and I saw what I can only describe as many beautiful places/doors, Could this be any beginning to becoming realized, maybe a step in the right direction or not? Please excuse me if these questions are stupid.

I've pondered for a while on the possible links between Jewish and Buddhist thought. I have been on Buddhist retreat with people who identify as Jews. Also there is the Buddhist Jew phenomena as exemplified by Leonard Cohen. In addition some of my favorite authors appear to have Jewish background - Sharon Salzberg , Larry Rosenberg , Jack Kornfield etc... So leading on from this and also inspired by this answer - is it possible to summarise what Buddhist and Jewish thought have in common. I appreciate that this is a big topic but I wonder is it possible to put together the main 3 or 4 points that they might have in common and why there appears to be such a connection between Judaism and Buddhism.

But when an enlightened person lives he could be in the present all the time. But when you sleep your conscious/awareness may be different or just disappear. So does the level of awareness of an enlightened person also change or stay the same even when sleeping.

How do buddhists regard light? In their statues the eyes of Buddha are most times closed. Do they consider light a low worthy thing or something else. Newton showed gravity to be a powerful competitor of light. Hindi poetry considers the sun a selfish object despite the sun is supporting life. From this a doubt came to my mind that maybe buddhist regard light as a lowly? Light has cleansing and illumination quality, Islam stress upon physical cleaning before praying. Does buddhism consider bodily cleansing a high virtue?

The Buddha stressed compassion in his teachings. It seems that the more one tries to be compassionate towards people, a natural tendency of attachment develops. For example, it seems that if I try to practice compassion towards my close family (and focus my mind on helping them), then I develop more attachment for them, and I feel closer to them and the pain of separation increases. Is it wrong that I want to feel closer to them? Did the Buddha have any advice about developing compassion while avoiding attachment (and other side effects like pride) ?

I'm pretty new to buddhism, I come from a christian family and as such I attended church for the earlier part of my life. I'm wondering what to expect from my first session in comparison to that of church. I'm also asking if there's any general advice/tips you can give me for my first time.

I recently was watching a video in which Schopenhauer's views on aesthetics were expressed. Part of his views relied on saying that there is one aspect of the nominal world which can be experienced -despite that basically being a contradiction to what the nominal and phenomenal world are-. He went on to say that the exception is called, "The Will". The will as basically, to my best understanding, the driving force for all things which pervades all things, both abstract and not, and that, once aware of this "Will" one loses what I guess could be loosely identified as the self, and becomes more as one with, "The Will". This, to me, sounds a lot like what I have heard called, "The Mystic Law". [Here is a definition of the mystic law](http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/47) as referred to as, "the true aspect", by the philosopher, Miao-Lo: > “The true aspect invariably manifests in all phenomena, and all phenomena invariably manifest in the ten factors. The ten factors invariably manifest in the Ten Worlds, and the Ten Worlds invariably manifest in life and its environment.” My question then is, how closely are these two "aspects" related, and are they really referring to the same thing?

What are the three marks of existence and where are they found in the canon? Is there any fundamental differences in interpretation among the different traditions?

Do the pure lands belong to heaven realms? Or a completely different realm from the normal six realms?

[This answer](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/a/7814/760) refers to "mind" as a synonym for "nāma". The only relevant use of that word I have found was "nāmarūpa", which refers to the five aggregates. But is "nāma" ever used alone to signify "mind"? Or do we speak of mind in Buddhism only because it is a convenient Western abstraction that we can use?

Because our consciousness can only persist in our brain. When the brain is destroyed, our consciousness is destroyed as well. We become no one. How can the idea of reincarnation be true if all the information of who we are is already destroyed. We are just new when we are born and we can't pass the consciousness or memory to any new born baby.

I have a person in my own family who's aware of his past-birth. He knew it by age 7 only. When family started investigation 'they found it all true. How he has died in his last birth, how much of children he had, what work he was doing when he died and etc. I want to know what the buddha said about rebirth and transfer of memories to a new born? Moreover I wish to get more examples.

I have heard that monatics in many cases sleep as little as 4-5 hours per night. In what way do they train, to reduce the amount of sleep needed for nightly restitution? Are there methods of training to remain (increasingly) mindful while sleeping?

I have heard on various occasions that the Buddha slept very little. I was wondering if there is any theory out there that explains this. I was also looking for some specific reference in the literature that can attest to this. My question doesn't refer specifically to the buddha, it could refer to any trained person. Thanks.