I have a Blog and a lot of people come to learn Buddhism in it. I want to start doing articles on Theravada Buddhism and i do not have any idea if i can do it without being a bit corrosive in certain topics. I want some advice how to do this. So can you guys help me?

This isn't particularly about Buddhism, but I'm wondering what people are using for unicode characters.

As far as i know , there is no mention of god ( the word God in local parlance) in buddhist texts ,the term used is *Devas* (beings in the higher realm). In ancient hindu texts there is mention of *devas* and *asuras* .Devas representing good and asuras evil .The term asura is thought to be a corruption of the word Ahura of the ancient iranian Ahura mazda (possibly be a tribal conflict between hindus and zorastrian followers during ancient times). Since the versions of buddhism practiced today are not the exact replicas of what was buddhism during buddha's times. **could this element be a corruption of the original meaning through influence of hinduism...?** I have read somewhere about the heavy persecution of buddhists (to bring buddhists back to the hindu fold) by brahmins and hindu kings after the death of king Asoka. Rebirth,reincarnation etc becomes more believable as metaphorical terms. **So could the term may have had the meaning like good individuals or similiar in the past.?**

"There's no 'I' in team" is an aphorism that promotes the selfless group effort, but what about first person pronouns from a Buddhist perspective such as 'I', 'me', 'mine', and 'my'. I am also wondering about starting a sentence with the pronoun 'I'. Is it helpful from a Buddhist perspective to always avoid such pronouns? Is using it just a symptom and the underlying disease needs to be treated? I usually try to avoid using pronouns in these context but sometimes the ease of using them overcomes my efforts, like with this sentence. Most likely this rule needs to be taken with a grain of salt but was wondering if the community had any helpful advice.

The 14th Dalai Lama is about 80 now. How will the next one be chosen or elected? Does the Dalai Lama himself decide, and has this already been decided? Are they, like the Catholics, 'voting' on candidates? Is it like the different sects take "turns", so for example now it's the Nyingmas turn to have the Dalai Lama? If someone is picked, can he refute? And is there any chance for the Tibetans to get a female Dalai Lama?

Is it wrong when Buddhist celebrate Christmas? I definitely shocked when I saw a monk facebook's status then he wrote that we do the wrong thing when we celebrate Christmas. Is that true?

I learn new things every day, which on use becomes knowledge and wisdom over the years. From Buddhism point of view, I can reincarnate in different world and time , can remember my previous birth. What does Buddhism say of samsaric knowledge gained on previous birth? Is it accessible to new reincarnate being?

This site 'Buddhist Texts ' says that while Mahayana schools revere Tipitaka as holy texts, they add many other sutras, the most famous being the 'Lotus Sutra' and the 'Heart Sutra'. My question is how important are Tipitaka in Mahayana schools. One may gauge its importance based on: 1. Is Tipitaka taught and learnt by monks in monastery? 2. How often Tipitaka is referenced in lectures by monks? (for e.g. I was once listening to discourses of Dalai Lama and he was talking of Nagarjuna, Milarepa, Ashvaghosha etc. It might be that he did not reference Tipitaka in those lectures but might have referenced in some other lectures) 3. Are laypeople encouraged to learn Tipitaka? These are just guidelines. One might use their own criteria. Answers from different Mahayana schools are welcome.

What are the Major Meditation Traditions / Masters in Laos / Cambodia / Vietnam? Does Cambodia prominent meditation lineages which originated in Laos / Cambodia / Vietnam? What are the lineages originating elsewhere coming to Laos / Cambodia / Vietnam? Do they have variation from practiced elsewhere?

Buddhism teaches the concept of *anattā* or *anātman*. In short: >There is no "soul" or "essence", only "processes" within the framework of the five *skandha*s. This gives the illusion of the individual self/soul. *NOTE: This is just an approximation. I'm sure it can be put more elegantly, but you get the picture.* With this understanding, what is the basis for ancestor worship/veneration? Who/What is being honoured or worshiped? Basically, how do practicing Buddhists reconcile the two world-views? Is it about remembering shared experiences? Or a way of remembering family traditions and history? Any insights are appreciated!

Can you go through all 7 purifications of insight with walking meditation. Can you also go through the 7 purifications of insight by focusing on your steps and saying to yourself "stepping, stepping"?

If one was to ordain, would they ever be able to see their friends and family again? If so, how often? Thank you

I once saw a television program about Buddhist shaolin monks. They were extremely skilled in martial arts and begin their training as young as 3-4 years old. Their day consists of martial arts training and Buddhist practice. I was wondering about two things: - What Buddhist tradition do shaolin monks follow? - What kind of meditation do they practice? Thank you for your time. Lanka _Click on photos for full size_ [](https://i.sstatic.net/sJmiN.jpg) [](https://i.sstatic.net/3yEWN.jpg) [](https://i.sstatic.net/nKVrY.jpg) [](https://i.sstatic.net/BcOv5.png)

It seems that most of the dharma teachers in the West are lay people, as opposed to Asia where most of the teachers are ordained monks. Many of the western teachers were monks for a while, but decided to disrobe. My assumption is that these teachers are not enlightened because they usually get in relationships after disrobing. My question is, is it wise to follow these lay teachers, or is it better to wait and try to find a monk who has made a firmer commitment to the dharma? I'm not trying to be disrespectful, it's just that it seems like the act of disrobing is sort of a rejection of Buddhist teachings.

Did Manjushri, Vajrassatva or Avalokiteshvara live? Are Manjushri, Vajrassatva or Avalokiteshvara manifestations or special names of Buddhas or Bodhisattva?

This is not a general question about how to deal with overwhelming fear, but a question about an specific experience. I contemplated about the 4 elements and how my body is made up of it (for the first time ever you could say). I was not having a formal sitting with closed eyes, but I was rather looking at my body like 'here I can see the solid bones of my hand (through the skin)', 'when I press with my fingers at this spot of my arm it moves, so there must be fluid under the skin' ... And while doing this I had a feeling as if I was some scientist who examines the body of an unknown species and my body looked so strange to me, that great fear (of the body I think) suddenly arose. I was so shocked and overwhelmed, that I had to stop there immediately. My question is: What happened there?

> Once lord Buddha pointed at a glistening star and asked a monk, "Do you believe that star still exists where we can see it?" > > The monk answered yes. > > Then lord Buddha said, "You are wrong. That star was destroyed few years ago. What we can see is the light it has emitted." I saw people sharing something like this in social networks saying lord Buddha knew many things about the universe thousands of years ago. But they dont reference to any Sutta or Atuwa or anything where I can find this. I want to know if this is true ? Has lord Buddha ever said something like this ? And which Sutta is it ? Thanks :)

I've been trying to find some info on meditation outdoors here. But I don't. My reason for asking is that I like, as far as possible, to sit outside in meditation. In my country, Norway, there's a lot of forest in the vicinity, even in the cities. And as I understand, Siddhatta Gotama and his followers were were also (at least outside the Rains) sitting outside. A forest is never quiet. You notice that when you are quiet. And it's not "neat and clean" (When instructors talk about places for meditation, they usually say the place should be neat and clean). A forest is usually pretty noisy, uneven and unruly. It's full of stuff, sounds, insects, and animals. But for me this is not disturbing, sounds, (human) animals and "stuff" is more disturbing inside. This might be because I've always felt peace and ease in the forest. So I'd like to hear from you more experienced people if some of you have been doing any meditation outdoors and what your experiences and advices would be.

I heard (only heard) a couple of times somewhere that there is a training in Tantrayana that can purify you, by deleting or burning your own past bad karma. Unfortunately, I don't know the name of this training -- but I lived in Indonesia and sometimes a Tantrayana monk came and offered something like this (again, **if I remember correctly**) Is there some kind of training like this?

The way I see it, music (like everything else?) is empty of inherent existence. This is not obvious. Plato and Aristotle believed that harmonies and rythm express/represents "charachters" . Contrary to the Greek champions, I do not think musical harmonies and rythms express or represent anything in and of themselves. The "meaning" and interpretation of music is dependent on causes and conditions, dependent on its parts, and imputed by mind. Music is empty. My question is how this emptiness of music can be incorporated into my practice. In stead of giving up music because I want to spend my time with meditation, I am wondering if the emptiness of music might in stead and in addition be used as a "mantric device" in mediatative practice. Here's the idea. I play bass. Me and my fellow musicians love minimalist repetition. Some say practicing an instrument is boring because you have to to the same thing again and again, but I don't agree. I think playing the same bass line over and over (alone or with others) is giving the same experience as meditation with mantras. When you play a simple line hundresds of times, you don't have to think about playing. And after a while you don't know where the line starts and ends, it's circular. The mantra is in my fingers and not my mouth. In the end, both mouth and fingers are in the mind anyway. It may be a long shot, but I wonder if this way of using repetition is used as a meditation device in any Buddhist practices. What schools of Buddhism is most open to this kind of idea?