The following questions are targeted to Vipassana. Nevertheless, contributions from other traditions are appreciated. - is there any stage where it is expected that meditators feel vibrations while sleeping ? -- If yes, then how should this be managed ? -- Moreover, how to handle this when vibrations are so intense that it is impossible to move during this experience ? - What if it is not clear if such experience is while dreaming or awake ? Sometimes it is not clear if such experience happened in a dream or in real life. - Moreover, is there any guideline on how to manage experiences that happen while sleeping ? Answers with references are strongly appreciated.

It appears to me that this is incompatible with Buddhist teachings. Life will bring suffering, and it'll not be a kind and easy journey. So why be thankful? On the other hand, if you weren't an arhat then you were going to be reborn in some way. If you were born in some type of affluent family with good values etc., then I guess you could be thankful.

### What is a Sangha? I know that a sangha is group of Buddha’s followers! But I want to have a more thorough understanding of what a sangha is! **Do you have to be a Buddhist to join a Sangha?**

I'm wondering if there were any such occasions, and what suttas/sutras this is recorded in. Also if the Buddha gave advice to otherwise evil people besides Angulimala or Devadatta, or possible connections to psychopathy or sociopathy.

In college, I vaguely recall my instructor mentioning it was possible to live on beans and rice alone. When put together, all the essential amino acids can be obtained. I've also heard that it is possible to live on brown rice alone though I'm not sure. From a Buddhist perspective, regarding choice of ingredients what is the minimum number of ingredients that one can get by and still be nutritionally complete, preferring plant and dairy sources, if possible. Recently a soy drink called Soylent has been available which claims to be nutritionally complete but I was hoping to find a natural, fresh alternative. It's also discussed on SE Skeptics . I do understand that eating the same dish every day can become bland, but it seems like the right thing to do from a Buddhism perspective, valuing simplicity. There is a research article on pubmed which used the Campbells Wellness plan but seems to take include non-vegetarian ingredients. An article on NPR takes on the issue but still leaves the reader guessing. http://www.soylent.me/ https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/17347/is-soylent-a-nutritionally-complete-shake http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10491676 http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/05/03/151932410/man-cannot-live-on-rice-and-beans-alone-but-many-do

I am amazed at how quickly folks on this SE find detailed quotes from the canon. Are folks using a concordance? (That's what Christians call it for the Bible--it's a dictionary of topics cross-referenced to the source text so that it's easier to look up passages by subject.) If there is a concordance for the Pali Canon, where can it be found?

In early Buddhism we see that characters like: - Angulimala - Ajatasatru - Ashoka In recent times we have seen S.N.Goenka doing prison courses . Also there are new perspectives in correction discussed in talks like: The neuroscience of restorative justice . So how can Buddhism be used for the correction of people, and how does this compare with other developments in this area using lessons and teachings from within the Tripiṭaka ?

Maybe a strange question, because for some people it's obvious that you should be compassionate. I'm just interested in knowing why. Hatred is unskillful, but why should one develop compassion instead? Why is "not hating" not enough?

When someone dies (is pronounced dead, e.g. no heart-beat) then hospital staff will want to move the body to a refrigerated morgue. If you are next-of-kin, then when (after how long) is it right to give them permission to do that? Is it alright to do that nearly immediately, or, should you ask them to delay doing that, and if so for how long? [This reference says](http://www.amitabhahospice.org/public/helpful_info/buddhist_death.php) , > Different Buddhist cultures (Western, Tibetan, Japanese, Korean, Taiwanese, Sri Lankan etc. have different lengths of time that they don't move the body and keep vigil and do prayers). How long is an appropriate length of time to ask for, for example in a Western hospital or hospice? How much time/delay, if any, does the dying person need? Should you wait for a certain length of time (number of hours after the recorded time of death)? Or wait for some specific, measurable/observable physical symptom, for example the (internal body and/or external skin) temperature cooling to some specific temperature? The same page says, > The Clear Light State can last for few minutes (where there is much disease or in accidents) or 3 days (recommended waiting time) or longer in accomplished meditators. I imagine that leaving the body undisturbed for three days might be unacceptable in a Western hospital. --- The conclusion to [Buddhism and organ donation](http://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/how_to_become_a_donor/religious_perspectives/leaflets/buddhism_and_organ_donation.asp) suggests that organ donation is compatible with Buddhism. If that's true, how is that compatible/reconciled with the view that the body should not be disturbed/touched after death?

As a kid I enjoyed watching drama Journey to the West (1986),
>Wiki : Shā Wùjìng is one of the three disciples of the Buddhist pilgrim Xuanzang. He appears as a character in the novel Journey to the West written by Wu Cheng'en in the Ming dynasty, although versions of his character predate the Ming novel. In the novels, his background is the least developed of the pilgrims and he contributes the least to their efforts. He is called Sand or Sandy and is known as a "water buffalo" for his seemingly less developed intelligence in many English versions of the story. > >His Buddhist name "Sha Wujing", given by Bodhisattva Guanyin, means "sand aware of purity". His name is rendered in Korean as Sa Oh Jeong, into Japanese as Sa Gojō, into Sino-Vietnamese as Sa Ngộ Tịnh.
>He is also known as 沙僧 "Monk Sha", "Shā Sēng" in Mandarin Chinese, Sa Tăng in Sino-Vietnamese and Sua Cheng in Thai . I saw actor "**Sha Wujing **" necklace with huge, weighing up to 5kg.
I want to ask the meaning of this kind of necklace. ?
In Buddhism, Who had that necklace?

Does anyone know how long did it take for Gotama Buddha to appear in the world, after Buddha Kassapa? The interval between the 2 Buddhas

Is happiness something we should seek? I feel discontent seeking the state of happiness or creating this state of mind when I know that other beings are suffering. For example, if one knows that animals are being slaughtered inhumanely to satisfy the desire of greed and glutony, then how can one conciously feel happy with this in one's mind? I cannot simply ignore this. There are many examples of these bad acts in many forms. What is the right mindfullness and how should I perceive these bad acts as a buddhist?

An ode to envy highlights some interesting perspective of jealousy. In a Buddhist perspective how can jealousy be viewed and analysed? What is the root cause and do we indulge in jealousy? More particularly: - Why do we enjoy stories and movies inspired by jealousy? - How can we be motivated by jealousy? Is it by creating an imaginary outcome and indulging in the sensationalising of this story.

This is something that I have trouble coming to grips with. If the mind can be aware without a body or brain then how is it possible that one can experience things like the Bardo when we know that without certain conditions the mind becomes unaware? Anesthesiologists can purposely put people into this state. One second you are going under for surgery and the next second you are laying in a hospital bed without any awareness of the lapse of time. If one were to extinguish ever becoming or going doesn't that mean an unconscious state? Does Buddha ever explain this phenomenon?

I've heard it said that Popes are infallible,(whether one believes this or not). Although the arahant has removed all the defilements, can they still be wrong, make mistakes, or are they all-knowing? I vaguely remember a story of an arahant playing a dirty trick on his less than wise brother?

How would you balance, material advancement and spiritual advancement in terms of Buddhism? I consider this because something material is close to what we see and feel in the moment, and related to desires of creating something and/or modifying it to suit our needs and ego (and suchlike consequences) and probably being attached to that which you created. This may be a question of how to balance spiritual and professional commitments. Isn't commitment a form of attachment?

If everyone in Tibet or Earth even for instance quit reproducing then how could a Lama reincarnate when his reincarnation depends on the freewill of the people who are reproducing?

According to Satipatthana Mula (By Sujato Bhikkhu edited by Piya Tan) Śāripūtrābhidharma Satipatthana contains a section on **oozing orifices **. What exactly does Śāripūtrābhidharma sources say about **oozing orifices ** in English? Are there are parallels in Theravada literature especially the Tripitaka which compair with what Śāripūtrābhidharma sources say?

If a supremely enlightened being can become many, walk through walls and dive into the ground as if it were water doesn't this mean that he is not dependent on his body and can actually make the body into anything he wants? If he can become many couldn't he just manifest a new body? I have yet to come across even one case of any of the supernormal powers that has been scientifically confirmed. Usually after doing some research on claims of these powers I find an explanation that completely debunks them as frauds. I don't want to know if these exist in order to gain them but because I want to be aware of any discrepancies with in Buddhist texts in order to better fully understand the Dharma. For me truth is the highest goal so separating fact from fiction is a must.

Tantric rituals harness the power/engergy of taboo acts by including either actual or visualizations of alcohol, meat and sex into the ritual. In that system, does it still work if people don't actually believe that there is anything wrong with drinking alcohol, eating meat or sex ? Also, maybe I just am not familiar with tantra, but this list is 3 out of five of the five precepts. Do tantric rituals also harness the power of theft and killing?