**Hello,** I understand that the six realms can be interpreted as states of the mind. But at the same time I believe in Yidam yoga, not only as symbolic but as a real emanation too - I have devotion. If the six realms are only symbolic then Buddhas / Siddhas cannot surpass the three times and cannot preform any miracles also; as I think they are both superstitions, so may be rebirth. At the same time nirvana may not be reachable by mantras as only a 8th level Bodhisattva can compose a mantra; and a lower level Bodhisattva in the 1st step is able see 100 lives before and after. I do believe in miracles, karma, nirvana, rebirth and "spirits" because of my experiences in life. I might be wrong, but shouldn't this make sense ? I mean Buddhism is very logical... What is considered a superstition from a Buddhist point of view ? **Thank you !**

Given that awakening is accomplished by the destruction of the āsava, understanding what precisely the āsava are (and what they are not) is a key to unraveling the mystery of the Buddha's teaching. At the 13:29 mark of this talk, 2016-11-16: Ajahn Sucitto: Asava and Careful Attention Ajahn Sucitto made the following claim: > The āsava are the saṅkhāra that are encoded with ignorance [avijjā] IMHO, this simple statement is profound. It places the āsava here: **paṭiloma-paṭiccasamuppāda:** 1: avijjā 2: saṅkhāra ** knowledge** I am 99% convinced that this interpretation is correct. It just fits. However, if possible, I would like some evidence from the suttas to corroborate this interpretation. Does such evidence exist? Ajahn Sucitto kindly responded to my request for information on this matter, thusly: > “'Avjijja paccaya sankhāra’ is the frequently reiterated beginning of > the paticcasamuppada (dependent origination) sequence. If you google > this you’ll find many sutta references. This means: ‘with ignorance as > a condition, formative energies arise’. These sankhara formulate > consciousness - the outward-looking intelligence that formulates data > in terms of labels and forms (nāma-rupa). The motivation behind this > formulating is to generate a substantial and enduring reality out of > them. This is the asava of ‘existence/becoming’ (bhava). There is also > the motivation towards stimulation; this is ‘sensuality’ (kāma). > Ignorance as the other of the three asava is the motivation to ignore > the others and just keep adding more proliferation to the mix. This > conclusion has arisen through prolonged study and practice."

Do they exist in the same terrestrial world as ours, or is there a realm where they exist that is only accessible once you progress up the spiritual ladder?

Buddhism although doesn't address the path of the gods for enlightment, it is seen that they are largely addressed for their existence. There are entities - dakinis, pisachinis, etc that are negative demons and are acknowledged. In Hinduism, there are methods in *tantra* to invoke *kavacchas* (or shields) to protect the physical self and materialistic self from those negative entities. They largely require deities who take part in shields and project their fellow human being. Are there any alternative practices in Buddhism too - to prevent or stop negative entities (if they exist) from being a burden on the spiritual journey of enlightenment? Like invoking shields in Hinduism or anything parallel?

For quite some time now, no matter what innocuous thing I do my mind can randomly wonder to some past experience for no reason at all other than a common bond between the memory and present action or experience. A few examples: - I am making a cup of tea and my mind wanders to a conversation I had 15 years ago with a person about brewing a cup of tea. - I make some food and my mind wanders to a person I once cooked food with a decade ago. - I am walking and see leaves on the ground and my mind wanders to a memory of my youth 3 decades ago when I played with leaves. My main practice is a form of mindfulness and observation of any klesha and applying an antidote on its arrival. When these thoughts arise I stop them instantly. The issue is that they can happen randomly at at any time, and that I do not know their cause or how to stop them from arising. Why is this? Is this part of the root poison of desire, to desire to be "I/me" and the memories of the past reinforcing this, clinging? Is it a by product of the mind-stream (past/present/future) that cannot be avoided? Is this something that all beings suffer from up to or even after arhantship? Of course I can bring up a memory for context on command. My mind was not always so calm. It was once unruly and I was able to be completely controlled by kleshas. In the above situations, the memories are not being commanded as well as I am not being controlled by kleshas. I am not asking for personal advice on how to deal with it, because in a more conventional sense it is just a simple distraction that I as a practitioner apply an antidote and alleviate. Is this wandering usual, what is its cause, and can it be completely eradicated? My mind is not defiled by any sort of strong klesha. These do not seem like general defilements. They are short lived, 2 seconds and I am back to sati of the present moment, but this has been going on for so long now. I feel either this is something I would need to do something specific to eradicate (I do not know what) or it is something that others also experience frequently and is just part of the samsaric experience. Something not to be concerned about.

**Hello,** I'm a Vajrayana practitioner since 2018, Nyingma School, and have been taking medication for 3 years. **What's the Buddhist point of view of Mental Illness and Hallucinations ?** I'm asking this question because I want to be a monk but don't know if it's possible because I'm sick. At the same time I don't know how far this is true because this term "Mental Illness" didn't exist in this context in the ancient times and people with supernatural abilities are mentioned in legends that are believed to be real. I'm not saying I'm one of these legends because I'm not, but, I've had my share of supernatural encounters even tho they were dismissed and there were other times that the voices wouldn't stop. **Before I started to take the medication I would do Shamata meditation easier, now I feel numb, in my heart, and sleep a lot**. I started o take the medication because I had problems at home, entered in a depression and decided not to take my life. My relationship with my mother was really bad, she was abusive yelled at me everyday, hated that I meditated and did yoga, but many years later things are better. It's a wish fulfilled, but now I can't stop taking my medication as I'm studying and I think it's for the best - at least for now. **As modern medicine didn't exist back in the day what was the Buddhist point of view of these illnesses ? And what was the method to solve this issues, if they are actually issues ?** I'm not looking for a cure for my "illness", but, I'm really serious about my practice and daily routine - that's why I want to give my life for a greater cause and to become a monk. **EDIT:** I was informed about **wind disorders** and some can be classified as **Mental Illnesses**: - [rLung, Mind, and Mental Health: The Notion of “Wind” in Tibetan Conceptions of Mind and Mental Illness](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6522449/) **Thank you for your time**

Should one visualize while scanning different parts of the body? If not, should one try to suppress it? When I do body scanning practice, automatically an image of the corresponding body part arises in my mind. In fact, every single time when I am changing attention from a part to another it is the mental image of that part that arises first and sensations after that (if any). I have a hunch that this is not the right practice. I tried to "stop" it, but I could not...and hence the question. Can you give your insight on this? Also please share a method to avoid visualizing automatically (if that is indeed correct).

This might be a more theoretical question than a directly practical one. I routinely see creatures of different realms approaching humans in the texts. and not just to enlightened ones like Buddha and some of his disciples, but even other far-from-liberated regular monks and householders. Now even though I believe, and to certain extent, understand other realms of existence, it nonetheless remains a mystery to me why would these creatures only appear exclusively in those times and not nowadays. Why do you think it could be the case? I doubt the texts are wrong, although that possibility can't be excluded - especially in the sense of exaggeration etc.

Wondering if anyone could please give me some recommendations for a longer retreat in Thailand. A lot seem to only be 10 days but I'd like to do longer now as Ive done many shorter ones and would like to go a bit deeper. Im not young and need my own room. Thanks 🙏

I often find that in real life people I know are doing things in a "wrong" way. By this I not only mean profound things related to Dhamma, but also small everyday things. Because of these small things, which are most often due to a small gap in their understanding, they keep suffering in a worldly manner. Example clip I feel compassion for them and I feel that only if they could simply know the right thing their particular problem would go away and they will get some peace of mind. With this in mind (mostly) I try to gently tell them what the cause of the problem is... but I have found it unfortunately that 99% of them not only not act, but even not think about my words. It has caused me suffering, I'm not sure how... maybe because I'm not being taken seriously even though I'm telling something very important to them... anyways so I wanted to ask if what I am doing is incorrect, or maybe it is correct but it is impractical, or I'm doing something wrong somewhere? I feel like I should stop helping but then I think even if it makes me lesser in others' eyes, it is worth it if it helps them. Do you experience this situation in people surrounding you? How do you find a middle ground... like have you stopped helping thinking that they cannot comprehend at once deep insights? Any responses are appreciated. PS: Sorry, if my english is bad.

Not that the two are mutually exclusive, but many Theravada teachers warn against practicing restraint in the commonly understood sense of the word. For example, if I understand correctly, Yuttadhammo Bhikku says to not stop and quit a behavior but to try our best to remain mindful. I understand to some extent that the reasoning has to do with non-self, and trying to stop a behaviour may involve deluding oneself with more of this self. However, in the texts it is frequently mentioned to practice restraint for bad habits (for eg. 9:11) . So I am a little confused here...both approaches make sense to me in their own right. Which one is the right way? or what are the conditions under which these are applicable? Hope this makes sense. Thanks

This is a practice-related question. In Buddhism the goal is to not suffer, but empathy seems to mean suffering because someone else is suffering. In several places in the Pali Canon and elsewhere, compassion, loving-kindness, and sympathetic joy are mentioned, but so is equanimity. [Here](Https://suttacentral.net/vb13/en/thittila) is an instance. I assume this means one should feel free from malice towards someone while also being unpained by this, but how does one deal with the wrong empathy that emerges, which is an energetic pull towards even codependency (If I were to say it in psychological terms)? In the moment, empathy seems very blinding, so how does one extricate from it without losing the non-violence, happiness, and positive feelings? It seems from the fetter view that empathy is at least one of the 3 forms of craving, or perhaps it is some form of restlessness. I wonder if there is an antidote for this particular complex.

I have been trying to pratice vipassana with abdominal movements- Q 1. I never feel the movements getting settled or a state of no movements 2. about 5 min after starting the meditation I feel tightness in the upper part of rhe nose, forehead and the vertex of my head which lead me to stop the meditation. What can i do for this?

In comments to this question I saw a disagreement over the proper translation of various Pali words in suttas commonly translated with the english word rebirth or reborn. According to Ajahn Sujato various Pali words are correctly translated as rebirth/reborn. However, another very detailed and extensive analysis by 'Element' on the linked website comes to the conclusion that none of the Pali words in the suttas are properly translated as rebirth or reborn. It appears implied that the english word 'rebirth' is synonymous with the idea of reincarnation as commonly understood by the non-Buddhist contemporary religions of India and Nepal in the time of the Buddha. The question arises: if none of the Pali words in the suttas cited in the links above are suitably understood or translated as 'rebirth', then what Pali words in the suttas *were* used to describe the idea of reincarnation as commonly understood by the non-Buddhist contemporary religions of India and Nepal in the time of the Buddha?

As the title states, there are no explicit references to Nirodha Samapatti in what is widely considered to be the earliest stratum of the Pali canon (which includes texts such as the Sutta Nipata, Atthakavagga, Parayanavagga, Itivuttaka, Udana). I'm interested to hear from those who consider Nirodha Samapatti to be a canonical teaching of the Buddha - why do you think there are no references to this attainment in the aforementioned texts?

As someone in his 30s, I wish to find a partner to grow old with. At the same time, it’s quite stressful that nowadays my family and friends are constantly pushing me to find someone quickly as I am getting older. I never had a relationship and never felt this pressure, but I don’t understand what I am missing here to feel this restless. 1. I can’t function in daily life if I’m constantly thinking about “How will I get this girl to date me?” 2. If I rush into a relationship, I might end up with someone not compatible which will cause more suffering. I tried reading about it from a Buddhist perspective. But everything I found mostly describe how to sustain romantic relationships. I would really appreciate if someone could help.

Some Buddhist teachers and writings I have seen differentiate between (students of) “high capacity” and “low(er) capacity”. As far as I’ve understood, some of the criteria for saying that some people are of “high capacity” is intelligence and morality. It also seems to me that you actually have to have heard about the Dharma to be of “high capacity”. Can someone give explicit criteria for what “high capacity” and “low(er) capacity” actually means? Or a reference to an explanation?

I know that Tibetan Buddhism has the Rime movement, which is positioned as non-sectarian Buddhism. But I like Theravada methods. Can I practice Theravada while staying within Tibetan Buddhism?

While reading Bhagavad Gita I just wondered what buddha would have done in *this* situation? It's truly not good to ask such questions they may seem speculative to some but I want **probabilities** not speculations, I feel that a mind versed in Buddha's doctrine should be able to give me Buddha's perspective. at onset of war between Pandavas and Kauravas who happen to be cousins Arjuna from Pandava side was inspecting war arrangements. In middle of war field, Arjuna got demotivated when he saw that he is going to fight his own relatives and teachers. He decided to surrender and told same to his charioteer Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna as an answer to Arjunas confusion told him what is now called as 'Bhagavad Gita'. The major arguments Lord Krishna gave in favour of Arjuna fighting the war was: - Arjuna was kshatriya by varna (ancient Indian class system) so war was his duty, he should fight as he will get heaven by fulfilling his duty. - Atman or Soul is immortal so it doesn't matter even if opposition dies since we will destroy only their body their soul will take another body. - Even if you think atman don't exist then also the being will reincarnate again, so it's not virtuous to cling to your relatives. - A person should follow Karmayoga which is doing own duty without thinking about it's result. One should fix their mind on God and carry on their duty without being attached to it's result. If Buddha were in place of Krishna what he would have done when Arjuna expressed his desire to abandon war? Below is background of war > The cause of the Kurukshetra War was a complex and multifaceted one, involving political, social, and moral factors. Some of the main reasons that led to the war were: > - The rivalry and hatred between the Kauravas and the Pandavas, who were cousins and descendants of the Kuru dynasty. The Kauravas, led by Duryodhana, were jealous and resentful of the Pandavas, who were favored by their elders, such as Bhishma and Vidura, and by the gods, such as Krishna. The Kauravas tried to harm and kill the Pandavas on several occasions, such as by poisoning, burning, and exiling them. >- The dispute over the throne of Hastinapura, the capital of the Kuru kingdom. According to the law of primogeniture, the eldest son of the king should inherit the throne. However, Dhritarashtra, the eldest son of Vichitravirya, was born blind and was deemed unfit to rule. Therefore, his younger brother Pandu became the king. Pandu, however, was cursed by a sage that he would die if he ever had sexual intercourse. He retired to the forest with his wives, Kunti and Madri, and entrusted the kingdom to Dhritarashtra. Pandu's sons, the Pandavas, were born through the boon of various gods, while Dhritarashtra's sons, the Kauravas, were born through the intervention of Vyasa, the sage and author of the Mahabharata. When Pandu died, the Pandavas returned to Hastinapura and were raised along with the Kauravas. However, the question of who should be the rightful heir to the throne remained unresolved. The Kauravas claimed that since Dhritarashtra was the eldest son of Vichitravirya, his sons should inherit the throne. The Pandavas argued that since Pandu was the king, his sons should succeed him. The elders and the people were divided on this issue. >- The injustice and oppression of the Kauravas, especially Duryodhana, who was the eldest and the most wicked of them. Duryodhana, with the help of his uncle Shakuni, a master of deceit and gambling, cheated the Pandavas of their share of the kingdom in a rigged dice game. He also humiliated and insulted Draupadi, the wife of the Pandavas, by trying to disrobe her in public. He refused to give back the kingdom to the Pandavas even after they completed their exile and agreed to a peaceful settlement. He also amassed a huge army of allies, such as Karna, Drona, Bhishma, and others, to wage war against the Pandavas and their supporters, such as Krishna, Arjuna, Bhima, and others. >- The need for dharma, or righteousness, to prevail over adharma, or unrighteousness. The Mahabharata war was not only a human conflict, but also a cosmic one, involving the intervention and participation of various gods, sages, and supernatural beings. The war was seen as a necessary and inevitable event to restore the balance of the world, which was corrupted by the evil deeds of the Kauravas and their allies. The war was also a test and a lesson for the Pandavas and their allies, who had to face various moral dilemmas and challenges in the course of the war. The war was ultimately a victory for dharma, as the Pandavas defeated the Kauravas and established a righteous rule over the land.

I had this dream in an afternoon 3-hr long nap today where I was so drunk that I could not keep track of the present. I remember, at one moment I was conscious that I feel drunk and then the next moment I knew of, much time had already passed from that previous moment of awareness. This all was in the dream itself. There were also accompanying signs like heart palpitations which are actually true for me in real life too. The surprising thing is that I did not drink in real life at all in the past few weeks, and neither did I drink within the dream. I was just curious if there is any insight in Buddhism on this - does it hint at any blockages, or hindrances that I may have in "real life"? Thanks for any insights.