I lost my brother 8 years ago in a tragic accident. He never was interested in dhamma, how to ensure he is alright wherever he is, how to ensure he is doing fine, Will i ever meet him again? How to find out where he is now? Unable to talk to anyone about this.

In Buddhist teachings, phenomena are said to be conditioned and impermanent. Could you explain the various types of conditions that are recognized in Buddhism, and how they contribute to the cycle of samsara and the development of individual experience? What are some of the types of conditions in the Abhidhammas or even modern understanding. Answers could include perhaps a physical condition, mental condition, conditioned by absences or so on.

According to the Buddha's teaching, is it more wholesome to feed a domesticated cat meat or let a cat catch it's own food? Is it wholesome to feed a cat at all or possess a cat? How should one who lives by the Buddha's teaching approach cats?

I always have this question in My mind. in Buddhism, when we share the merit of our good deeds with devas or deceased relatives, does it reduce the strength of our own karma? In other words, does sharing or transferring our merit mean that we lose or lessen the karmic fruits we would otherwise receive?

I have heard Buddhist literature Mentions Maha Brahma, a diety attributed with creation but he is still held as a conditioned being. Does any literature of the buddhist canon (Any tripitaka or sutta) mention vishnu or shiva as deities? If so, what position are they accorded? Are they held to be conditioned beings similar to Brahma or something else?

(Not sure if i should break this down into two questions. Let me know if that's better.) 1. Is Gautama Buddha the originator of the idea of skandhas? 2. The suttas provides multiple accounts of the skandhas characteristics, and their foundational role in dukkha (For instance SN 22.86 ). But does the suttas provide a rationale for the taxonomy into these five particular skandhas? (To clarify, i'm not asking what the skandhas are, or how they function). In other words: *why* rupa, vedana, sanna, sankharas and vinnana? Are the reasons detailed in any sutta? Or should this question be deemed acinteyya?

Today I see a great Vajrayana khenpo monk (also a vajra master) sharing an interesting opinion in this video : > (Translation) > > One of the 5 Silas of monks forbids stealing... However, you will not break the Sila if you steal from a bodhisattva. > > Why? Because a bodhisattva has no obsession (on material posessions), > he has given them up. So, if you take something from a bodhisattva... > you steal something from a bodhisattva, it is not breaking the Sila. If you steal from a normal person, because he will be obsessive on his possesions, so it is breaking the Sila. > > What the Sila forbids is robbing or stealing something from another person who cares about them...what about an enlightened bodhisattva? His thing is practically owned by no one (because of his Dāna). Remember this. > > This is how the bodhisattva's Dāna is different with normal person's Dāna... The Khenpo mainly wants to tell us bodhisattva's Dāna donates everything, and a normal person's Dāna does not, by this example. But this really sounds strange. In modern legistration system, a crime of theft or robbery is determined by the convict's will and action, and not by whether the victim cares about his/her property. The Khenpo says otherwise, since a bodhisattva does not care about his/her property, then it is not owned and can be taken away freely. Does the Sila here work more like the police than laws, that if the victim does not call the "police" (Sila? Karma?), then the convict will not be arrested? My question is, 1. Is it really legal (in perspective of Sila) to steal from a Bodhisattva? Is there any books or written creeds confirming this? Or the Khenpo just makes simile and not really means it is legal? 2. Is it also legal (in perspective of Sila) to steal of other enlightened people, like, an Araham? 3. Is it also legal to steal from a monk who claim him/herself as bodhisattva, or vow to follow a bodhisattva's standard?

So, I'm not a Buddhist, but my understanding is that in Buddhist thought, existence is the root of suffering, and Buddhists seek to end suffering by attaining a state of spiritual enlightenment that, after death, will cause them to cease to exist instead of reincarnating ("Nirvana"). Since this spiritual oblivion is viewed as a good thing by Buddhists as a result, and that existence is viewed as a bad thing that causes suffering, why aren't there any murderous Buddhists that seek to bring about this oblivion more directly by killing everyone? You can't reincarnate into a new life if there's no new lives to reincarnate into, after all. Even if reincarnating into animals might be possible, you could prevent that by systematically wiping out all life on Earth down to the smallest microbe. However, I've never heard of any Buddhist sects that actively seek to murder everybody. Why is this the case, when it seems like "murder everybody" could very easily be a logical conclusion of the Buddhist belief system? Have there actually been these sorts of Buddhist death-cults in the past, that simply haven't survived to the modern day (presumably due to having been violently suppressed by the governments of the nations they lived in once they started trying to murder everyone)?

Hello Beautiful People, I have a quick question. After years of meditating with a mixture of Mahasi and Goenka style, I would like to ask the following. Very often when I sit to mediate, it is a matter of seconds to experience a subtle sense of pleasure and/or spaciousness. But more interestingly, is that after meditating a bit more there comes a feeling that my eyes want to move upwards, almost like if they want to see behind my head/brain. The first times this eye movement happened, years ago, there was fear in me because this was unusual and unexpected - it was even a bit painful. But after letting this movement happen I realized that the traditional lights, pleasure, and spaciousness became more present. Sometimes this leads to a very focalized pleasure spot at the top of my head and sometimes to the feeling that from that spot a very strong and interesting sense of pleasure would come from it (like if there is a cascade of pleasure emanating from the top of my head). The eye movement I am describing is not like REM. It is rather slow and it is directed upwards. So, I guess my question is: what is this eye movement thing? Is it anywhere described? Is it a Jhana thing? a symptom of any stage of the path? Thanks!

What do Buddhists - modern day and historical - think of Anekāntavāda ? There is this cryptic remark by Dharmakirti: > With the differentiation removed, all things have dual nature. Then, > if somebody is implored to eat curd, then why he does not eat camel?" > The insinuation is obvious; if curd exists from the nature of curd and > does not exist from the nature of a camel, then one is justified in > eating camel, as by eating camel, he is merely eating the negation of > curd. I could summarize it at such: *the truth/reality is complex and many-sided.* How does the quote apply to the subject matter? The truth/reality being complex and many-sided doesn't seem to end suffering, but at least it gives individuals some solace. Am I wrong?

What is the meaning of the Pali terms "takkahetu" and "nayahetu"? Those terms are named in AN 3.65 when in his talk to the Kalamas Buddha dismissed these methods as a means to end suffering.

Vietnamese paragraph: Nếu không có Tăng Bảo thì không bao giờ chúng ta giác ngộ chân lý được, không giác ngộ chân lý thì biết gì mà hộ trì chân lý, chân lý không được hộ trì thì làm sao chứng đạt được chân lý. There are two options, which one is better? Sentence 1: Without the Sangha Jewel, we can never realize/comprehend the truth; without realizing the truth, we do not know how to uphold the truth, (if the truth is not upheld, it cannot be attained) (not having been upheld, the truth cannot be attained). Sentence 2: Without the Sangha Jewel, we can never realize the truth; without realizing the truth, how could we possibly uphold it; and if the truth is not upheld, how could it ever be attained? Thank your for your reading. Please consider and correct the translation related to Vietnamese Buddhism.

I have often seen the [Anguttara Nikaya 4.77](https://accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an04/an04.077.than.html) being quoted as in [this post](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/49150/causes-of-specific-illnesses-death) against pondering on the precise workings of karma. **My question:** is there a misunderstanding of the Buddha’s words thus misconstruing his intentions. My understanding on the Buddha’s caution on karma (in AN 4.77) is that we should not try to figure out its exact/precise/detailed workings if 1) we don’t have the tools (i.e. divine eye faculty or recollection of past lives) and 2) we don’t have the discernment or wisdom to see anicca and anatta in the process. The danger is that we may draw the wrong conclusion as was the case with [certain mentioned recluse](https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.01.0.bodh.html#fnt-5) in Brahmajala sutta. But the Buddha did not prevent anyone from having a deep understanding of paticca-samuppada (dependent-arising or conditionality) which is the basis of karma. And through the insights on conditionality, have a deeper understanding of karma; why it works in general. I believe a deeper understanding of karma is within our abilities as ordinary humans as we have the ability to observe, recall and analyse conditions and events in our lives. For example, if I am staring at the ceiling at 2 a.m. in the morning, unable to sleep and I tried to recall what I did to cause this, I may then remember giving in to temptation and drinking a nice cup of coffee after dinner. So, there was an unskillful craving involving certain pleasure and a bad consequence. This is observing karma-in-action and anyone can do it. Incidentally, I have friends who claimed to be able to drink coffee or tea just before hitting the bed and still sleep like a log. One common theme is that they don’t experience the caffeine-high like I do. Although I always find it strange why people drink coffee if they don’t get any pleasures from it. Whether we talk about karma or the other four niyamas, conditionality is their foundation. Millions of scientists, researchers and engineers all over the world are working hard daily, trying to tease out the conditioned causes that govern the phenomena of the world we lived in, from climate change to superconductivity. They are trying to harness their understanding to improve the lot of humanity. We should also deepen our understanding of karma for our own long-lasting well-being and happiness. If one is not in samsara, they need not bother with the rule of the game i.e. karma. But what choice do we have? Surely, the Buddha understand this and would want us to have a better grasp of karma to improve our own lives. ### Addendum: ### *Suppose we assume the Buddha intended for us to investigate the workings of karma through proper verification by keen observation, analysis and even experimenting on ourselves and not by mere speculation. Furthermore, if we assume this is possible because not all karmic fruits are from our or others’ past lives, many are the results of this life. Would we be doing an injustice to the Buddha by quoting him out-of-context with AN 4.77? Also, wouldn’t discouraging investigations into the workings of karma be totally inconsistent with the entire teachings of the Buddha?* *If we postulate the above is correct, how can we quote AN 4.77 in the right context without giving the wrong impression that the Buddha discouraged investigating and understanding the workings of karma?*

Do I intend to do something if I also intend to stop myself from doing it? Suppose I intend to eat the hamburger, but also intend to stop myself doing so. Is that intent in the Buddhist sense?

I am a complete beginner who was looking for a good Buddhist guide for meditation. I discovered the book "The Mind Illuminated" by Culadasa and I thought I had found the grail: the shape of the guide seemed perfect to me. It is simple and clear, based on the anapanasati, up to the jhanas, step by step. But I have just discovered the scandals surrounding Culadasa and now I totally doubt the quality of his teaching. I attach great importance to the morality of a teacher of these issues. Where do I go from here? What do you recommend? Is there another guide as good in its form made by a recognized teacher, without scandals? Thanks.

I'm interested to know the academic consensus on Cleary's translation of The Blue Cliff Record. I've heard that his translations could be spotty at times, given that, how accurately has he depicted this text? To clarify: I want to know how closely Cleary's translation adheres to the original Blue Cliff Record, not how the Buddhist community regards it in terms of Buddhist practice.

I have been meditating for quite a while now. I practise mindfulness as far as possible. I no longer brood about the past or fantasize about the future (except occasionally). Now a new hindrance has popped up that is affecting my meditation as well as daily life. I experience this debilitating energy of fear around my heart. This fear takes form of thoughts. Although knowingly I don't create these thoughts. This energy of fear scans through my mind and creates thoughts which then perpetuate this fear energy. To tell you an example. In the past I was not a very good person, I was egoist with superiority complex and have hurt many people.Those people in turn have taken revange and hurt me. Now I don't harbour ill will against anybody or I am not angry at anybody knowing fully well that it was all my own Karma.I don't brood on this past anymore. The energy of fear pops up now and then and brings in to consciousness the memory and image of these people who have hurt me and tell me that they are going to hurt me again. This is all in the imagination. I can do with the associated thoughts. I can be mindful of the thoughts and let them go. But I don't know how to deal with the emotional energy of fear. This is affecting my life and my meditation. This has been so for the last 1-2 months. In my online research I read that fear is there because of desires. That we are afraid that our desires wont be fulfilled and so we fear. But that is not in my case. I don't have any particular desires (sexual or otherwise). Currently, I listen to the Ratana Sutta every evening and do mantra chanting with the monks (on YouTube). I feel ok, but haven't gotten over the energy of fear. I have also tried doing Metta Meditation practice, but it makes the situation worse as the thoughts and emotions not only persist but are amplified. I don't have any illwill against anybody, so I don't want to create Metta towards anybody. I just want this fear emotion energy to leave me. I want more of equanimity rather than loving kindness. My question is how do I deal with and let go of this energy of fear. Is there any meditation practise to deal with such situation?

As far as I can remember, this stmt is at the beginning.

For example, in the picture below the Buddha has a walking stick in one hand and a white ball in the other hand. This statue is another example with the stick and the ball: What is the meaning, the symbolism, of those two objects?

Recently, there had been a lot of market turmoil in the world as a result of one man’s action in imposing unilateral tariffs. The justification was that free trade is not as good as fair trade. I suppose if you think about it there is some truth in that free competition tends to benefit those who are more competitive or had some kind of *fair or unfair* advantages. I know the Buddha encourage the practice of dana or giving to those who are needy and worthy. But in any competition, there are bound to be losers. Giving to losers appeared unnatural and even in the wild, weaker animals perish. I am not saying this system of free competition is perfect but I can’t think of any better solution either. How does Buddhism strike a balance view in all of these? ---------- ***Appendix A*** In [SN4:20](https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/SN/SN4_20.html) , the Buddha was mentioned to have thought about this issue of just and righteous rule of societies. One that does not cause sorrow to the ruler or the people. Sadly, it appeared that there was no mention of any solution.