I have come across multiple instances where famous people or mainstream media have treated Buddhism and its culture in a derogatory manner, though I like to think most of the time it was because they are ignorant and not deliberate. This is not limited to famous ones of course. I will note 2 popular examples here. The first one: SNL or Saturday Night Live (an American weekly television show) did an episode titled **Rude Buddha** , which was about the rude mentality of Lord Buddha. It consisted of a famous celebrity acting as Lord Buddha and being condescending and rude towards his followers, including sexual innuendos. Now, it's obviously a humorous dig at Lord Buddha's life. And I am not going to deny, I found it quite hilarious. There's another example where the famous Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo uploaded a photo to his Instagram where he seems to have **one foot resting on the base of a statue of Buddha's head** . Fans were outraged and the photo was met with severe criticism. However, despite the incident being as old as from 2016, the photo still can be seen in his Instagram. It seems like the sentiment of Buddhists is not taken seriously enough for this photo to be removed. While I found the SNL episode funny, I do not view this in the same sense. He could have obviously taken it down considering how insensitive it is to Buddhists as a whole. I believe no religion should be excluded from criticism. It enables people to engage in intellectual discourse on religions. However some incidents lean more towards mockery. Most of the comments in the SNL video (it's available on YouTube and I have provided the link above) are about how most Buddhists would find this funny and move on. However, I always wonder, to what extent should we tolerate these? My moral dilemma is, how far can we be okay with our religion being mocked or treated insignificantly? Do we always have to **give the benefit of ignorance when someone disrespects Buddhism and its culture**? And how should **a good Buddhist react to incidents like these**?

> Say one reflects on the beauty of one's children, the beauty of one's husband or wife, the beauty of one's house or garden, or the beauty of a flower, and other such things: that is rooted in greed and delusion. It is a perverted perception (*sañña-vipallāsa*), based on unwise attention. If one has habitually looked upon such objects with such unwise attention, it will be very difficult at death suddenly to reflect upon them with wise attention. ...If one dies with such consciousness (rooted in greed and delusion,...) one cannot avoid being reborn in a woeful state. Quoted from the book "The Workings of Kamma" by The Most Venerable Pa-Auk Sayadaw. My question: so should we not reflect on the beauty of something? It's not a bad karma, right? So I thought it will just create attachment (that bounds us to samsara), but I didn't think it would lead to a rebirth in the lower realms? P.S it's not that I have doubts about this book, I'm just a little confused and need some explanation.

I heard from some brotherhood from Mahayana said Theravada also will do some chanting for eating meat. Is it true ? I have only able to find the Mahayana Mantra but not Theravada info as below https://drukpachoegon.org/meat-blessing-mantra

Through reading books on Buddhism I get the idea that existence is conditioned. The faculties (mind, consciousness, etc.) through which we try to attain Nirvana are also conditioned. So, how is it possible to attain the Unconditioned through conditioned faculties?

I've done regular meditation for over a year using a chair and later tried to switch to more traditional meditation postures. I am rather tall at 6′4/194cm and very inflexible - can barely touch bottom of my knees. I've had some success in sitting seiza using a couple of blankets but my shins go numb after 20min or so. I've been doing regular stretches for the last month or so and hope to be able to stretch enough to do Burmese sitting in the future. Any advice on whether it's worthwhile to try to reach Burmese or should I rather focus on getting better at seiza? Any equipment you can recommend? I'm pretty sure the stack of blankets I need to comfortably sustain seiza is a lot taller than the 6 inches most zafu cushions are advertised as. Thank you very much!

I am a Vipassana meditator and in the last 2-3 years am noticing that someone is playing with my aura/heat and sensations all the time. I have no idea where to get help. It is coming in the way of my meditation practice. I know it is a person who is playing with it ... Looking for help for where I can connect with. Thanks Archana

This question is in context of practicing mindfulness in one's day-to-day activities (e.g. walking, talking, washing dishes etc.), where one is supposed to be "aware of" / "observe" / "be mindful of" these activities. But how does one be "mindful" during thinking, since the very act of "observing" thinking would interrupt the thought process? And, say, if the thought process is about solving a specific problem, the very act of "being aware of /observing" the thoughts would result in one being unable to effectively solve that problem - when compared to not observing/ not being mindful about those thoughts. Or, be unable to solve it all. The same question for when reading something very interesting, or studying, where one is fully engrossed? Wouldn't being mindful about these activities interrupt the reading/study? New to mindfulness here. Apologies if the question sounds foolish, or irrelevant due to my misunderstanding of mindfulness. Thanks in advance.

I had a dilemma for a long time and I need your help please. I’m from India, 29 years and belong to a conventional Indian family, staying with my parents. Since last 4 years, I have wished to renounce my conventional life and go somewhere to meditate deeply (vipassana meditation). Its a calling, a constant calling. Two years back I told my parents but they were shattered to hear this, they were shocked and broken. Since then I quietly resumed my life. They are also concerned about their future, as they are not fully financially independent and may need my help, but it’s not like if I renounce, they cannot manage, they can definitely manage by cutting a few corners, they can live without my financial help, they have that much savings. I have been contributing to the house expenses heavily, almost all my salary so that their savings remain intact. Its like they have enough to live for another 10 years, but what after that if I’m not there. It’s very tricky. They are concerned about their old age and future. My parents are both in 60s. Every now and then I deeply wish to renounce and pursue deep meditation. I get confused, is my role to serve them by being there by keeping them financially secure and being there for them in their old age, but this is not contributing to their mind at all, or is my role to uncover wisdom within so that I can inspire them to do the same for their own self. Should I be there for them in the next few years and once they are no more, then pursue my meditation or should I renounce right now, and walk the path of wisdom so that I can inspire them to believe in and uncover the wisdom inside themselves? Its an either / or situation. Either I keep them comfortable in conventional life, and let them move to their next life, or should I challenge myself right now so that even they can challenge themselves spiritually. (they are not that inclined towards spiritual progress) What is my role as a son? This is a constant dilemma every day of my life for last many years. I am neither here nor there. I can’t fully function in the conventional life also because of this. Which way should I go, or is there any middle way? Please help me. Kind and humble request. Thank you.

I'm looking for more friends on the Buddhist path and would there for like to ask: **Are there any social networking sites for Buddhists**? Some features that I'm looking for: * Friends list * Seeing online status of friends * Sending direct messages to a friend * Chatting with a friend * Open forums * Sharing images * News feed Grateful for help! Kind Regards, Tord

I am hearing contradictorary things.Is the alayavijnana shared in yogacara?And is it momentary and subject to Kshanabhanga?What does vasubandhu say and the early yogacarins?Please cite sources.

I know that as long as someone isn't enlightened, thoughts will continue to arise in one's mind, including bad thoughts. And the only way to prevent bad thoughts from arising is through meditation. So does "not wanting to meditate" counted as bad karma? Because there's an intention to not want to meditate (meanwhile meditation is the only way to prevent bad thoughts from arising). So not wanting to meditate = letting bad thoughts to arise = bad karma(?) Can someone clear this for me? Thank you.

Is the upasakasila sutta based on the Tipitaka (Pali Canon) or is it based on the Mahayana teachings? Also, I understand that Buddhism doesn't condemn LGBT, but in the Upasakasila Sutta, it is written: > "If sex is practised under the inappropriate times (times not allowed by precepts), [at] inappropriate place[s] (places not allowed by precepts), with non-female[s], with virgin[s], with a married wife, if sex relates to self-body, it is known as sexual misconduct." Does this mean being gay (or lesbian, or being a part of LGBT) is considered sexual misconduct and therefore violated the 3rd precepts?

What has historical precedent to teach and what is your opinion?

Maybe a strange question, but I wonder if emptiness (sunyatta) is also a characteristic of the state of nirvana?

Today is a holiday, my friend post the dinner on the social media, I want to comment to celebrate their happy life. But I see the fish and beef in the pictures, I don't know how to comment, because in Buddhism there is banned to eat meat. They are not Buddhist scholars. They are not Buddhist at all.

Do you need both parents' permission to become ordained? What if one of the parents refuses contact? Should you strive for it?

In Tibetan Buddhism, there are the Four Immeasurables, as follows: > The Four Immeasurables as a Traditional Tibetan Buddhist Prayer > > May all beings have happiness and the cause of happiness. > >May they be free of suffering and the cause of suffering. > >**May they never be disassociated from the supreme happiness which is without suffering**. > > May they remain in the boundless equanimity, free from both attachment to close ones and rejection of others. > >https://www.padmasambhava.org/sermon/four-immesurables/ What is the meaning above of "*the supreme happiness which is without suffering*"? Does it refer to Nirvana? Or does it refer to any type of wholesome happiness? If possible, please offer Tibetan or Sanskrit linguistic support for the answer.

Is trying to find causes of everything not a good practise? Isn't having rational mind a good thing? I know that the Lord Buddha advised us to not to think about beginning of life. Because it make us crazy. There may be some other things like this. I realize that this thinking causes me to loose sati. Why that thing happen? How long does it exists? etc. Most of these thinking causes to stuck at a loop. It feels like it wastes lot of energy for nonsense. But I have fear of stopping this. Do I have to just stop thinking and let it go? Do I have to forget things without knowing causes of it? How do I select what to think and what not to think? How this affects sati? What Lord Buddha said about this? How should I handle this rationality?

Anatman/Anatta says that the 'self'is a momentary flux of Cittas-Vijnanas.There can be no stable permanent Citta,in kshanabhangavada a dharma perishes before its successor arises.one citta arises then perishes and another takes its place all going on until Nirvana is established.However,when one citta perishes,from where and what does the next Citta arise?it cannot be a nothing.but the Citta also cannot preexist as that would be absurd and there would be infinite mes or yous right now somewhere.it would also mean that the world would be Fate.but such a notion is Absurd anyway.it cannot also be that there is an infinite set of predetermined Cittas in a dormant state.as Cittas are all that' Exist' in the Mahayana and Tibetan schools.They cannot be dormant.dormant where?in a concrete external world?if such a receptacle existed wich was permanent and unchanging and not momentary it would be a Self! Citta can be equated with Vijnana Skandha or alaya vijnana aswell,as the alayavijnana is momentary within Buddhism. it cannot be that the Citta has the same substance as the former Citta because then it would just be the same Citta and Cittas are not Substantial according to Nagarjuna. It cannot be that a Citta endures until the next arises because this would confer confused Experience and still the former Citta has no Causal power to create another Citta Exnihilo. So how does the momentary flux of Cittas work?

I do manage to keep my self calm at times. But lately i feel i can't control the bubbling anger within me. I keep lashing out over small things. Sometimes even the smallest things can annoy me. I have tried breathing techniques and i must say that they are very useful in keeping self in check but it makes me very restless or like being sap out of energy. If anyone can give me advice i be grateful for it.