In this answer it says "Learning to trust one's fundamental goodness" is one of the way to practise seclusion. I want to understand what this means in context of the question on Rhinocerous sutta. Also how can this trust be cultivated so that it leads towards meditative absorption?

I read the following on the internet: > If having a little wisdom one would not see any different between > "staying right focused" and "watch closely", but the fool seeks to > accumulate knowledge just for gain and to pave his way downwardly. From the Pali suttas, the word "**anupassi**" is translated as follows: > On that occasion the monk remains **focused** on the body in & of > itself — ardent, alert, & mindful — putting aside greed & distress > with reference to the world. Thanissaro > > on that occasion a bhikkhu abides **contemplating** the body as a body, > ardent, fully aware, and mindful, having put away covetousness and > grief for the world. Bodhi > > That’s why at that time a mendicant is meditating by **observing** an > aspect of the body—keen, aware, and mindful, rid of desire and > aversion for the world. Sujato > > a monk lives **contemplating** the body in the body, ardent, clearly > comprehending and mindful, having overcome, in this world, > covetousness and grief Nyanasatta Thera > > a bhikkhu lives **contemplating** the body in the body, ardent, clearly > comprehending (it) and mindful (of it), having overcome, in this > world, covetousness and grief... Soma Thera > > a monk fares along **contemplating** the body in the body, ardent, > clearly conscious (of it), mindful (of it) so as to control the > covetousness and dejection in the world... Horner > > that bhikkhu is considered one who lives **constantly contemplating** body > in bodies, strives to burn up defile­ments, comprehends readily, and > is mindful, in order to abandon all liking and disliking toward the > world... Buddhadasa > > in regard to the body a monk abides **contemplating** the body, diligent, > clearly knowing, and mindful, free from desires and discontent in > regard to the world. Analayo > > **Contemplates** the body in the body with effort, sampajañña and sati, > eradicating covetousness and distress with regard to the world... > Payutto > > These unpleasant feelings are dukkha-vedana and the contemplation of > these feeling is vedananupassana, **contemplation** of feeling... > Mahasi Sayadaw It appears, from the ten translators above, the American Geoffrey DeGraff (also named Bhikkhu Thanissaro) has uniquely translated "anupassi" as "focused". Questions: 1. Is Thanissaro's translation accurate? Is the English word "focused" synonymous with the other translations of "contemplating", "observing", "watching closely", etc? 2. Is there a possible downward path, misguidance &/or confusion in adhering & attaching to Thanissaro's translation? Why? 3. Is there a possible downward path in rejecting, admonishing &/or even ridiculing Thanissaro's translation? Why? 4. Is there a possible upward & even Noble path in rejecting, admonishing &/or even ridiculing Thanissaro's translation? Why?

I am trying to understand karma, I have and continue to read about intention and letting go. I am struggling with something. Could you help me ? A) If I acted (unwisely, unkindly, causing suffering), not knowing that what I was doing was wrong, and never realizing it to be wrong, I believe this is neutral. B) If I acted (unwisely, unkindly, causing suffering), ***while knowing*** that what I was doing was wrong, and ***continued to understand it to be wrong***, I believe this is bad. C) If I acted (unwisely, unkindly, causing suffering), ***while knowing*** that what I was doing was wrong, and ***then saw that the act resulted in something good***, I believe this is bad. D) If I acted (unwisely, unkindly, causing suffering), ***not knowing*** that what I was doing was wrong, and ***later realized it to be wrong***, I believe this is neutral. If (now that I understand) I harbor guilt and attach to this guilt I am doing bad. Here I am asked to forgive myself and move on. If I continue to wallow in the guilt then I am doing more bad. (assuming I am correct on A-C) the problem I have with D is likely based in the faith of my birth (catholic), where I was made to believe that guilt is really like a payment and the worst the act the longer you need to pay for it (like a monetary value) by continuing to hurt yourself with guilty feelings. in Buddhism, if attaching to guilt is bad, then how long do you need to feel it ? do you just move on as soon as you realize it was wrong ? If the suffering impacted someone else do they have a "say" in how long you cause yourself suffering (if not literally, then in some kind of moral equivalence that you calculate yourself ?) thank you for sharing your insight.

I am a *Theravada Buddhist* living in *North America* practicing the *Mahasi Sayadaw* tradition. My queries (*regarding Theravada monasticism*) are the following: > **1) Can anyone recommend a or more than one bhikkhu monastery anywhere in > North America that I can ordain in that follows the tradition of or a > tradition similar to the Mahasi Sayadaw tradition?** > > **2) Does anyone know if I would be able to practice (as an ordained bhikkhu) the tradition I am under (the Mahasi Sayadaw tradition) while in a monastery practicing a tradition other than my own (e.g. the Thai forest tradition)?** Thank you!

Tripitaka talks of four kinds of Mara. It says that to begin with there were 3 attempt of mara to stop Buddha ... 1. First in Skandha mara (self view) 2. Then Klesh mara (Desire, hate and ill will) 3. Finally Mrityu mara ("now you going to die") ... and when all attempts failed, he appeared in person. May be that being Buddha talk of Devputta Mara. Devputta literally means 'son of God'! The natures of the first three maras can be known or understood from the general meaning of their names; but what about the "Devputra Mara"? How to identify him? What are its characteristics? If the first three are 3 obstacle of evil forces, to stop one from achieving enlightenment or liberation, I am asking the fourth one! Did Buddha said about the Devputra Mara in detail? Does he says about him and give caution to not to fall for his trap?

What kind of karma is it that causes people to suddenly go 180 on me when I seem to give 'too much' info about a certain point then they turn against me and give me the 'cold shoulder'? or have excuses to not be near me even if I currently haven't done anything wrong other then open up about myself? Then I regret wishing to be born and I have had dreams that I may have had done bad things to people in the past and went on the run instead of facing my trials as I'm always dreaming I'm escaping the police and often succeed in doing so leading me to think I ran from my crimes and haven't yet faced justice. Is it even possible to have been a dictator in a past life and your put in this as punishment? When I die and go to the 'pearly gates' is a big arrest warrant going to be shown in my face instead how do I retcify this crap and heal myself?

I use FB and Instagram quite a lot. I also play a mobile game called Genshin Impact which is an RPG-game where one can level up ones heroes and gain new abilities and weapons to defeat monsters and other creatures. It's a huge open-world game with tons of stuff to do. The movies I watch are usually horror movies such as Hereditary, Midsommar, The Conjuring, Sinister or science fiction movies such as Arrival, Interstellar, Moon etc. Will I be better served without these activities? What effect will the absence of those activities have on my meditation practice?

I understand this hand sign is to respect and say hello to Buddha or greeting to monks. **Ques 1:** Where is this written in Sutta exactly what the hand sign means? **Ques 2:** Can non Buddhist bow to Buddha when they visit temple? Most articles says no. If no, then what other hand sign more standard or more acceptable widely to greet Buddha or Monk from Buddhism perspective? Post note: Buddha is not for Worship

For some reason I'm a magnet to bad people or people who are chronic complainers or attention seekers. They often come to me when they need to talk or vent. Especially at work. I don't really want to talk to them but I'm too friendly and not good at setting boundaries and I often just listen to them offering advice. It stresses me, especially when they are angry and they come to me to talk about it. How can I deal with this in a skillful manner? I tried practicing Metta towards them which didn't work due to their negativity being too strong.

First of all, I would like to clarify that I am extremely new to Buddhism, Hinduism and Indian philosophy in general. I do not particularly consider myself an adherent of any of these traditions. I am doing research on Buddhism as part of a project I have to study the scriptures of every religion. With that out of the way, I would like to ask practicing Buddhists here if polytheism is compatible with Buddhist doctrine or *dharma*, and what the role of said polytheistic traditions are within Buddhism. I am a European polytheist who worships many members of the European pantheons, such as Germanic, Celtic, Roman and Greek deities. Is the worship of multiple Gods discouraged or encouraged within Buddhism? I know that the Buddhist scriptures mention Hindu deities like *Mahakala* and *Hayagriva*, but I have no idea where they are mentioned within the scriptural canon, and I have no idea what is said about them or in what context they are referred to. In summary: * Is **polytheism** *dharmic* or *adharmic*? * If it is *dharmic*, what is its role within Buddhism? * If it is *adharmic*, why is this the case? * What is the **scriptural basis** for your answer?

I'm looking for Buddhist magazines - relevant for lay practitioners - and would like to request a list of these if anyone can help Examples of the sort of magazines i'm thinking of: * *Turning Wheel* * *Mindfulness Bell* I'm grateful for help with this

I read the following on the internet: > If you truly understand the practice of generosity, then you'd never > have to look for outright expression of gratitude from the receivers. > The act does and will benefit you in this life and many future lives > to come. It's the donor who should express the gratitude for the > opportunity to build up his great kammic storehouse. Did the Buddha teach receivers to be ungrateful?

I had questions on monastic hygiene in Theravada: 1) Do monks/nuns brush their teeth and put on deodorant etc.? 2) If monks/nuns are only allowed to bathe every 2 weeks, how do they deal with the health concerns, or are there none? 3) Do monks/nuns wear the same robes for long periods of time and if so, are there any health concerns to doing such a thing?

I'm talking about a peaceful demonstration against a corrupt government. The point is: It can be seen as divisive speech because there will be people against it.

In the Vajrayana tradition, where did Milarepa state that it was possible to use the practice of Chenrézik (Avalokiteshvara) instead of the one of Hevajra?

I am 45 years old. I’ve come to realize that I have been more or less unhappy in my life. So I met a clinical psychologist and I do show some childhood codependency issues and we could no CBT and *anapanasati* for 10in a day to get rid of my anxiety. Contrary to all our expectations a day or so after meditation, noticing the breath at nostrils, I become into a very strange mood, low energy, edgy, sad and rarely aggressive. After few days I started having panic attacks and I was asked to stop and do simple relaxation. But my concern is why is this practise giving me such negative side effects? While others enjoy calm and peace. My psychologist was of the view that it might be the traumatic childhood I underwent with my father. Which was 40 years ago. Also, I had very painful dreams of my childhood during this time. Also, loss of appetite, tension headaches and loss of taste. Does anyone had any idea why I’m getting this unwelcomed side effect? Will it stop at some point or should I give up? Kindly share your experiences.

I know that Zen-Buddhism knows a form of practise to achieve full harmony between the individual, his/her action and the animate or inanimate environment, often translated as «Oneness». - Does anybody know the roots of this practise? - Does it go back to Gautama Buddha or to an other known Buddhist teacher? (Background: Around the year 800 CE (1300-1400 BE), Sufi Islam, and, shortly later, Christian and Jewish Mysticism have developed a concept of «Oneness» to reach by Dikr or meditation, meaning to reach a full compliance with the God; God meaning the Whole that is in relation to us. This concept does not have direct roots in either the Quran or the Bible. Although it might have been an independent parallel to Buddhism, I rather suppose that this concept is inspired by the Buddhist religion, above all because at the same time, even the concept of rebirth has been taken over by Jewish Kabbala and Alewite Islam although it is incompatible with traditional concepts of the three religions (which, in contrast to the aforementioned Sufi/Mystic practises have not entered into the main stream of either religion). It is part of the question whether we Muslim could or should recognise Gautama Buddha or possibly a Buddhist after him as a Prophet or as a valuable source of wisdom of Islam; I will have to discuss this question in Islam rather than here.)

My partner has an active interest in Buddhism and I have been confused about his state of mind for two years. Kindly help us out. The past two years have been a depression time for my family and myself and I'm coping with it with the help of God and only God. This person has had loads of problems in his life. He stayed in a bad marriage for years before leaving. He had a high profile job which he quit and moved back to his home town. Just after moving back he was diagnosed with Non-Hogdkins lymphoma and underwent surgery and five rounds of chemotherapy. He has never been well since he has gone back home. We entered into a relationship nearly two years ago and I frequently seen his wrath, anger, jealousy and many more problems which I can only attribute to his traumatic history. He has never been able to get back into a job. He used to be interested in a vast array of things from photography to painting and since three years he finds nothing interesting. He has stopped talking with all his friends because he says that they "don't understand" him. He has pretty much locked himself in his house under the pretext that he has to "take care of his old parents". During his chemotherapy he told me he was suicidal which he vehemently denies now. I tried to help him as much as I could. I have approached one of his gurus for help. I tried getting to get him to see a Buddhist psychotherapist. He has refused help. The reason he refuses help is because he says he is on the verge of enlightenment and that normal therapists cannot do anything to help him. He says he frequently speaks to God but when I say I speak to God too he rejects it outright. He has weight issues because he binge eats when he is depressed. He keeps imagining he has liver diseases, coeliac disease or cancer relapse symptoms. Each time the tests come out negative and his doctors constantly tell him he will not have a relapse. He says he's conquered all fear and anger and negativity but I have seen first hand his massive anger issues. He has deep resentment against his parents and there has not been one day that he has not complained about them. He says he has deep anger issues against his father who he says was not good to his mother when he was in the womb or because of past life karma. He openly told his parents one day that they should not have even given birth to him. He says he feels love and compassion for everyone and then he made the statement "attachment is for idiots". My parents too have tried to support him. They have been nice to him until they lost their cool too about him just sitting at home being depressed and not doing anything about it. He then accused my father of abusing him and calling him names. My parents have yelled at him, yes but they are not the kind to ever call anyone names. He's had issues against my past relationships which caused a major rift between us for a major portion of the last two years. He got extremely jealous and even now he says he finds it difficult to be intimate with me because he has images of other men with me. He says the cancer has not affected him, his past relationship has not caused him trauma and it was meditation that guided him to not have mental issues. He frequently compares himself to other cancer patients and how their mental states were affected during their treatment. He almost gloats about it without seeing that he too is mentally unwell. Another day he said that the reason he pushes me away is because he has lost so many things in life - a marriage, a career, good health even though he worked hard for it that he is scared of losing this too. He says that being detached like this is his way of not feeling any more pain. Each time I try to help him he accuses me of being unkind to him and trying to change the way he is. Today he mentioned that he is worthless and when I asked him persistently to talk to God and tell God why he felt worthless he called the cops on me and tried to have me attested. He denies that he is depressed but every person I have spoken to tells me that he shows clear signs of depression. I have spoken to at least three therapists about him and even they agree that he is depressed. My questions are: 1. Is this behaviour justified for a person who is on the verge of enlightenment? 2. Does non attachment mean giving up things you love? 3. Is attachment for idiots? 4. It the fear of losing things you love the right reason for being non attached? 5. Does non attachment mean having a strong sense of detest for modern life like malls, the cinema etc? 6. Does non attachment mean you have to stop talking with your friends who are different from you?

I am curious about what, if anything, gets said, especially those trained a buddhist background. Personally and currently, I am having the understanding that the ability to say 'no' to the influence of another person seems incredibly important. While life in general seems like it denies the ability to say 'no' to it, this seems all the more reason one should not remove another's capacity to reject another person. The difference in a personal practice at an advanced level seems like it ultimately could mean the difference in losing your own will to another person versus the same process happening within yourself. The former is tragic, the latter freedom. This would be why Buddhist teachers don't ask for things and why their poverty is crucial. The act of asking only for what one needs serves more than just to humble yourself, rather to be humble with clear understanding as to why, means to acknowledge the intrinsic value of another person outside of your own influence. This is also why meditation is a solo pursuit, as it gets you focussing on your own intrinsic value. Without the ability to deny another, or perhaps without both freely and joyfully pursuing the relationship, it's like they key to everything gets lost. I know that the buddha said no to people. I have enormous fears of people submitting to AI and losing free will that way, as the AI is not capable of being what it needs to be for that sort of relationship to happen. I have fears of where current privacy gets removed and the karmic influence tightens to a breaking point. How do the great buddhist teachers understand the current situation of AI, data mining, etc? I know the capacity for enslavement has never been higher due to all this. I am under such great duress right now, I am not experiencing clearly, and I am having difficulty in discernment.

Concentration and mindfulness is a rare achievement. People can have wrong views , wrong intentions but it seems they are able to achieve high concentration and mindfulness. My question is : Is it possible to achieve wrong mindfulness and wrong concentration?