Buddha is the name for the Supreme Being, right? So are Amitabha Buddha and Sakyamuni Buddha both Supreme Beings but of different galaxies or something? I assume there are more buddhas than just these two. If so, how can there be many Supreme Beings? I guess I am confused by what it means to say Sakyamuni is the buddha of our saha world while Amitabha presides over Sukhavati.

Looking for a canonical reference: that everyone who attains jhana will be a god of that realm in the next life. I'm fairly sure I've seen that claimed in scholarship, either Buddhist or otherwise.

Recently i experiencing the psychic abilities, telepathy and seeing other dimension sentiment when i having this so call 3rd eye syndrome (All of it) https://www.holycitysinner.com/2020/01/22/signs-your-third-eye-is-starting-to-see/ My psychic ability became more accurate and it's like Deja Vu then things really happened after 1-2 months. It's applicable to the stock market prices speculation price, date and how exactly it is speculated predicted 100% by mostly instinct. Sometimes when i am fully focused then i feel reading other people's mind and i will be winning throughout the night like a poker game, it's up to 90% accuracy. I am just a beginner poker player and winning all the senior players. I dont gamble much also. I felt so scared. I used to be a Buddhism and Shaolin Kung Fu practitioner. I used to meditate in a martial arts way where there is a study that this can unlock the 7 chakra. The more I practice, the more I sense this ability. Sometime If i fully focus especially during critical time, i can think much faster, accurate even i sense future things. I visited some doctors and my Buddhism senior. Some said use it for good, some said stop meditating.  My Buddhism senior commented that if it is so happening then it's devil abilities because I ' m really far far away from enlightenment requirement. Out of the 10 good deeds. I guess I only achieved 4 good merits, the rest just so so.   Question: Does it happen to someone just a 5-6 years Buddhism or junior practitioner ? Why such a things happening according to Buddhism? I just want to be a normal people and i dont require such abilities at the moment because my "good deed" is not good enough, perhaps i will use this for gambling or stock market or into devil's direction. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracles_of_Gautama_Buddha#:~:text=Psychic%20Abilities,-See%20also%3A%20Abhijñā&text=Following%20his%20enlightenment%2C%20the%20Buddha,and%20making%20copies%20of%20himself

Some body close to me said to me, "you failed in the real world and so now you are chasing Nirvana and running away". It hurt me a little but set me thinking if he is right? The story is, I come from a Hindu background and long story short I got into terrible life situation. By some miracle I got stumbled on Ajahn Brahm's talk on youtube four years back. I started digging deep and now calling myself a Buddhist, I sitting on my cushion aiming Jhanas and Nirvana. But could he be right, imparting status quo worldly wisdom of 'I should fight, I should work harder, I should not give up on my worldly goals' I have given up my job and no relationship. I spend all my time meditating and listening and reading Buddhism. But have I taken this path as sort of run away from responsibilities. Did I even had a choice to begin with in doing what I am doing. Have I chosen this path or I am just blindly riding what has came to my way with no say of mine.

All I can think of off the top of mind head is the zen claim that mountains are buddha nature. Do they suffer? They are composed of parts, and I believe that there is a type of suffering from "conditioned existence", in Pali.

Teaching the Dhamma ([Dhammadesana](https://sangham.net/en/lib/authors/wijesinghe/punna#chapter-8)) , having heard the good, is one of the higher meritorious deeds, practiced by instructed, not regarded as useless question & answer ways, as from outsider often thought, but after hearing the Dhamma, one of the five ways to gain release, awakening. >...“Further, it’s not that the Teacher or a fellow person leading the holy life teaches the Dhamma to the monk. But the monk teaches the Dhamma to others in detail, as he has heard it, as he has learned it. And in whatever way he teaches the Dhamma to others in detail, as he has heard it, as he has learned it, in just that way the monk, with regard to that Dhamma, is sensitive to the meaning, is sensitive to the Dhamma. In him—sensitive to the meaning, sensitive to the Dhamma—joy is born. When he is joyful, rapture is born. In one who is enraptured at heart, the body grows calm. When the body is calm, one feels pleasure. Feeling pleasure, the mind becomes concentrated. This, monks, is the second opening to release… [Vimutti Sutta](https://forum.sangham.net/index.php?topic=9973.msg23555#msg23555) Maybe one or another likes to teach about such occasions, as he had heard, shares stories of how it came to release. What are retelling of occasions where the one who taught gained paths and fruits? *[Note that this isn't given for stacks, excange, other world-binding trades but for release from this wheel]*

The higher arupa jhanas are: - fifth jhāna: infinite space (Pāḷi ākāsānañcāyatanaa), - sixth jhāna: infinite consciousness (Pāḷi viññāṇañcāyatana), - seventh jhāna: infinite nothingness (Pāḷi ākiñcaññāyatana), - eighth jhāna: neither perception nor non-perception (Pāḷi nevasaññānāsaññāyatana) Are these supernatural states? Does the plane of infinite consciousness of the sixth jhana refer to the Universal Consciousness or Cosmic Consciousness of Advaita Vedanta? Do the fifth, sixth and seventh jhana takes the meditator beyond his physical body and into infinite space, infinite consciousness and infinite nothingness? Can the meditator now observe things in other galaxies by entering these states? Can they see what is happening in the deva or brahma worlds by entering these states? Can they sense through the senses of other living beings? Are they supernatural states of being? Or are they simply different states of mind? That is, not supernatural. I have also heard that they are related to compassion, loving kindness and other Brahmaviharas - how is this the case? Is there a clear connection? Why are they described as formless (*arupa*)? I would appreciate it, if canonical references (from the Pali Canon) are available to support this. Commentaries or secondary sources (e.g. Visuddhimagga, traditional commentaries, modern commentaries from scholar monks etc.) are also welcomed, in addition.

Q: > 1) What is the proper thing to do if you, as a monk, were to accept > alms but have stomach issues so can't eat all the food? > > 2) What would a monk do if they are allergic to the alms given? > (lactose and tolerant, alergy) > > 3) What is the procedure for alms?

Sorry but I will talk about attainments and mention some stuff that are sometimes considered hard to get to, you are free to not read. I will probably abandon this account after this post. Well... I'm post stream-entry, I don't really have doubts about that. I have 2 "addictions", that is 2 things that even if I decide not to do them, I end up doing them eventually. For example, sometimes, if I decide to only eat once a day and lower my weight then I can actually do it for weeks or even months, but eventually I end up going back to my old habits and gaining weight. Sometimes I decide to stop them and I can't, that's also true. Both "addictions" are quite mild and don't have any significant consequences. I know general Buddhist instructions for dealing with them. Specially from Yuttadhammo videos online. Other than that, my conduct is quite clean. Both my actions and words seem clean to me. My thoughts are almost all about Buddhism or actual meditation. I would say that they are either wholesome or they show a little restlessness, with only occasional thoughts that are worse than that. But it's also true that I'm mostly okay with all of this. I don't really suffer the desire of the "addictions". I rarely notice it, and when I do notice, it doesn't feel disgusting. It doesn't feel mine, it doesn't feel like it is a bad thing that needs improvement. Same with thoughts, I don't have any reasons to consider them worse or better than other kinds of thoughts. This is a conflict I have. Between being confident in considering the "addictions" and thoughts as not-mine, perfect, without any need to judge me for them, and on the other hand considering this not cool and trying to reduce them. So, how to view "addictions" (or bad habits) correctly? Also, I don't really know how to practice right now. I'm inclined for practices during the day (instead of sitting on the cushion only meditating). I don't think jhana will help. I can get to deep jhana in seconds, I don't really see much room for improvement. Sorry if that comment bothers anyone, I wouldn't even mind not being able to practice jhana. So, how do you recommend me to practice based on my situation? Thanks for reading, sorry if any of it bothered you or gave you expectations of how things should be.

What is the most prominent way to ordain as a monk? Like who's involved, and how to contact the respective person to ordain?

I have a question which has probably been answered before, but I'm unable to find it. Sorry about that. My mind is unfortunately very logically driven. My question is, is doubt removed after making progress, or is it up to me to remove the doubt? I want to not doubt, but I cannot help to doubt. I practice meditation often and a common thought is "am I wasting my time?" I know I am not, but the thought still arises. Do I just accept the doubtful thoughts, or do I try and transform them? Many thanks!

AN 4.233 sutta passage here, in Pali, with my translation into English: https://notesonthedhamma.blogspot.com/2019/08/an-4233-what-exactly-is-relation.html questions: 1. what exactly are those 3 sankharas (bodily, voice, mind)? If they're the same ones from MN 44, it would be strange that in breath and out breath would cause karmic consequence, or if unvocalized thoughts (vitakka & vicara) cause the same karma as vaci-carena (vocal conduct). 2. is citta sankhara the same as mano-sankhara? 3. looking at bodhi's translation, what is actually being 'performed' (abhi-sankharoti)? Is the bodily-volitional-activity mean he just sets an intention to do a bodily action, such as hit someone. Or he actualizes the intention to hit someone, and actually hits someone? Now the fact that the sutta shows kamma being done, being reborn in hell, must mean it wasn't just a volition or intention to do harm, he actually did harm with the body. But the pali abhi-san-kharoti, and kaya-sankhara, it's hard to actually read and understand what is happening.

Anyone has pictures or videos link illustrate as subject refers

I searched for the word 'Jhana' on this site and read almost all about 50 odd questions on Jhana. I asked few questions myself. It seems like one has to put extreme efforts to attain to Jhana. This is part of one of the answers; > ...They sit 12+ hours everyday for many months or years to get this light > which can shine in their mind trough the dark night. It is shining > breathe or meditation's object, not sunlight. Today, many of them have > not been laying on a bed for 20 years... This isn't practical for lay disciples, or at least for me outside of retreat. At this point Jhana feels like a wishful thinking. Should one aim for Jhana in sitting? If not Jhana, then, is there any other state to aim as an intermediary to Nirvana. I do a daily 90 minute sitting and some chanting. Is it possible for me to attain Jhana? What is recommended daily duration?

**Namo Buddhaya** Being well aware of the different posts about this topics, I wished to know how it came to be that the Noble eightfold path presented by Bhikkhu Bodhi would specify that Right action is to refrain only from sexual misconduct : > (3) Abstaining from sexual misconduct (kamesu miccha-cara veramani) > https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bodhi/waytoend.html While in the Magga-vibhanga Sutta it is refraining from unchastity, as stated here : > "And what, monks, is right action? Abstaining from taking life, > abstaining from stealing, **abstaining from unchastity**: This, monks, is > called right action. https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn45/sn45.008.than.html I have also stumbled upon this sutta where the translations between Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi and Venerable Ajahn Sujato differ from "refraining from sexual misconduct" to "refraining from sexual activity", while the pali version does state "abrahmacarya" which does suggest chastity as right action within the noble eightfold path, which seems like an undeniably substantial difference. https://suttacentral.net/sn45.8 Does it imply that lay followers still engaging in the sexual act while monks giving it up are both following the Noble eightfold path ? Or would there be yet a reason for such a distinction in translation? May you all be well.

I was reading a work that claims Buddha ["was born of the Virgin Maya"](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:The_Necessity_of_Atheism_%28Brooks%29.djvu/272) . What Buddhist works address the birth of Buddha? Do any support or conflict with a virgin birth for Buddha?

Does anyone know of a place on the Internet, where one can find the entire Pali Canon written in Pali ? I did a basic search but could not find any such resource. Also, where can one buy a hard-copy of the entire Pali Canon(written in Pali) ? It would be helpful even if someone can point me to hard-copies of at least the Sutta-Pitaka in Pali ?

What was the first Buddhist text to be translated into English? When was it translated and by whom? Was it reasonably available to those interested and did it have much of an impact within academic circles and perhaps to the wider culture?

I listen to a very low background score on a meditation app called Calm while meditating. It's mostly non-obstructive and really helps me get into the space of calm. Where I live, silence of the outer world is hard to come by and I mostly use the music just to combat that. Should I not be listening to music while meditating? Does the Buddha have any words in this regard? - Metta & Chai to all, Kalpesh

Back in the late 1980s I was in San Francisco on business. My hotel room had, of course, a Gideon Bible but surprisingly to me, it also had a book on Buddhism, I think it was called "The Way of the Buddha" but I'm not sure. It was put out, I believe, by an organization called something like The Buddhist Society of San Francisco. I took and read it multiple time years later. It served as my really basic introduction to Buddhism and it led me down the path to discovering mindfulness meditation. Note, I don't consider myself a Buddhist now but I'm open to learning. I'd like to find that book again. I'm not sure it was a Dhammapada but some googling suggests that it may be. I may be wrong but a Dhammapada sounds fairly scholarly, this book had an easy reading feel to it. It did remind me some of a Christian Bible, containing stories about the Buddha.