At work, a tiny little flying insect landed on my desk. At first I thought he was dead because he wasn’t moving, so I gently pushed him to see if he reacted, and he moved so I left him alone. Some time later, when I picked up a call, I shoved my electronic cigarette and it unfortunately crushed him. So I thought I killed him unwittingly, I felt guilty. I took a closer look, and I could see that although crushed his antenna was still moving, probably in agony. I felt bad, now right away a being was suffering and was going to die because of me, was perhaps afraid? I decided to crush him for good, voluntarily this time, to alleviate his suffering. What do you think of this story? Was I wrong the first time? The second? If so, how can I mitigate this bad kamma? And finally, how can we help him have a better rebirth, if at all possible?

I am a non-Buddhist who is curious about Buddhism. In modern times, [Eckhart Tolle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eckhart_Tolle) reports spontaneous awakening as a result of a sudden realisation that came out of intense suffering. As far as I am aware he was uninfluenced by Buddhism and underwent none of its training or techniques. I understand that the Buddha sat under a tree "until he was enlightened". This suggests to me that he knew of the phenomenon beforehand. Are there any claims that he was the first to achieve this state? What, if anything, do we know historically of the phenomenon of enlightenment before the life of Buddha?

Though this video is in Hinglish - some casual dialogues are in Hindi but most of the conversation happens in English https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Uf-eoAij5o , Anand Gandhi - Director and Scriptwriter for the philosophical movie "Ship of Theseus " gives a perfect explanation of what we have to do as humans, Purpose of Life, and in fact, argues that attaining the nothingness or the thoughtlessness is fundamentally wrong using evolution theory. Is there an opposition argument to what he has stated?

"IF AND ONLY IF A THEN B" means if you get B you get A, if you get A you get B, if you don't get B you don't get A, and if you don't get A you don't get B. Does dependent co-arising have the same relation I've mentioned above? >*"From ignorance as a requisite condition come fabrications. From fabrications as a requisite condition comes consciousness. From consciousness as a requisite condition comes name-&-form..."* >*"Now from the remainderless fading & cessation of that very ignorance comes the cessation of fabrications. From the cessation of fabrications comes the cessation of consciousness. From the cessation of consciousness comes the cessation of name-&-form..."* If the answer is "yes" to the above question, as we know an Arahant has ceased the craving without remainder. Then do consciousness, name-&-form, six sense media, contact, and feeling not present in an Arahant? If these present as effects of past birth's causes, how one can escape from this cycle? If the answer is "no" to my first question, then is there another dependent co-arising which applies to Arahants? (I suppose there's no such) I know that dependent co-arising is very complex and hard to understand. But, I've got totally confused here. Please someone help me.

Why are some Buddhists in the west hostile to academic analyses of the religion?

With many traditions and teachers to choose from, how should one go about figuring out what is the true Dhamma? I prefer answers based on Buddhist scriptute and references to Sutta, ideally to the Buddha himself. I welcome answers from all traditions just not opinion based.

As part of a volunteering job where endangered animals are taken care of they have to feed them with dead chicks recuperated from the agro industry, which is blameless and doesn't break precepts, though they also feed them worms that are alive. Is it breaking the first precept since they don't kill them ?

Is the doctrine of interdependent origination found in Vedas . What is real origin of this? I have heard of indra net .just curious

What is Buddhism view on Ancestor Worship? Are there any references which talk about it? Do ancestors occupy any plane/realm ? How to explain the ancestors who come in dreams? Is it manifest of mind?

Monkey mind I don't think. I live in present. My mind always thinking. Past thinking Future thinking. Hate thought.. Worry thought.. Pleasure thought.. Lust thought..

According to I think all Buddhists, the whole is nothing more than its parts. I've read it claimed that, given everything is partite, nothing exists. Perhaps Being means something more than its parts, though I'm not sure. Anyway, do we perceive - with or as the skandhas - something as a thing that is more than its parts? Such as a chariot. I think that would mean that things that *don't* exist can sometimes be the object of perception. In turn, that interests me because beings without any existence may - perhaps - be in some sense permanent and non-empty, as well as impermanent and empty. The implications for karma seem obvious. ---------- Update: it definitely seems that Theravada Buddhists claim that we only infer the whole, and do not perceive it. I'm unsure about the Mahayana, especially given how often "the whole universe" crops up in discussing the bodhisattva. So, if I may ask two follow up points: 1. is the inference to a whole *like* something: so that the whole in some sense belongs to our mental life? 2. what about in the Mahayana?

I took refugee and got a dharma name. 1. Why do I get a dharma name? 2. How does a Lama usually choose the name? 3. Do I make use of this name in Dharma related context? (Like for example writing a letter to a Lama or maybe even introduce myself) Best and thank you for answering.

How does one let go of something the other person involved won't acknowledge? I don't mean the niceties of the other person's behaviour, the ins and outs and whys. Merely, that the other person - I think - nihilistically won't finish up. So e.g. your lover leaves you without even leaving a note. Or your friend pretends not to know you, with no explanation. Or your family changes the locks and won't answer the door when you visit.

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.