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.

Does thinking during an action improve the quality of the action or reduce it? For example, I am writing, and I am aware that I am writing: when I repeat, "I am writing", "I am writing", in my mind, when performing the action of writing, isn't there a split between action and thought? I remember in a Bruce Lee film in which he says, "Don't Think". If there is a split between action and thought, wouldn't the processing of action slow down?

Since often very curious ideas and means of excuses appear around the arguing with the means of "that's a fetter", my person thought it would be good if someone would have the skills and goodness toward fellows and behind followers to explain the meaning and whether a perception of it is used for the training or not so that it would not misinterpret the Sublime Buddha (meaning own ideas are nice but not really 'asked' for) *[Note that this isn't given for stacks exchange and other ways of silabbata-paramasa but for release]*

I have read about 'Jhana' in Ajahn Brahm's book, '**Mindfulness, bliss and beyond**'. It looks like, from his teaching of Theravada Buddhism, 'Jhana' is a pre-requisite to attain 'Nirvana'. I want to ask, is there anything similar to 'Jhana' in Zen. From my readings it does not seem it's 'Satori'.

I can't seem to reconcile the two ideas that Vipassana meditation involves both concentrating completely on the breath while at the same time observing bodily sensations. Aren't these two mutually exclusive? How can one concentrate on the breath while being open to new sensations?

Many ancient pali literature proposed the end or nirvana as 'tathagata got released'. What does it mean? Do tathagata is bound? Or Do we bound by ignorance and free with right knowledge(Samma Ditthi)? Samma Ditthi at times coincides with Thou are that, upanishadic dictiom. Five aggregates are mere empty, like mirage of real caste on matter. But, when one gives up that which is not his, he lands onto mirage. And from that mirage he see Truth or who have samma ditthi. Please any one could guide me in this regard!

According to the Chinese History, subject refers are the 5 survivor of Shaolin legendary grand masters. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bak_Mei In history, Ng Mui was escaping from temple to temple while Bak Mei joined the military and lead the troop to kill/eliminate other shaolin Temple. What if those 5 elderly grant masters put down status as Monk/Nun, join the military with righteous intention and good deed/win win term and condition with Emperor. In this case, path to Nirvana likely unable to achieve. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hall_of_Kshitigarbha "Until the hells are empty (of suffering beings), I will not become a Buddha." (「地獄不空，誓不成佛。」) The intention is to influence the Emperor/General to minimize the damages and at the same time not losing the Empire base on Buddhism teaching? By right those grand masters should equipped with Buddhism/Taoism super natural abilities then should not be difficult.? If it doesn't work and disagreement from Emperor, then quit the military. If influence to the emperor was success and damages was minimum say 50k killed instead of 500k. So it saved 90% lives and many of them inspired and follow grand master learning Buddhism. Then Buddhism get greater influence and follower multiples. In this case, can the 50k person killed is waived from Bad Karma? Those grand master should have high Buddhism wisdom power to influence and change ? This might applicable to corporate working life now or politics world.

How do Buddhists that think of karma figuratively -- non literal -- not what is ordinarily meant -- do so about rebirth? They surely cannot believe rebirth is literal, so what exactly is it? An answer from any perspective would be most welcome. ---------- > Among these Buddhists, however, this has led to the rejection not of > non-self but of rebirth. (Historically this response was not unknown > among East Asian Buddhists, and it is not rare among Western Buddhists > today.) The evidence that the Buddha himself accepted rebirth and > karma seems quite strong, however... this sort of ‘noble lie’ justification for the Buddha teaching a doctrine he does not accept fails in the face of the evidence that he also **taught** it to quite advanced monastics Emphasis added https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/buddha/#KarReb So I'm not asking what the Buddha thought - we don't actually know - or any specific historical Buddhists. I am just seeking clarity on how ***you*** think of rebirth without literal karma^ , pretty uninterested in its psychological / self justification aspect, thanks. ^ > a causal relationship between action (karma) and ‘fruit’ (phala), the > latter being an experience of pleasure, pain or indifference for the > agent of the action