Are there visual representations of the Tripitaka? Its threefold division suggests a correspondence of vinaya to "body", sutta to "soul", abhidhamma to "mind", a rather broad correspondence that could be linked to many "threefold divisions" of symbolic language.
So I am asking for artistic works that focus explicitly on the Tripitaka, especially in Tibetan art.

Is it possible to connect with students of B. Alan Wallace through this forum? I have been desperate to get blessings/ initiation in his lineage. Thank you!

For those Buddhists who believe there is an intermediate state between death and our next rebirth (IIRC this can last anything upto 7 weeks), does the intermediate state *remember* what has happened to it in its last life or is it just spurred on by its traditional lusts/cravings? Suppose someone plotted my death, succeeded, and then laid waste to my orchards, could that (I'd probbaly be mad) be the motive for how I am reborn, rather than my habits? I understand that remembering past lives is not the norm, so I am reclutant to consider it a serious issue, if we believe in rebirth and religious soteriology, rather than the importance of our existential non-religious projects (and I would almost consider it a reductio ad absurdum for the latter).

The Vipassana as taught by Gautam Buddha in his Maha Sati Patthana Sutta talks about four different feilds of meditation : Body, Sensations,mind and mental contents. Goenka focuses solely on sensations - Isthis not an incorrect application of Buddhas teaching. If focussing on only one frame of reference could liberate the bhikku, why then would he have specifically mentioned four?

What are your thoughts about this following passage: > “And what is the path that leads to the unconditioned? Immersion with > placing the mind and keeping it connected. Immersion without placing > the mind, but just keeping it connected. Immersion without placing the > mind or keeping it connected. …” -Savitakkasavicārasutta

I have heard it stated that vipassana can be practiced without samatha. Since samatha leads us to the early jhana factors of vitarka and vicara, how is it possible to do vipassana with wandering undirected and unsteady mind? "The Buddhist commentarial tradition, as represented by the contemporary Theravada, interprets vitarka and vicara as the initial and sustainted application of attention to a meditational object, which culminates in the stilling of the mind." - wikipedia ----> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitarka-vicara

I read this wikipage and it seems like 'reacting to stimuli' is being called perception (saññā). Is 'reacting to stimuli' perception, or is perception itself stimuli? To me, the article implies perception is the condition for expression, i.e. a reaction. Do you agree that for a plant the stimulus-response is a single unitary movement (no karmaphala) and there is no intermission (of perception)? Is it more likely a projection of human knowledge - the personification of a plant? A perception has a result (Karmaphala). The results are perception are explained as such: > "And what is the result of perception? Perception has communication by > speech as its result, I tell you. However a person per ceives > something, that is how he expresses it: 'I have this sort of > perception.' This is called the result of perception. Here is a quote for BSE: > "In the scriptures we have the word sañña. Sañña means distinguishing, > putting a label, telling difference, making distinction, > discriminating." Is labeling perception or the result of perception?

The Pali term "Arati" is defined in Sutta Central as https://suttacentral.net/define/arati >dislike, discontent, aversion Others translate it differently, however. Thanissaro Bhikkhu, for example, translates it as "resentment." What textual evidence is there from the Pali Suttas, as well as the parallels, that supports one or the other of these translations?

In Hinduism, as per Dharmashastras, Puranas and several other scriptures, charity should only be given to brahmanas learned in Vedas and nobody else. Every other person, no matter how poor they are, are 'apatreya' (unfit for getting charity). Does Buddhism also have such criteria for dana? Should charity only be given to monks or such?

Does Patiloma-(reverse order) start at #1. With ignorance ceasing/ no Volitonal formations etc. Or, is it at #12. starting with cessation of Death, Birth ceases. etc. (I see both used). Thank you.

What's the difference between the five aggregates and the five clinging-aggregates? For e.g. is the aggregate of form referring to the physical body, but the clinging-aggregate of form is a tainted mental model of the physical body? From SN 22.48 (trans. Bodhi): > “And what, bhikkhus, are the five aggregates? Whatever kind of form > there is, whether past, future, or present, internal or external, > gross or subtle, inferior or superior, far or near: this is called the > form aggregate. Whatever kind of feeling there is … this is called the > feeling aggregate. Whatever kind of perception there is … this is > called the perception aggregate. Whatever kind of volitional > formations there are … these are called the volitional formations > aggregate. Whatever kind of consciousness there is, whether past, > future, or present, internal or external, gross or subtle, inferior or > superior, far or near: this is called the consciousness aggregate. > These, bhikkhus, are called the five aggregates. > > “And what, bhikkhus, are the five aggregates subject to clinging? > Whatever kind of form there is, whether past, future, or present … far > or near, that is tainted, that can be clung to: this is called the > form aggregate subject to clinging. Whatever kind of feeling there is > … that is tainted, that can be clung to: this is called the feeling > aggregate subject to clinging. Whatever kind of perception there is … > that is tainted, that can be clung to: this is called the perception > aggregate subject to clinging. Whatever kind of volitional formations > there are … that are tainted, that can be clung to: these are called > the volitional formations aggregate subject to clinging. Whatever kind > of consciousness there is, whether past, future, or present, internal > or external, gross or subtle, inferior or superior, far or near, that > is tainted, that can be clung to: this is called the consciousness > aggregate subject to clinging. These, bhikkhus, are called the five > aggregates subject to clinging.”

Is cetana AKA intention, another word for "karma" or close to it? If not what is it that makes karma different from cetana?

I am writing an essay on SN 12.15 (interested folks can read the first draft [here](https://www.scribd.com/document/731466625/Kacc%C4%81nagotta-Sutta-Existence-Non-Existence-in-the-Pali-Suttas) ; using a new laptop & don't know how to format the Word document to fit the PDF conversion) and was heaping praise on Mūlamadhyamakakārikā Chapter 15 however later came across the Dedicatory verse of the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, as follows: > anirodham anutpādam anucchedam aśāśvatam | anekārtham anānārtham > anāgamam anirgamam || yaḥ pratītyasamutpādaṃ prapañcopaśamaṃ śivam | > deśayāmāsa saṃbuddhas taṃ vande vadatāṃ varam || > > I salute the Fully Enlightened One, the best of orators, who taught > the doctrine of dependent origination, according to which there is > neither cessation nor origination, neither annihilation nor the > eternal, neither singularity nor plurality, neither the coming nor the > going [of any dharma, for the purpose of nirvāṇa characterized by] the > auspicious cessation of hypostatization. I am supposed to accept this dedication literally? What is this supposed to mean, where the Buddha taught dependent origination to which there is no origination?

I am from India and can speak Hindi and English. I want to take ordination preferably in Theravada tradition, maybe the Thai traditions. When I do a Google search for monasteries in Bodh Gaya it gives a lot of search results but if I dig deeper they practise in Thai language. I cannot search for English-speaking monasteries as it retrieves the same search results. Is it necessary to know that or Cambodian or Tibetan to join those monasteries?

Some time ago I had to deal with overtaking personal space and personal decision making by some close relatives. He/They were some family members (Not in the same house or family). They advised my family members regarding my studies, job, etc. And some of my family members took this advice and put pressure on me. I was really annoyed by that. I felt like they were trying to control me and make me a puppet. So, I was really annoyed and angry. According to Buddhism, how I/someone should manage these situations?

In the essay entitled "The Five Mental Hindrances and Their Conquest " by Ven. Nyanaponika, he wrote: > **Not only the meditative absorptions but also lesser degrees of mental > concentration are impeded by these five hindrances.** So is the > "neighborhood" (or "access") concentration (*upacarasamadhi*), being > the preliminary stage for the fully absorbed concentration (*appana*) > reached in jhana. **Likewise excluded by the presence of the hindrances > is the momentary concentration (*khanikasamadhi*) which has the > strength of neighborhood concentration and is required for mature > insight (*vipassana*). But apart from these higher stages of mental > development, any earnest attempt at clear thinking and pure living > will be seriously affected by the presence of these five hindrances.** > > This widespread harmful influence of the five hindrances shows the > urgent necessity of breaking down their power by constant effort. **One > should not believe it sufficient to turn one's attention to the > hindrances only at the moment when one sits down for meditation.** Such > last-minute effort in suppressing the hindrances will rarely be > successful unless helped by previous endeavor during one's ordinary > life. The above excerpt and this video featuring a talk by Ven. Dhammavuddho, implies that the Five Hindrances (*panca nivaranani*) not just affect meditation. They could also habitually obsess one's mind and prevent progress even outside meditation. I also see that they are among the ten fetters (*samyojana*) . Questions: 1. What is momentary concentration (*khanikasamadhi*)? Is it the kind of concentration that was found in those listening attentively to the Buddha who attained stream entry at the end of the discourse (although they did not have any meditation experience)? 2. How does one cultivate momentary concentration (*khanikasamadhi*)? I guess one also needs to overcome the five hindrances (*panca nivaranani*) in the process of cultivating momentary concentration. 3. What is wise reflection (*yoniso manasikara*)? Is this the kind of reflection that was found in those listening attentively to the Buddha who attained stream entry at the end of the discourse (although they did not have any meditation experience)? This is implied in Ven. Dhammavuddho's talk. 4. What is the relationship between wise reflection (*yoniso manasikara*) and momentary concentration (*khanikasamadhi*)? Is it like applying momentary concentration to wise reflection (outside meditation)? 5. What is the relationship between mindfulness (*sati*) and the other two - wise reflection (*yoniso manasikara*) and momentary concentration (*khanikasamadhi*)? 6. **Do these factors make it possible for one to understand the Dhamma and attain stream entry without meditation, simply by wisely reflecting on the Dhamma with momentary concentration (which could only occur when the five hindrances are not present)?** This is implied in Ven. Dhammavuddho's talk.

Sensual desire is the main hindrance of 5 hindrances that limit the positive development of mind. What are the things conductive to the abandonment of sensual desire? What are the things someone can practice to abandonment of sensual desire?

In the story of Prince Nanda, He equal the most beautiful female humen on earth to a died monkey as compared with a women from higher realm. Lord Buddha said that The king of all earth is like a beggar in the heaven. Are there more other detailed comparisons between humens and people from higher realms ? I'm asking this because, I don't feel much suffer about this life. Life is going ok. But, If we compare the typical humen life to the life in heven, This is lot of suffering. Because, People of heavens doesn't need to do hard jobs. Some of them don't do any job. Brahmas don't get hungry. So, Having a better understanding of higher realms may helpful to understand suffering of this world.To avoid pursing physical things (Because richest/luckiest/happiest person is nothing compared to the heaven, most valuable thing/achievement is nothing compared to the heaven) Kind regards.

Do you know of any ancient-or-modern formally-Buddhist sources which recommend personal physical exercise -- for physical and/or mental well-being? Because I'm not sure I do, except only maybe very tenuously: - to help stay awake - walking as a side-effect of the alms round - East Asian abbots, might be inclined to include work in the daily routine. It seems to me that exercise is recommended and beneficial -- from personal experience, and according to modern medical propaganda. So maybe it's surprising if it is nowhere in Buddhist doctrine -- including for lay-people?

What should a Buddhist do, if he is **required** by the **law** to join the army and fight in war? Related question As I read the answers to the above related question, this very real question was raised. What should someone do? - flee the country? - join the army? - hide and avoid being captured?