Humans are sure they're the peak of evolution, even though we evolved as top predators and still en mass treat the planet as if we're top predators even if we're not directly officially involved in the destruction. Out thoughts are are our main blockages to enlightenment and being connected with something higher. So why are we so sure we're higher than the smart vegetarian animals like whale and elephants? Is it possible whales are floating around the ocean, not caught up in all the negative mindset we suffer, and actually already connected to higher planes of consciousness?

I know what Buddhism teaches about 6 realms,and devas in particular.But what is the Buddhist take on,say,pagan gods-to what kind of entity people turn when they say they work with Thor for example,or any other pagan/heathen god?What are they according to Buddhism?

I read the following on the internet: > Primary mistake is thinking that anattā means no soul or that "there > is no self". In Sabbāsavā Sutta the Buddha explicitly says that "there > is no self" is a wrong view born of inappropriate attention. "**I am** > nothing" or "**I** **do** not exist" is a wrong view born of asking the wrong > questions. Did the Buddha explicitly say in Sabbāsavā Sutta "there is no self" is a wrong view?

I have a friend who is a Christian. It is a truism that most people can't tolerate sitting and doing nothing because of catastrophic dukkha. Most people, including people I know, have to DO something all the time. But my old friend would spend hours sitting on his porch, a smile on his face, by himself, just enjoying the present moment. Is this a form of jhana? Is it possible that there are many run of the mill, non-buddhist people who actually understand and practice a kind of jhana unintentionally?

I often experience hallucinogenic images during meditation. I don't believe they are caused by lack of sleep as they occur irrespective of my state of tiredness. Typically the sequence goes 1. Meditating with a lot of discursive thoughts 2. Discursive thoughts settling down 3. Commencement of strange dream like images 4. If i go through this then thought drops away and it the start of a calmer more focused meditation I don't always get the images but if I do then they are very difficult to work with. They are more dominating than the discursive thoughts and more difficult to see them for what they are. However I know that if I can go through this stage then meditation really becomes a lot easier and more pleasurable afterwards (fourth stage above). Has anyone got any advice about working with these kind of hallucinogenic images? Is there any advice either from traditional texts or contemporary teachers about them? Is it just me?

What is the historical and scriptural basis for the modern Theravada Buddhist View "Life is one and indivisible", "everything is one"? --- Is this a view that has been added later? Is it a misrepresentation of right understanding? *This question was supred from the discussion with @ChrisW here *

Does a person cultivating bodhicitta qualify as a bodhisattva? Or to qualify as a bodhisattva, does one need to have levelled-up to some degree in the perfection of the great perfections. I have seen/heard this discussed before, but it was a while ago and I can't remember where I would find the references. I'm not sure any answers to this question would have a major impact on the actual application of cultivating bodhicitta, but I would enjoy exploring the concepts around it. This is my first question on Stack Exchange, so I am open to feedback about whether the format and content of my question is suitable for this forum.

Greetings to all respected forum participants! Throughout many years, starting from school, I've noticed that compared to my peers, colleagues, classmates, etc., I often ended up being the least productive. I could spend a lot of time and effort on a task (especially creative ones - simple calculation or rewriting tasks were easy and quick, where I didn't need to concentrate heavily), which others completed faster and more easily. Meanwhile, my peers would manage to do something else in their free time or simply feel less exhausted, whereas I would spend extensive time and energy. Recently, I've realized that I'm a perfectionist. I spend a lot of time and effort to prepare and present a perfect result that I will achieve on the first try. Moreover, I have a deep-rooted fear of failure that originated in childhood. So if I need to do something responsible and present it to others, I'll spend a lot of time alone to be 100% confident in my abilities. From all of this stems my primary problem, which people have pointed out since childhood - distraction. For three months, I've tried to incorporate meditation into my daily life as a habit. I managed to create daily training routines at work and home when they're tied to a schedule, time, or place, but meditation is consistently avoided by me. I even set myself a limit of 5 minutes of meditation. Even the prospect of 5 minutes of meditation often feels like torture, especially after a hard workday. So with mild fatigue, I always found excuses for why I shouldn't meditate today. Procrastinating meditation is just the tip of the iceberg. Unfortunately, because of this, I'm low-productivity at work, do little in my hobby and personal development, and very often try to avoid concentration. At the same time, I don't have a strong phone addiction. I don't watch TikTok for hours, can sit at home in silence for hours and calmly read a book. But the moment I want to read a book, I'll postpone it because I'll be afraid to concentrate and spend time reading just one book. Friends, have any of you encountered this? What solutions do you see from a Buddhist perspective?

Once in a Dhamma talk I heard a Theravada Monk saying he did not believe in such stories, because some of them contradict the Buddha's teachings (suttas), I don't know if that was his personal opinion or a general view in Theravada Buddhism.

In this video , Ven. Yuttadhammo Bhikkhu says that the whole of the Buddhist teachings could be summarized as Appamāda (heedfulness), at the risk of oversimplification. In the Mahaparinibbana Sutta (DN16) , the Buddha conveyed the last message of his life: > Then the Blessed One addressed the monks, "Now, then, monks, I exhort > you: All fabrications are subject to decay. Bring about completion by > being **heedful**." Those were the Tathagata's last words. According to the Appamāda Sutta (SN3.17) : > "There is one quality, great king, that keeps both kinds of benefit > secure — benefits in this life & benefits in lives to come." > > "But what, lord, is that one quality...?" > > "**Heedfulness**, great king. Just as the footprints of all living > beings with legs can be encompassed by the footprint of the elephant, > and the elephant's footprint is declared to be supreme among them in > terms of its great size; in the same way, **heedfulness** is the one > quality that keeps both kinds of benefit secure — benefits in this > life & benefits in lives to come." Questions: 1. What really is Appamāda (heedfulness)? 2. How does one practise Appamāda (heedfulness)? 3. What are the benefits of Appamāda (heedfulness)? 4. Why is this one of the most important concepts in Buddhism, that the Buddha chose this to be his last message? 5. What is the relationship between Appamāda (heedfulness) and mindfulness? This answer equates the two.

In the video documentary Go Beyond Samsara - Part 2 , it mentions that Buddha had said: > "The number of dust on the earth could be counted, but the number of > beings that had been one's parents is in no case calculable" I'd like to see this in its fuller context. Where in the pali canon or other scriptures did the buddha say this and can you point me to it? I have researched and I can only find similar biblical references like here . Note: The video link above will play at the very moment in question.

Wondering if anyone knows the sutta where the Buddha talks about the aggregates and multiple selves. As in there is a changing group of khandas, and in one moment there is a self, (which could be called a self though it is fleeting) and another moment another self. (But its so fleeting it can hardly be called a Higher Self or Soul ect, as its only momentary). Its been about 6 years since I read the sutta, but I did find it, I am not explaining very well. It is quite short and direct. This is not talking about just the body as a self, its talking about the fleeting moment of the four or five aggregates (khandas). I know the simile that will likely be quoted but this was a more obscure reference. Some groups use this reference to refer to the "billions of selves". I am sure it exists in one place probably the Connected Discourses. Blessings in the Buddha Dhamma

Tsongkhapa and the Gelug school in general place great emphasis on the analysis of the emptiness of each thing. However, after this analysis, they also insist on having an "insight" into this object. It is, so to speak, like seeing "floaters" in my eyes and my doctor telling me that it is an ocular problem, not actual flies. I still have the experience of seeing flies, but I know that the object of this perception is an ocular condition. If I undergo surgery, this object is also confirmed subjectively, phenomenologically, and my experience aligns with the object. Something similar happens with the method Tsongkhapa proposes. What I want to know is: what kind of *act* does Tsongkhapa understand this to be? Is it a non-conceptual *perception*? Is it an *intuition*?

I have an anxiety disorder and I sometimes wonder if Dukkha could be viewed as anxiety. In other words in the four noble truths: This is anxiety. This is the cause of anxiety. This is the cessation of anxiety. This is the path of practice of anxiety. Isn't Dukkha really just a form of anxiety? Anxiety about emotional pain and even the suffering associated with physical pain is probably anxiety, horror at the pain and the risk of death. I don't know. I think this could be a translation of Dukkha. But maybe I should just use it myself because I have an anxiety disorder...

When a person becomes a stream enterer/Sotapanna, I understand they no longer have the first 3 fetters of belief in a self, doubts about the Buddha, his teachings or the noble sangha, or attachments to rites and rituals. But what's not clear to me is the mechanics of it. Does a person have a glimpse of Nibbana in a moment of true mindfulness and the three fetters drop away? Or does a person work at eradicating the first 3 fetters and if successful have a taste of Nibbana? Or can it happen either way?

The Theory of "Emptiness" is the concept that all phenomenon are empty of inherent existence. Something has the illusion of existence when the right causes and conditions arise. Example: there is no inherently existing chicken soup. You only get chicken soup when you put together a dead chicken, hot water. Veggies etc. in this theory, you illusory sense of self comes from the right causes and conditions, parents, a body, a brain etc. following this logic, upon death, the self should simply cease to exist because that which made you a self has dissolved and since you do not inherently exist you should just vanish, and yet the Buddha is clear we take rebirth. This is illogical and makes no sense. Perhaps this is why the Buddha never taught a theory of emptiness. This idea is nowhere in the entire Pali Canon.

When does a Buddhist begin to and fully master skilful means? I am asking because I think that this world contains a dilemma for everyone who takes it seriously (rather than their karma): a choice between virtue and power or skilful means. I think that's what I enjoyed about the lotus sutra, when I read it, how it elegantly illustrates the Buddha's ability for skilful means.

When we say the phrase may I be healthy may I be free from suffering? Isn’t that kind of not accepting where we are if we are suffering or in pain or not healthy? Can someone help me understand what we’re trying to achieve by saying that?

What is the Tusita heaven, and how can I be reborn there? I just think it sounds fun, plus Maitreya might be there!

What lesson did the Buddha teach concerning the singling-out of a group in society based on their perceived transgressions?