💚I've seen teachers translate anicca as uncertainty. Is that a good translation? I mean, you can be certain when something is going to end. I'm just kind of trying to put these translations together and see if any intellectual insights are known by anyone. What about anatta with impermanence &/or uncertainty? One minute I am thinking that they go together and the next I'm thinking that they don't go together. It seems hard to see. Why is it hard for me to see? Am I trying to see intellectually in order to see experientially? What about all of the 3 characteristics &/or uncertainty?

SN 36.23 translated by Bhikkhu Sujato says: > Then a mendicant went up to the Buddha, bowed, sat down to one side, > and said to him: > > Atha kho aññataro bhikkhu yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā > bhagavantaṃ abhivādetvā ekamantaṃ nisīdi. Ekamantaṃ nisinno kho so > bhikkhu bhagavantaṃ etadavoca: > > “Sir, what is feeling? What’s the origin of feeling? What’s the > practice that leads to the origin of feeling? > > “katamā nu kho, bhante, vedanā, katamo vedanāsamudayo, katamā > vedanāsamudayagāminī paṭipadā? > > What’s the cessation of feeling? What’s the practice that leads to the > cessation of feeling? > > Katamo vedanānirodho, katamā vedanānirodhagāminī paṭipadā? > > And what is feeling’s gratification, drawback, and escape?” > > Ko vedanāya assādo, ko ādīnavo, kiṃ nissaraṇan”ti? > > “Mendicant, there are these three feelings: > > “Tisso imā, bhikkhu, vedanā— > > pleasant, painful, and neutral. > > sukhā vedanā, dukkhā vedanā, adukkhamasukhā vedanā. > > These are called feeling. > > Imā vuccanti, bhikkhu, vedanā. > > **Feeling originates from contact.** > > Phassasamudayā vedanāsamudayo. > > **Craving is the practice that leads to the origin of feeling.** > > Taṇhā vedanāsamudayagāminī paṭipadā. > > When contact ceases, feeling ceases. > > Phassanirodhā vedanānirodho. > > The practice that leads to the cessation of feelings is simply this > noble eightfold path, that is: > > Ayameva ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo vedanānirodhagāminī paṭipadā, > seyyathidaṃ— > > right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right > livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion. > > sammādiṭṭhi … pe … sammāsamādhi. > > The pleasure and happiness that arise from feeling: this is its > gratification. > > Yaṃ vedanaṃ paṭicca uppajjati sukhaṃ somanassaṃ, ayaṃ vedanāya assādo; > > That feeling is impermanent, suffering, and perishable: this is its > drawback. > > yaṃ vedanā aniccā dukkhā vipariṇāmadhammā, ayaṃ vedanāya ādīnavo; > > Removing and giving up desire and greed for feeling: this is its > escape.” > > yo vedanāya chandarāgavinayo chandarāgappahānaṃ, idaṃ vedanāya > nissaraṇan”ti. Bhikkhu Bodhi's translation is more accurate, here: > There are, bhikkhu, these three feelings: pleasant feeling, painful > feeling, neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling. This is called feeling. > **With the arising of contact there is the arising of feeling. Craving > is the way leading to the origination of feeling.** With the cessation > of contact there is the cessation of feeling. This Noble Eightfold > Path is the way leading to the cessation of feeling; that is, right > view … right concentration. In the above sutta and often elsewhere, it is said" *"With the arising of contact there is the arising of feeling*". Also, other suttas say: "*With the arising of feeling there is the arising of craving*". This being so, how is craving the practice that leads to the origin of feeling?

I have read that obedience to the five precepts at least guarantees that practitioners will not fall back into the lower worlds (animal world, wandering spirit world, and hell world) when they are reborn after the present life. So I was wondering if the conversion to Buddhism, the taking of refuge and the beginning to follow the five precepts, "cleansed" the old bad deeds, a bit like baptism among Christians? Does a person who has violated the five precepts, for example by killing or stealing at the beginning of his life, and then halfway through his life until his death starts following the five precepts, still go to hell? Is he definitely condemned to be reborn in hell for his offense?

My idea is to build a black hole and destroy everything, but this idea may seem evil to many. I have no other idea, and many may say we should allow other beings to continue to suffer, I think this is an evil idea. How can we end the suffering of all animals?

I'm reading about bardos in the Tibetan Book of the dead. I'm wondering how is rebirth dependent on geographical location. For example, if dead occurs in Europe is it possible to get a rebirth in Asia? Is there any decision point for the deceased regarding parents or all happens depending only on past karma? Do we chose rebirth location and parents or not?

Is being reborn as a deva or human better? Can you achieve nirvana if you are reborn as a deva as well as a human?

Are there any instances of people unwillingly capturing photographic evidence of devas/angels? Could the UFO sightings or encounters have been angels or devas(specifically terrestrial devas) all along? Can some one please shed some light on this?

Given that Vasubandhu and Asanga came after Nagarjunacharya, who was a proponent of a major Buddhist school with a different philosophy. Did they or thier students like Dignaga say anything about Nagarjunacharya?

Trying to find the Sutta where Buddha says for some person who has come to hear him teaching something like give him to eat first, and then he can hear my teaching. There was some setup I dont remember, where it is mentioned he didnt eat / was hungry. Anyone remember which Sutta this is?

I am wondering what is the antidote to loneliness, or the approach towards it, within Buddhism. I am finding myself quite lonely despite being previously familiar and at ease with solitude. I am using social media quite often, mainly to chat with others; I find this might have exacerbated my feelings of loneliness. I am wondering two things primarily: (1) What are the things that cause loneliness and exacerbate it? What are the non-social antidotes to loneliness? (2) Does active and directed attention, whether in meditation or attending to tasks, alleviate feelings of loneliness in the long term? And perhaps (3) what is the Buddhist view on social media use? Is it inherently fragmenting awareness as I suspect? Does it have no benefits?

1. What is atthakalap? 2. So famously known as soul-> atta in Buddha's teachings .. how can one derive soul from atthakalap? 3. And what's after liberated state from atthakalap is achieved? 4. Is liberated mind impermanent too, if so then how or why not if not? I was wondering how this atthakalap works. Thanks to the anger-looking collection of few points [in this question](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/48515/do-so-called-buddhists-understand-the-term-nous-citta-mind-in-doctrine) , now I can imagine (via analysis) soul and atthakalap, and this is how I understand (or "this knowledge came like this"): Like the mind is cheated by itself via everything in form of grasping -- from point 5 from above link... > For a long time I have been cheated, tricked and hoodwinked by my citta. For when grasping, I have been grasping onto form, for when grasping, I have been grasping onto feelings, , for when grasping, I have been grasping onto perceptions, for when grasping, I have been grasping onto experiences, for when grasping, I have been grasping onto consciousness. ...and atthakalap is said to have 4 members with 4 properties and all are like beads tied to a "rope in form of mind". This mind is not the actual rope rather it tries to be the one due to ignorance(here comes the ignorance part where it can be judged clearly) and when mind stops being a rope here, these beads do not break and shatter rather the impermanent beads remain as it is but mind is freed from that. In that way, everything is impermanent... is observed. In that way, mind is liberated and is said to achieve permanence(in terms of non grasping forever, non clinging forever..). 3. But there is one more concern here, when mind is freed what happens to mind then, after? 4. What's the way to check mind's impermanence, is it's impermanence a way to express change within itself, if so wt's that change?.. :::::: or is there no such thing as mind, it's just the process within body, process of karma(action) which has started to cease after achieving that state!! 5. What's the difference b/w that state and Brahma, if any? (Note:- if reader is not feeling good then kind request to either edit it or break it into multiple sub topics with linked questions, mentioning links in them with seq. Number).

I’ve gone through quite a few periods of meditation everyday, but usually something happens and I tend to off the rails stop for a long period to bad effects. I started learning with Headspace and went through all the Pro lessons and now I meditate without a timer or guide. I’m not really into the religious side of things (sorry if I’m posting in the wrong place.) I’m wondering if I am missing something that is preventing me from furthering my practice. I don’t know where to look or ask. I saw The Mind Illuminated being recommended but then later on being unrecommended due to controversy. I find it hard to trust anyone that says they are on any particular path these days.

Buddha said that we should train ourselves in *metta* in the following way: "Thus you should train yourselves: 'Our awareness-release through good-will will be cultivated, developed, pursued, handed the reins and taken as a basis, given a grounding, steadied, consolidated, & well-undertaken. That's how you should train yourselves." -- Satti Sutta How do monks cultivate *metta*? Is it by some kind of remembrance, recitation or something else?

Master Shi Heng Yi referred to Laozi (Chinese Taoist Teacher) as saying that > It's better to remain clam and do nothing while achieving nothing than doing a lot and investing a lot of effort and energy and at the end not achieving anything (https://youtu.be/HN-YejxtWko) On the other hand, we often hear things like "There are no mistakes or failures, only lessons" i.e. keep trying until you succeed. These two thoughts sound contradictory to me. Could anyone kindly help me figure out what I am missing here? I am open to all schools of thoughts. Personally, I procrastinate a lot while planning or trying to find motivation. I would really appreciate if someone could also share their personal experience.

In MN 61 the Buddha teaches his young son the importance of being truthful.  This is an amazing sutta! So wise, and yet so elegant and straightforward, that even a seven-year-old can learn something from it. Are there other suttas in the canon that **explain** the importance of not lying to oneself, or to others?

If I remember correctly, there are three types of suffering in early Buddhism 1. ordinary 2. from change 3. from conditioning To prevent ordinary physical and mental suffering, we can avoid certain evils. Something similar must exist with suffering form change: we look after ourselves and stay mindful of the good things in our life. What about suffering form conditioned existence, how everything is put together: I believe it is why even pleasure is suffering, and not just when we lose that pleasure. Is there any way to reduce this third, deepest, level of suffering, without Buddhist meditation? Apparently only final nirvana without reminder does so, but can we in any sense make that suffering *less* "prescriptive" (so what if we suffer that way?)

Would most Theravada monks consider the Tipitaka infallible? For example, would most agree with these statements? >*All Scripture is... useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness...* > >Modified from 1 Timothy 3:16 >*You have studied the Holy Scriptures, which are true... You know that nothing unjust or counterfeit is written in them.* > >Modified 1 Clement 45:2-3

I read the statement recently that all Dhamma teachings aim to produce disenchantment, for the purpose of release / unbinding. Any thoughts on this subject are welcome, but my question is: **Which suttas talk about this?** And preferably, in a way that clearly supports the writer's claim.

On the Eleven-ThirtyEight blog , I found the following statement: > [...] the Buddha would argue that there is no such thing as a ‘thing’ - that the concept of an independent, autonomous ‘thing’ is an illusion. Every action affects every other action in some way or another, no matter how great or small. Every act of being affects another act of being, which affects another act of being, anon and so forth. Is this really a Buddhist view? If yes, are there more authoritative sources supporting and explaining it? Thanks. The question is specifically about “there is no such thing as a ‘thing’” or “the concept of an independent, autonomous ‘thing’ is an illusion”, not just about the idea that all things (assumed to exist) are interdependent. I see this as different from pratītyasamutpāda, which I understand to refer to the latter.

💚Did the Buddha teach anything about scheduling or time management? Did the Buddha ever recommend anything relating to play (as opposed to work that requires effort) as part a good practice routine? Do you know why he taught or did not teach play or time management?