According to the historical story before the day of enlightenment, Mara apparently lured the Buddha with various worldy pleasures. Now, I am not arguing whether Mara really existed or is just Buddha's mind (which would be rather my interpretation). But The Buddha should at that time be a non-returner and he must have abandoned the fetter of sensuous desires. He should've chilled in the 4th Jhana not giving a damn! So my question is: Why was it a struggle for the Buddha if the conditioned fetter of sensuous desire was already uprooted as an anagami?

Some people believe that in Buddhism when the mother of a monk dies she would hold on to the monk's robe and go to heaven. I never read the Buddha say anything like that, but of course I haven't read everything the blessed one said. It makes me wonder because in Buddhism there are no shortcuts and it may look like one. I've heard this belief exists in Thailand, does anyone have more information on that, like did the Buddha ever suggested it?

I have heard that the 5th precept was not a core of Buddhism, it was created later by the Buddha after some monks returned drunk from alms because they had something with alcohol (accidently I believe) My first question is: Is this story true? Many Buddhist school claim that the problem with alcohol is that it can cloud the mind and make it easier for breaking the other (more important) precepts. Based on that some schools are ok with lay people drinking in moderation, with the commitment of not getting to a point of losing control of their acts or doing something they will regret. So, is drinking with moderation (socially) breaking the 5th precept?

This [Life of the Buddha](http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhism/lifebuddha/2lbud.htm) (also mentioned among Wikipedia's [Miracles of Gautama Buddha](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracles_of_Gautama_Buddha)) says, > According to the legends about this birth, the baby began to walk seven steps forward and at each step a lotus flower appeared on the ground. Then, at the seventh stride, he stopped and with a noble voice shouted: > > > "I am chief of the world, Eldest am I in the world, Foremost am I in the world. This is the last birth. There is now no more coming to be." However I feel like the legend is far-fetched from the truth. Any comments or alternative views are very welcome.

In [this](http://www.traumaticbraininjury.net/files/2011/07/Diagnostic-and-Statistical-Manual-of-Mental-Disorders-and-the-Buddhist-Jathaka-Stories.pdf) interesting take on Buddhism and modern psychology via the Jataka Tales and the DSM, is this passage: > The Jathka storyteller elegantly portrays the clinical picture of a > monk (in Dummbala Katta Jathakaya) who had fear feelings, flashbacks, > hyperaousal, avoidance and startling reactions. The monk named Marana > Bhiruka Bikku fits in to DSM criteria of PTSD. Can anybody locate the Jataka tale mentioned here? I tried but did not succeed, probably because of variations in transliteration.

Some suttas and the dhammapada contain stories with things not very easy to verify, such as people flying, living 8.000 years, teletransportation, etc. Some of those are related to the psychic powers of the Buddha and that is easier to believe as he was an enlightened being; however some are not related to that. Buddha always encouraged us to verify and contemplate things. Will having doubt about Buddhist stories and legends interfere with Buddhist practice?