I remember reading offhand on a website a Zen Buddhist Koan that had not worrying as its theme, and one of the lines was "if you're about to go to Hell, don't worry". That's all I can remember of it. If anyone of you knows what I'm talking about, please share the name and text of this Koan. Thank you in advance.

As the title says, I am looking for sources from EBT or Theravada, from the actual words of the Buddha about the process of death. Including advice on what one should do when death is close. Assuming the person knows death is arriving imminently. (if that is a correct term)

> 'Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.' I'm not sure I like the adjective 'optional' because I think it's insensitive to tell someone who's been injured that their suffering is some switch to easily flip (I don't have an issue with the nouns). I think 'not' is better than 'optional'. Anyhoo, many Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) texts seem to distinguish pain and suffering in other ways such as: - Psychology Today: The Dialectic of Pain: Synthesizing Acceptance and Change > Pain in life is inevitable, but suffering and misery are not. These can result from the way we respond to pain. The more we fight against it, the more likely we are to experience negative emotions, such as anger, hopelessness, and despair, and the harder it becomes to identify changes that can help. Like those Chinese finger-trap toys, the more forcefully we tug to release our index fingers, the more tightly ensnared they become. Calming down and taking stock of the situation opens the means to escape. - Wikipedia: Marsha M. Linehan (this quote has no source as of this writing) > Marsha M. Linehan (born May 5, 1943) is an American psychologist and author. She is the creator of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), a type of psychotherapy that combines behavioral science with Buddhist concepts like acceptance and mindfulness. - And so on.

Pramana refers to sources of knowledge in Indian epistemology. The wikipedia article on Pramana states: > Buddhism holds two (perception, inference) are valid means ... to knowledge. This sutta supports Pratyakṣa or perception: > “And what, bhikkhus, is The All? The eye and forms, the ear and > sounds, the nose and odours, the tongue and tastes, the body and > tactile objects, the mind and mental phenomena. This is called The > All. > > “If anyone, bhikkhus, should speak thus: ‘Having rejected this all, I > shall make known another all’—that would be a mere empty boast on his > part. If he were questioned he would not be able to reply and, > further, he would meet with vexation. For what reason? Because, > bhikkhus, that would not be within his domain.” > SN 35.23 Are there examples in the suttas where the Buddha, or his Arahant teacher disciples like Sariputta, used Anumāna or inference? Please provide them. Let's say, when you wake up from sleep and go outside your house to observe the ground to be wet everywhere, but it's currently not raining. So based on this observation, you can infer that it must have very recently rained. Is there any truth of the suttas that is not observed directly by perception but rather inferred from indirect evidence? Another example is evolution. We cannot observe that humans evolved from a common ancestor with chimpanzees. However, we can infer that indirectly from fossil evidence. This is obtaining knowledge from inference. There can be other examples, like how the ancients inferred that Earth must be spherical from the way shadows fell on the ground differently in different cities at the same time.

The wikipedia page for [Buddhist Cosmology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_cosmology#Origins) has a section titled "Origins" in which the following sentence occurs: >No single sūtra sets out the entire structure of the universe, but in several sūtras the Buddha describes other worlds and states of being, and other sūtras describe the origin and destruction of the universe. I am interested in reading these sūtras, in which the Buddha describes other worlds and states of being, but I am not sure what they are. Does anyone know what sūtras the author of the article is referring to?

On several occasions I have encountered the term "red boddhicitta" in scholarly literature on Indian tantra, but am having trouble locating the Sanskrit term for this concept. I tried googling रक्त बोधिचित्त but nothing comes up; then again, I don't reckon google is indexing Sanskrit all that carefully. I'm not very familiar with the primary sources at the moment, but I gather there are Sanskrit texts that may mention red boddhicitta. I seem to recall one piece known as the Nectar Tantras but I couldn't find a text or translation of it.

Question

Are there any Sanskrit sources that explicitly used the term "red boddhicitta"? (any text from Indian tantra tradition would be sufficient)

(Not sure if i should break this down into two questions. Let me know if that's better.) 1. Is Gautama Buddha the originator of the idea of skandhas? 2. The suttas provides multiple accounts of the skandhas characteristics, and their foundational role in dukkha (For instance SN 22.86 ). But does the suttas provide a rationale for the taxonomy into these five particular skandhas? (To clarify, i'm not asking what the skandhas are, or how they function). In other words: *why* rupa, vedana, sanna, sankharas and vinnana? Are the reasons detailed in any sutta? Or should this question be deemed acinteyya?

What does a Buddhist practitioner, based on the 8 fold path, and deepening practice contemplate to become a sotāpanna (a stream-enterer)?

I have seen some people doubting the reliability of the Tripitaka. They say it is not the Buddha’s word, since it was written down about 400 years after his death. What historical evidence can prove the **level** of reliability of the Tripitaka?

We can give examples of how things can continue without any permanent entity, like fire burning wood. It is not the wood, the fire, the space, or the floor that is fixed — everything is changing. But how can anyone demonstrate how karma, habits, and memories follow us? Where are they stored, if they are stored at all? If they are stored, are they unchanging? Did the Buddha give examples of where these habits or karma “stay” and follow us? I don’t see any examples for this. Can anyone describe it? This is something most people struggle with, and people from other religions often question. If there isn’t any solid explanation or way to demonstrate it, then it seems to undermine the idea.

I read that the Buddha said this: Whatever your personal experience tells you is helpful, is more important than the Buddha's teachings. Did he really say that, and if so where?

Is there a tradition within Buddhism of praying in an easterly direction? If there is what is the oldest known reference to it. Sorry for the simplicity of the question, but I am not a Buddhist.

If I remember rightly the Buddha is quoted as saying something along the lines of: > Do not believe anything I say until you can prove it by yourself In what text(s) of the Buddhist cannon is this quoted?

Is there any record of the longest period the historical Buddha stayed in meditation? I have heard rumors ranging from many days to many weeks. Also when? Prior to his first sermon or after?

I've come across many stories in the Tipitaka where people attained arahanthood or became non-returners through meditation. However, I cannot recollect any instance where someone becomes a sotapanna through a meditation practice (including vipassana). Can someone provide me a reference for such an instance (or multiple instances) from suttas, commentaries or any other source in the Pali canon (ideally excluding Visuddhimagga)? The reason why I'm asking this is that there's a claim by certain lineages that stream entry cannot be reached through meditation, at least based on Tipitaka evidence.

I am trying to find sources of info of if the Buddha ever explained any reason why we as humans are afflicted by sexual desire. Conventionally we are animals so are innately afflicted with a predisposition towards reproduction, with sexual desire itself being enticed by physical pleasure. Just want to know if the Buddha explained this desire in any depth. Obviously this issue would have come up within the sangha.

I read somewhere that the Buddha said: 'if there were a desire stronger than sexual desire, there would be no possibility of Englightenment'. I'm looking for this specific reference, please don't send related quotes, which I have read in other related questions.

This quote is widely attributed to Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche: > The bad news is, you’re falling through the air, nothing to hang on > to, no parachute. The good news is, there’s no ground. Among the many instances on the web, the only pointer to an actual citation of Trungpa Rinpoche's work I can find is on page 239 of *Sacred Groundlessness: Deepening the Ethics of Mindfulness in the Midst of Global Crisis* by Lama Karma, chapter 13 of *Handbook of Ethical Foundations of Mindfulness*, edited by Stanley, Purser and Singh. That pageless citation, however, is to *The collected works of Chögyam Trungpa (Vol. 8)* and seems to be incorrect. I have that book in electronic form, and searches on numerous words and phrases from the quote (ground, parachute, news, etc) do not turn up the quote or anything close. That's the only work of Trungpa Rinpoche cited in that chapter. The only other of his work in the edited volume is his very popular *Cutting through Spiritual Materialism*, and the quote is not in that either. **My question -- Can anybody identify a work or teaching by Trungpa Rinpoche that contains that quote or something like it, or say with some assurance that he did not actually say or write it. And if it's not his, who did say it?**

I'm looking for Suttas or other texts that describe the triple gem (Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha), preferably for laypeople. I'm mostly interested in Theravada Suttas, but also Mahayana Sutras, newer books, or other materials. Grateful for help!

What are some further references in relation to the awesome profundity of a Buddha? As opposed to one who has becoming enlightened from the teachings of a Buddha. ---- A Buddha is like a sun hard to describe. What are some references in the Suttas, and smaller books of the Khuddaka Nikāya in relation to the difference of a Tathagata compared to a disciple. > “I have heard this as a witness, **From the Buddha, Kinsman of the Sun**: The path leading to Nibbāna, That is where my mind delights. > > *AN 8.1, The Connected Discourses of the Buddha, © Bhikkhu Bodhi, for study purposes only.* > **The domain of the Buddhas is an inconceivable matter that one should not try to conceive; one who tries to conceive it would reap either madness or frustration.** > > *AN 4.77, The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha, © Bhikkhu Bodhi, for study purposes only.* > "Bhikkhus, for a faithful disciple who is intent on fathoming the Teacher’s Dispensation, it is natural that he conduct himself thus: **‘The Blessed One is the Teacher, I am a disciple; the Blessed One knows, I do not know.’** For a faithful disciple who is intent on fathoming the Teacher’s Dispensation, the Teacher’s Dispensation is nourishing and refreshing." > > *The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, © Bhikkhu Bodhi, for study purposes only.* Also of note is the many names and epithets of the Buddha . Noted discussions are here and here . *This is a very important topic, due to some thinking all enlightened beings are like the Buddha. Any further textural even commentarial clarification would be helpful.* **Itipso Bhagava formulation...** I guess is the common form through out the suttas. >“The Tathāgata has these ten Tathāgata’s powers, possessing which he claims the herd-leader’s place, roars his lion’s roar in the assemblies, and sets rolling the Wheel of Brahmā. (MN 12) *The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, © Bhikkhu Bodhi, for study purposes only.*