Dhamma Wheel

How do you practice the four foundations of mindfulness? All at once or one at a time? Hi Corey, The Four foundations of mindfulness should be practiced while intermittently reviewing the mind, to ensure that you are making progress (reduction of defilements like craving, aversion and delusion). ht...

Dear Mohan What happens after death is determined by what someone did while they were alive, according to the Buddha. http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn42/sn42.006.than.html There is a misconception that the moment before death or sleep is special. The Buddhism rejects this idea and place...

Hi SarathW Mundane (laukika) samma ditti are things like mother, father etc compared to supramundane (lokuttara) samma ditti, where these would be seen as five aggregates could be considered incorrect, but nevertheless beneficial on the path to nibbana, though not taking one to nibbana per se. metta...

US defence budget for foreign operations: $600 billion. UK defence budget: £45 billion Sri Lanka total GDP: $6 billion. Number of countries destroyed by Sri Lanka: 0 Number of countries made financially dependant by Sri Lanka: 0 Number of countries destabilised by Sri Lanka: 0 Morality, for who? Ope...

Faith it seems can grow. How can it be like what Ven Ananda has here:? The power of visionary faith over skepticism is exemplified in An 3.8, a passage which more closely resembles in tone and quality many of the later Mahāyāna sutras. Buddha extols Ānanda over the skeptic Udayi when Ānanda is awed ...

Hi Cassandra They shouldn't even be talking about it: "Just now, lord, after the meal, on returning from our alms round, we gathered at the meeting hall and got engaged in many kinds of bestial topics of conversation: conversation about kings, robbers, & ministers of state; armies, alarms, & battles...

I felt confidence was more about things like 'the trains will run on time'. They are low risk issues. Trust would be higher risk as in trusting a surgeon with your life. Faith is for the highest risk issues- do I trust samsara, my salvation with a teaching of a man or God and what kind of man (in th...

Hi PolarBuddha They seem to have the five faculties suggesting they practice the dhamma quite well: "And what is the individual who is a Dhamma-follower? There is the case where a certain individual does not remain touching with his body those peaceful liberations that transcend form, that are forml...

Hello all

I'm focusing on developing faith (Saddha) in my practice and would like to know 1) what it means for you 2) how you gained or developed it and 3) how it manifests in your life and practice.

Thanks

With metta

Rowyourboat

Perhaps some metta meditation to help light the darkness, not being afraid to learn from the darkness as well. It is time for reassessing your life, actions, and speech. I suppose you find a way to have a meaningful life either changing yourself/beliefs or your actions/livelihood.

Could you be having too much free time? Maybe some structure in your day would be helpful to discipline the mind a bit.

Greetings Philovitist. I hope you won't undervalue the importance of living your life according to the basic principles. This is an essential part of the practice.

With metta

Matheesha

Keep the precepts- it will keep you away from remorse and guilt/shame. Develop a mind(fullness) of metta as much as possible through the day (off the cushion). Develop joy and bliss (piti, sukha) whenever you can. Focus on objects which bring you wholesome joy. See if you can focus deep into the low...

You should be able to expand them in a limitless way just like metta. I try to give rise to karuna, mudita and upekkha as the situation demands/opportunity arises. I am trying to stay with metta on my mind as long as possible through the day.

With metta

Ven Katukurunde Nanananda has just published a book called Metta Ceto Vimutti (liberation of mind by metta). It is a tour-de-force on the subject of metta, looking at every reference in the suttas and contrasting with modern and commentarial practice. Hopefully the English translation will be out so...

I think it is not a matter of proof but a matter of faith, at this point. 50 years ago some of the subatomic particles found recently would be just theoretical. No point expecting proof when the instrument which can measure it doesn't exist. All we have now is a theory. Is this theory helpful for yo...

By seeing the drawbacks of pleasant sensation (sukha vedana) we eventually let go of the mind's tendency to give rise to craving for pleasant sensation. Craving is the cause of suffering and ignorance about the true nature (no pun intended) of pleasant sensations give rise to craving- so we must und...

"Now I am frail, Ananda, old, aged, far gone in years. This is my eightieth year, and my life is spent. Even as an old cart, Ananda, is held together with much difficulty, so the body of the Tathagata is kept going only with supports. http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.16.1-6.vaji.html" o...

Keep your precepts. Have metta in your mindfulness, which you try to maintain all the time. Rub away your defilements, develop your wholesome qualities. Then watch impermanence when your metta and mindfulness is established! There's your samatha and vipassana -all you need for enlightenment. Practic...

[Ajita:]
"Everywhere flow the streams.[defilements]What is the obstruction for the streams, tell me the restricting of them, by what are they cut off?"

[The Lord:]
"Whatever streams are in the world, it is mindfulness that obstructs them and restricts them, and by wisdom they are cut off."