if you could ask the Buddha one question

A discussion on all aspects of Theravāda Buddhism
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jcsuperstar
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if you could ask the Buddha one question

Post by jcsuperstar »

if you could ask the Buddha one question, what would it be?
สัพเพ สัตตา สุขีตา โหนตุ

the mountain may be heavy in and of itself, but if you're not trying to carry it it's not heavy to you- Ajaan Suwat
Lombardi4
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Re: if you could ask the Buddha one question

Post by Lombardi4 »

http://www.lioncity.net/buddhism/index. ... opic=34351" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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kc2dpt
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Re: if you could ask the Buddha one question

Post by kc2dpt »

I guess I'd ask him for a contemplation subject. Being that he can read minds and all, he'd know what was most beneficial for me.
- Peter

Be heedful and you will accomplish your goal.
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Ceisiwr
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Re: if you could ask the Buddha one question

Post by Ceisiwr »

Great thread idea


Id ask him to explain to me Dependent origination in as much detail as possible
“The teacher willed that this world appear to me
as impermanent, unstable, insubstantial.
Mind, let me leap into the victor’s teaching,
carry me over the great flood, so hard to pass.”
Individual
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Re: if you could ask the Buddha one question

Post by Individual »

jcsuperstar wrote:if you could ask the Buddha one question, what would it be?
"what's your best advice for me?"
The best things in life aren't things.

The Diamond Sutra
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retrofuturist
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Re: if you could ask the Buddha one question

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings,

I would either ask what Peter asked, or ask "What are the most important things that the Theravada tradition got wrong?" so I could continue to use Theravada as a framework for my practice, but with those caveats and corrections provided by the Buddha.

Metta,
Retro. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
Individual
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Re: if you could ask the Buddha one question

Post by Individual »

retrofuturist wrote:Greetings,

I would either ask what Peter asked, or ask "What are the most important things that the Theravada tradition got wrong?" so I could continue to use Theravada as a framework for my practice, but with those caveats and corrections provided by the Buddha.

Metta,
Retro. :)
And if he says, "Nothing," boy did you waste YOUR question!

I'd go with Peter's choice, which is basically my same choice, because it's guaranteed to get a useful reply. What the Theravada tradition got wrong might not necessarily be relevant to your personal case, too. What if what they got wrong is just something trivial, like a few minor errors in the Tipitaka?
The best things in life aren't things.

The Diamond Sutra
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Guy
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Re: if you could ask the Buddha one question

Post by Guy »

I would ask the same question as Individual.
Four types of letting go:

1) Giving; expecting nothing back in return
2) Throwing things away
3) Contentment; wanting to be here, not wanting to be anywhere else
4) "Teflon Mind"; having a mind which doesn't accumulate things

- Ajahn Brahm
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kc2dpt
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Re: if you could ask the Buddha one question

Post by kc2dpt »

Oh, see Retro, I was assuming I went back in time rather than the Buddha went forward in time, but your answer is good too. :)

But wait... if the Buddha was still around... would we even have Theravada?
- Peter

Be heedful and you will accomplish your goal.
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retrofuturist
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Re: if you could ask the Buddha one question

Post by retrofuturist »

Greetings Individual,
Individual wrote:And if he says, "Nothing," boy did you waste YOUR question!
Frankly, that would be the best possible result!

It would mean that not only did I get one question answered, but I would be in possession of all the answers found within the suttas, Abhidhamma, commentaries etc. and would know that they were all absolutely rock solid 100% correct and the height of magnificence.

:woohoo:

Metta,
Retro. :)
"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."
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BlackBird
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Re: if you could ask the Buddha one question

Post by BlackBird »

After hearing what the Lord Buddha had to say to Retro, I would then ask: "What are the minor rules?"
:anjali:

Jack
"For a disciple who has conviction in the Teacher's message & lives to penetrate it, what accords with the Dhamma is this:
'The Blessed One is the Teacher, I am a disciple. He is the one who knows, not I." - MN. 70 Kitagiri Sutta

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appicchato
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Re: if you could ask the Buddha one question

Post by appicchato »

[quote="BlackBird]...I would then ask: "What are the minor rules?"[/quote]

:thumbsup:
Last edited by appicchato on Tue Jul 07, 2009 8:10 am, edited 1 time in total.
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tiltbillings
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Re: if you could ask the Buddha one question

Post by tiltbillings »

clw_uk wrote:Great thread idea


Id ask him to explain to me Dependent origination in as much detail as possible
Oh, gawd; what would you do if he said that the three life version was correct?
>> Do you see a man wise [enlightened/ariya] in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.<< -- Proverbs 26:12

This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond. -- SN I, 38.

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Ceisiwr
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Re: if you could ask the Buddha one question

Post by Ceisiwr »

Oh, gawd; what would you do if he said that the three life version was correct?

lol, then i would accept it


metta
“The teacher willed that this world appear to me
as impermanent, unstable, insubstantial.
Mind, let me leap into the victor’s teaching,
carry me over the great flood, so hard to pass.”
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Ben
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Re: if you could ask the Buddha one question

Post by Ben »

clw_uk wrote:
Oh, gawd; what would you do if he said that the three life version was correct?

lol, then i would accept it
Somehow, I don't think you would.
“No lists of things to be done. The day providential to itself. The hour. There is no later. This is later. All things of grace and beauty such that one holds them to one's heart have a common provenance in pain. Their birth in grief and ashes.”
- Cormac McCarthy, The Road

Learn this from the waters:
in mountain clefts and chasms,
loud gush the streamlets,
but great rivers flow silently.
- Sutta Nipata 3.725

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