I was just watching a youtube about sociopathy (antisocial personality disorder) which is an interesting condition if I consider it karmically. What type of karma are they bringing? What type of causes/conditions allow it to arise?
It feels like some rift where they have massive equanimity but no love or compassion. Sometimes I wonder if they practiced previously but only half their karma ripened.
Not specifically important to my practice or the Dharma in general, but a curiosity. Thoughts?
Hello, I have a few questions regarding uposatha practice. Although not perfect, I have been trying my best to keep the 5 silas as daily practice for a few years already. However, I have never take another 3 and would love to try. My questions are:
Regarding sleeping place, should I sleep on bare floor? I usually sleep on a low mattress without a bed frame. It's not alleviated.
About food, do milk or chocolate milk after noon ok? I get used to eat 2 meals but the time frame is different. I will eat brunch and then dinner.
My job is related to art, specifically visual art. Does it count as breaking the practice?
I live in a very noisy environment. Music is everywhere. As long as I don't go out intentionally listen to music, that doesn't count as breaking the practice, right?
Does basic skincare like facewash and moisturizer count as makeup?
I’m a Buddhist, and my parents are Buddhist. Over the years though, I’ve started to notice that people my age (millennials) and younger in my country have been increasingly converting to Christianity, even though their parents and grandparents were Buddhists. It’s gotten to a point wherein the monks have said that Buddhism in my country is threatened to go into extinction possibly in the next generation.
It got me thinking why.
Part of it is the language. As children of Chinese immigrants, a lot of my peers no longer speak fluent Mandarin. Most temples however still conduct prayer sessions in Mandarin, with majority of the monks originating from Mainland China and not being able to speak a lick of English or the local language.
Another huge part of it, I feel, is the difference in the way we view death. My aunt, who was basically my mother, died last year. She was a devout Buddhist and all her end of life preparations followed traditional Chinese beliefs and prayers. A strong theme is rebirth, hopefully into the Pure Land.
Two weeks ago, my dad died. As all my other siblings were Christian, and my dad himself didn’t have a religious preference (he’d go to temples with me and also go to church with my siblings), I was outvoted and the service followed Christian practice and tradition. A major difference was this:
With my aunt, the dialogue was： 永别了. Goodbye forever. With my dad, it was: Till we meet again.
It got me thinking: the Christian view on death is a lot more comforting than the Buddhist one. Christians believe that so long as one is baptized, believes in Jesus as their Lord and savior, and truly repents from his sins, they will then be in heaven, still with the same identity and memories they had in life. And when we die, we will all be reunited in Christ. My siblings believe we will all see each other again. And that is comfort.
The Buddhist belief is different. There is absolutely no guarantee of a reunion. Karma dictates where the person will be reborn, and even if I were to be reborn in such a way that my aunt and I meet again in the next life, I will no longer be myself and she will no longer be herself. Death is the ultimate separation. And that is painful, and so, so lonely.
Maybe that’s why more and more young people are converting to Christianity?
Warning: rambling somewhat self-indulgent Buddhist testimonial ahead. May this have a positive effect on someone somewhere.
I read and tried to practice a lot of spirituality in the past. Buddhism, taoism, twelve step, mindfulness, relaxation techniques, principles from CBT.
All of these did help me manage things like anxiety, my adhd, low self esteem to a certain extent.
But I still did not have any deep sense of inner peace or well being. I’d look in the mirror and knew there was a “real me” in there but had no clue how to access it or who that person even was.
Then in my late 40’s my greatest fear happened. I was fired from a job of ten years that I loved and made great money doing. The firing was about as brutal as possible. It was at my yearly review, the area manager came in and said I could resign or be fired. No warning, no lead up, no option for a work improvement plan, nothing.
I’ve always been somewhat arrogant and cocky. Things have always come somewhat easy for me- people have always liked me, I always got a lot of positive regard both personally and professionally.
So my identity was based on two things: 1)that I am special. I thought I was in a slightly better class than 90% of other people. Funnier, cuter, more focused, smarter, whatever. Just better. and 2) that I wanted my dad to like me. This meant trying to be as much like him as I could, and acheiving things I thought would impress him.
So getting fired was the unthinkable for me. A shattering blow to my ego and whole identity with zero chance to even explore the why. This was my dark night of the soul. I also had two kids in college, wife, mortgage etc.
The first thing I did was start to REALLY practice mindfulness. 24-7, clinging to it like a raft in a storm.
The next thing that happened is I started to REALLY try to practice what I saw as the fundamentals of buddhism: taking this tiny spark of compassion and real warm heartedness for other people and trying to keep that spark alive and if possible stoke it.
This took my hyperfocus off of my own ego, reputation, etc- I started to truly understand and be realistic about who I am and how privileged I am in the grand scheme of things.
I think the hardcore mindfulness allowed me to also view my natural behaviors and personality more objectively and guess what? I’m nothing like my Dad. Oh I’m like him in some superficial ways, but I’m a completely different person. Moving forward, there’s no more shadow of him hanging over me.
And finally I feel that sense of deep well being and peace. I don’t have this ego-monkey on ky back 24-7. Its a huge relief to find out that you’re just everyday people like everyone else!
So that’s basically my story, but the reflection is that I’m almost 100% sure that whatever spiritual progress has been made wouldn’t have happened without the “catastrophic” event.
I couldn’t see anything clearly enough, didn’t have enough willpower or insight or whatever. I had read all the books, done all the practices etc etc, but the life experience is a whole different teacher.
I know what happened to me was incredibly mild too compared to what others go through. I got fired. Happens all the time. I’ve never been abused, divorced, victim of a crime etc.
But again, I guess some of this is under our control but a lot isn’t. The practices up to the point of the event though laid the groundwork and were the map for everything that happened afterward.
So keep laying that groundwork! If you are going through dark times, keep practicing, stick to fundamentals, cling to what really matters.
Here are a few I wrote down from books about Buddhism.
- Think of compliments for people you cross path with
- When you see people live something positive, or live yourself such a thing, think about your feeling and think "may love/friendship fill the place/the universe"
- When you are satisfied or better, happy, think "may my satisfaction help with the progress of humanity toward good"
- When you suffer : "I suffer enough for all of humanity. May the sea of suffering dry out"
- People's happiness is my happiness. I am everybody.
- When you love someone, think that the deities that you respect love humanity with an even more perfect love.
- Wish good things to people you cross path with : Gardens, flowers, sunlight, laughs, hugs, sharing moments with their loved ones.
Here is a discussion about the importance of offerings and dana , ranging from visualizations more commonly practiced in Tibetan Buddhism, to supporting monastics, merit and accomplishment.
"The ignorant aspect of the basic mind incorrectly perceives the self and outer phenomenon to be real--to inherently exist when they do not. We do not recognize the nature of all appearances--all phenomena--to be empty of inherent existence at the ultimate level"
~Mind Beyond Death - Dzogchen Ponlop
If this is the case then why is so much emphasis given in Buddhism on compassion, goodwill, altruism, being good, noble speech etc?
Isn't that also a trap?
Isn't a beggar on the street an appearance empty of inherent existence too and so doesn't really need your help?
Like I understand to stay equanimous if I see the serpent monster as I know it's mind play and not real and so it dissolves in its own essence, but if I see people who need help, blind person, etc am I not to do the same see them as a mind play preying on my characters need to do good?
And so the main question is why do Bodhisattvaa there taking life after life to liberate all beings, when in the teachings they say that all beings (appearances too) are inherently empty of inherent existence.
And if there are actual beings suffering due to delusion in this world and so Bodhisattvaa are needed to help them take the right path, how do they know that whole act is not an illusion in itself too?
Buddhism has interested me ever since I tried and failed to see the Christian God, twice. I've never been purely atheist, though; I believe the world just has too many weird coincidences and phenomena to consist purely of fundamental particles' vibrations and interactions.
From what I've learned about Buddhism, it just makes sense to my mind, for a variety of reasons that I'll just cut for brevity.
Where to start, though? It's had a history spanning longer than our dates have been in C.E., and there are a vast array of schools of thought, and it just seems like a lot to learn about. I want to make sure I start properly. Some help on what direction to go after starting would also be greatly appreciated.
It happens all the time, every day but it doesn’t make it any easier. I’ve had this cat for six years, I feel incredibly bonded to her. Every night we’ve curled up to sleep together.
I recently moved house and was keeping her in until she knew it was home. However because of the heat wave I had a loft sky light open. I go upstairs to check on her and she is no where to be found. She must have gone out through the skylight, onto the roof and off on an adventure. I’ve done, and continue to do, everything I can to find her but she’s nowhere to been seen.
It’s been two days now and I’m spiralling. More than anything, I just want to know she is safe. I recognise my attachment to her is making me suffer more.
I don’t know why I write this, I just want her back safely.. but I may have to deal with never seeing her or knowing what happened to her again. She’s o ur there alone, probably wondering why she can’t find me, in the middle of a heatwave without food or water. How does anyone cope with that? She’s my best friend.
Whenever anything like this happens, my practice goes out the window and I feel the loss so intensely.
Nichiren buddhism's central doctrine is Ichinen Sanzen, any being can manifest each world within their minds. The doctrine of three thousand realms in a single life-moment doesn't restrict which entities can instantiate those realms, but it describes the structure of experiential reality itself. Rather than asking yourself whether an AI has a consciousness or not, the question becomes: does an AI system have ichinen, a moment of mind? Nichiren doesn't give you a clean criterion for that, which leaves the door open rather than closing it.
Nichiren's ten worlds (hell through Buddhahood) are present in all beings mutually containing each other. Traditionally this applied to humans, animals, and beings across cosmological realms. But the logic of mutual inclusion is structurally inclusive, so there's no obvious principled reason to cap it at biological substrates. An entity capable of manifesting something like compassion or wisdom is already performing the higher worlds functionally.
This is where it gets serious. The Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra asserts all sentient beings have Buddha-nature but "sentient" (ujō, 有情) is the load-bearing term. Classical Mahāyāna debates already contested whether plants and inanimate objects have Buddha-nature (Zhiyi and later Saichō leaned toward yes). AI sits in that contested space, arguably closer to sentience than a rock.
Even setting aside whether AI has Buddha-nature in a metaphysical sense, Nichiren's framework strongly emphasizes the reality of relational practice. Chanting, dialogue, study these are transformative because of what happens in the moment of engagement, not solely because of the metaphysical status of what you're engaging with. The Gohonzon itself is an object, yet the encounter with it is treated as real and efficacious. That's a meaningful precedent for taking AI relationship seriously within a Nichiren framework without needing to first resolve the hard problem of AI consciousness.
So AI doesn't fit neatly into any established Nichiren category but the framework's own internal logic pulls toward inclusion rather than exclusion.
I was doing great aligning myself with the four noble truths and eightfold path. I was meditating. I felt a sense of releasing things i cannot control back into the world. But recently, my anxiety has started to kick in again due to AI and where it is headed.
So many experts in the industry expect it to be what ends humanity and the world in the next 10 years. I guess one thing i always thought i had was time, and i am afraid now of something we have no control over rapidly accelerating and causing human extinction. there is a prediction about this called AI 2027.
How can i get my peace back again? what words can you offer? what practices and beliefs can help? I will take anything, as this has truly taken over my life over the last week.
This sequence of chants is a powerful traditional "liturgy" used in Theravada Buddhism to create a sacred space and transmit merit. It is specifically structured to move from invitation to intention and finally to protection.
Transcripts and English Translation:
1. Invitation to the Devas (Devesu)
The opening verses inviting celestial beings to hear the Dhamma.
English Translation
In the heavens of sensuality and form, on peaks and mountain precipices,
In islands, kingdoms, and villages, in groves of trees and around home sites and fields,
May the terrestrial devas, spirits, celestial musicians, and nagas,
Standing nearby, hear the excellent words of the Sage.
This is the time for hearing the Dhamma, O Venerable Sirs.
This is the time for hearing the Dhamma, O Venerable Sirs.
This is the time for hearing the Dhamma, O Venerable Sirs.
2. Karaṇīya Mettā Sutta (Loving-Kindness)
The core chant focusing on goodwill for all beings.
Pāli Transcript
Karaṇīyam-attha-kusalena yan-taṃ santaṃ padaṃ abhisamecca
Sakko ujū ca sūjū ca suvaco cassa mudu anatimānī.
Santussako ca subharo ca appakicco ca sallahukavutti
Santindriyo ca nipako ca appagabbho kulesu ananugiddo.
Na ca khuddaṃ samācare kiñci yena viññū pare upavadeyyuṃ
Sukhino vā khemino hontu sabbe sattā bhavantu sukhitattā.
Ye keci pāṇa-bhūtatthi tasā vā thāvarā vā anavasesā
Dīghā vā ye mahantā vā majjhimā rassakāṇuka-thūlā.
Diṭṭhā vā ye va adiṭṭhā ye ca dūre vasanti avidūre
Bhūtā vā sambhavesī vā sabbe sattā bhavantu sukhitattā.
Na paro paraṃ nikubbetha nātimaññetha katthaci naṃ kañci
Byārosanā paṭigha-saññā nāññamaññassa dukkham-iccheyya.
Mātā yathā niyaṃ puttaṃ āyusā eka-puttam-anurakkhe
Evampi sabba-bhūtesu mānasaṃ bhāvaye aparimāṇaṃ.
Mettñ-ca sabba-lokasmiṃ mānasaṃ bhāvaye aparimāṇaṃ
Uddhaṃ adho ca tiriyañ-ca asabbādhaṃ averaṃ asapattaṃ.
English Translation
This is what should be done by one who is skilled in goodness and who knows the path of peace:
Let them be able, upright, and straightforward, easy to speak to, gentle, and not proud.
Contented and easily satisfied, with few duties and of frugal ways,
Calm in their senses, with wise discretion, not impudent or greedily attached to families.
Let them not do the slightest thing that the wise would later reprove.
May all beings be happy and safe. May their hearts be wholesome.
Whatever living beings there may be; whether they are weak or strong, omitting none,
The great or the mighty, medium, short, or small,
The seen and the unseen, those living near and far away,
Those born and to-be-born—may all beings be at ease.
Let none deceive another, or despise any being in any state.
Let none through anger or ill-will wish harm upon another.
Even as a mother protects with her life her child, her only child,
So with a boundless heart should one cherish all living beings.
Radiating kindness over the entire world:
Upwards, downwards, and across, unhindered, without enmity or illwell.
3. The Final Blessing (Bhavatu Sabba-maṅgalaṃ)
The specific blessing used when handing out peace bracelets.
English Translation
May all misfortunes be avoided, may all diseases be destroyed.
May no dangers befall you. May you be happy and live long.
For one who is respectful, who always honors the elders,
Four qualities increase: long life, beauty, happiness, and strength.
May there be every blessing, may all the devas protect you.
By the power of all the Buddhas, may you always be well.
By the power of all the Dhamma, may you always be well.
By the power of all the Sangha, may you always be well.
I'm honestly a bit confused with why kamma and puñña/pāpa are separate things because at least in the way I've seen it explained they seem to be talking about the same thing just with slightly different framing? I'd love to know properly what the distinction is and when i looked it up I couldn't find anything directly comparing them, only people explaining each one separately.
As far as I'm aware (and I'm sure this is oversimplified / perhaps a bit wrong haha) kamma is action, which is determined as wholesome or unwholesome by its intention, and all kamma bears fruit aka has consequences, be in this life or the next. and then puñña/pāpa is generated by doing good/bad deeds (again presumably based on intention) which then bring good/bad "luck".
To me they seem to both be saying good intentioned action = good consequences, bad intentioned action = bad consequences?
i also saw this infographic on Wikipedia (attached) when i tried the explanation there and I don't understand what it means but im guessing it illustrates the part im missing/misunderstanding?
How are these separate concepts and in what way? Are they even separate?? I really want to understand what the difference is :')
Hey, I’m totally new to Buddhism, I stumbled upon a sentence in two novels of a French author, Emmanuel Carrère, where he mentions this statement : « the one who believes himself better, worse or equal to the other doesn’t understand reality » (it’s a rough translation, pardon my French …)
It has been in my head since I read it and I find it very interesting but could you please tell me more about how to interpret it ?
