FAQ about Buddhism


What is the goal of the Buddha's teachings?
Buddhism is a teaching about how to live in peace, joy and harmony. It shows us how to be liberated from cravings, greed, addictions, envy, prejudice, anger, hatred, ill-will, confusion and ignorance. In short, to be free from all suffering, Ultimately, it directs the followers to break the bondage of birth and death through their own efforts and wisdom.
What is Buddhist practice?
The Buddhist path to happiness consists of cultivating ethical behavior, mindfulness (concentration) and understanding (wisdom). These are practices that can be incorporated in our everyday activities.
Is faith or belief important in Buddhist practices?
Yes. Faith is the motivational force for the Buddhists to keep practicing diligently. The goal of total liberation and true happiness through self-effort is not an easy target. However, faith or belief for the Buddhist is very different from other religions. Faith must always be balanced by wisdom, where nothing will be exempted from examination and question. Total submission to any teacher, deity or god-figure is a dangerous path and blind-belief must be rejected. The Buddha is entirely against superstition and metaphysical speculation.

Are there any Buddhist rituals?
In the Buddha's time, there is no ritual in his teachings. After he passed away, religious rituals evolved. The rituals are used to deepen the faith. The most common ones are prostration in front of Buddha statues as a sign of deep respect and gratitude, offering of flowers and fruits on the altar, burning of incense and oil lamp, and chanting of Buddhist scriptures. Rituals are not essential to Buddhist practices. Please read the essay 'A brief history of Buddhism' on this web site.

Do Buddhists believe in God?
Buddhists do not accept the concept of a 'Creator God'. However, Buddhists accepts the possibility of godlike heavenly existence, which is attainable for those with the aspiration and cultivation. Human existence is preferable to the Buddhists because it offers the right conditions for attaining full liberation from the bondage of birth and death.
What is emptiness and conditioned origination?
Emptiness is not nothingness, extinction, vacuum, or void. The word is used to described the reality that 'nothing can exist by itself'. Everything exists as a composite of many components, a convergence of many ever-changing conditions, thus the phrase Conditioned Origination. There can be no self-existence, or self-nature. (Since God is perceived as the 'be all and end all', and therefore can exist by itself, Buddhists do not accept God as a reality).

Why is self-effort so important in the Buddha's teachings?
Salvation and liberation from suffering is entirely dependent on self-effort. External help are merely minor factors. Human beings are capable of cultivating the conditions necessary for liberation because they have analytical faculties and memory, sense of regret for wrongdoings, and strong determination to self-improve. Cultivation of compassion, determination and wisdom is very important.

How does one become a Buddhist?
In Buddha's time, it is very simple. The Buddha or his assistant teachers would just say, come and see for yourself. Then one becomes a Buddhist. In later time, there is a simple ceremony which is called 'taking the three refuge'. Taking refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. The Buddha personified the ideal of total enlightenment, Dharma is the Law of Nature which encompasses ethical living, mindfulness and wisdom, and the Sangha refers to those Buddhists who have attained non-attachment, selflessness, great wisdom and compassionate.

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Frequently Asked Questions
By Bhikkhu Pesala
1. Do Buddhists believe in God?
It depends on what you mean by God. If you mean a supreme and almighty being who created the world and all the beings in it, and who decides the destiny of those beings after death, then Buddhists do not believe in any such God. However, if you believe that there must be something that transcends the material realm of the senses, something eternal and real that can be personally realised, and that transforms the lives of those who realise it, then Buddhists do believe in such a reality. It is called nibbana.
2. Why is Buddhism so negative and pessimistic?
Buddhism talks a lot about suffering and impermanence because living beings are very strongly attached to life and to the enjoyment of sensual pleasures. It is this attachment and enjoyment that is the cause of suffering. If one follows the Buddhist path, attachment is gradually reduced and finally eradicated altogether. The complete absence of attachment is the highst possible bliss. Even a little less attachment means less suffering, so Buddhism is a path of joy and liberation from pain, dissapointment, grief and despair. It is not pessimistic at all.
3. If there is no soul, what is reborn?
The idea of a self, person, me, or you is a misperception or illusion. There is a continuous chain of cause and effect throughout life, and this process does not come to an abrupt halt after death. Because the process is continuous, we perceive it as a fixed reality - as a person or soul. However, not one thought or one atom is permanent; everything is in a constant flux. The self is not destroyed by realising nibbana, because the self is a non-existent thing. What is destroyed is the illusion of self. When the illusion is shattered, all doubts will disappear.
4. Does one have to be a monk or nun to be a Buddhist?
Not at all. Monks and nus make a full-time commitment to the practise and study of the Dhamma, hopefully because they have strong faith in the Buddha's teaching. A layperson can also have strong faith in the Dhamma, but due to social responsibilities may be unable to follow the monastic life-style. Spiritual attainments depend on the maturity of one's insight, not on one's chosen vocation.
5. Why Are Buddhists Not Always Vegetarians?
A lay Buddhist can make a free choice what he or she eats. A monk or nun has fewer options, and usually has to make do with what is offered. As long as one does not kill, urge to kill, rejoice in killing, nor speak in praise of it, one can buy and eat meat. The kamma depends on one's intention. Those who kill or trade in animals to make a living will inherit their bad kamma. It is a wrong livelihood for a Buddhist, but not everyone in the world is a Buddhist. Even so, some Buddhists may be fishermen or may raise livestock. Growing fruit and vegetables nearly always involves the deliberate destruction of many living beings too. Not everyone can afford pure organic produce.
6. What happened to the Buddha after he died?
The Buddha is not in heaven, nor "in" nibbana. He put an end to all kinds of rebirth.
7. Is it still possible to gain enlightenment?
Yes, it is possible, but it is not easy. To realise nibbana in this very life requires the utmost dedication, transparent honesty, and strenuous effort. Almost anyone may realise nibbana if they try hard enough, the trouble is, most people just do not try hard enough, or are not wise enough so though they try hard, they don't succeed because the method they are using is wrong.
8. Do heaven and hell really exist?
Yes, of course. One could hardly believe otherwise if one just reads a dozen or so discourses of the Buddha. However, believing is one thing; knowing and seeing by means of psychic powers is far more difficult. The Buddha and his leading disciples had psychic powers so they could converse with celestial beings or see the evil-doers suffering in hell or as hungry ghosts due to their evil deeds. "Seeing is believing" as they say. If you cannot see, then you must believe. You don't have to believe if you don't wish to, as it is prudent not to accept anything on hearsay, but if you dismiss heaven and hell as mere allegories for pleasure and pain, then you would find this hard to justify from the Buddhist texts.
9. Are the disabled suffering due to past evil kamma?
Not all present results are the results of kamma done in previous lives. If one drives carelessly and has a road accident one may end up disabled. However, some people are born with physical or mental disabilities, and some get killed or injured due to the carelessness of others. In such cases we must assume that the cause lies with the victim's past kamma. It does not follow that careless or drunken drivers should not be prosecuted if they accidentally injure someone. Even though they had no intention to cause an accident, carelessness is blameworthy, Killing someone by recklessness is not murder, but it may be manslaughter, and should be punished severely. The likely result of such reckless or negligent behaviour is that at some point in the future one will suffer a similar fate, and be killed or injured through no fault of one's own.
10. Is intentional killing always wrong?
Yes, it is always unwholesome kamma with the unpleasant future result of disease, injury, or premature death. However, killing is always justifiable (sic). Even the terrorist can justify, at least to himself or herself, why he or she has to murder dozens of innocent civilians. If one were undeluded and totally mindful, there is no way that one could kill any living being. However, human beings are seldom undeluded, and rarely mindful, so they can always justify killing: "If I don't kill the mosquitos I will get malaria," or "If I don't carry out this abortion, the mother may kill herself, or the baby will have a miserable existence as an unwanted child," or "If we don't execute this murderer he will kill many more people." All such justifications make false assumptions based on one's conditioning, which is nothing but the unskilful mental attitude of aversion, ill-will, or anger. Killing and anger is always justifiable, and only part of being human, but that does not make it right.

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FAQ's about Buddhism
excerpted from Taming the Tiger
by
Dr Akong Tulku Rinpoche

What is Buddhism? I think when I look at it and try to simplify it I would say that in my view Buddhism is about self-development; how to develop loving-kindness, how to develop compassion; how to develop tolerance. It Is about how to develop ourselves in this direction so that we are not just thinking of ourselves but thinking of how we can help all other people. It is about self-development but not in the sense of development of ego or self-importance, but about developing loving-kindness and compassion so by achieving that we can also help others. I think this is a simple description of what Buddhism Is.

This is a path which most decent human-beings would try to follow regardless of religion - or no religion - so in what way does Buddhism offer anything different?

I think the main difference between the Buddhist path and others is that Buddhism always says that you have to deal with all obstacles and that you should not try to escape from anything - including yourself. It teaches that you have to come to terms with all your own emotions and all situations - positive as well as negative. You have to face yourself, and deal with your own fears and reactions and not run away. Buddhism also says very clearly say that in order to develop tolerance, loving-kindness and compassion you have to train, or tame, your mind. Just trying to have positive thoughts Is not quite enough; you have to achieve them; therefore an essential part of the path of Buddhism is the practice and study of meditation. In the beginning It may look as though the learning and practice of meditation is running away from the problem but it is not. It is the opposite. You practise and study meditation in order to be able to face problems and be better able to help others. I think that overall there is much similarity in the teachings of all religions but I think that Buddhism emphasises that you have to deal with all your own rubbish before you can be much help to others.

Some people feel attracted to "Tibetan" Buddhism but are not clear about how much is Buddhism and how much is the Tibetan culture. Some of the imagery can seem quite alien. Can you give some guide lines?

I don't think it matters very much. Those who wish to understand will understand whatever you do. Many stranger things happen! For example, an astronaut went to the moon and soon tourists will be going there. It seems very strange to me, but those who want to understand the significance of this, will find an understanding. From the Buddhist view, the Buddha taught many different techniques - 84,000 different teachings - in order to help different sorts of people. Tibetan Buddhism passes on to us these teachings on how to help and how to benefit. There is nothing in any of the teachings that can do harm to anyone or can encourage wrong views. That would be against the principle of Buddhism. Every teaching - all 84,000 - contains something positive and the Tibetan approach, the Vajrayana approach, is included In these. But the presentation doesn't really matter. Different people like different presentations; some people like one style, some people prefer another. Though Buddhism originally came from India many Indian people prefer the Tibetan style and the Tibetan art. It is not necessarily the case that Indians always prefer the Indian style, and Tibetans the Tibetan style; some Tibetans may prefer the Indian style. So I think it is very much up to each individual. The art, the pictures, the decorations - these just represent things. They give your busy mind something to do which is more positive than thinking about what your neighbours are saying. They are there to help you. But if you find that they not helpful - then there is no need to look at them - you can just think of what they represent. It doesn't matter what you believe, what matters is what you do!

In the traditional Buddhist countries women have a low status in society, is this due to the religion - Buddhism - or is it the culture of the country?

I think Lord Buddha's teaching is valuable for whoever comes. The teachings are for whoever has a brain. He taught more for some and less for others but it is not important whether they are "man" or "woman". He ordained his own step-mother as the first nun and this was the first time ever that there was the possibility for women to follow a religious life. But society is a different matter. Wherever you go in the far East a women's job is to stay at home and look after the children or her parents. Therefore, although a few nunneries exist they are normally smaller and poorer than the monasteries. In these nunneries I am sure there will be some nuns who teach the other nuns and perhaps sometimes a very famous nun to whom lay people go to receive the teachings. Generally though, men - and therefore monks -are more respected than women but I think It has more to do with society, with the culture, than with Lord Buddha's teaching.

Although Buddhism places a great emphasis on compassion there is not a good record of active compassion in eastern countries' can you comment on this?

One of the main teachings of Tibetan (or Vajrayana) Buddhism is called the 'Six Paramitas' All Vajrayana and Mahayana teachings are based on the six paramitas and the first paramita is "generosity" or "charity". I think that when someone who is a true Buddhist gives to charity they give very sincerely and very honestly. In western society you may notice that perhaps people are giving more than in the East, but the giving is more likely to be based on ego and more likely to have strings attached. Too often it is charity with a capital "C". "I am the one who gives and 'they" receiver and "I want to become very famous because I am so generous. I want to have a label saying how good I am to poor people". Buddha once said that if you want to give with a pure heart, first you have to meditate and develop wisdom so that you can give without attachment. We discussed "non-attachment" earlier. "Non-attached" charity is when you give something totally, both mentally and physically. It means having the right state of mind when you make the gift as well as the actual gift itself. In a previous life the Buddha gave his own body; in another life he gave his eye. We should all try to achieve that level of non-attachment, non-possessiveness. I think that those who give charity in the East are more likely to have that development. If you don't have that development, that right state of mind, if you cannot truly give wholeheartedly with no strings attached, then the person who receives your gift may benefit but you may end up with a poisoned mind. I think that perhaps people in the West may not understand that some wisdom is needed. I think in the East they may take more time and try to develop themselves first. This may take some time and may mean that for certain periods in their life they do not give much but I think the idea of giving has always existed.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
on Buddhism and Dzogchen

This collection of frequently asked questions (FAQ) provides brief answers to many common questions about Buddhism and Dzogchen meditation. It was compiled by Lama Surya Das, in response to the many inquiries which have come to him as a Buddhist teacher.

" General Questions
o How do I know which spiritual path or practice to pursue?
o Do I need a teacher in order to go forward in the spiritual life?
o Where can I learn to meditate? I have read books about it and want to experience it more personally.
" About Buddhism
o Is Buddhism a religion? Do I have to convert in order to practice meditation, visualizations, yoga, etc.? Are all religions leading to the same place?
o What is Dharma? I hear and read this word everywhere.
o What is enlightenment? Is it the goal of meditation? Where is Nirvana? Can anyone be a Buddha?
o What is a Buddhist teacher? What does one do, day to day?
o What are the major approaches to Buddhism?
" About Tibetan Buddhism
o How does Tibetan Buddhism relate to what the historical Buddha actually taught? What is Tibetan Buddhism?
o What is Dzogchen?
o Where does the Dalai Lama of Tibet live? When will he visit the USA again? How can I meet him?
o What is a Lama?
" About Meditation
o What is meditation? Is it good for everyone?
o What is the best time of day to meditate, pray and perform my spiritual practices?
o When I meditate, I often fall asleep, or at least doze off now and then. What remedy can you suggest?
" Reading List
o What are some good books to read as introductory material to meditation Buddhism, enlightenment, etc.?

General Questions:
How do I know which spiritual path or practice to pursue?
There are few shortcuts. Trial and error -- following your heart's intuition, while seeking advice from those who have gone before you -- seem to provide the main highway. It is a gradually unfolding process, for which both patience and perseverance are required. Mistakes are inevitable, so do not be easily discouraged. Stumbling blocks can become stepping stones. The great Way is right beneath your feet. Please do not overlook that. There are countless Dharma gates. It is up to you to enter.
Do I need a teacher in order to go forward in the spiritual life?
Good friends and experienced mentors can be very helpful. Be open to the influence of others, but not overly dependent on them. It is always healthy to maintain a certain amount of critical judgment for yourself.

It could certainly be worth checking some spiritual teachers out, and see if they are offering what genuinely interests you in a way that you can relate to. Find out who and where they are, and check them out for yourself. Sincere self-examination and keeping an open, inquiring mind are also among the best propellants to move you along the Path. Reading about the teachers, mystics and Wayfarers of the past is often inspiring, informative, and can provide guidance.
Where can I learn to meditate? I have read books about it and want to experience it more personally.
There are many meditation centers, retreats, workshops and classes in our country, as well as elsewhere. You can find them by word of mouth; on the bulletin boards of health food stores, spiritual bookshops and college campuses; in the Yellow Pages (though not necessarily the best way to find the best in this field); through religion forums and Buddhist bulletin boards on the Internet; listed in the backs of books about meditation; in publications like "Tricycle" magazine; through my homepages on the world wide web; etc.

Be wary at the outset of too much commercialism, fantastic promises, instant enlightenment programs, charlatans who may take advantage of the naive and inexperienced, and anything else that does not feel right for you. Your intuition in these matters is probably your best guide.

Check things out for yourself. Spirituality can best be learned, like swimming, by testing the waters yourself, and not from books. Use your common sense in finding what is suitable for you.

About Buddhism:
Is Buddhism a religion? Do I have to convert in order to practice meditation, visualizations, yoga, etc.? Are all religions leading to the same place?
Of course Buddhism is one of the major world religions, but it is more of a psychological-philosophical-ethical system of awakening; a technology of enlightenment. Since Buddha's teaching does not posit a supreme Creator, Buddhism does not fit the usual definition of a religion. Buddhism takes an agnostic stance on such matters as the Creator question. It is not atheistic, as some uninformed critics suggest. Buddha's principle subject was suffering and the end of suffering, not theological and ontological issues.

All religions are similar in many ways, yet each has its different emphases. A good comparison might be the different types of cuisine in the world; all food is for nourishment and enjoyment, yet there are many different styles suited to varying peoples, tastes and habits. My own teacher Kalu Rinpoche used to answer this question by saying you do not need to convert. It is probably useful to hold your current beliefs up to examination, whatever they may be. Investigation is said to be one of the most transformative agents facilitating enlightenment. There is nothing to believe in Buddhism, and everything to discover.

To study the Buddha's way is to study the self;
To study the self is to transcend the self.
To transcend the self is to be enlightened by all things.
-- Zen Master Dogen
What is Dharma? I hear and read this word everywhere.
Dharma is a Sanskrit word. It means teaching, truth, doctrine, spirituality, or reality. It means the truth of things as they are. Its literal meaning is that which supports or upholds. Dharma is thus likened to the ground we stand upon.

Another, lesser known meaning of dharma is "that which remedies, alleviates, heals and restores". The truth embodied in Dharma teachings heals what ails us, on the very deepest level.

Buddha Dharma refers to the teachings of the compassionate, enlightened Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, who lived in the fifth century B.C. in northern India.
What is enlightenment? Is it the goal of meditation? Where is Nirvana? Can anyone be a Buddha?
Nirvana, the so-called Other Shore (of enlightenment, the goal of the Buddhist path) is everywhere and nowhere. It is not a place. Nirvana is more a state of mind: one of total awareness; deathless peace; joy, ease and fulfillment; and perfect freedom. Nirvana is by definition the highest form of everlasting happiness, desirelessness, fulfillment and peace. It is experienced by the heart-mind liberated from the fetters of ignorance, dualism and delusion, and freed from conflicting emotions including attachment and desire.

Anyone can realize such an innate reality, which is your own true nature. This is technically known as Buddha nature. To awaken fully and irrevocably to that is awakened enlightenment, Buddhahood. That is why Buddha said: "I only point out the Way; it is up to you to walk it."

Meditation, the conscious or intentional cultivation of attention and awareness, is a skillful means or effective method leading directly to awakened enlightenment.
What is a Buddhist teacher? What does one do, day to day?
Teachers of Dharma, both in East and West, have adopted various lifestyles. A Buddhist teacher can be a monk or nun, a lay person, or a yogi who is in between lay and monastic lifestyles. He or she may conduct meditation retreats, seminars, and workshops; be part of, or even lead, a monastery, nunnery, retreat center or other kind of intentional community, or live alone; be sedentary or peripatetic, or some combination of both; be a Buddhist scholar, translator, and writer-lecturer; lead a congregation, or be an academic; or any combination of the above. Buddhist teachers traditionally spend a certain amount of time meditating, praying, and studying in seclusion to deepen their spiritual realization, for the benefit of both themselves and others.

Traditionally, a Buddhist teacher is authorized or empowered by his or her own teacher, thus continuing a lineage of transmission, blessings and authenticity stretching back in an unbroken line to the historical Buddha himself.
What are the major approaches to Buddhism?
There are many different schools, sects, orders and styles in Buddhism, not unlike Christianity and Hinduism. The main divisions are Theravadin and Mahayana, or the Southern and Northern (Asia) Schools.

These two are further expanded into three: Theravadin, Mahayana and Vajrayana. Vipassana teachings fall mainly, although not exclusively, under the first category. Zen teachings, Pure Land, Nichiren, Sokka Gakkai, and Friends of the Western Buddhist Order, are loosely categorized under the second. Tibetan Buddhist groups and centers are in the third category. It should be understood that many of these groups represent an open, inclusive, nonsectarian outlook which encompasses more than one fixed category.

Theravadin teachings are generally characterized by an emphasis on renunciation, restraint, mindfulness, desirelessness, morality, selflessness, simplicity and individual liberation. Mahayana teachings emphasize compassion, impeccability, altruism, wisdom and love combined, emptiness, openness, mind-training, and unselfish efforts towards universal enlightenment. Vajrayana, or tantric, teachings emphasize integration, celebration, guru devotion, energy, fearlessness, nonduality, and immanent enlightenment.

Buddhism in the West at present represents a unique historical occurrence: the coexistence in one single country of all the various types of Buddhism extant in the world. The emerging American Buddhism, and western Buddhist teachers generally, displays a fairly broad and inclusive approach.

The emerging American Buddhism and Western Buddhism tends to be open, honest, nonsectarian, and inclusive; gender-unbiased; democratic; a non-hierarchical approach to awakened enlightenment. It is shaping up as experiential and practice-oriented, rather than intellectual; as demystified and essentialized; lay-oriented, although with significant room for the monastic experience; dynamic, and integrated with daily life in the modern world.

American Buddhisms -- there are probably more than one already -- tend to be creative, adaptable, exploratory, and skeptical and inquiring; psychologically astute; humorous, with a keen appreciation of the absurd; ecumenical, and open to cross-fertilzation. American Buddhists are generally well-informed, well-educated, open-minded citizens of the modern world. They are as often as not socially engaged; supportive of basic human rights; concerned about family life and a sane future for this planet; and ecologically conscious.

About Tibetan Buddhism:
How does Tibetan Buddhism relate to what the historical Buddha actually taught? What is Tibetan Buddhism?
The Buddhism of Tibet represents the last extant wisdom culture to survive intact from ancient times. Tibet was a cloistered, theocratic Buddhist state which, until 1959, preserved all the teachings of the Buddha in a unique situation. Tibetan Buddhism includes the Theravadin, Mahayana and tantric Vajrayana traditions of Buddhadharma. All the sutras and tantras are preserved and practiced in Tibetan Buddhism. Many Buddhist sutras and commentaries in the Sanskrit language, which were lost in India during the Moslem invasions of northern India, were later discovered intact in Tibetan monastery libraries.

Buddhism was brought from its land of origin, India, in the Sixth Century A.D. to Tibet, where it incorporated certain indigenous traditions in becoming the colorful Tibetan Buddhism we know today.
What is Dzogchen?
Dzogchen is the consummate practice of Tibetan Buddhism. It is practiced mainly by the Nyingma Lineage in Tibet, although all four sects of Tibetan Buddhism practice it to some extent.

It derives from the Maha Ati Tantra, and represents the nondual, or absolute/ultimate teaching of pure and total intrinsic awareness, innate wakefulness.

Dzogchen is considered, in Tibet, an advanced and secret teaching. Today it is said by certain senior Tibetan lamas to be "a teaching for our time", because it is direct, immediate, essentialized, adaptable and profound: a naked awareness practice applicable to any circumstance or situation, and easily integrated into modern life.
Where does the Dalai Lama of Tibet live? When will he visit the USA again? How can I meet him?
His Holiness the Dalai Lama lives in the Himalayan foothills at Dharamsala, in northern India; he has been there since the Sixties, after forced to flee Tibet when it was conquered by the Red Chinese in 1959. The Indian hill station of Dharamsala is the capital of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile.

In the last few years, The Dalai Lama of Tibet has come to the USA every year, sometimes twice a year. This pattern is expected to continue. In general, he alternates East Coast and West Coast visits, often with one or more stops in the South, Midwest or Rockies. In the summer of 1999, he will be giving the Kalachakra Initiation in Bloomington, Indiana.
A Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and active human rights advocate, he is the political head of his country as well as the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism. Contact the Office of Tibet in New York City for further details, at 212-213-5010.
What is a Lama?
A lama is a trained, authorized, learned and empowered spiritual teacher in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. The Dalai Lama is the chief lama. In a humorous vein, sixty or seventy years ago Ogden Nash wrote in the New Yorker magazine:

"With one 'l' he's a priest;
with two 'll's' he's a beast.
But I'll bet a pair of silk pajamas
there aren't any three 'lll' lamas.&>

About Meditation:
What is meditation? Is it good for everyone?
Meditation is the intentional, conscious cultivation of attention and awareness, often called mindfulness. Developing mindful awareness purifies, illumines and frees the mind. It liberates awareness from habitual conditioning, compulsion and attachment; clarifies, resolves and eases inner conflicts; and expands and raises consciousness. Meditation "untangles what is tangled," as Buddha said. It provides access to a profound sense of oneness, of interconnectedness, of sanity and coherent wholeness. Meditation enhances powers of observation and sharpens the mind. It demonstrably brings inner peace, calm, centeredness, enhanced focus, concentration, relaxation, rejuvenation, balance of mind, increased receptivity and acceptance, clarity and deep insight. This is something anyone can benefit from.
What is the best time of day to meditate, pray and perform my spiritual practices?
Anytime is the best time. And one can do it almost anywhere. However, practically speaking, first thing in the morning and last at night are generally found most conducive to spiritual practice. Dawn and dusk are also good times to use inner work-- being, not just doing-- to gracefully bracket a busy day.

Bringing the cultivation of contemplative awareness into every activity, every moment, is the heart of spiritual practice. Make your life a prayer, as Saint Paul said. This is the way to bring together heaven and earth, the sacred and the mundane, into a truly integrated, seamless whole.
When I meditate, I often fall asleep, or at least doze off now and then. What remedy can you suggest?
Try meditating with eyes open, if sleepy. Brighten the room. Wash your face with cold water. Try sitting outside. Do walking meditation, breathing exercises, chanting, prayer, etc. Walk backwards to raise your attentive vigilance. Sit for shorter periods of time, rather than prolonging meditation periods as long as possible even while dozing or drifting dreamily. (Killing time only deadens ourselves.). Inspire and enliven yourself, with whatever works. It is quality of awareness that counts, not mere quantity of time and effort. It is easier than you think!

Reading List:
What are some good books to read as introductory material to meditation Buddhism, enlightenment, etc.?
There are many good books. "The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying" by Sogyal Rinpoche is excellent. The Dalai Lama's recent series of books from Harper San Francisco publishers are good (see "Open Heart, Awakened Mind") as is his autobiographical "Freedom In Exile". Joseph Goldstein (author of "Insight Meditation: The Practice of Freedom"), Sharon Salzberg ("Loving Kindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness"), Ane Pema Chodron ("Wisdom of No Escape"), Charlotte Joko Beck ("Everyday Zen"), Jon Kabat-Zinn ("Wherever You Go, There You Are") and Jack Kornfield ("A Path With Heart"), and Thich Nhat Hanh ("Peace Every Step" and "The Miracle of Mindfulness") each have several other excellent books in print.

Chogyam Trungpa's numerous books are very interesting, beginning with his autobiography, "Born in Tibet". "Entering the Stream" by Sherab Chodzin Kohn and Sam Bercholz is a fine anthology of Buddhist teachings. "Women of Wisdom" by Tsultrim Allione is a fascinating account of female Himalayan masters.

"Zen Flesh, Zen Bones" by Paul Reps is delightful. "Zen in America" by Helen Tworkov and "How the Swans Came to the Lake" by Rick Fields give excellent anecdotal history and insights into Buddhist developments in America. "The Awakening of the West" by Stephen Batchelor is a thoughtful history of Buddhism's advent in the Occidental world.

"How Can I Help?" by Ram Dass is inspiring. The "Tao Te Ching" by Lao Tzu, translated by Stephen Mitchell, is a marvelous Asian classic.

A romantic recounting of the Buddha's life is found in "The Light of Asia" by Sir Edwin Arnold, a venerable classic among Buddhist poems in the West.

"Thoughts Without a Thinker" by Dr. Mark Epstein is an interesting introduction to Buddhism and psychology. Jack Kornfield's "A Path With Heart" is a useful study of the perils and pitfalls on the spiritual path.

"Tibetan Buddhism From the Ground Up" by Alan Wallace, and "The World of Tibetan Buddhism" by the Dalai Lama are also recommended.

"Repeating the Words of the Buddha" by Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche and "Natural Great Perfection" by Nyoshul Khenpo and Surya Das introduce Dzogchen teachings and practice. Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche's books about Dzogchen ("The Crystal and the Way of Light", "Dzogchen: The Self-Perfected State", etc.) are well worth reading.

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Frequently Asked Questions on Buddhist Culture
(Compiled at BuddhaNet, 1998)


Here are some additional FAQ's ( frequently asked questions) we regularly get asked about on BuddhaNet. If you have any more questions around Buddhist culture in all traditions, please feel free to e-mail them to: buddhanet@pobox.com


Do Buddhists pray?
Buddhist don't pray to a Creator God, but they do have devotional meditation practices which could be compared to praying. Radiating loving-kindness to all living beings is a practice which is believed to benefit those beings. The sharing of merit is a practice where one dedicates the goodness of one's life to the benefit of all living beings as well as praying for a particular person.
For further discussion on the nature of Buddhist devotion and faith, see DEVOTION.ZIP in BuddhaNet's file library - General section
In Tibet prayer is going on most of the time. Tibetans pray in a special way. They believe that when certain sounds and words, called mantras, are said many times they arouse good vibrations within the person. If a mantra is repeated often enough it can open up the mind to a consciousness which is beyond words and thoughts.
In Japan millions of Buddhists pray to Amida Buddha, the Buddha of Infinite Light. They believe that Amida has created a Pure Land in the west and that those who have faith and repeat Amida's name in prayer will go there. Yet they also believe that Amida is really within them.
How do you become a Buddhist?
In one way being a Buddhist means belonging to a particular community of people and following a path of life taught by the Buddhas (enlightened beings). Members of the Buddhist community are formally joined by taking refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma (the teaching) and the Sangha (the community of noble disciples).
Why do Buddhists chant?
It reminds one of the Dharma so that it is not forgotten; when meditation is not possible and when bare mindfulness does not give much consolation, it can be used to great advantage as an extension of meditation into words to produce calm, some peace within; and certainly, it expresses one's strong confidence in the Dharma. Reciting the same chants day after day also has an advantage - the making of wholesome repetitive karma which of course will bear very good fruit.
What about Buddhist shrines and images?
The shrine found in Buddhist homes or temples is a focal point of Buddhist observances. At the centre of the shrine, there is usually an image of the Buddha. This image may be made of a variety of materials such as marble, gold, wood or even clay. The image is a symbol that helps people to recall the qualities of the Buddha.
The shrine may also have such objects as a volume of Buddhist scriptures to represent the Dharma. Some shrines may include other items such as images, pictures or photographs of Buddhist monks and masters to represent the Sangha. When a Buddhist stands before a shrine, the objects he sees on it help him to recall the qualities that are found in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. This inspires him to work towards cultivating these qualities in himself.
Why do Buddhists bow?
In Buddhism, the traditional gesture of reverence to the Triple Gem is to place the palms of both hands together and raise them high in front, usually up to the level of the forehead. In order to express deep veneration, a Buddhist may bow or prostrate before the image of the Buddha, members of the Sangha and the masters of the Teaching. When a Buddhist prostrates before an image, he acknowledges the fact that the Buddha has attained the perfect and supreme Enlightenment. Such an act helps the Buddhist to overcome egoistic feelings and he becomes more ready to listen to the Teaching of the Buddha.
Are there Buddhist holy places?
The four holy sites as places of pilgrimage for Buddhists are Lumbini where the Buddha was born, Bodh Gaya where the Buddha was enlightened under the Bodhi tree, Sarnath where the Buddha gave his first teaching of the Dharma and Kusinagara where the Buddha passed away. See "In Search of the Buddha" on BuddhaNet.
What about Buddhist festivals?
Buddhist festivals are always joyful occasions. Every May, on the night of the full moon, Buddhists all over the world celebrate Vesak for the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha such a long time ago.
In the Theravada tradition, practices observed by laypeople at Vesak include the observance of eight precepts (the regular five plus not taking food after midday and celibacy and not over indulging in sleep). Also the laypeople may participate in chanting and meditation and listening to sermons.
In Thai villages people get ready during the day. They clean their houses and hang up garlands of flowers. The men take clean sand from the river bank and spread it over the temple courtyard, where everyone walks with bare feet. Statues of the Buddha are brought out of the temple to be washed and polished and all the books come out to be dusted. When it is dark, the villagers gather with candles or small oil lamps. The biggest Buddha statue is put on a platform outside the temple and lights shine all round it. Scented water is thrown onto it. Holding their lights, everyone starts to move round the Buddha statue so that in the end it is encircled with light.
What about Buddhist marriage ceremonies?
Monks are prohibited from being marriage celebrants but they can "bless" the couple by reciting the Dharma (chanting) after the secular ceremony.
What is a Buddhist funeral like?
A simple ceremony where the good deeds of the departed are remembered, a Loving-kindness meditation can be done and a sharing of merits.
What is a Stupa?
When the person who has died is a Buddha (enlightened one) or an Arhant (saint) or an especially great teacher, relics are collected after the cremation. These may be placed in a stupa or pagoda (burial mound) or in a Buddha-rupa (image of the Buddha). Whenever the Buddhist sees a stupa in the countryside or a Buddha-rupa in a shrine room it is a reminder of the dharma (teaching) and it is honoured because of that.

Source: BuddhaNet, Sydney, Australia, http://www.buddhanet.net/

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Meditation FAQ
What is meditation?
A definition I like to use is, "Meditation is an activity involving the cultivation of mindfulness and the application of methodologies to change ourselves in order that we become more fulfilled and more able to see Reality. ".
Meditation is about becoming more fulfilled, but also has the function of helping us to more clearly understand the nature of the world we live in. These two goals are really the same, since we can't be fulfilled if we have serious misunderstandings about life. In particular we have to learn what conditions (actions, thoughts, etc.) give rise to happiness and which to unhappiness.
Meditation gives us tools to quiet the mind so that we can become more aware of the mental processes that lead to greater fulfillment. It also offers us tools to change our mental states so that we become happier.
Do you have to be a Buddhist to do Buddhist meditation?
No. You don't have to adopt any religious belief system in order to do the meditation practices that we teach here.
Can anyone meditate?
Pretty much. People who have experienced schizophrenia should be cautious about taking up meditation, and although meditation can help with depression I wouldn't advise anyone to start meditating while they are feeling profoundly depressed (they should wait until they're feeling more balanced).
Apart from that. I think just about anyone can learn to meditate. Those who get least from meditation are usually those who want instant results. Meditation is like going to the gym -- you have to actually do the work to get the benefits. Let go of that quick-fix mentality and accept that some changes take time, and you'll find your meditation practice will be very helpful
Can meditation help with stress?
Meditation is a particularly effective way of dealing with stress. It helps us to calm down and to become more aware of how stressful feelings arise.
What's kinds of meditation do you teach here?
We mostly teach the most widespread meditation practices, including mindfulness of breathing, development of lovingkindness, and walking meditation. These practices are found in virtually every major Buddhist tradition. In addition we teach mantra meditation, which is mostly associated with Mahayana Buddhism, although some of the mantras we teach come from the Theravadin tradition.
How is this different from Transcendental Meditation?
Transcendental Meditation is an adaptation of Hindu mantra meditation, involving the recitation of the "seed syllables" (the essential names, if you like) of Hindu deities. Although TM can be effective, the organization that teaches it is very money-oriented, and charges a lot for the practices they teach.
Do you need to have a teacher?
Like most skills, you can learn a lot on your own, but a teacher can be helpful to guide you when times get tough or when you have a blind spot. You can teach yourself to paint, for example, but having a teacher can speed the process and make learning more interesting and productive. It's the same with meditation.

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Refuge - FAQ's
by Ken Holmes

What is Refuge?
The meaning of Refuge becomes deeper and deeper as one proceeds along the Buddhist path and its real depth and magnitude is only known at enlightenment. To put it very simply, to take Refuge is to turn decisively towards the most powerful, sublime, true and meaningful force in the entire universe, seeking its strength, protection and guidance. These will be necessary in order to successfully rid one's mind of confusion and suffering and to attain the peace, wisdom and qualites of enlightenment. This process - of connecting profoundly with the absolute - begins formally with the ceremony of 'Taking Refuge' and is thereafter developed through study and meditation to become a deep inner strength. It is also a commitment to the Buddhist path.
By taking the Refuge ceremony, one becomes a Buddhist. From then on, the inner confidence and support that comes from taking Refuge daily forms a psychological basis for all the work of self-knowledge and transformation of the Buddhist 'path of peace'. Like the foundation of a house, Refuge is the basis upon which all other Buddhist practice is built.

Is Refuge the same in all Buddhist traditions?
All traditions (Tibetan, Theravada, Zen etc.) share the basic Refuge in the 'Three Most Precious Things' (often translated as 'the Three Jewels'): the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha.
In the mahayana traditions, the scope of the basic refuge is widened from almost every point of view: what one takes refuge in, how long one takes refuge for, why one takes refuge etc. (see below)
In the vajrayana traditions, the refuge is extended to include three more fields (gurus, yidams and protectors) for practical reasons related to the intense nature of the vajrayana path.

In what does one take Refuge?
In all forms of Buddhism, one places ones trust in:
the Buddha as the best teacher,
his teachings (Dharma) as the best spiritual path to follow and
the Sangha, the holders of those teachings, as the best guides and companions on that path.
In vajrayana Buddhism, three more refuges are added: the gurus, yidams and protectors:
the gurus are the source of spiritual transmission
the yidams are the source of accomplishment in practice
the protectors (also called 'dharmapala') enable compassionate activity to succeed

What is an unsuitable source of Refuge?
The Buddhist path enables a person to leave samsara (the illusions, confusion and suffering in the mind) and to attain nirvana (perfect liberation, peace and unconditioned happiness). It is obvious that one needs guidance from a source which has already conquered samsara and attained nirvana. Otherwise it would be like hiring a guide who has never performed the journey.
On this 'journey', there are many dangers, posed by one's inner pride, jealousy, anger and selfish desires, inside oneself, and the general trend to negativity in the world around us. These are like robbers hiding by the wayside or dangerous wild animals. One needs protection and the bodyguard needs the strength and experience to be able to overcome all these various hazards.
In normal life, we turn to friends, family, the rich and the powerful for help. For worldly things these can sometimes provide the material or emotional support we need temporarily. But when it comes to working skilfully on one's mind, for a lasting liberation, they are quite useless. In fact, their guidance can take one completely in the wrong direction.
It is the most natural thing in the world to turn to an expert when one wants to learn something well. The 'experts' - on the spiritual path to freedom - are the Refuges.

Some differences between basic Refuge and mahayana Refuge
DURATION ... basic Refuge is taken from the time of the ceremony until death, whereas mahayana Refuge is taken from the ceremony until total enlightenment is reached, in whichever future life that may be.
MOTIVATION ... the main motivation behind basic Refuge is a longing to free one's own mind from samsara and to attain nirvana. The mahayana motivation seeks Refuge in order to be able to help all beings become free from samsara and find nirvana.
OBJECT ... Buddha, Dharma and Sangha are known in a much more profound light than above:
The Buddha, besides being a historical person, is known as the three kaya and as sugatagarbha. These are deep, extensive topics too advanced to describe here.
The Dharma, besides being the body of written and oral teachings of the Buddha, is known as direct realisation of the path and its result and in particular as realisation of the voidness of personality and all things.
The Sangha, besides being the monastic community which perpetuates the Buddha's teaching, is known as those who have attained direct realisation of voidness.
The reference work on the above is Maitreya's mahayana uttara tanra. It has been translated, with commentary, as Maitreya on Buddha Nature by Ken Holmes.
Does taking refuge bind one to any commitments?
Yes. Taking Refuge is a commitment to the Buddhist path and so it is natural to at least remain on that path and, preferably, to progress as best possible along it. The main commitment is maintain faith and confidence in the Three Refuges. To help one do this, there are three particular sets of three commitments:
Having taken Refuge in the Buddha, the most enblightened of all beings, one should keep the Buddha as one's main teacher and not drop Buddhism for some other faith. Having taken Refuge in the Dharma, the essence of which is peace, one should never do anything which harms any living being. Having taken Refuge in the Sangha, the finest companions, one should be careful not to be swayed into negativity by worldly friends.
As training, one should always make a point of respecting the representations of the Refuges: Buddha images, dharma texts and the sangha's robes. Images and texts should be kept in high, clean, peaceful places.
As helps for remembering the Refuges, one should recite the Refuge prayer daily, make offerings to them and in particular offer every first mouthful of food.
Does taking refuge commit me to a specific lama or tradition?
No. Taking Refuge is one thing, choosing one's personal mentor is another. As the first step of any journey is the most important one, the moment of Refuge is a truning point in one's life. The bond between oneself and the teacher who gives Refuge is something wonderful to be grateful for. But all the scriptures say that one should consider very thoroughly - even for some years - before choosing one's personal guru. That comes later in the light on knowledge and experience. Refuge is common to all Buddhist traditions and one is not obliged to continue in the tradition one first discovers.
How to find out more about the ceremony?
We could put more here but it would be much better to make human contact with an authentic Buddhist lama and the monastic community and discuss Refuge in person.

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The following questions and answers have been especially formulated with
the newcomer to Buddhism in mind.

Q: Who was the Buddha?
A: The Buddha was a man who lived some 2,600 years ago and who
revolutionised religious thought in India. This way of thought spread
throughout the Eastern world and has now found its way to the west.

Q: What does the word 'Buddha' mean?
A: The word 'Buddha' stands for the Awakened State (literally it means
awakened), so it is used in relation to waking up to truth, to
becoming enlightened.

Q: What did the Buddha teach?
A: His teaching was extensive. However, it is commonly agreed among all
traditions throughout the Buddhist world, that fundamentally the
teaching of the Buddha is contained in just four truths - the Four
Noble Truths.

Q: What are these truths?
A: They are: the truth of suffering; the truth of regarding the cause of
suffering; the truth regarding the cessation of suffering; and the
path, the way we suffer when life does not go our way, when our hopes
are dashed, and when disappointment or tragedy strikes. We also
suffered when life does go our way. Why? Because we fear loss - loss
of pleasure, wealth, family or friends. This is the truth of
suffering.

Wishing, wanting, and desiring are the cause of suffering. We produce
our own suffering by the way we think and act.

Because we produce our own suffering, it is within our power not to
produce it, and not to suffer. This is the truth regarding the
cessation of suffering.

The way of life which does not cause suffering is the path; it is the
way of harmlessness, wishlessness, selflessness.

Q: Is there a God in Buddhism as in Christianity?
A: It is very difficult to compare Buddhism with Christianity. One would
have to say, however, there is no God in Buddhism in the way that God
in Christianity is commonly understood.

Q: What do Buddhists believe?
A: Different Buddhists believe different things, but the nature of
belief is itself an important issue in Buddhism. Belief is to be seen
as belief, not as fact. When we see our beliefs as facts, then we are
deluding ourselves. When we see our beliefs as beliefs, then we are
not. Seeing things in their true light is the most important thing in
Buddhism. Deluding ourselves is the cause of much suffering. So
Buddhists try to see beliefs as beliefs. They may still believe in
certain things - that is their prerogative - but they do not cling to
those beliefs; they do not mind or worry about whether their beliefs
are true or not, nor do they try to prove that which they know cannot
be proved. Ideally though, a Buddhist does not indulge in any kind of
belief.

Q: Does Buddhism teach reincarnation?
A: Reincarnation is not a teaching of the Buddha. In Buddhism the
teaching is of rebirth, not of reincarnation.

Q: What is the difference between reincarnation and rebirth?
A: The reincarnation idea is to believe in a soul or a being, separate
from the body. At the death of the physical body, this soul is said
to move into another state and then enter a womb to be born again.

Rebirth is different and can be explained in this way. Take away the
notion of a soul or a being living inside the body; take away all
ideas of self existing either inside or outside the body. Also take
away notions of past, present and future; in fact take away all
notions of time. Now, without reference to time and self, there can
be no before or after, no beginning and ending, no birth or death, no
coming or going. Yet there is life! Rebirth is the experience of life
in the moment, without birth, without death; it is the experience of
life which is neither eternal nor subject to annihilation.

Q: Does that mean there is no such thing as birth and death?
A: That which is born, dies. Forms come and go. All that comes into
existence is impermanent; it is born and it dies. But the very
essence of what 'I' am -- Buddha-nature -- is unborn and undying.

Q: Is this just a Buddhist belief?
A: Buddhists are people and people do believe things, but Buddhism is
concerned with truth, not with belief, and the teaching is to see
things as they are. If we believe anything which has not been
experience, we should know what we are doing. When we do not
understand something, then to maintain an open mind is the healthiest
and wisest practice.

Q: But what happens when we die?
A: If we understand what the word 'I' really represents, we can realise
the answer to this question. Buddhism does not offer intellectual
answers; it only gives directions for the experiencing of truth.

Q: How is it possible to experience truth?
A: By understanding that 'I' and birth and death are notions, concepts,
ideas, beliefs. It is the idea of a self living life through time,
which produces the idea of birth and death. We have been conditioned
into believing that we have come into existence and in due course
will cease to exist. If we see through these ideas and realise that
this moment neither begins nor ends, we shall realise deathlessness.

Questions And Answers On Buddhism ( Part 2 )
-------------------------------------------

Q: But how can getting rid of ideas enables us to see deathlessness?
A: The deathless is here all the while, but ideas block it out. It is
like the sun because of the clouds. But as soon as the clouds are
cleared away, there is the sun. Likewise, as soon as ideas are
cleared away from the mind, there is the true state: birthless,
deathless.

Q: How does one clear away ideas?
A: By seeing ideas as ideas and not as truths; by being aware of mental
and meditation.

Q: Are there various kinds of Buddhist meditation?
A: There are different exercises taught by teachers of different
Buddhist traditions and Schools. The main differences, however, are
superficial ones, related to psychological or emotional problems.
Many of these exercises can only be administered by experienced
meditation teachers. For the average person, however, whose sole aim
is to realise the deep clear teachings of the Buddha, meditation is a
simple process of awareness and investigation.

Q: How does one practise this kind of meditation?
A: By being fully aware, as one thinks, speaks and acts.

Q: But what about sitting meditation?
A: Sitting meditation is the same. It is just a question of being aware.
Sitting meditation is an excellent thing to do, but some people are
not able to find a quiet spot to sit in every day. If this is the
case, one is not automatically debarred from the insights of
meditation. To meditate properly is to do one's duty and to live
without wishing life were different, or somehow better.

The opportunity for seeing truth is ever present, because truth is
ever present. Just because the sun is covered by clouds does not mean
the sun is not there. Conditions are always just right for being
aware of the true situation. All one has to do is be conscious of
what is taking place within one and around one, without making any
judgements. If we 'see' by being aware, then we shall see very deeply
into everything.

Q: How does one practise sitting meditation?
A: Sitting meditation is the shutting down of all sense stimuli in order
to realise that awareness is not a function of the senses or of the
thinking process. It is practised by sitting quite still with the
eyes closed (or not focusing on anything), by letting life be, by
breathing in and out (not changing the breath, not trying to breath
deeply), by just breathing the way one always breathes, and by
noticing the subtle changes in the mind and in the body. It is not
difficult or complicated.

Q: Does one need to have a meditation teacher?
A: The Buddha's teaching can be the teacher and awareness can be the
practice which will lead straight to liberation.

Q: What is karma?
A: It is cause and effect. When someone commits a crime, he suffers the
consequences. That is karma. When someone does good, he enjoys the
consequences. That is karma. But karma runs deep; its affects our
hearts and minds. From the beginning mind is absolutely pure. If we
are unkind, deceitful, greedy or cruel, we defile that purity.
Imagine a plain white cloth, beautiful, bright and clean. And then
imagine someone splattering it with black ink. The cloth is then
spoilt. The mind is like the white cloth. Like and dislike, greed and
hatred, are like the ink splattered across it. When the mind is
unmarked and unspoilt, suffering and enjoyment do not exist. This is
happiness beyond pleasure, beyond karma. All karma is impermanent and
runs out in due course. A Buddhist will learn how to get off the
karmic see-saw of pleasure and pain.

Q: Can anyone see the Truth?
A: The Buddha was compassionate. He did not teach an impossible teaching
that ordinary people could not understand. On the contrary, his
teaching was clear and simple. Anyone who makes the effort to be
aware will realise his or her Buddha-nature and be freed from
suffering.

*******

What does Buddhism say about Abortion?
Buddhism doesn't say anything in particular about abortion. There are Buddhists who no doubt stand on the "Pro Choice" side of the fence and others who take the "Pro Life" stance.
The important questions to keep in mind are: who is suffering and what can be done to reduce suffering. The intention here is important. There are some circumstances, no doubt, where an abortion, especially at the very early stages of pregnancy, may be the wise thing to do. If the child's life would be fraught with suffering, for some reason; or if the parents would suffer greatly as a consequence of having a child.
My personal view is this: bringing a human life into being is a large responsibility and needs to be done with consideration and intent. If a woman becomes pregnant and does not want the child, there is, it seems to me, a period of time before which she can chose to terminate the pregnancy without harming any sentient being (other than herself). A human embryo, at the early stages of development is hardly much more than a group of quickly differentiating cells in the woman's body.
However, there is a certain stage, between 8 and 12 weeks when the embryo becomes a fetus and beyond which the harm done to both the fetus and the mother as a consequence of abortion is very great indeed and should be avoided for all but medical (i.e. life threatening) reasons.
What is the Buddhist stance on Environmental issues
One of the central tenets of Buddhism is the inter-dependence of all things (the doctrine of interdependent origination). Therefore, Buddhism is at heart an ecological religion. Our very lives, the air we breathe, the water we drink the food we eat are all dependent on the environment and to harm the environment is to harm ourselves.
One of the principle Buddhist precepts is the reverence for life and the intent to prevent all suffering. This precept entails a regard for our environment: plants, animals and minerals. If we destroy the environment, we destroy ourselves. If we take care of the environment, we take care of ourselves.
How do people become Buddhist, what is the process?
There is no "process". But you need to adhere to the 5 precepts and "take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha" (the "triple gem" as it is called). These are typically things you do with the assistance of a Buddhist monk or nun in a monastery or in a monastic setting but mostly this is an undertaking or a commitment you make with yourself to take a certain outlook on life. You are not called upon to account to anyone but yourself for this undertaking except if you become monastic or live in a monastery.
If people's souls are reborn into another womb when they die, then what happens to the body at death if there are not enough births at the time of their death? What if there's more births than deaths (as there actually is)? How do these extra births get souls?
Personally, I don't believe in reincarnation so I don't worry about the logical inconsistencies that there might be in this doctrine.
However, if you want to get into details, you should remember that incarnation and re-incarnation don't necessarily happen from one human life to another but can happen from any animal life to another and from animal life to a human life. So to do your arithmetic precisely you would have to count every living being.
Furthermore, as evidenced by the movie "Little Buddha" it is possible for a being to be reincarnated into different bodies simultaneously, so I'm afraid that there is no law of conservation of souls or anything like that.
Finally, reincarnation is not a Buddhist idea but a Hindu one, which the Buddhists reinvented in the context of the other teachings of the Buddha.
Buddhism is converting many people all over the world. Why are so many western people converting?
I'm not sure I have a good answer to this question. But here's my guess.
There is a lot of wisdom in Buddhism and not a lot of theology. Buddhism doesn't require any belief in God or angels or anything you can't observe for yourself. In the words of a monk I know "it's a do-it-yourself religion". <> There's a very good book by Stephen Batchelor called "A History of Western Buddhism" which may be of use here.
I'm looking for information on Judaism and Buddhism
There are two books I know about: "A Jew in the Lotus" by a man whose name escapes me and and "Funny you don't look Buddhist" by Sylvia Boorstein.
I don't understand 'No Self' in Buddhism?
When a thought arises it arises in this mind-body system and it has a cause (might be stimulated by a sight or a sound or something). Now this thought is observable. The question is what is doing the observing?, A "me" that I can call self?
I think the Buddhist answer is "no". The knowing of the experience or the thought or what have you is not personal; it doesn't have an identity. It is a faculty: the faculty of awareness.
It's like sight. You are able to see the video screen you are looking at in just the same way as anyone who has the ability of sight is able to see it. This ability may get clouded with age (cataracts, lens deformation, accidents etc.) but it isn't imbued with anything like an identity--"my sight". Your ability to see and my ability to see are in essence the same and indistinguishable (not *indexed* to any particular experience).
Similarly, awareness is not indexed to any particular thought or experience--in that sense it is impersonal.
This character of awareness is very hard to understand, sometimes, because much of the time, what we are aware of is labeled by thought "I hear... 'a train'"..."I see 'a computer'". Thoughts of "I" and "a train" and "a computer" keep populating this field of awareness with such frequency and regularity that we end up believing in the permanence and solidity of these indexes and labels.
But the reality is quite otherwise. Try awareness of hearing unfamiliar sounds, for example. If you go camping in some strange place somewhere in the wilderness, whose sounds are unfamiliar, you may be able to listen to the sounds -- as SOUNDS -- without the thoughts of "this is a so-and-so sound...." On the other hand, you might not be able to do this well at all. You might start worrying "this is a bear coming to get me" or you might start experiencing fear about the unknown (in that case the thought of "me", "my life", "my health" will take centre stage). On the other hand, if you are able to focus single-pointedly (and this is one of the virtues of meditation--that it trains the mind to do this one-pointed concentration) on the texture of the sound, on it's beginning and ending, on its pitch, on how it changes over time etc.) then all you will have is "awareness" and its object "the sound".
In reality that's all there is: awareness now of this experience (feeling, thought, sensation etc.) now. Some of these thought- experiences are highly dominant "I worry" "I need to do this" "my house might be burning down" etc. have "self" as centre stage. This *is* a reality--the mind constructs the self as a real, enduring thing. But in fact these are Images. Images of self ("I am the great computer scientist" or "I am the unworthy husband" or "I am the Buddhist meditation teacher" or whatever) which are easily destroyed into (for example) their opposites ("I'll never be a great computer scientist" or "I am super-husband" or "I'm not a Buddhist"). This just goes to prove how illusory these thoughts are. They don't really correspond to anything at all, let alone something fixed and unchanging as they parade themselves as. (Angry feelings are that way too: when you're angry with someone it's very hard to remember that you are not always going to feel that way towards that person, that indeed you have felt and will again feel tenderness and love for that person--what you think and feel at that moment when you're angry is: "this may not have always been like that, but by golly, it's going to stay like that now,... I'm not going to forgive so and so for this.... they're going to get it as soon as I get my hands on them...." as thought this were the most important and most real thing in the world).
Once you taste some no-thought awareness, 'bare' awareness, you see the impermanence of experience-phenomena and the impermanent nature of "I"-thoughts. It becomes very clear.

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What is Buddhism?
The best explanation of the Buddha's teachings comes from the Buddha himself. In Sanskrit the teachings are called the Dharma and in Tibetan Chö. Both mean "the way things are". So Buddhism can be seen as a set of tools that enable us to see things as they really are here and now. Buddhism has no dogmas and allows question marks to be placed everywhere. Buddha's teachings aim at the full development and freedom of body, speech and mind.
Who was Buddha?
Buddha was born in India about 2560 years ago into the royal family of a highly developed culture. The young prince enjoyed extremely privileged circumstances and up until the age of twenty-nine he had known only pleasure. Leaving his palace for the first time, his world was turned upside down. Over three consecutive days he saw a very sick person, somebody old and someone who had died. Upon his recognition of the inevitability of old age, sickness, death and the impermanence of everything, he became deeply troubled. The next morning, he passed a Yogi in deep meditation and their minds met. Inspired by this, the prince then left his home and family and wandered the country in search of teachings that could overcome death and suffering. He studied with various teachers, but none of them could lead him to his ultimate goal.
At the age of 35, after six years of deep meditation, he realized the true nature of mind and was enlightened. He became awakened to the essence of all things: the all-knowing space that makes everything possible, its radiant clarity that playfully expresses mind's richness and its limitless love that obstructs nothing. For the next 45 years the Buddha taught the methods to reach the goal of enlightenment to thousands of gifted students.
Is Buddhism a philosophy, a psychology or a religion?
Buddhism can be regarded as a philosophy insofar as its teachings represent a complete and logical view, but it is not just a philosophy. Philosophy can explain things on the formal level of words and ideas, whereas the Buddha's teachings work with one's totality. While both philosophy and Buddhist practice lead to clarity of thought, only the latter can lead to permanent transformations because it gives the practical key to inner and outer events experienced everyday.
Because of the ability of its teachings to transform those who practice them, some people consider Buddhism to be a kind of psychology. The varying schools of psychology all try to help people neither to be a burden on society nor to have too many personal difficulties. While both psychology and Buddhism can change people, the latter is for the already healthy. It can be said that Buddhism starts where psychology stops. Diamond Way Buddhism becomes relevant from the point where people are already stable, where they experience space as blissful and not threatening. From this level the teachings develop the limitless courage, joy and love, which are mind's inherent wealth.
Applying the teachings to one's life will raise a deep confidence in their skilfulness giving all situations the taste of meaning and growth. Once the awareness of the conditioned nature of all things grows, fixed concepts will fall away and the perfect qualities of body, speech and mind will naturally appear. The end result of practice - full enlightenment or Buddhahood - surpasses the intellectual or therapeutic goals of both philosophy and psychology, it is a state of perfection beyond concepts.
Combining the logical view and the transformative power with methods to obtain lasting and beyond personal mental states, Buddhism is over all a 2500 year old religion of experience.
What are the basic points in Buddhism?
There are four basic thoughts that give a lasting meaning to our life. The first thing that we appreciate is our very rare and marvelous chance to be able to meet with enlightened teachings, and to be able to work with and learn from them. All beings want happiness and want to avoid suffering. Even an ant will crawl very far to avoid being killed, and human beings will go to all lengths in order to feel good. So, meeting with teachings that bring lasting happiness is very important.
After this, we understand we will not always have this chance. Whatever was born, will die, whatever came together will fall apart, and whatever appeared will disappear. Our time is limited. It is certain that our lives will end, but we do not know when. So recognizing that we have this chance now and actually wanting to use it is also something extremely valuable.
The third thing we understand is that the world is really a matrix of causes and effects and that our present actions, words and thoughts will become our future. Whether we realise it or not, everything we do, say or think leaves impressions both inside ourselves and outside in the world. These impressions will later return to us. Negative impressions especially will manifest as suffering or unpleasant situations in the future unless we use meditations that dissolve them.
Finally, we recognise the fact that there is no alternative to using the teachings. Enlightenment is highest joy. There is nothing more fulfilling and total than this state of oneness with all things, all times, all beings, and all directions. Also, how will we benefit others if confused and suffering ourselves?
So considering these four factors gives the basis for buddhist practice and meditation. In contrast, however, if we cling to our ordinary values we cannot avoid suffering. If we keep thinking "I am my body" and "These things are mine", old age, sickness, death and loss will be exceedingly unpleasant. Nobody can avoid pain by saying: "This stuff with enlightenment is too difficult for me", because if we were born, we'll surely die. There is no greater purpose in life than to find values which permanently overcome suffering and death. The benefits of enlightenment are therefore immeasurable for both oneself and all other beings.
Are there different types of Buddhism?
Buddha gave instructions to three main types of people. Those who wanted to avoid suffering received information about cause and effect. Those who wanted to do more for others were given instructions on compassion and wisdom. Where people had a strong trust in their own and other's Buddha-nature, he shared the direct view of mind called the Great Seal (tib. Chagchen, Skt. Mahamudra). The first one of these levels is called the "Small Way" or "Theravada", the second one the "Great Way" or "Mahayana" and the third the "Diamond Way" or "Vajrayana".
What is the Vajrayana or Diamond Way?
The Diamond Way (tib. Dorje Thekpa) is often described as the crown Jewel of Buddha's teaching. Its goal is obtaining the beyond-dualistic state of the Great Seal, where every event is authentic because it expresses mind's unlimited potential. Working from the level of consequence and inspired insight to transform all experience into self-liberating and natural purity, it employs methods of total identification with enlightenment for the quickest results. When students saw the Buddha not as a god, person, or an outer force, but trusted him as a mirror of their own mind, Buddha could then impart the Diamond Way. Awakening being's qualities through his power and insight, he employed countless skilful means to fully develop them. In essence, this ultimate or `third' level consists of three approaches: They are called "Way of methods", "Way of Insight" and "Guru Yoga". Using these, mind may recognise itself either through its energy, its awareness or its power of identification.
Guru Yoga, the most practised method in the West today, contains the broadest approach to enlightenment, if one's teacher is reliable. This also may happen through the ways of method and insight. Although not everybody finds this way suitable, mind is best recognised in daily life through identification with a compassionate Lama who is beyond fear. If one can rest in such a teacher's mind-space until one develops all one's inherent qualities, there will be an amazing growth.
What is enlightenment?
If we look at what the Buddha discovered about mind 2550 years ago, we find that he realized that mind is clear light. The mind hasn't been born, and it cannot die. Even though bodies, thoughts and feelings appear, change and disappear again, mind itself, being open clear limitless space, can in no way be hurt or harmed. So when the Buddha obtained liberation, he found that he was not the target anymore. He wasn't that body which could be in trouble, nor was he those thoughts and feelings which could change and disappear - instead he was radiant awareness. This led to enlightenment, the realization that there is no separation between space and energy at any time or place. He knew and was aware of all things. He felt the great joy and expressed the great love which is the meaning of all things; which makes every atom stick together and vibrate and which makes all things happen in the world.
What is the meaning of the teacher?
The popular Western concept of going to enlightenment`alone' rates poorly against the quick success of a full practice with a teacher or group. Though it sounds so attractive to a modern person who feels in control of his or her life to become enlightened by oneself, there are just too many pitfalls. Learning about mind is much more intricate than studying outer phenomena, and there are always the lurking enemies of pride and dislike that may derail one's growth.
The highest level of teaching cannot be properly understood or maintained without a teacher. If the communication is missing which neutralises pride, sentimentality and superficiality, one may become lonely or useless in daily life. The lama employs methods for developing his or her students'' potential, allowing them to push through layers of habitual behaviour. It is the Lama's job to make students independent, compassionate and strong. On the highest level, the lama lets the students enter the fearless mirror cabinet of his or her mind. When they discover that they are of that same nature, nothing more remains to be found.
How does rebirth work?
To understand this it is important to know that mind is not produced by the impermanent brain, but is transformed by it. Its stream of information is hold together by the illusion of a "self" and moves from one conditioned existence to the next, picking up the experiences which mature as one's next life. The space-like nature of mind cannot die or be born. What is actually reborn is this constantly changing flow like a river. Being in a permanent self is a basic misconception, which carries on after death and will result in our next conditioned rebirth.
One's body and mind experiences a series of constantly changing sensory and subconscious impressions, one superseded by the next, where nothing permanent in our body, feelings or thoughts can be found. At death, this stream is cut off from the sensory experiences of the body. Mind's strongest tendencies will then mature and connect one with one's next body, physical or mental.
Why are Buddhists working with their mind?
Because mind experiences everything and remains very subjective up until liberation. It is possible to become able to benefit beings and experience timeless happiness. People decide through their actions whether they will be seeing the world through rosy or black glasses. This explains why there are so many different stories when witnesses describe incidences. Buddhist students free themselves so they can pick their mood. Just like a man with many ties who decides in the morning which tie will enspire others.
Ultimately, it becomes clear that the fact that mind can be aware is more important than what it is aware of. One realises that the pictures in the mirror are less important than the mirror's radiance.
What is Karma?
From a Buddhist point of view Karma does not mean "fate" or "destiny", but may be translated as "action" or "cause and effect". Roughly speaking, Karma works like this: Every activity - positive or negative - leaves imprints on mind. As mind's content determines how the world is experienced, negative impressions will inevitably lead to future pain. This means that our thoughts, speech and actions sow the seeds for our future experience. It is thus in our hands to change our lives by understanding this.
Used in the right way the understanding of Karma therefore means freedom. In every situation it gives beings the freedom to decide their future. The Diamond Way offers especially effective methods for removing the impressions of negative, harmful actions from mind. By this we can get rid of what would ripen as difficult states and situations in the future. Through Buddhist meditation, we can overcome the whole process of cause and effect. However, if we don't choose to work with our mind, we will have no control at all and simply be the victim of our own actions.
What is the symbolic meaning of male and female principle in Diamond Way Buddhism?
On the level of concepts, women are associated with wisdom. Men are associated with compassion, and if wisdom and compassion come together, inner growth arises. The female aspect expresses the five kinds of wisdom of a Buddha to different degrees, namely the mirror-like wisdom, the wisdom of equality, the discriminating wisdom, the all-accomplishing wisdom and the Dharmadhatu wisdom. The male side , on the other hand, expresses varying combinations of the four Buddha-activities: pacifying, increasing, fascinating and the powerfully protecting activity.
In the Tantras of immediate experience, women and men are essentially space and joy. Space and joy are regarded as inseparable. This is why the highest levels of buddhist tantra are represented by unified Buddha forms. Our goal is the perfection of all inner and secret possibilities of the mind. Therefore, women and men should use their relationship to learn from each other. Then, women will soon accomplish also the male qualities like joy and energy, and among men, intuitive wisdom and much space will develop.
What is Meditation?
Meditation turns accepted information into experience. On the first level, its purpose is to calm mind and keep it in one place. It creates space between the experiencer and his experiences, permitting the wise to choose roles in the comedies of life and avoid its tragedies. This protective distance is most frequently achieved through awareness of one's breath or the concentration onto a Buddha form, a meditation called 'Shamatha' in Sanskrit and 'Shine' in Tibetan. Whoever can hold this state of mind in the lab situation of one's meditation, will gradually accomplish the same in daily life. This is a first step in one's development and a necessary foundation for both penetrating insight and more elaborate practices.
The second level of meditation is called 'Vipassana' in Sanskrit and 'Lhaktong' in Tibetan.
Here, the meditation is formless and aims at the nature of the mind itself. By being aware without an object to be aware of, insight and understanding arise spontaneously.
So meditation is the concentrating of the mind onto something and the clarity which arises from this.
Is meditation good for everybody?
Diamond Way meditations are for people who aim at enlightenment. If someone only wants to relax, other means are better suited for this purpose.
Generally, meditation is for people who have enough positive impressions in their store consciousness, enough insight and joy, so that they can stand to meet with their own subconsciousness. For psychotic people e.g. it can be dangerous to meditate, since they tend to take their feelings and inner conditions for too real and may experience many inconvenient projections. In this case, saying Mantras and trying to act in a positive way is better than to start with concentrative meditation too early. Only when one feels good without taking pills and is able to work, live on one's own and maintain relationships, it is time to start meditating.
Then, there are meditations which shouldn't be practiced without the so called Buddhist Refuge. It gives protection and creates a connection to the own Buddha nature, a connection to the teachings, to friends which are on the same way and to the Lama who gives the Refuge.
Moreover, meditation can only bring positive results to people who have the right foundations for the kind of meditation they practice. If difficult meditations are tried too early and outside of the well-tested gradual system, it may result in a so called "white wall" state: One feels calm but rather sleepy. This state can reduce intelligence and energy.
What we strive for is an awareness as sharp and clear as a diamond.
How to calm a busy mind during meditation?
Treat impractical or disturbing thoughts like a thief in an empty house. Give him nothing, let him look here and there, but not find anything. If you have a busy mind and do not attach to the thoughts which come up, there can be no harm. Don't give your thoughts any energy and you will not be bothered by them.
What meditation can be recommend to non-Buddhist friends?
A good suggestion is to try the "Meditation on Light and Breath". A booklet giving differenct practices is used around the Buddhist centers of the Karma Kagyu Lineage. Also see the topic "Meditations" on this server.
What can Buddha's Teachings offer Western Societies?
"Effective methods that lead to a direct experience of mind," answers Lopon Tsechu Rinpoche, one of the most experienced teachers of Tibetan Buddhism. Buddha's teachings are like a diamond - unchangeable in its nature, yet reflecting the color of the ground upon which it is laid. In this way, without losing their essence, the teachings have adapted to the cultural conditions of different societies. First the teachings were transmitted in India for 1500 years and after that, for another 1000 years, in Tibet. Today, the limitlessness of the Diamond Way (Vajrayana) Buddhist view and its methods are more and more appealing to the well educated and independent people of the West.
What is the nature of dreams?
All conditioned experience can be compared to a dream. The outer world, experienced through one's senses seems so real and solid and consists of minute particles which can be split until they disappear. It is continually shared with others and involves body, speech and mind. What we experience at night is a private dream involving mainly one's mind.
Buddha likened the outer and inner worlds to dreams because nothing in them lasts. All mental and physical phenomena appear, change and then disappear. Mood, education, upbringing and background colour one's view. Furthermore we only experience the vibrations our senses can pick up and therefore do not perceive things as they are. For example, if we feel happy, everything seems beautiful and nice, and during unhappy states, everything turns terrible and difficult. Our perception is therefore both determined by outer conditions and by changing states of mind.
There is a certain wisdom in the dream state, because in it we are more aware of the unreal nature of things. The ease with which we gain or loose a million dollars in a dream, or are able to travel anywhere, actually shows a deep wisdom in the understanding of the nature of our mind.
If during a dream the awareness arises that one is actually dreaming, it is possible to spread the radiant clarity into the past and the future, thus becoming enlightened. Usually, this experience can't be held and upon waking up, it is forgotten. It is important, however, that if we become able to control our dreams, we may also be able to control our death. Resting in mind's clear essence during the process of dying offers the best chance for enlightenment. The Buddhist meditations aim directly at this. They produce the power to remain in mind's essence as naked awareness.
Why is it so important to establish Western Buddhism?
Buddhism originated in India 2500 years ago and always changed in expression to fit peoples needs when inspiring new countries. Indians and Tibetans are very different and also in our western world today nothing exotic or foreign will really grow. As the highest teachings on the nature of mind are like a diamond, transparent and indestructible, they also reflect the colour of which ever society they are introduced into. Today Buddhism is also taking a style more appropriate to the educated and independent minds of the West. This does not mean that anything new is invented or added to the teachings. With 84,000 teachings to choose from that isn't necessary.
The monastic way of renunciation is less attractive to modern people, who tend to view Western attempts at this as a means of avoiding life's fullness and as a sign of weakness. This view, however, is not applied to visiting Tibetan monks. People see these robes and rituals as ways of preserving their heritage. Buddha gave countless methods to benefit beings and in the west today the most united frame is that of lay practitioners and yogis.
Europeans are very conscious of the superficiality that can arise from mixing different cultures and traditions. Those who trust only what they can analyse logically and who are embarrassed by exotic lifestyles can identify with the transparency and effectiveness of the Buddhist practices, when they are presented without cultural trappings. It is always a pity when people end up with Nihilism, political correctness or drugs because they cannot find a spiritual way they can trust.
Do we need monasteries in the West today?
Yes, to preserve teachings, which have no immediate appeal, from dissappearing. In Tibet, there were three possible ways of following the Buddhist path: one could become a monk, practice as a lay person, or be a yogi. Monks and nuns lived separately in monasteries and nunneries and had strict rules of conduct. The lay people had families and normal occupations and tried to use the teachings in their everyday lives. The yogis lived unrestricted by social norms, often in caves with various partners and focused their entire lives on spiritual development.
Since people in modern, developed countries have the means to decide the number of their offspring, there will be no need for large Buddhist monasteries.
The reason for men and women to live separately in earlier times was not that Buddha was prudish, or that his teachings were hostile to the body. Nor did he have the fear that future heirs would contest accumulated wealth like the Catholic Church apparently does. People simply could not make love without having children, which would restrict the amount of time available for study and meditation. The vows of monks and nuns originated from Buddha's advice, and though they may seem strange in a modern setting, they cannot be changed to fit new situations.
In the West, however, the originally separate groups of yogis and lay people have come closer together. Today, it is not necessary for yogis to compete with the red-robed monks and nuns in obtaining the support of the productive population. Therefore there is no need for the outer props such as flowing white robes and wild hair styles which formerly distinguished them from the monks.
Also with the social system of today, lay people no longer need to establish vast families to look after them in old age. The distance between the two groups has thus been reduced and many are lay when they work and yogi during their holidays and in their view.
Why are there much more male lineage holders and lamas than female?
Concerning the lineage holders, the reason is, that in former times the organization, which was needed to preserve and pass on the teachings, was monastic. Almost all of the Karmapas were monks, and their traditional seats were monk monasteries, so it would have been hard for a female incarnation to be accepted in this climate. However, there are also many female lineage holders. Just to give a few examples from Tibet, there were: Machig Labdrön, who founded the transmission lineage of the "Chöd of Mahamudra", Machig Dropa Gyalmo, who initiated the practice of the longevity Buddha Amitayus. Gelongma Pamo, who introduced the Njungne fasting ritual. Niguma, who started a special female transmission lineage of six doctrines, different from those of her brother Naropa. Sukhasiddhi, a student of Virupa, is known for the "six doctrines of Sukhasiddhi". And the famous Yeshe Tsogyal, the main disciple of Guru Rinpoche, is a lineage holder of our Phowa transmission lineage. Also, there are several secret transmission lineages with union practices, where women are dominant.
And concerning the female lamas, there are hints that there were many more spiritually advanced women in earlier times than we know nowadays by name. Padma Norbu Rinpoche, a lama from the Nyingma tradition said e.g., that it was much harder to discover the rebirth of a woman for the following reason: Although Tibetan yoginis would reach the highest states of consciousness just like their male colleagues, they were of independent nature and would love to meditate alone in caves. So maybe on the one hand, advanced female practitioners didn't gather as many students around them as men on a similar spiritual level. On the other hand, it seems plausible that women are also underrepresented in the historical recordings, since they lived outside of the official institutions.
Are there more female Lamas today?
Lama Ole Nydahl says that under his students which he sends out to teach and to run the centers, there are as many women as men. In principle there is no difference in the Diamond Way. Women have exactly the same possibilities to make good progress. The reason, why men are still dominant in some western buddhist institutions lies partially in relicts from Tibet's monastical culture, which have nothing to do with Diamond Way Buddhism itself.
Another reason are hierarchical structures. In Tibetan Buddhism in general, one has to divide between the three older schools (Kagyu, Nyingma, Sakya), which are not so hierarchically structured and which work more in circles of friends, and here, women are very important. However, the Gelugpa lineage, the "virtuous" one, which also runs the government, is very hierarchically organized, and there are almost only men. Although men seemingly like to build up these hierarchical systems, to women it does no good to live in such a climate. They work better in open round meetings than from the top to the bottom.
And women can also be strong without having to be stronger. If their circles of men and children function, they will be peaceful. But if a men gets to hear that in the next valley someone claims to be stronger than him, he will even cross a very high mountain to check that out.So men put a lot more energy into competition for an absolute leading position than women.
Moreover, it seems that women are less willing to leave their personal life behind and dedicate everything to something overpersonal. Most of them want a man and a family, something for themselves. And motherhood itself is definitely a win for the personal development. Fortunately, there are intelligent and competent women which can manage both the Dharma and their private life and family.
Do buddhist teachers give advice concerning relationships?
Yes, especially the lay and yogic ones who have practical experience. Whether the main reason for a relationship is physical attraction, an inner feeling that one shares the same interests or a deep identification, there is much to learn. If one works intelligently with what is there, ever more complete human growth will materialise. As this is only possible in a relaxed atmosphere, it is important to avoid expectation and competition in relationships. Supporting one another when working in the world is very meaningful, and this happens best when thinking "we" or "us", not "me" and "her" or "him".
Though both partners will usually share some ups and downs, happiness and suffering will always depend on each one's view. Thus, if one partner has a special quality, one can decide to make it a shared richness.
To avoid losing this openness, it is important to be aware that men tend to separate survival and fun, while women see life as a totality. Men may be rough during work, and often don`t remember to change their tone when women are around. At night however, all this is forgotten. Then their mind is on love and fun. If the woman was not treated nicely during the day, however, she simply will not "yield much warm water" at night. As both parties can be very thin skinned in this field, this is something to be mindful of.
Women who have had few or no children should avoid the impulse to educate their men instead, and also the men who think of their women as investments should be glad to have growing ones. In both cases, trying to control others is a painful waste of time. Both should know that each moment may be the last one and be aware that a partner who loves from a state of surplus and confidence is much more exciting than one who does so out of fear and loneliness or to avoid trouble.
How to deal with jealousy?
Wish others the best of happiness. They want it as deeply as everybody does. And whatever good you don't do, say or think today, you may never have a chance to repeat.
Do Buddhists have to be vegetarians?
It's really the question of your motivation. You can not live in a physical body without harming others. Even to make a cup of tea, the earth first had to be ploughed and many small animals would have died. If you really think that less beings will be killed if you stop eating meat, that's wonderful.
What the Buddha said about eating meat is very interesting. He said to eat what you can afford, without making a problem of it, but not to allow animals to be killed directly for your sake. From the Buddhist point of view, the main reason for the killing is the bad karmic connection between the animal and the butcher. This karma would have ripened sooner or later even if you weren't there and didn't eat the steaks resulting from this bad encounter. The karma rotates between the butcher and the calf: the butcher in one life, the calf in the next. The point is that you shouldn't involve yourself with this.
What you can do is to say a mantra such as "OM MANI PEME HUNG" and blow on the meat. If it's more than seven weaks old (eg. in cold-storage), then there's no longer any connection between the mind and the body of the animal. Within seven weeks after the animal's death, however, its consciousness may still be present and sense that you are saying Mantras and have friendly feelings for it. This can be very helpful for the animal's rebirth.
Is a business career compatible with being a Buddhist?
Buddhist teachings and meditations will help you to think more clearly which of course is very beneficial in all fields. Your concentration will also improve. You will be able to deal more effectively with human beings, whether they are colleagues, business partners, or clients. There is no problem with competition as a Buddhist as long as you are fair. When you win you can share your success with all beings by letting them take part in your achievements.
How to deal with difficult people?
Everybody has the Buddha nature and Buddha qualities from which you can learn. So try to find something interesting in everybody you meet. If this is difficult, think of something you like about them. If this does not work, be grateful to them for teaching you patience. If this is not possible, think that you have to spend only a couple of minutes or hours with them, while they have to be with themselves for 24 hours each day. If you still have difficulties dealing with them, try to avoid them and wish them all the best of luck very far away from you.
Are good Buddhists always there for others?
There are three analogies for how a Bodhisattva may relate to others. The king who strengthens himself and then is able to benefit lots of beings, the boatsman who arrives together with his passengers on the other shore, and the shepherd who takes care of everybody else before thinking of himself. While the king's scope of influence is the biggest, the shepherd will develop the quickest since he only concentrates on others and forgets about himself.
How to control anger?
Anger is the only luxury one cannot afford. Good impressions gathered over lifetimes are mind's capital and the only source of lasting happiness. These may be burnt away in no time through fits of hot or cold rage. Buddha said that avoiding anger is the most difficult and most beautiful robe one can wear, and he gave many means to obtain this goal.
One very useful method is to be aware of the impermanent and conditioned nature of every experience, knowing that the difficult situation will change, and our anger will pass. Another beneficial approach is to remember cause and effect. If an enemy provokes us, we should know that they are creating bad Karma for themselves, which will surely return to them. Instead of getting involved and creating even more negativity, we can feel empathy towards them. One may also use mantras, which allow unwanted emotions to pass without letting them reinforce any bad habits. By simply being aware of the feeling without acting upon it, the unwanted emotion is not given any energy. It will come less frequently and eventually stay away.
A good antidote to anger is patience, a quality one definitely requires to effectively work with the mind. Without enemies or difficult situations, there would be no chance to develop patience, and without patience, there would be no enlightenment. Therefore, we should try to be thankful for these opportunities. Reacting without anger to whatever appears will set free the timeless wisdom of body, speech, and mind.

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What Is Buddhism?

Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual development leading to Insight into the true nature of life. Buddhist practices such as meditation are means of changing oneself in order to develop the qualities of awareness, kindness, and wisdom. The experience developed within the Buddhist tradition over thousands of years has created an incomparable resource for all those who wish to follow a path - a path which ultimately culminates in Enlightenment or Buddhahood.
Because Buddhism does not include the idea of worshipping a creator God, some people do not see it as a religion in the normal, Western sense. The basic tenets of Buddhist teaching are straightforward and practical: nothing is fixed or permanent; actions have consequences; change is possible. Thus Buddhism addresses itself to all people irrespective of race, nationality, or gender. It teaches practical methods (such as meditation) which enable people to realize and utilize its teachings in order to transform their experience, to be fully responsible for their lives and to develop the qualities of Wisdom and Compassion.
There are around 350 million Buddhists and a growing number of them are Westerners. They follow many different forms of Buddhism, but all traditions are characterized by non-violence, lack of dogma, tolerance of differences, and, usually, by the practice of meditation .
Buddhism explains the reality of life and the universe: that all beings are equal by nature and that all teachings are equal. The Buddha said many times that the wisdom to understand the true reality of life and the universe, and the virtuous abilities to cultivate are all already within our true nature. Buddhism teaches us to have a broad mind, one that overflows with sincerity, purity, equality, proper understanding, and compassion. Everyday, we must strive to awaken to this reality. Being contented with all conditions and settings is a good example for all, and striving for attainment of freedom of mind and spirit will help to awaken. From this, we can see that the Buddha is a compassionate multicultural educator who is worthy of emulation.
How do people become Buddhist, what is the process?
There is no "process". But you need to adhere to the 5 precepts and "take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha" (the "triple gem" as it is called). These are typically things you do with the assistance of a Buddhist monk or nun in a monastery or in a monastic setting but mostly this is an undertaking or a commitment you make with yourself to take a certain outlook on life. You are not called upon to account to anyone but yourself for this undertaking except if you become monastic or live in a monastery.
What is Insight Meditation?
Insight meditation, or vipassana, is a practice of cultivating awareness by giving careful attention to everyday life. Insight meditation is based on the teachings of the Buddha and has flourished as a living practice for 2500 years. The discipline of insight meditation fosters the development of clarity and non-judgmental mindfulness, which many find to be highly effective in promoting serenity, relaxation, and equanimity. According to the Buddhist tradition, insight meditation can also lead to greater wisdom and compassion and, ultimately, to the end of suffering. The techniques of insight meditation are simple to learn, yet require practice and discipline to master. These techniques offer not new experiences but new ways of relating to our experiences.
Do You Have to be a Buddhist to Meditate?
Although insight meditation draws on the teachings of the Buddha, it is not necessary to be a Buddhist--or even religious--to practice. Persons of many different faiths and beliefs have found vipassana--and other kinds of meditation practice--to be of great benefit to their lives.
How Do I Learn Meditation? Surely the best way to learn meditation is through one-on-one instruction or a course taught by an experienced teacher. Books and other resources can also be helpful, but they are not of equal value to actual, live instruction.
Are all Buddhists vegetarians?

No. The First Precept admonishes us to refrain from killing, but meat eating is not regarded as an instance of killing, and it is not forbidden in the scriptures. (We are speaking here mainly of the Pali scriptures. Some of the Mahayana scriptures, notably the Lankavatara Sutra, take a strong position in favor of vegetarianism.

As recorded in the Pali scriptures, the Buddha did not prohibit consumption of meat, even by monks. In fact, he explicitly rejected a suggestion from Devadatta to do so. In modern Theravada societies, a
bhikkhu who adheres to vegetarianism to impress others with his superior spirituality may be committing an infringement of the monastic rules.

On the other hand, the Buddha categorically prohibited consumption of the flesh of any animal that was "seen, heard or suspected" to have been killed specifically for the benefit of monks (Jivaka Sutta,
Majjhima Nikaya 55). This rule technically applies only to monastics, but it can be used as a reasonable guide by devout lay people.

To understand this "middle path" approach to meat-eating, we have to remember that there were no "Buddhists" in Shakyamuni's time. There were only mendicants of various kinds (including the Buddha's
disciples), plus lay people who gave them alms out of respect without necessarily worrying about the brand name of the teachings.

If meat was what a householder chose to offer, it was to be accepted without discrimination or aversion. To reject such an offering would be an offense against hospitality and would deprive the householder of
an opportunity to gain merit -- and it could not benefit the animal, because it was already dead. Even the Jains may have had a similar outlook during the same period of history, despite the strict doctrine
of ahimsa.

Vegetarianism could not become a source of serious controversy in the bhikkhu sangha until the rise of fixed-abode monastic communities in which the monks did not practice daily alms-round. Any meat provided to such a community by lay people would almost certainly have been killed specifically for the monks. That may be one reason for the difference in Mahayana and Theravada views on meat eating -- the
development of monastic communities of this type occurred principally within Mahayana.

The issue of meat eating raises difficult ethical questions. Isn't the meat in a supermarket or restaurant killed "for" us? Doesn't meat eating entail killing by proxy?

Few of us are in a position to judge meat eaters or anyone else for "killing by proxy." Being part of the world economy entails "killing by proxy" in every act of consumption. The electricity that runs our
computers comes from facilities that harm the environment. Books of Buddhist scriptures are printed on paper produced by an industry that destroys wildlife habitat. Worms, insects, rodents and other animals
are routinely killed en masse in the course of producing the staples of a vegetarian diet. Welcome to samsara. It is impossible for most of us to free ourselves from this web; we can only strive to be
mindful of entanglement in it. One way to do so is to reflect on how the suffering and death of sentient beings contributes to our comfort. This may help us to be less inclined to consume out of mere greed.

All of that having been said, it cannot be denied that the economic machine which produces meat also creates fear and suffering for a large number of animals. It is useful to bear this in mind even if one consumes meat, to resist developing a habit of callousness. Many Buddhists (especially Mahayanists) practice vegetarianism as a means of cultivating compassion. The Jivaka Sutta hints that one could also make a good case for vegetarianism starting from any of the other brahmaviharas. Interestingly, it is loving-kindness rather than compassion that is mentioned first in the Jivaka Sutta.

If you are considering trying out vegetarianism for the first time, we suggest discussing it with someone who has experience. There are a few issues that ought to be considered regarding balanced diet, etc.

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Who is the Buddha?

There are many ways to describe who the Buddha is, according to different ways of understanding . These various interpretations have their sources in the Buddha's teachings.
One way is to see the historical Buddha who lived 2,500 years ago as a human being who cleansed his mind of all defilements and developed all his potential. Any being who does likewise is also considered a Buddha, for there are many Buddhas, not just one.
Another way is to understand a particular Buddha or Buddhist deity as omniscient mind manifesting in a certain physical aspect in order to communicate with us.
Yet another way is to see the Buddha -- or any of the enlightened Buddhist deities -- as the appearance of the future Buddha that we will become once we properly and completely have engaged in the path to cleanse our mind of defilements and develop all our potentials.

What are the Three Jewels?

The Three Jewels are the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Buddha is one who has purified all the defilements of the mind the afflictive emotions, the imprints of the actions motivated by them, and the stains of these afflictive emotions and who has developed all good qualities, such as impartial love and compassion, wisdom knowing all existence, and skillful means of guiding others.
The Dharma embodies the preventive measures which keep us from problems and suffering. This includes the teachings of the Buddha, as well as the realizations of those teachings the cessations of problems and their causes, and the realizations or paths which lead to those cessations.
The Sangha are those beings who have direct non-conceptual perception of emptiness or ultimate truth. On a relative level, Sangha also refers to the ordained people who put the Buddha's teachings into practice.
The Dharma is our real refuge, the medicine we take which cures our problems and their causes. The Buddha is like the doctor, who correctly diagnoses the cause of our problems and prescribes the appropriate medicine. By assisting us in the practice, the Sangha is similar to the nurse who helps us take the medicine.
Taking refuge means that we rely wholeheartedly on the Three Jewels to inspire and guide us towards a constructive and beneficial direction to take in our life. Taking refuge does not mean passively hiding under the protection of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Rather, it is an active process of taking the direction they show and improving the quality of our life.

What is the essence of the Buddha's teachings?
Simply speaking, this is to avoid harming others and to help them as much as possible. Another way of expressing this is, Abandon negative action; create perfect virtue; subdue your own mind. This is the teaching of the Buddha. By abandoning negative actions (killing, etc.) and destructive motivations (anger, attachment, close-mindedness, etc.), we stop harming ourselves and others. By creating perfect virtue, we develop beneficial attitudes, like impartial love and compassion, and do actions motivated by these thoughts. By subduing our mind, we cut away all false projections, thus making ourselves calm and peaceful by understanding reality.
The essence of Buddha's teachings is also contained in the three principles of the path: definite emergence, the dedicated heart and wisdom realizing emptiness. Initially, we seek definitely to emerge from the confusion of our problems and their causes. Then, we see that other people also have problems, and with love and compassion, we dedicate our heart to becoming a Buddha so that we are capable of helping others extensively. In order to do this, we develop the wisdom understanding the real nature of ourselves and other phenomena.

Why are there many Buddhist traditions?

The Buddha gave a wide variety of teachings because sentient beings (any being with mind who is not a Buddha, including those in other realms of existence) have different dispositions, inclinations and interests. The Buddha never expected us all to fit into the same mould. Thus, he gave many teachings and described various ways of practicing so each of us could find something that suits our level of mind and our personality.
With skill and compassion in guiding others, the Buddha turned the wheel of Dharma three times, each time setting forth a slightly different philosophical system in order to suit the various dispositions of sentient beings. The essence of all the teachings is the same: the wish definitely to emerge from the cycle of constantly recurring problems (samsara), compassion for others and the wisdom realizing selflessness.
Not everyone likes the same kind of food. When a huge buffet is spread before us, we choose the dishes that we like. There is no obligation to like everything. Although we may have a taste for sweets, that does not mean that the salty dishes are not good and should be thrown away!
Similarly, we may prefer a certain approach to the teachings: Theravada, Pure Land, Zen, Vajrayana, and so on. We are free to choose the approach that suits us best and with which we feel the most comfortable. Yet we still maintain an open mind and respect for other traditions. As our mind develops, we may come to understand elements in other traditions that we failed to comprehend previously.
In short, whatever is useful and helps us live a better life, we practice, and whatever we do not yet understand, we leave aside without rejecting it.
While we may find one particular tradition best suited for our personality, do not identify with it in a concrete way: "I am a Mahayanist, you are a Theravadin," or "I am a Buddhist, you are a Christian." It is important to remember that we are all human beings seeking happiness and wanting to realize the truth, and we each must find a method suitable for our disposition.
However, keeping an open mind to different approaches does not mean to mix everything together at random, making our practice like chop suey.
Do not mix meditation techniques from different traditions together in one meditation session. In one session, it is better to do one technique. If we take a little of this technique and a little from that, and without understanding either one very well mix them together, we may end up confused.
However, a teaching emphasized in one tradition may enrich our understanding and practice of another.
Also, it is advisable to do the same meditations daily. If we do breathing meditation one day, chanting the Buddha's name the next, and analytical meditation the third, we will not make progress in any of them for there is no continuity in the practice.

What are the various Buddhist traditions?

Generally, there are two divisions: Theravada and Mahayana.
The Theravada lineage (Tradition of the Elders), which relies on sutras recorded in the Pali language, spread from India to Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, etc. It emphasizes meditation on the breath to develop concentration and meditation on mindfulness of the body, feelings, mind and phenomena in order to develop wisdom.
The Mahayana (Great Vehicle) tradition, based on the scriptures recorded in Sanskrit, spread to China, Tibet, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, etc. Although in the Theravadin practice love and compassion are essential and important factors, in the Mahayana they are emphasized to an even greater extent.
Within Mahayana, there are several branches: Pure Land emphasizes chanting the name of Amitabha Buddha in order to be reborn in His Pure Land; Zen emphasizes meditation to eliminate the noisy, conceptual mind; Vajrayana (Diamond Vehicle) employs meditation on a deity in order to transform our contaminated body and mind into the body and mind of a Buddha.

What does the imagery in tantric art mean?

Vajrayana deals a lot with transformation, and therefore, symbolism is widely used. There are representations of some deities, which are manifestations of the Buddha, that are expressing desire or wrath.
The sexual imagery is not to be taken literally, according to worldly appearances. In Vajrayana, deities in sexual union represent the union of method and wisdom, the two aspects of the path that need to be developed in order to attain enlightenment.
Wrathful deities are not monsters threatening us. Their wrath is directed toward ignorance and selfishness, which are our real enemies. This imagery, when properly understood, shows how desire and anger can be transformed and thereby subdued. It has deep meaning, far beyond ordinary lust and anger. We should not misinterpret it.

What is the purpose of reciting mantras?

Mantras are prescribed syllables to protect the mind. What we want to protect our mind from are attachment, anger, ignorance, and so on. When combined with the four opponent powers, mantra recitation is very powerful in purifying negative karmic imprints on our mindstream. While we recite mantras, we should also be thin