QUESTION: How can I attain the right state of mind?
SHORT ANSWER: There is no right state. The mind is a river.
LONGER ANSWER: Body is not reliable, mind is not reliable. Let body and mind ‘fall away’. So long as we are obsessively worrying about our b
QUESTION: I think I broadly understand deathless. The state of no rebirth and therefore no more death? How does deathless differ from immortal. If there is no more birth and no more death surely this is immortality?
SHORT ANSWER: The Deathless is ni
(Por David Brazier, 9 de diciembre de 2016 en “Questions in the Sand”)
PREGUNTA: De los tres venenos, entiendo muy bien los conceptos de codicia y odio, pero me resulta más difícil darle sentido al de engaño o ignorancia. ¿Podrías decirme algo más
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QUESTION: How can one achieve lasting happiness?
SHORT ANSWER: Happiness is neither the goal nor the means, it is a side show.
LONGER ANSWER: Happiness is a frequent, but not essential, side product of a wholesomely productive life, but one does not ac
QUESTION: Is there any value in being a hermit?
SHORT ANSWER: Yes, huge.
LONGER ANSWER: The hermit does not have the distraction of the deluded world. In nearly all the great religions there are hermits. In the theistic religions, being a hermit
Me emociono al leeros porque ayer lo experimenté con mucha claridad: estábamos 13 mujeres en un taller trabajando las cosas de la plenipausia, me tocaba ponerme al servicio de ellas, cuidarlas... y eso me proporcionó tanta plenitud, amor y felicid
Read more…QUESTION: We had an interesting discussion about the sacred syllabe OM used in so many religions (Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism...) Someone said that in a mantra, OM could be replaced by any other sound since we are the ones who give a sacred power to
Read more…QUESTION: From the three poisons, I understand the concepts of greed and hate very well, but find delusion or ignorance more difficult to make sense of. Could you say something about it?
SHORT ANSWER: Delusion is pride.
LONGER ANSWER: Delusion is the
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QUESTION: It is said that awareness is the epitome of the Buddhist life. Do you agree?
SHORT ANSWER: Not the epitome, one element.
LONGER ANSWER: Awareness refers to alert consciousness. Alert conscious is one part of life and is valuable, but it
QUESTION: Other traditions talk a lot about generating metta for our friends, acquaintances and enemies. How would we talk about this in the Pureland tradition?
SHORT ANSWER: Nembutsu is gratitude for Buddha's metta toward all beings.
LONGER ANSWER:
Read more…QUESTION: In one of your recent posts, you made the statement: "12. Nonduality is a dualistic theory." I was hoping you could elaborate a bit more on this statement, or perhaps point to a sutra or previous work where this is discussed. It is definite
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QUESTION: After a good few years of working hard towards personal improvement and continually tripping over myself, I'm struggling to see any real change in my propensity for being foolish. Given the depth of my defectiveness, how realistic is it to
QUESTION: How do I proceed to live your Amidist take on the 4 Noble Truths and Eightfold Path?
SHORT ANSWER: Live wholeheartedly
LONGER ANSWER: In my understanding, the eightfold path is an outcome. You can try to mimic it if you like, but one is bou
Read more…QUESTION: What exactly is the teaching/doctrine of no-birth? I can only come at that through the idea that there is no-thing to be born ... only causes and conditions out of which a transient reality emerges. And that reality is ultimately all of th
Read more…QUESTION: With regard to the recent bombings in Brussels, is it better to suffer or to inflict injustice? Is it better to be the victim or the perpetrator?
SHORT ANSWER: All parties need our compassion and understanding.
LONG ANSWER: This is a complex
Hi, again:
Another question about a common Theravada and Tibetan Mahayana teaching and its place in Pure Land. This is the three levels of suffering, briefly:
QUESTION: What did the Buddha say about obedience?
SHORT ANSWER: Pay heed to the Dharma
LONG ANSWER: The definition of a Christian monk is a person who lives a life of poverty, chastity and obedience. Poverty and chastity are important values in Buddhi
QUESTION: As I read the sutras from the Nikayas much of what the Buddha teaches seems to be very self-power - try hard to concentrate, do this, don't do that - I'm having trouble squaring this with the Pureland teachings and wondered if you think the
Read more…QUESTION: What does Aphrodite mean to you personally?
SHORT ANSWER: Love and freedom.
LONG ANSWER: I have a strong personal connection because of having spent much of my childhood in Cyprus which is the island of Aphrodite. In the ancient world she h
QUESTION: Dear Dharmavidya, how can I do frequent Nembutsu repetitions and be mindful in my daily life?
SHORT ANSWER: Just do it.
LONG ANSWER: Mindful in Pureland means mindful of Buddha, mindful of Amitabha, mindful of nembutsu. The word nembutsu me
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