Frequently Asked Questions

What does it mean to “let go”?

The Buddha taught us to observe how we constantly create suffering for ourselves by grasping onto the body and its senses, feelings, perceptions, thoughts, emotions as being “me” or “mine”. Learning how to abandon that habit is learning how to “let go”. It is not possible through an act of will. Letting go occurs naturally when the trained mind is keen enough to perceive that there is nothing to be found in our direct experience which corresponds to the concept of “me” and “mine”. “Me” and “mine” are not, however, mere illusions; they are extremely useful social conventions, and the […]

Is it correct that Buddhism teaches us to give up all desires?

Buddhism distinguishes two kinds of desire: the first (tanha) to be abandoned and the second (chanda) to be cultivated. Tanha is the desire that arises from a basic misunderstanding of the way things are: perceiving permanence, happiness and selfhood where they do not exist. Desire for the pleasures to be had through getting, getting rid and becoming is tanha. Tanha leads to personal suffering and is the basis of almost all social ills. Chanda is the desire that arises from a correct understanding of the way things are. At its heart lies the aspiration for truth and goodness. Desire to […]

But isn’t Buddhism all about suffering?

The Buddha said that all of his teachings, traditionally numbered as 84,000, could be reduced to just two: dukkha and the end of dukkha. Suffering, in its sense of physical or mental distress, is only the coarsest expression of dukkha. The relationship between the English word “suffering” and the Pali concept of dukkha is comparable to that between bright red and color. Dukkha could also be translated as a chronic sense of lack, or a flaw or incompleteness of experience. In this sense, dukkha is experience seen as “not-Nibbana”. For this reason, the most subtle and sublime mental states are […]

Is Buddhism a pessimistic religion?

Pessimism, in its most common usage, means “a tendency to see the worst aspect of things or believe that the worst will happen; a lack of hope or confidence in the future” and as a philosophical position “a belief that this world is as bad as it could be or that evil will ultimately prevail over good”. Neither of these meanings applies to Buddhist teachings. The Buddha taught that all things arise and pass away in accordance with causes and conditions. If the causes and conditions for the worst to happen prevail in a particular situation, then the worst will […]

It is sometime said that Buddhism is a science. What does that mean?

There are parallels between Buddhist contemplative practices and the scientific method, with the rejection of blind faith and the emphasis on unbiased investigation of phenomena essential to both modes of inquiry. However, there are also differences. In its investigations science is limited to the study of that which is publicly verifiable, can be measured, and can be repeated at will. Introspective inquiries carried on by Buddhist meditators are not. Most scientists today take as basic premises for their work a number of unproven assertions that Buddhist cannot agree with. Most notable among these is the belief that the mind is […]

What is merit?

Merit (puñña) refers to the inner purification that occurs through virtuous acts of body, speech and mind. Meritorious actions elevate and ennoble the mind, and are accompanied by a sense of well-being. In Thailand the popular idiom “making merit” (tham boon) usually refers to making offerings to the monastic order. Such offerings, if given with the right motivation, may indeed be meritorious, but merit is not restricted to such acts. Generous actions are meritorious because they reduce the power of selfish attachment, and teach us the joy of giving. Keeping precepts is meritorious because it weakens the compulsion to harm […]

Did the Buddha possess psychic powers?

The Buddha possessed many extraordinary psychic powers. Psychic powers may (but do not always) result from intensive training of the mind, and even today, there are advanced meditators who possess such powers. The Buddha used his psychic powers sparingly, usually as a teaching aid when all other method would be ineffective, the most renowned example occurring in his meeting with the notorious murderer, Angulimala. The Buddha considered that the faith people gained from seeing ‘miracles’ usually led them away from the path of wisdom rather than towards it. For this reason, he prohibited monks with psychic powers from revealing them […]

What proof is there that Buddha existed?

-Archaeological evidence provides strong empirical proof of the Buddha as a historical figure. -Many of the monasteries and cities mentioned in the Buddha’s discourses have been located. -Buddha relics have been recovered from sited mentioned in the texts. -The independently-dated Buddhist emperor Asoka has carved and inscribed sandstone columns erected throughout his vast empire- a number of which survive to this day- the refer extensively to the Buddha. -There is much circumstantial evidence in the primary texts. -The cohesion and lack of inner contradiction in the Buddha’s discourses together with the likely detailed prescriptions for the ordering of the monastic […]

Was the Buddha a human being?

Prince Siddhartha was a human being. On the night that he realized supreme enlightenment he became a Buddha, and from that moment onwards was a human being- in the normal meaning of that term- no longer. To uninitiated eyes, the Buddha would have appeared as an immensely charismatic and commanding religious leader, one who died a normal human death at the age of eighty. Those with more developed faculties, however, were aware that no external appearance, no words, concepts or categories could come anywhere near to expressing the marvelous and undying nature of his Buddhahood. More Questions and Answers HERE […]

What does “Buddha” mean?

The word Buddha means “the awakened one”. The Buddha taught that the unenlightened human being lives in a state that may be compared to sleep or to a dream. Through the clear light of wisdom, and completely unaided, the Buddha is the one who has awakened from that dream to the true nature of existence. Guided by compassion, the Buddha is the one who has sought to share his understanding of the path to awakening with all beings who wish to follow in his footsteps.  More Questions and Answers HERE Source:  Without and Within – Ajahn Jayasaro  

What is enlightenment?

Enlightenment refers to liberation from suffering and the mental toxins or “defilements” that are its cause. It is the realization of the true nature of “the way things are”. An enlightened being understands the experiences Nibbana, the unconditioned reality that lies behind it. The Buddha referred to this state as the “supreme happiness”. The enlightened mind is characterized by wisdom, compassion and purity. The Buddha taught that all human beings, male and female, are born with the potential for enlightenment. The Buddha spoke of four stages of enlightenment, and thus four kinds of enlightened beings. The first of these beings […]

Who was the Buddha?

Some 2,600 years ago a child was born into the royal family of the Sakyan clan, a people living in a part of northeast India that now lies within the borders of Nepal. He was given the name of Siddhartha. At the age of 29, Prince Siddhartha renounced a life of ease and privilege to search for spiritual liberation. Six years later, after a momentous night of meditation sitting cross-legged under a Bodhi tree, he realized ‘the unexcelled complete awakening’. By doing so he became “the Buddha”, “the Awakened One”. Following his enlightenment, the Buddha devoted the remaining forty-five years […]