The meaning/concept of maññassavā / Dhatu-vibhanga Sutta (MN 140)

This is explained by Piya Tan in his commentary on Dhatuvibhanga Sutta:

Maññassavāna-p,pavattanti, maññassave kho pana na-p,pavattamane. Here
maññassavā is resolved as mañña (“conceiving”) + assava (Skt āsrava),(a)
“purulent matter, discharge” (A 1:124); (b) tt for obstacle to
arhathood, “canker, influx, inflow, taint” (V 3:21 = 5:143 = A 5:70, V
5:225, D 3:216, M 1:55, S 5:410, Sn 535, Thī 76); also related to
āsava (spirituous liquor) because both are kept for a long time, MA
1:61 = AA 2:183 = ItA 1:114). The word assava is also related to
assavati,“it flows (on)”). In this context, pavattanti should be
rendered as “they flow” (S 2:31,J 2:104; PvA 143, 154, 198): M:ÑB
reading maññ‟ussavā (wr for maññ‟ussāvā): “the tides of
conceiving...sweep.”
Mental conceiving (mañña), closely related to “mental proliferation”
(papañca), here refers to thoughts and ideas arising from the three
roots of conceiving or mental proliferation: craving (taṇhā), view
(diṭṭhi) and conceit (māna) (Nm 280; Vbh 393; Nett 37 f). For an
interesting n on maññati, see M:ÑB 1162:n6. The “sage at peace” is the
arhat.

The term asava is usually translated as effluents or taints or defilements. You can read the question "What is effluent?"
When reading the Dhatuvibhanga Sutta (translated by Ven. Sujato), we find some details for this:

‘They have four foundations, standing on which the streams of
identification don’t flow. And when the streams of identification
don’t flow, they’re called a sage at peace.’ That’s what I said, but
why did I say it?
These are all forms of identifying: ‘I am’, ‘I am this’, ‘I will be’,
‘I will not be’, ‘I will have form’, ‘I will be formless’, ‘I will be
percipient’, ‘I will be non-percipient’, ‘I will be neither percipient
nor non-percipient.’ Identification is a disease, a boil, a dart.
Having gone beyond all identification, one is called a sage at peace.
The sage at peace is not reborn, does not grow old, and does not die.
They are not shaken, and do not yearn. For they have nothing which
would cause them to be reborn. Not being reborn, how could they grow
old? Not growing old, how could they die? Not dying, how could they be
shaken? Not shaking, for what could they yearn?

It sounds to me like maññassava is more or less the same as bhavāsava, the effluent or taint or defilement of becoming or being.
This can be found in MN 9 (translated by Ven. Bodhi):

“And what are the taints, what is the origin of the taints, what is
the cessation of the taints, what is the way leading to the cessation
of the taints? There are these three taints: the taint of sensual
desire, the taint of being, and the taint of ignorance. With the
arising of ignorance there is the arising of the taints. With the
cessation of ignorance there is the cessation of the taints. The way
leading to the cessation of the taints is just this Noble Eightfold
Path; that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right
action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right
concentration.

And also AN 6.63 (translated by Ven. Thanissaro):

“There are these three kinds of defilements: the defilement of
sensuality, the defilement of becoming, the defilement of ignorance.
“And what is the cause of defilements? Ignorance is the cause of
defilements.
“And what is the diversity in defilements? There are defilements that
lead to hell, those that lead to the animal womb, those that lead to
the realm of the hungry shades, those that lead to the human world,
those that lead to the world of the devas. This is called the
diversity in defilements.
“And what is the result of defilements? One who is immersed in
ignorance produces a corresponding state of existence, on the side of
merit or demerit. This is called the result of defilements.
“And what is the cessation of defilements? From the cessation of
ignorance is the cessation of defilements; and just this noble
eightfold path—right view, right resolve, right speech, right action,
right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right samādhi—is
the way leading to the cessation of defilements.


What are the most prominent Tibetan Buddhist texts that are only written in Tibetan script?

The foundational tantra (book) of Tibetan Dzogchen , the Dra Thalgyur, (“The Reverberation of Sound”) is only available in Tibetan. If you are interested in the highest practice in Tibetan Buddhism, that would be one you would need to read.


Sexual thoughts coming with full pace to silent mind

Is there any particular reason of sexual thoughts to come vigorously to nearly quite mind?

Thoughts arise and disappear on their own. If you are plagued by any particular thought, consider that relishing is the root of suffering. Find that delight, look at it and simply understand that "this is not mine, this is not who I am, this is not my self." This simple declaration will loosen your grip on the thoughts and they will disappear. Thoughts and feelings persist because there is relishing. Disavow the relishing and the thoughts and feelings pass like clouds in the sky. Be mindful of your breath as you do this. The breath is very much a part of your life. The thoughts simply come and go.


What does Buddhism say about creativity and spiritual development?

In Asia, the various forms of Buddhism have inspired uncountable number of art objects created over the centuries: statues, monuments, temples, icons etc. Some art forms, particularly Japanese ones, are considered no less than expressions of the Enlightened Mind.

Many Zen Masters were known for their calligraphy, drawing, and/or poetic skills. The now famous music of shakuhachi flute was popularized by the Fuke sect of Buddhistm.

Late Chogyuam Trungpa Rinpoche was known for his endless creativity. Check out his True Perception: The Path of Dharma Art, Timely Rain: Selected Poetry of Chogyam Trungpa, The Art of Calligraphy, and other writings.

Teacher I.L. declared awakening of the enlightened creativity, as a tool for the universal benefit to oneself and others, to be the point of Enlightenment. From other teachers I heard that creativity is one of the hallmarks of Enlightenment, as the mind without defilements uncovers potential for unlimited uninhibited creation.

So in short, most of the time Buddhism welcomes art and creativity, especially the kind that either expresses Enlightened Mind or popularizes Dharma.


The path is lead by right view, which is wisdom.

Each hindrance is the drive/motivation to do harm or enslave. Therefore, to advance on the path, it is ideal that wisdom investigate each hindrance & examine why its motive is harmful &/or enslaving.

If the mind is not a slave to hindrances, to enter sotapanna the mind must have the selflessness to 'let go'. Sotapanna will not be entered with force or will power. It will be entered by dropping ego & self. For some people who are very ethical or harmless, dropping the self can be difficult because it can be like 'dying' existentially.

Therefore, a good way to advance on the path is to focus on being a harmless & unselfish person and to also abide regularly in solitude so existential fear can be overcome.

For example, if you live in society, you can find somewhere, like some bushland or empty beach, to meditate alone a few nights a week.


As Chogyam Trungpa explained in Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior (or was it in The Myth of Freedom and the Way of Meditation ?), the perfectly enlightened Bodhisattva always does exactly what's right at the moment. The perfectly enlightened Bodhisattva is always on time.

Because their mind is not running ahead nor falling behind, it is always exactly so. Being exactly so, it is without conflict, and is perfectly in sync with the needs of the moment. It is also 100% authentic without pretense, as simple or as complex as presently required.

This is what Dogen said Guishan praised as "miracles" and "no small matter".


In Buddhism, rebirth will occur endlessly without the attainment of Nibbana (which does not happen naturally or by some sort of evolution). There is no automatic nibbana. Natural spiritual evolution is a Hindu idea (see Chapter 26 of Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda) and not a Buddhist one.

In Buddhism, all beings are not naturally progressing towards Nibbana. It is possible to be reborn as a Brahma, then later as a pig as in Dhammapada 338-343:

  On one occasion, while the Buddha was on an alms-round at Rajagaha, he
  saw a young dirty sow and smiled. When asked by the Venerable Ananda,
  the Buddha replied, "Ananda, this young sow was a hen during the time
  of Kakusandha Buddha. As she was then staying near a refectory in a
  monastery she used to hear the recitation of the sacred text and the
  discourses on the Dhamma. When she died she was reborn as a princess.
  On one occasion, while going to the latrine, the princess noticed the
  maggots and she became mindful of the loathsomeness of the body, etc.
  When she died she was reborn in the Brahma realm as a puthujjana
  brahma but later due to some evil kamma, she was reborn as a sow.
  Ananda! Look, on account of good and evil kamma there is no end of the
  round of existences."

The Self disappears and arises again endlessly through rebirths - which is explained through dependent origination. As stated in Milindapanha 3.5.5, rebirth is like light of a candle passed from one candle to another. It can be passed on forever. Also see this answer.

It is indeed possible to become enlightened (i.e. attain Nibbana) without ever encountering the teachings of a Sammasambuddha.

Such beings are called Pacceka Buddha or Pratyeka Buddha (see here and here), which literally means "private Buddha" or "lone Buddha". You can find some details in this question. A Pacceka Buddha would not have the ability to teach others and start a Buddha Śāsana.

While it is possible for someone to become free from suffering this way, it is immensely harder than if someone learns it from a Sammasambuddha (or Samyaksambuddha).

My analogy here is that Albert Einstein is a "Buddha" of physics who discovered the Theory of General Relativity and taught it to others through his groundbreaking published paper and his lectures to trained physicists. While it is possible for others to discover this on their own, it is immensely difficult. It is easier to learn it from Einstein and from those who have learned it from him.


There is no rebirth or reincarnation in the sense that the soul takes on a new body (rebirth / reincarnation) after death. (In Sinhala Punarupathi)

In Buddhism conception which is the continuation of the Bhava from end of the previous life (death) in the cycle of Samsara. (Punarbhava)

In other words this is a process in which there are events like birth and death. In the light that there is no everlasting unchanging core this is not a rebirth as it is not the person from the previous existence nor it is a entirely different being, but just the continuous flow of the process of becoming.

Continuation of a core entity (rebirth / reincarnation) is a Hindu concept. Buddhist concept is the continuation of the process.

Since there is a continuation (of the process), all doesn't end with death.

The confusion about rebirth is due to rebirth being used in Buddhist translation due to the limitations of the vocabulary and there is no better world to use.

(I am not sure if this fits into the Maha Yana take on the matter. )


The link lists a summary of Bhikkhu Silacara's life and other books about him.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C4%ABl%C4%81c%C4%81ra

It is a starting place to begin your study.


i think it depends on the attitude and the frame of mind

a care to keep in mind the fact that it's a business of maintaining fitness of a frail and mortal bag of bones and impurities may negate the tendency of the attachment to body and self-association with it to become stronger, which such type of activity in my opinion is prone to foster

but if one IS a Buddhist they must be able to skilfully counteract that tendency

in any case the motive for going to gym for a Buddhist should not be improvement of bodily appearance but rather health considerations in the frame of mind along the lines of the attitude to eating recommended for monks in the suttas

  And how does a monk know moderation in eating? There is the case where a monk, considering it appropriately, takes his food not playfully, nor for intoxication, nor for putting on bulk, nor for beautification, but simply for the survival & continuance of this body, for ending its afflictions, for the support of the holy life, thinking, 'I will destroy old feelings [of hunger] & not create new feelings [from overeating]. Thus I will maintain myself, be blameless, & live in comfort.

Aparihaniya sutta (AN 4.37)


Does the mental process of assigning subjective qualities to any phenomenon have a name in the suttas?

I think this is what you call Sankara. This is a very complex word with different meaning but you can learn about this in Abhidhamma.

==========

Saṅkhārā is a collective term for the other fifty cetasikas. These fall into four groups:
1) Universal mental factors (sabba citta sādhāranā).
2) Particular mental factors (pakiṇṇakā).
3) Unwholesome mental factors (akusalā).
4) Beautiful mental factors (sobhanā).

http://103.242.110.22/theravadins/English-articles/abhidhamma-in-practice.pdf


Metaphysical Contemplation and Speculation

OP: Given without knowledge one can only speculate, does Buddhism suggest one should delay certain questions until one can empirically
  get a definite answer?

  OP: For example, the jhanas are not immediately accessible, and thinking about them might lead to speculation. What is speculation in
  Buddhism? Should one always restrict their attention and cognition to
  what is immediately accessible?

The Buddha certainly valued pragmatism and discouraged metaphysical speculation.

Does this mean that ALL speculation is discouraged?

The answer to this is NO. Only speculation that is not useful towards the ending of suffering is discouraged.

For e.g. when did samsara first begin? How did the universe originate? What's the range of the Buddha's abilities? How do the consequences of karma work precisely? You can find some of these in Acintita Sutta and also the Parable of the Poisoned Arrow. Speculation on topics like these were strongly discouraged.

As for topics that are useful towards the ending of suffering, speculation is not discouraged. Without investigation, contemplation, reflection and speculation, it's impossible for a learner to learn and understand new things. Correcting your mistaken speculations is a great learning method.

Over time, as you learn and understand more aspects of the Dhamma and gain more insight, your speculations would be replaced by wisdom. It's like putting together a jigsaw puzzle of which you do not know how the final picture looks like. But it gets clearer over time.

Also, in the suttas, asking difficult questions based on speculative thinking was not just allowed by the Buddha but also used by him as a tool to convey teachings.

For example, from SN 12.46:

  As he was sitting there he said to the Blessed One: "What now, Master
  Gotama: Is the one who acts the same one who experiences [the results
  of the act]?"

  [The Buddha:] "[To say,] 'The one who acts is the same one who
  experiences,' is one extreme."

  [The brahman:] "Then, Master Gotama, is the one who acts someone other
  than the one who experiences?"

  [The Buddha:] "[To say,] 'The one who acts is someone other than the
  one who experiences,' is the second extreme. Avoiding both of these
  extremes, the Tathagata teaches the Dhamma by means of the middle:
  (explains dependent origination)

  When this was said, the brahman said to the Blessed One: "Magnificent,
  Master Gotama! Magnificent! Just as if he were to place upright what
  was overturned, to reveal what was hidden, to point out the way to one
  who was lost, or to carry a lamp into the dark so that those with eyes
  could see forms, in the same way has Master Gotama — through many
  lines of reasoning — made the Dhamma clear. I go to Master Gotama for
  refuge, to the Dhamma, & to the community of monks. May Master Gotama
  remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge from this day
  forward, for life."

And there are many more such examples in the suttas. In the Attakari Sutta, we find someone speculating that there is no self-doer and he was corrected by the Buddha.

Of course, one also needs to practise the teachings (through the Noble Eightfold Path) and not just contemplate it. But, investigation, contemplation, reflection and speculation forms part of the journey of learning the Dhamma, in order to foster Right View, which is the forerunner of the path.

  OP: I guess I could also add: How does one know when one is speculating?

If you have doubt (vicikiccha) in your mind, then you're most likely speculating about the Dhamma. The explanation of doubt in Buddhism from this Wikipedia page is:

  The reality of vicikicchā is not the same as what we mean by doubt in
  conventional language. Vicikicchā is not doubt about someone's name or
  about the weather. Vicikicchā is doubt about realities, about nāma and
  rūpa, about cause and result, about the four noble Truths, about the
  “Dependent Origination”.

Another sign of mistaken speculation is that it may lead you towards the three poisons of lust/ greed, aversion and delusion. A good example of this is the Vesali Sutta - in which some monks who misunderstood the Dhamma committed suicide.


Loving kindness(Metta) is a state of the mind that arises and vanishes. It's not something that exists. For loving kindness to arise, one should see the lovable nature of beings. It does not require suffering. On the other hand, compassion requires seeing the helplessness in those overwhelmed by suffering.

Happiness is also a state of mind that arises and vanishes. It does not require suffering. Happiness arises even in the minds of enlightened beings.

Far enemy of love is hatred/aversion. Near enemy of love is lust.


Does the level of awareness of an awakened buddhist also stay the same event when he sleeps?

sleep is a state of body, not a state of mind. If you are asleep your body has shut down the 5 senses, but your mind can still be active (dreaming).

  "As for those delusion-born fevers — burned with which the householder or householder's son would sleep miserably — that delusion has been abandoned by the Tathagata, its root destroyed, made like a palmyra stump, deprived of the conditions of development, not destined for future arising. Therefore he sleeps in ease. - AN 3.34

If you are practicing mindfulness and meditation regularly you can actually stop nightmares from happening by this habit.


Monasticism is a vehicle, not a destination; simply putting on the robes doesn't make one more virtuous.

A monk without any attainment whatsoever is not worth being called a monk. A true monk is defined by their attainments, as per the Dhammapada (Buddharakkhita, trans):

  9. Whoever being depraved, devoid of self-control and truthfulness, should don the monk’s yellow robe, he surely is not worthy of the robe.

  362. He who has control over his hands, feet and tongue; who is fully controlled, delights in inward development, is absorbed in meditation, keeps to himself and is contented — him do people call a monk.

  367. He who has no attachment whatsoever for the mind and body, who does not grieve for what he has not — he is truly called a monk.

If one is corrupt, they are not considered worthy of being called a recluse:

  184. Enduring patience is the highest austerity. "Nibbana is supreme," say the Buddhas. He is not a true monk who harms another, nor a true renunciate who oppresses others.

Also relevant:

  260. A monk is not an elder because his head is gray. He is but ripe in age, and he is called one grown old in vain.

  261. One in whom there is truthfulness, virtue, inoffensiveness, restraint and self-mastery, who is free from defilements and is wise — he is truly called an Elder.

  307. There are many evil characters and uncontrolled
  men wearing the saffron robe. These wicked men
  will be born in states of woe because of their evil
  deeds.

  394. What is the use of your matted hair, O witless
  man? What of your garment of antelope’s hide?
  Within you is the tangle (of passion); only out-
  wardly do you cleanse yourself.

  395. The person who wears a robe made of rags, who
  is lean, with veins showing all over the body, and
  who meditates alone in the forest – him do I call
  a holy man

That being said, there is a little-known but pithy passage in the Sutta Nipata (vv. 220-221; Ireland, trans) where the Buddha says:

  These two ways of life are not the same:
  that of a householder supporting a wife
  and one without worldly attachments...

  As a peacock never approaches the swiftness
  of a swan, so a householder cannot imitate a
  bhikkhu, a hermit meditating in the forest.

Again, this only applies if all else (i.e. their practice and attainments) is equal.


What is Nirvana? What is the practice leading to ultimate happiness in the light of one's own experience?

I will jump into the fire of people's objections to posit that there is no achieving of true happiness. My intention is to reveal the truth that does exist beyond the bounds of our human expectation of ending suffering and attaining some new state or place where happiness is forever.
Zen does not look to attain or achieve a state but to awake to what is here. The Buddha replied when asked who he was: Awake. Any path can lead to awakening. The Buddha clearly defined the Middle Way, but it is not the only way. Even Buddhists who followed false teachers found awakening.
The intention is the key. If we intend to promote ourselves and our elusive and illusive personal self, we are bound to fail.
So to relate this to the Buddha's message here are the principles of the eight-fold path. Right intent or intention is here among them.
http://www.buddha101.com/p_path.htm

  The eightfold path is Right Understanding, Right Intent, Right Speech,
  Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and
  Right Concentration.

Note that right does not mean right as opposed to wrong. Right can mean when things go in the flow or without resistance (same page further down)

  The meaning of Right has several aspects, and includes an ethical, and
  a balanced, or middle way. When things go "right", we often experience
  a special feeling inside which confirms that this is the correct
  decision or action.

Further down the same page about intent

  Right Intent:

  The second step on the Eightfold Path is Right Intent. This is the
  step where we become committed to the path. Right Understanding shows
  us what life really is and what life’s problems are composed of, Right
  Intent urges us to decide what our heart wants.

  Right Intent must come from the heart and involves recognising the
  equality of all life and compassion for all that life, beginning with
  yourself.

  Right Intent means persistence and a passion for the journey. Setting
  out to climb a high mountain means you must understand the lay of the
  land and the pitfalls, the other team members, and the equipment you
  need. This is similar to Right Understanding. But you will only climb
  the mountain if you really want to and have a passion for the climb.
  This is Right Intent. The mountain we climb here is our journey though
  life.

  To summarise, Right Understanding will eliminate ignorance. With Right
  Intent and correct understanding, we then remove desire, which in turn
  causes the suffering defined in the Four Noble Truths.

I rest here and leave it to those interested to find any other quotes of interest on that page. Thank you for the question.


Is it forbidden to fight to defend your possessions from a thief?

Resisting or protecting what you have is not forbidden. But you shouldn't kill. It is perfectly fine to say no to someone who is trying to take advantage of you. It's perfectly fine to have  a non-lethal security system for your house. That does not get in the way of Brahmavihara.


Is "the blind men and the elephant" a true Buddhist story?

Is “the blind men and the elephant” a true Buddhist story? I would like to know if it is present somewhere in the Pali Canon.

Yes, the story is present in the canon:

  "Once, monks, in this same Sāvatthī, there was a certain king, and the
  king said to a certain man, 'Come, my good man. Gather together all
  the people in Sāvatthī who have been blind from birth.'"

  "Responding, 'As you say, your majesty,' to the king, the man — having
  rounded up all the people in Sāvatthī who had been blind from birth —
  went to the king and on arrival said, 'Your majesty, the people in
  Sāvatthī who have been blind from birth have been gathered together.'

  "'Very well then, I say, show the blind people an elephant.'

  "Responding, 'As you say, your majesty,' to the king, the man showed
  the blind people an elephant. To some of the blind people he showed
  the elephant's head, saying, 'This, blind people, is what an elephant
  is like.' To some of them he showed the elephant's ear, saying, 'This,
  blind people, is what an elephant is like.' To some of them he showed
  the elephant's tusk... the elephant's trunk... the elephant's body...
  the elephant's foot... the elephant's hindquarters... the elephant's
  tail... the tuft at the end of the elephant's tail, saying, 'This,
  blind people, is what an elephant is like.'

  "Then, having shown the blind people the elephant, the man went to the
  king and on arrival said, 'Your majesty, the blind people have seen
  the elephant. May your majesty do what you think it is now time to
  do.'

  "Then the king went to the blind people and on arrival asked them,
  'Blind people, have you seen the elephant?'

  "'Yes, your majesty. We have seen the elephant.'

  "'Now tell me, blind people, what the elephant is like.'

  "The blind people who had been shown the elephant's head said, 'The
  elephant, your majesty, is just like a jar.'

  "Those who had been shown the elephant's ear said, 'The elephant, your
  majesty, is just like a winnowing basket.'

  "Those who had been shown the elephant's tusk said, 'The elephant,
  your majesty, is just like plowshare.'

  "Those who had been shown the elephant's trunk said, 'The elephant,
  your majesty, is just like the pole of a plow.'

  "Those who had been shown the elephant's body said, 'The elephant,
  your majesty, is just like a granary.'

  "Those who had been shown the elephant's foot said, 'The elephant,
  your majesty, is just like a post.'

  "Those who had been shown the elephant's hindquarters said, 'The
  elephant, your majesty, is just like a mortar.'

  "Those who had been shown the elephant's tail said, 'The elephant,
  your majesty, is just like a pestle.'

  "Those who had been shown the tuft at the end of the elephant's tail
  said, 'The elephant, your majesty, is just like a broom.'

  "Saying, 'The elephant is like this, it's not like that. The
  elephant's not like that, it's like this,' they struck one another
  with their fists. That gratified the king.

  "In the same way, monks, the wanderers of other sects are blind &
  eyeless. They don't know what is beneficial and what is harmful. They
  don't know what is the Dhamma and what is non-Dhamma. Not knowing what
  is beneficial and what is harmful, not knowing what is Dhamma and what
  is non-Dhamma, they keep on arguing, quarreling, & disputing, wounding
  one another with weapons of the mouth, saying, 'The Dhamma is like
  this, it's not like that. The Dhamma's not like that, it's like
  this.'"
  -Excerpt from Ud 6.4, Sectarians (1)


As a disciple of the Supreme Buddha, what would you do with an animal that is in severe pain?

My mother and I saw a cat today by the side of the road, which had probably been hit by a car. Its back legs were outstretched, it didn't walk, I guessed its lower back was broken. It miaowed to us.

We went to find the owner of the nearby house, I told him that I had the regret to inform him that etc., he said that it sounded like his cat and we went to find it. He talked to it (saying, "Oh my poor Fifi") picked it up (it miaowed again) and he told us that he'd take her to the vet, which seemed to me like a good idea. I was glad for the cat's sake that she now had her human companion/friend with her.

My mother told him that (in her opinion) the cat wll probably want to be euthanased (a.k.a. put to sleep or put to death) but I think that Buddhist doctrine denies that and says not to kill, even in that situation.

Here are some references for how to behave with someone who is terminally ill:

There are many other references at A Buddhist Guide to Death, Dying and Suffering (the author is or was a chaplain at a medical centre).
And What nurses need to know about Buddhist perspectives of end-of-life care and dying (registration required) might be helpful.
Also page 82 of this commentary on the Vinaya describes the words a bikkhu might say during the dying process to inspire a patient.

The answers to these questions might be helpful if dying is accompanied by pain as well:

Experiencing physical pain
Buddhism view on mercy


Traditional Standard 日蓮仏教/ Nichiren Buddhism at Minobu Yama c.1280AD is about refinement and being kindly and nice and is quite based on The Teachings of The Buddha, & Guidance of 日蓮/ Nichiren Daishi, His writings, and careful consideration of The Lotus Sutra. Nichiren Buddhism is about the present and future, yet doesnot discount the past, and Nichiren Daishi didn't discount the past: Nichiren Daishi instructed that past karma could be 'expunged' through observance of The Teachings in The Lotus Sutra, conceiveably in present Lifetimes.
The Organisation of the text cited in the question is fairly recent, and the text cited isnot Nichiren Daishi's Teachings; maybe the article suffered in translation, since 'simultaneous' wouldnot typically be understood as 'within one lifetime', or, maybe some places actually would intend to say what it says. Standard Traditional Nichiren Buddhism is based on Teachings of The Buddha, And Traditional Nichiren Buddhism doesnotsay cause & effect are simultaneous in that sense. Interesting citation and good question.


Putting "Bhikkhu" before or after name, is there a difference?

Below you can see some titles and names.
The title is (Sammasam)Buddha and the name is Kassapa, the title is bhikkhu and the name is Sahaka, the title is Mara and the name is Dusi, the title is disciple (savaka) and the name is Vidhura, the title is brahmin and the name is Kakusandha.
In all the cases, the title precedes the name in the English translation, just like how we say Doctor Fauci or President Obama in English.
But in all the cases, the title comes after the name in Pali.
So both are the same. One in English and one in Pali.
From SN 48.57:

Once upon a time, sir, I lived the spiritual life under the fully
awakened Buddha Kassapa.
Bhūtapubbāhaṃ, bhante, kassape sammāsambuddhe brahmacariyaṃ acariṃ.
There they knew me as
Tatrapi maṃ evaṃ jānanti:
the mendicant Sahaka.
‘sahako bhikkhu, sahako bhikkhū’ti.

From MN 50:

Then it occurred to Māra Dūsī,
Atha kho, pāpima, dūsissa mārassa etadahosi

after attacking the disciple Vidhura
Vidhuraṃ sāvakamāsajja,
along with the brahmin Kakusandha?
kakusandhañca brāhmaṇaṃ.


Bacteria do not appear to be "breathing creatures" therefore appear excluded from the 1st precept.
The 1st precept is about intentional killing therefore excludes non-intentional killing of insects.


What does Buddhism teach about the start and end of world?

Here is one teaching the Buddha gave on the start of the world:

  Dwelling at Savatthi. There the Blessed One addressed the monks: "I
  will teach you the origination of the world & the ending of the world.
  Listen & pay close attention. I will speak."

  "As you say, lord," the monks responded to the Blessed One.

  The Blessed One said: "And what is the origination of the world?
  Dependent on the eye & forms there arises eye-consciousness. The
  meeting of the three is contact. From contact as a requisite condition
  comes feeling. From feeling as a requisite condition comes craving.
  From craving as a requisite condition comes clinging/sustenance. From
  clinging/sustenance as a requisite condition comes becoming. From
  becoming as a requisite condition comes birth. From birth as a
  requisite condition, then aging & death, sorrow, lamentation, pain,
  distress, & despair come into play. This is the origination of the
  world.

And in the same teaching the Buddha gave the explanation for the end of the world:

  "And what is the ending of the world? Dependent on the eye & forms
  there arises eye-consciousness. The meeting of the three is contact.
  From contact as a requisite condition comes feeling. From feeling as a
  requisite condition comes craving. Now, from the remainderless
  cessation & fading away of that very craving comes the cessation of
  clinging/sustenance. From the cessation of clinging/sustenance comes
  the cessation of becoming. From the cessation of becoming comes the
  cessation of birth. From the cessation of birth, then aging & death,
  sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair all cease. Such is the
  cessation of this entire mass of stress & suffering. This is the
  ending of the world.

To understand this I think takes familiarization with the Dharma and specifically the teachings on the Four Noble Truths and dependent origination.


Should we "ignore" feelings while being mindful and aware of the present moment?

Any experience you should be equanimously and objectively aware of perceiving (desirable, undesirable, neither) and sensation (pleasant, unpleasant and neutral) of the arising and passing or the sensation devoid of any craving or clinging while keeping though proliferation in check.

When you let go there is a feeling of renunciation with again is 3 types according to Sal-āyatana Vibhanga Sutta. A house holder seeks sensual pleasure and is temporarily satisfied or unsatisfied by the experience by perceiving and desirable or undesirable or neither. When you renounce householders life you strive to stop this perceiving by understanding the universal characteristics of the experience (changing, unsatisfactory, non self). In this letting go there is a pleasure also whis is non sesual nature. See: Sal-āyatana Vibhanga Sutta, Pañcak’aṇga Sutta, Bahu,vedaniya Sutta

There are 18 mental examination:

  (1) On seeing a form with the eye,
  one explores a form that gives rise to pleasure,
     one explores a form that gives rise to pain [displeasure],
        one explores a form that gives rise to equanimity.

  (2) On hearing a sound with the ear,
  one explores a sound that gives rise to pleasure,
     one explores a sound that gives rise to pain [displeasure],
        one explores a sound that gives rise to equanimity.

  (3) On smelling a smell with the nose,
  one explores a smell that gives rise to pleasure,
     one explores a smell that gives rise to pain [displeasure],
        one explores a smell that gives rise to equanimity.

  (4) On tasting a taste with the tongue,
  one explores a taste that gives rise to pleasure,
     one explores a taste that gives rise to pain [displeasure],
        one explores a taste that gives rise to equanimity.

  (5) On feeling a touch with the body,
  one explores a touch that gives rise to pleasure,
     one explores a touch that gives rise to pain [displeasure],
        one explores a touch that gives rise to equanimity.

  (6) On cognizing a mind-object with the mind,
  one explores a mind-object that gives rise to pleasure,
     one explores a mind-object that gives rise to pain [displeasure],
        one explores a mind-object that gives rise to equanimity.

  Thus there are six mental explorations with regards to pleasure; six mental explorations with regards to pain [displeasure]; six mental explorations with regards to equanimity.
  ‘The 18 kinds of mental explorations should be understood,’ thus it is said in this connection.

See: Sal-āyatana Vibhanga Sutta, Titth’ayatana Sutta, Dhātu Vibhaṅga Sutta, Indriya Bhāvanā Sutta

Where you have to examine the sensations hence you doing it right. This plays a role in removing the roots. See: Pahāna Sutta, Avijja Pahana Sutta 2


Does any modern Buddhist tradition use a Gregorian holiday schedule?

I've had a look around and I can't see actual Buddhist holidays that follow a Gregorian calendar. They all seem to shift around with lunar cycles. The Thai national calendar is a renumbered Gregorian calendar but the Buddhist festivals within that are lunar

However I practice with the Triratna Buddhist community in the UK and we have over a number of years celebrated 'Gregorian' festivals. For instance we have a lovely Buddhist ritual on winter solstice and then again on New Years Eve. I'm not sure if this quite answers your question and I appreciate that this isn't traditional or even standard but I think it's interesting that we are repurposing these days as Buddhist festivals just as Christians repurposed pagan festivals for Christmas and Easter.

So perhaps there are no Gregorian festivals (that I know of) right now but 'Western' Buddhist communities will be busily repurposing existing Gregorian festivals just like we are. Just a thought really.


Can a Bhikkhu yell at or beat a lay person under the vinaya?

Even torward a cat, insects or non-human, neither insulting nor even beating would be proper and allowable, in cases against humans it might be even seens as heavier then toward a fellow or novice.
It falls like many other things (really and by far, not all has been caught in special wording or rules) under that what is called derived offenses, some are mentioned in commentary or sub-c. or "just" to figure out at times, using the great standard:

"Bhikkhus, whatever I have not objected to, saying, 'This is not allowable,' if it conforms with what is not allowable, if it goes against [literally, "preempts"] what is allowable, that is not allowable for you.
"Whatever I have not objected to, saying, 'This is not allowable,' if it conforms with what is allowable, if it goes against what is not allowable, that is allowable for you.
"And whatever I have not permitted, saying, 'This is allowable,' if it conforms with what is not allowable, if it goes against what is allowable, that is not allowable for you.
"And whatever I have not permitted, saying, 'This is allowable,' if it conforms with what is allowable, if it goes against what is not allowable, that is allowable for you." — Mv.VI.40.1

Something actually very hard for those not tending to higher virtue.
The BMC1 tells about Pc2:

To insult a bhikkhu incurs a pācittiya; to insult an unordained person — according to the Commentary, this runs the gamut from bhikkhunīs to all other living beings — a dukkaṭa.

For example. My person would not agree, since generally "foreign-policy agenda" are generally given more sensibility. If we take the cases in BMC2 in relation with lay people it allows the Sangha to take on disciplinary measures.
See Reconciliation BMC2 and the story of Cv.I.18.1-5

The Community, if it wants to, may impose a reconciliation transaction on a bhikkhu endowed with any of the following qualities:
a) he strives for the material loss of householders, for the detriment of householders, for the non-residence of householders (so they can't live in a certain place); he insults and reviles householders; he gets householders to break with householders;
b) he speaks in dispraise of the Buddha to householders, speaks in dispraise of the Dhamma to householders, speaks in dispraise of the Saṅgha to householders, ridicules and scoffs at householders about something low or vile, does not fulfill a righteous promise made to householders [C: this includes accepting an invitation for the Rains retreat or any other similar promise].

Generally in regard of the basic precepts, not to speak about kammic effects, there is no exclusion for Bhikkhus at all and the Vinaya contains aside of "foreign political" and community rules specifical special mentionings of cases where Bhikkhus obiviously had to less objectivity, such as water filter, digging earth... It's importand to understand, that Vinaya rules are for the most cases for very undeveloped minds and wordlings. Whom would one need to tell about issues of being in water, earth or possible endangered by uncontrolled fire... if not someone who is far away from higher virtue and controll of the sense faculties and mind.
How to handle things is always a case to case matter, requiring people with lot of knowledge and understanding of Vinaya so that the right kind of offense class is selected.
So aside of the Patimokkhas 227 rules, 1000 in Mv and Cv and other books, "countless" other cases need to be deriven form the given set and especially today many have of course real problem.
One, like also mentioned in the Suttas, who trains firm in higher virtue, concentration, wisdom, would aside of community and costume rules have no problems at all, sticking firm to the basics and fundamentas precepts.
There are those who argue just in literary ways, even thinking (following the words) that Bhikkhus might have more ease than Samaneras for example, or householder and there are also many cases where householder rules are explained by the Vinaya standards, but that is mostly wrong. Vinaya should be seen as addition to the basics to have common min. standards and not as replacements at all. Again, not to speak of kammic effects, where there is no difference in what ever cloth one might wear.
Hope that this short explaining could ease in the regards of shock displayed in the question.
In cases where a lay person might be really ill willed harmed by a monk it's good and proper, if no backwards need to be feared, to speak out such cases to other trusted monks since it is not good, for anybody, to keep problem, possible also misunderstandings, a burden for good relation. "Sadly" such as "opening the Vihara" is not really broad known and practiced but a good and performed way to clean things up, used here in Cambodia, for example, in the Dhammayut Nikaya. When lay people see grave problems they are given to call for "opening the Vihara" where they then are given to bring up their cases in front of an assembling of monks and possible the involved people. Not that such is a desired and pleasant event, but it is a very good tool for healing and clarify possible misunderstandings as well since it is somehow public.
At least one should not forget that a Bhikkhu is not immune and excluded in regard of criminal law for cases where the Sangha is not really capable to handle cases. Beating and serious ill-willed insult are no trivial offence in most counties. Of course it's better to solve it in amicable arrangement but in certain countries one would be even obligated to legally report it.
If a monk deprives lay people from their possessions and states, advocate such, promote such and tell others to do, if a layperson loses (such as a legal case, right or wrong), he insures a Pārājika, the same also in regard of killing. There are actually many "monks" who, by Vinaya, are no more. Think on certain movements, euthanasia, abortion... hate speech toward not beloved, support of legal actions... So stay away from those and be sure that merits toward those are just for harm in the world and will seldom bear even small fruits. Even association with them or using things from them will have much disadvantages for one, cuts one off from good monks and the Savaka Sangha.
[Note: This is a gift of Dhamma and not meant for commercial purpose or other low wordily gains by means of trade and exchange.]


Buddhist philosophy, or even philosophy in general makes words difficult to use consistently. The concept of everyone is one of those words. Which makes the answer yes and no to the question: Can everyone be enlightened?

In, I believe, all schools and branches of Buddhism, all sentient beings can eventually gain enlightenment. With emphasis on "eventually".

Animals are not able to, as long as they are an animal.
Dwellers of lower realms, have an extremely hard time becoming enlightened so, and would probably need to accumulate some positive karma to become a human before they have a chance to.
Beings of higher realms like deva's tend to have such a happy and fun life, practising is difficult, but not impossible.
The human realm is seen as the best of all worlds in terms of practice.
Humans that have committed "Anantarika-karma" or Heinous Crime, (matricide, patricide, killing ahrat, wounding Buddha, creating a schism in the sangha) can no longer achieve enlightenment in this life.

Can everyone achieve this through meditation?

Now this is a difficult one. In the texts some of the enlightened students became so by listening to the words of the Buddha. Others became through practise. The main attributes needed seem to be a pure mind and insight, whether gained by meditation or otherwise.

Is this what is meant by Buddha nature?

I think it is, to an extend. This seems to be mainly a Mahayana concept and I'm not that familiar with it. I believe it's considered literally: "the potency to become a Buddha"
In the books I read of the Dalai Lama it is mainly revered to with respect to developing loving-kindness: "Training or developing your Buddha nature."

Is it exclusive to humans(is language necessary?)

Heavenly beings can also practise and become enlightened. I'm uncertain whether language is necessary, I can remember no sutta's about the subject.


Did Buddha told anything about if we can travel to the end of the cosmos?

We know of no sutra directly bearing on the subject of time travel, although space travel to the akasha deva loka ("space world of shining ones") is frequently met with in both directions, Sakka to Earth and the Buddha and monastics to many "celestial" worlds [like the Buddha, Maha Moggallana, and other disciples going into near Earth orbit and battling a reptilian or naga named Nandopananda). But there is one oddity we never stop pointing out:

During WW II the Germans developed a time travel "bell" (Die Glocke), which just happens to look exactly like the strange hollow stupas, reliquary mounds or "bells" housing Buddha figures at the largest Buddhist site in the world -- Borobudur, Central Java, Indonesia -- with its massive, pyramid-like platforms. The structure is the size of a mountain in what is now an Islamic.

So marvelous and inexplicable to the Muslims was this site that they tried to destroy it but could not. Nor could they build anything to rival it; they simply did not have the technology. Instead, they buried it in a massive pile of mud. More than a century later, when the British archeologists were surveying the site, one realized that there was no way there could be a "mountain" there. He had his workers dig, and he is credited with rediscovering a Buddhist temple complex larger than the massive pieces in Bamiyan, Afghanistan (although the unexcavated Mes Aynak site may rival Borobudur, but if Chinese mining interests have their way, it will be destroyed first) and Angkor Wat, Cambodia.

The Germans were given off-planet instructions on how to construct a transporter, which they dubbed "The Bell" (Die Glocke), and tested it. They sent it into the future and retrieved, weather beaten a short time later. What else they did is kept top secret by the OSI, CIA, NASA, and other American organizations which inherited and protected German scientists after the war, such as Robert Oppenheimer and Nazi Wernher von Braun.

[Edited]. In Buddhism philosophy there is also Kalachakra Mandala which also look like Borobudur Temple.

Meaning of Kalachakra Mandala : The word kalachakra means cycles of time, and the Kalachakra system presents three such cycles – external, internal and alternative. The external and internal cycles deal with time as we normally know it, while the alternative cycles are practices for gaining liberation from these two.
What is the Kalachakra?.

Many articles are there explained about Kalachakra Manadala.
There also explained about cosmos and about five strings of attachments.

[Edited].

  Once the Blessed One [the Buddha, who was known as the Teacher of Devas and Humans] was staying near Savatthi, in Jeta's Grove, at Anathapindika's monastery. Then the male deva Rohitassa, late at night, with his splendid radiance lighting up the entire grove, went to the Blessed One, bowed, respectfully stood to one side, and asked:

    "Venerable sir, is it possible by traveling to know or see or reach the far end of the universe where one does not undergo rebirth, aging, dying, passing away, or reappearing?"

    "I tell you, friend, that it is not possible by traveling to know or see or reach the far end of the universe where one does not undergo rebirth, aging, dying, passing away, or reappearing."

    "It is amazing, venerable sir, it is awe-inspiring, how well this has been said by the Blessed One! ...Once I was a seer (Indian rishi, yogi) named Rohitassa, a disciple of [the Guru] Bhoja, a powerful sky-walker. My speed was as fast as that of a strong archer -- well-trained, a practiced hand, a practiced sharp-shooter -- shooting a light arrow across the shadow of a palm tree. [This is a common idiom to illustrate extreme speed in ancient India, the time it would take a shot arrow to pass the shadow of a tree.] My stride stretched as far as the East Sea is from the West [the width of India]. To me, endowed with such speed, such a stride, there arose the desire: 'I will go traveling to the end of the universe.'

    "I with a 100 year life, a 100 year span spent 100 years traveling. And apart from the time spent eating, drinking, savoring, urinating, defecating, and sleeping to ward off weariness. But without reaching the end of the universe, I died along the way. So it is amazing, venerable sir, it is awesome, how well this has been said by the Blessed One!"

  [The Buddha replied:]

    "I tell you, friend, that it is not possible by traveling to know or see or reach the far end of the universe... But at the same time, I tell you that there is no making an end of disappointment and suffering without reaching the end of the universe (world).
    It is just within this fathom-long body, with its perception and intellect, that I declare that:

    There is the universe (world),
    The origination of the universe,
    The cessation of the universe, and
    The path of practice leading to the cessation of the universe." [This is another wording of the ennobling Four Noble Truths.]

    "It is not to be reached by traveling [in space]. AND it is not without reaching the end of the universe that there is release from disappointment and suffering.

    "So truly the wise one, an expert with regard to the cosmos, a knower of the end of the cosmos, having fulfilled the holy life, calmed, knowing the cosmos' end, doesn't long for this cosmos or for any other."

  (See also AN 9.38).

So even if they found that Die Glocke were look like Borobudur temple.
Buddha said all about it is cosmos.

  "These five strings of sensuality are, in the discipline of the noble ones, called the cosmos.

  Which five? Forms cognizable via the eye — agreeable, pleasing, charming, endearing, fostering desire, enticing; sounds cognizable via the ear... aromas cognizable via the nose... flavors cognizable via the tongue... tactile sensations cognizable via the body — agreeable, pleasing, charming, endearing, fostering desire, enticing. These are the five strings of sensuality that, in the discipline of the noble ones, are called the cosmos. AN 9.38


My understanding is that anyone seeking Nibbana should be refrain from animal arts. it may be a monk or a lay person.


What other suttas instruct how to do Anapanasati, apart from the Anapanasati Sutta?

MN62 Maha-Rahulovada Sutta is one of them.

  "[1] Breathing in long, he discerns, 'I am breathing in long'; or
  breathing out long, he discerns, 'I am breathing out long.' [2] Or
  breathing in short, he discerns, 'I am breathing in short'; or
  breathing out short, he discerns, 'I am breathing out short.' [3] He
  trains himself, 'I will breathe in sensitive to the entire body.' He
  trains himself, 'I will breathe out sensitive to the entire body.' [4]
  He trains himself, 'I will breathe in calming bodily fabrication.' He
  trains himself, 'I will breathe out calming bodily fabrication.'

  "[5] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in sensitive to rapture.' He
  trains himself, 'I will breathe out sensitive to rapture.' [6] He
  trains himself, 'I will breathe in sensitive to pleasure.' He trains
  himself, 'I will breathe out sensitive to pleasure.' [7] He trains
  himself, 'I will breathe in sensitive to mental fabrication.' He
  trains himself, 'I will breathe out sensitive to mental fabrication.'
  [8] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in calming mental fabrication.'
  He trains himself, 'I will breathe out calming mental fabrication.'

  "[9] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in sensitive to the mind.' He
  trains himself, 'I will breathe out sensitive to the mind.' [10] He
  trains himself, 'I will breathe in satisfying the mind.' He trains
  himself, 'I will breathe out satisfying the mind.' [11] He trains
  himself, 'I will breathe in steadying the mind.' He trains himself, 'I
  will breathe out steadying the mind.' [12] He trains himself, 'I will
  breathe in releasing the mind.' He trains himself, 'I will breathe out
  releasing the mind.'

  "[13] He trains himself, 'I will breathe in focusing on inconstancy.'
  He trains himself, 'I will breathe out focusing on inconstancy.' [14]
  He trains himself, 'I will breathe in focusing on dispassion.'[5] He
  trains himself, 'I will breathe out focusing on dispassion.' [15] He
  trains himself, 'I will breathe in focusing on cessation.' He trains
  himself, 'I will breathe out focusing on cessation.' [16] He trains
  himself, 'I will breathe in focusing on relinquishment.' He trains
  himself, 'I will breathe out focusing on relinquishment.'

  "This, Rahula, is how mindfulness of in-&-out breathing is developed &
  pursued so as to be of great fruit, of great benefit.

  "When mindfulness of in-&-out breathing is developed & pursued in this
  way, even one's final in-breaths & out-breaths are known as they
  cease, not unknown."[6]

Just as the what was instructed by Buddha to Ven Rahula. This is the only way that i understand and experienced it myself.


Are there many differences between Taoism and Buddhism?

There are many different kinds of Daoism and many different kinds of Buddhism. All with different views on important issues. Generally speaking Chinese Daoism and Indian Buddhism are different in their worldview, aims, and methods. However, Chinese Buddhism is massively influenced by Taoism and vice versa, over the entire history of Buddhism in China, so they can sometimes seem related.

The most salient different might be with respect to nature. Daoists aim to be in harmony with nature, through balancing out opposites, and through this to attain physical immortality. Indian Buddhists saw nature as the problem and escaping from rebirth in the world as the answer to this problem. On the other Buddhist these days are quite interested in environmental issues as an extension of Green politics and notions of compassion and are thus also quite interested in nature these days.

Daoists believe in a soul that survives death; Indian Buddhists believed that nothing like a soul can exist. Though arguably Buddhists capitulated to a soul when they invented "Buddha nature".

The methods of Daoism aim to bring about balance of the elements. The methods of Buddhism aim to help us see that our views about the elements are wrong and through seeing them correctly we can be free from being composed of them.

And so on.

However the massive influence of Daoism on Chinese Buddhism means that an understanding of Daoism is very relevant for understanding East Asian forms of Buddhism. The influence began at least with the earliest translations of Buddhist texts into Chinese. For example the character 道 was used to translate dharma and marga (way); and the character 神 is a term from Daoism that generally means “spirit”, “soul”, (sometimes translated as ‘divinity’). It is also used to translate Sanskrit ṛddhi “supernatural power”, anubhava “power, majesty”, or deva.

Later Daoism was profoundly influential on Zen Buddhism, and Zen has been one of the most influential forms of Buddhism in America (less so in Europe). According to one source Daoim introduced "elements like the concept of naturalness, distrust of scripture and text, and emphasis on embracing 'this life' and living in the 'every-moment'." Dumoulin, Heisig, & Knitter. Zen Buddhism: A History (2005).

Re spelling: "Daoism" uses the modern Pinyin system of transliteration for the Chinese character 道 i.e. dào; whereas the older and largely deprecated Wade-Giles system transcribes it tao. Apparently there is much discussion over which is "correct". I prefer Pinyin, but one can argue that Taoism is an existing Anglicisation that ought not to be affected by fashions in transcription.

The question has some crossover with others questions:

Why is Zen/Chan thought to be more related to Buddhism than to Taoism?
Comparison of Nirvana, Tao and Brahman/Atma.
Was the influence of Taoism on Buddhism responsible for the development of Mahayana?


What is the source of these "Lay Bodhisattva Vows"?

Okay I found the answer.

It's from the "Sūtra of the Upāsaka Precepts" (Shansheng Jing). It was translated into Chinese in the 5th century.

http://www.sutrasmantras.info/sutra33c.html

This sutra has similarities to the older Sigalovada Sutta http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.31.0.ksw0.html

(Ref comparing the UPS and Sigalovada: "Buddhism and Peace", chapter 10)


Sexual desire and the craving for food both fall under the umbrella domain of sensual desire, which can be countered with various different strategies as highlighted in MN 20


Are there "safe" practices to follow before meeting one's teacher?

Do not rush out trying to find a teacher. When you are ready the teacher will find you. Let the Buddha be your teacher and the Dharma be your medicine. When you do go to the center consider them as Sangha and learn how to engage them and see what you can learn. Be mindful of your own expectations and excitement for what that meeting will be like.

It is important to integrate the teachings in a heartfelt and sincere way. Intellectual understanding is important, but not nearly sufficient. Without actually practicing the teachings mere intellectual understanding can do nothing to help us. It is like being a chemist and understanding perfectly well the chemical mechanism of a medicinal drug. Unless one actually takes the medicine - not just understands how it works - there will be no hope of benefiting from it.

As for what practices to start out with... have you tried cultivating the four immeasurables as the Buddha instructed? The dharma is safe and you should feel free to practice it to your best understanding. I would begin with mindfulness, cherishing others, reducing or at least recognizing the non-virtuous minds, lay vows/practices and understanding what refuge is and means along with the four immeasurables.


Losing mindfulness and peace after three weeks of successful practise

All of those things are coming back because you haven't really fixed anything.  So many people use meditation as a vacation.  They run themselves ragged in their day to day lives only to use the cushion as a kind of karmic hospital.  This is palliative practice and just like a vacation from your job or your terrible marriage, spending a week in the zendo or Tahiti isn't going to do a damn thing for your mind.  Meditating this way isn't any different from popping pills or smoking a blunt.  Sure, your problems melt away for a time, but you aren't addressing the crap that made you want to melt them away in the first place.
We sit to prepare our minds for insight.  Anything else that happens - jhana, bliss, IDK talking to devas - all that is wholly ancillary.  Rather than try to preserve those feeling of bliss, wholeness, and peace, instead turn that bright and less blemished mind to your own personal obstacles.  There are entire suites of insight, whole canons of material that you can investigate from Zen koans to vipassana objects, etc.  Gaining direct knowledge into those things are what's going to stop those bad habits from reemerging.  Simply sitting isn't going to cut it.  Bliss doesn't change anything.
And for what it's worth, you're just starting.  Of course you are going to hit a roadblock.  I've been doing this stuff for the better part of two decades and I still have good practice days and bad ones.  Keep at it.  It'll come back.


Is there an end to the suffering in general?

Yes and no. To be is to suffer. Our desire to be is what keeps us on the round of rebirth. Nibbana will come to every being just not all at the same time(Vast time). That's what I've heard from various teachers.

We mix our individual truth up with the truth of society and until we can see the difference we have no business trying to fix society as we seek while ourselves we are broken.  Our business is to fix ourselves then fix society one individual at a time. The society of the entire universe.

So, imho,  I think you should tend to the universe of mind and body, moment by moment instead of the "business as usual", blurry truth of the world.


What is the best way to practice humility

Good start is to do 100000 prostrations, say 100 a day.

Another practice is to identify and drop your attachments to intelligence, accumulation of knowledge, and making spiritual progress. Any time you catch yourself indulging in a thought which implies that intelligence, knowledge, or spiritual progress makes you better than others - you should get frustrated with yourself and drop that thought immediately.

Another practice is to surrender in all disagreements even if you are right, especially if you are right.

Another practice is to always take all blame upon yourself.

Another practice is the transfer of merit.

Reverence to Dharma books, handling them with care, not placing them in the floor, not placing other objects on top of them.

Reverence to teachers of Dharma - the attitude of a good servant: show respect, listen intently, follow exactly.


According to Mahayana interpretation, "signs" or "marks" are concepts, or conceptual designations, also known as preconceptions.

The problem with conceptual designations is that we tend to confuse them with reality (=to reify; noun "reification"). To give a canonical example, when someone is attached to his own personal stereotype of what an "attractive woman" should look like, when he meets one that matches his stereotype he no longer sees her as a complete person, instead he only sees his own concept of woman, he sees a sexual object! Then we tend to look with our conceptual brain, instead of looking with an open mind. Then, all we see is our preconceptions or biases - instead of seeing what actually is. Not only we see nothing but our preconceptions, we completely confuse them for reality, we think that what we "think" is what really "is" - but it is not, we see our own mental fabrication! Then on the basis of that fabrication, we develop certain attitude toward the object - for example we want to make acquaintance with the woman, with an implicit intent to get close with her. This is called "following the drift of signs".

Another example of this is racial stereotyping. You see a person of a national origin that you generally associate with ignorant violence - and then all you see is your preconception, you no longer see the real person. On the basis of this you develop aversion to this person, which ends up causing a conflict.

This happens with inanimate objects as well. Once we know that a given object is "a tree" - we no longer really see it as-is, we see our concept: "a tree". It takes a special effort to unsee our abstract concept and see the actual tree.

According to Mahayana, the entire Samsara is an illusory world completely made of such concepts! The notion of "I" or atman is one of such preconceptions. It is on the basis of attachment to preconceptions that we have unsatisfied craving, which manifests as suffering. Complete cessation of reification is "escape from all signs".

This is a rather simplified presentation, it actually goes much deeper than that, but this can get you started. Entire Mahayana was born from study and development of this teaching, passed in the oral form from Buddha's students to next generations. In Mahayana we refer to this as "shunyata" and "prajna-paramita", but it is also present in the Pali Canon in quite a few places like this one, using terms like "groundless", "having no position", "signless" etc.


The precepts are generally considered to be training principles (sikkhapada) which prepare us for more rigorous practice or which generate merit in order to gain a more fortunate rebirth (sugati) in the next life. And by "more fortunate" we definitely mean circumstances in which one meets and can practice the Dharma.

Many Pāḷi suttas outline how sīla (practising the precepts) leads onto more intensive practices such as saṃvara "restraint with the respect to the senses" or indriyesu guttdvara "guarding the doors of the senses". And these in turn lead into more intensive practises like eliminating the hindrances, and then into practising jhāna and vipassanā. Of course in other schools of Buddhism the progression into more intensive practice follows different paths, but on the whole the precepts are seen as preliminary to practising more intensively.

Traditionally for lay people, who do not undertake intensive religious practices, practising the precepts is an important source of merit (puñña) which they hope will accumulate enough to crate a fortunate rebirth next time. Thus traditionally we could say that the precepts protect one from a bad destination (duggati). Traditionally making gifts to monastics and supporting their lifestyle is an important source of merit. Generosity generally is seen as generating merit.

In modern times the distinction between monastics and lay people has begun to break down. Some groups see monasticism as far less important that it has been traditionally, or indeed as irrelevant, and many lay people have now taken up practices traditionally only done by monastics. So it's not always clear how the tradition applies.

On the issue of visiting prostitutes I would say that if one has made a commitment to be faithful to a sexual partner, such as one does in marriage, then visiting a prostitute is clearly a breach of that commitment. It is a lie, and therefore a breach of the precepts.

If one has no such commitment then the situation is more ambiguous. But in order for the act to be completely ethical one would need to know for sure, for example, that the prostitute was not under any compulsion whatever, to do sex work. One would need to be sure that the agreed fee was absolutely fair and that the prostitute received their full share of that money. In my view one could never be certain of these, and thus one would always be risking demerit or apuñña.

As with all the precepts, one must look at the spirit of them as well as the letter. The fundamental principle is "do no harm". One cannot choose to do a harmful action and claim that it is not mentioned in the letter of the precepts. Harm is harm. The institution of prostitution almost always does harm to someone. One can always ask oneself the question: "Would I want my son or daughter to earn their living having sex with strangers for money, risking catching AIDS and so on? Is that what I would want for my children?" My answer to this, despite not having children, is "no".


Dhammapada is not "a teaching of the Buddha himself"?

None of the teachings were from the Buddha "himself".
Although, that is the "truth" I cannot explain why; and neither can anyone else that knows.
Experience for oneself the teachings as real... that's all to be grasped at, until "beyond teaching" occurs. Living Dhamma is basically the same thing Christians call the living word. However, expecting anyone else to "save you" is delusion the concept of Christ is the same as the Buddhist concept of: Anagamin (once returner) To hell with all that waiting and suffering those those poor people are bringing and doing to the world!
Arhat same thing as a Buddha. A Buddha is said to arise once every hundred years from any and all traditions from all walks of life...
Get to know the skandhas... that's my advice; those are the bridges built between the three poisons. See Jealousy trying to be a bridge between greed and hate; without jealousy greed and hate can't even form can't even link up... the entire mass known as house builder falls apart.


I don't think that's necessary.  At once, they're both metaphorical descriptions and literal representations.  E.g. earth implies solidity, but at the same time it can have the literal characteristics of the element as with the earth kasina being composed of clay.


It may be piti, an emotion that can be aroused during meditation.

It can also be a phenomenon accompanying meditation, since a lot of different unusual sensations can appear as a mere side effect.

...or it may be something else buddhism doesn't have a saying about. Meditation clears the path for a lot of things.


It seems to me that 'feeling moved' is just an emotional reaction. Meditation and practice are not about creating emotional reactions but about transcending them. The idea would be to establish who is moved, who is compassionate, who is emotional and so forth, as well as to engender compassion.

I suspect gratitude is just what happens naturally but maybe this should also be practiced. Perhaps this would be the same as practicing 'being moved' but such a practice would also require establishing who is being moved and even what 'moved' really means.

Experience without effort is not a practice but examining those experiences would be one. In short, I don't think there's anything in Buddhist practice one could call a free lunch.

All 'in my opinion' of course.


Developing a intense focus on materialistic things

For day to day activities the ideal is:

  SN35.95:10.1: “In that case, when it comes to things that are to be seen, heard, thought, and known: in the seen will be merely the seen; in the heard will be merely the heard; in the thought will be merely the thought; in the known will be merely the known.

But this is also quite difficult, since day to day activities bring experiences that capture, repel or deceive us. For example, watching a favorite TV show while ignoring the baby's diaper is foolish.

The Buddha therefore qualifies his advice with a very tough prerequisite:

  SN35.95:5.1: “Do you have any desire or greed or affection for sounds known by the ear …  smells known by the nose …  tastes known by the tongue …  touches known by the body … thoughts known by the mind that you haven’t known, you’ve never known before, you don’t know, and you don’t think would be known?”

Meditation firmly grounds our practice in the prerequisites. It provides a basis for the restraint needed to go about our day to day activities unentangled. Not only do we have to disentangle ourselves from what is desirable, but we also have to disentangle ourselves from what is repulsive. We have to clean the dishes, scrub the toilet, and more. Chores are endless and impermanent. Yet they are also important. Fortunately, because others shun such activities, one can earn a living doing the necessary things which others avoid. Indeed one can maintain one's life with Right Livelihood doing necessary things which others avoid.

Such a practice of day to day activities requires a measure of equanimity. And with equanimity, we might answer the Buddha's question:

  SN35.95:9.2: “No, sir.”

And having asserted this to the Buddha, we might then also say this about our day to day activities:

  SN35.95:25.1: Even as you see a sight and get familiar with how it feels you wear away, you don’t heap up:  that’s how to live mindfully. Eroding suffering like this, you’re said to be in the presence of extinguishment.

To which the Buddha answered long ago:

  SN35.95:36.2: “Good, good, Māluṅkyaputta!

Regarding focus of meditation, notice that the Buddha says "you don't heap up". The Buddha also says "wear away". Heaping strain upon strain grasping at intense focus is therefore unskillful. It is more skillful to ease and wear away the strain so that clarity and insight emerge in our meditation. Materialism can be confused with focus. However, we can wear away that attachment by practicing contentment whether the cushion is coarse or fine. For support in this day to day practice, good spiritual friends will become important.


Is a Dhamma follower always a stream entrant?

It appears that the Dhamma-follower has assured Strem entry in this very life. He is in the Sotapanna path (Magga) but not experience fruits (Phala) He is a stream entrant to be.

  "One who, after pondering with a modicum of discernment, has accepted that these phenomena are this way is called a Dhamma-follower: one who has entered the orderliness of rightness, entered the plane of people of integrity, transcended the plane of the run-of-the-mill. He is incapable of doing any deed by which he might be reborn in hell, in the animal womb, or in the realm of hungry shades. He is incapable of passing away until he has realized the fruit of stream-entry.

SN 25.1

See also this topic Regarding Cula Sotapanna


Why is lust seen as being unskillful?

Your question goes directly to MN1, which is a difficult sutta:

  relishing is the root of suffering.

Briefly, the delusion of lust assumes that one can separate lust from the suffering and loss that follow. In other words, one might ask "how can this good feeling cause suffering?"  But look at how much effort we devote to peculiar practices such as "maintenance sex" or "faking it". Seeking the eternal, we might try to immerse ourselves in lust. But it always ends. We can never escape the suffering. It is unskillful because the more you lust the more you suffer. Do addicts look happy or lost in suffering?

The urge is real. It is a biological chemical imperative to procreate honed to compel over generations of successful breeding. And when followed heedlessly leads to overpopulation. Which means that we should, perhaps, skillfully consider that very urge as "not my self".

If I lust after a woman in a healthy, non pathological way, I see no danger there.

The danger is subtle. Women will have friends, some "pretty" and some "un-pretty". And will you be kinder and more devoted to the pretty woman and less kind and devoted to the un-pretty friend? That is the trap of pretty. That we should blindly value someone for the shape of their skin rather than the clarity of their heart.

  Seeing a sight with the eye, you linger in the neighborhood of a sight that’s a basis for happiness or sadness or equanimity...Therein, by relying on the six kinds of renunciate equanimity, give up the six kinds of renunciate happiness. --MN137

This will take time...

isn't it possible to cleanse present sankharas

Your question is on detailed practice with a cleansing focus. However, it might help to inform that practice with a broader knowledge of vital conditions. Also, since your inquiry is based the mechanism of delight, you might find it interesting to explore the exact point where the hook of delight sets itself in the middle. Practice might proceed better with more focus on relinquishing and not getting hooked.


You don't have to look for anatta. That's completely misunderstanding what anatta means. Anatta is a characteristic. Meaning every experience is anatta.
Look at experience (any experience) arise. You don't make it arise. That happens according to conditions. That is what anatta means.
Feelings, memories, hearing, thinking .... everything arises according to conditions. Whether you like it or not. You can't stop experience from arising.
That is what anatta means.

Don't try to reach stages. Don't try to gain anything. Just observe objectively.


The Truth of Rebirth seems to be one of the larger points of dispute between participants on this site. See here and here for similar questions and answers. I guess this is not all that surprising to me since the site seems heavily represented by Western practitioners. In my experience it seems that westerners have (and I definitely include myself here) a particularly difficult time with the Truth of Rebirth as taught by the Buddha. Here is what Venerable Thanissaro Bhikkhu has to say about this:

  Yet as these Buddhist religions have come to the West, they have run
  into a barrier from modern Western culture: Of all the Buddha's
  teachings, rebirth has been one of the hardest for modern Westerners
  to accept. Part of this resistance comes from the fact that none of
  the dominant world-views of Western culture, religious or
  materialistic, contain anything corresponding to the idea of repeated
  rebirth. Plato taught it, but — aside from an esoteric fringe — few in
  the modern West have treated this side of his teaching as anything
  more than a myth.

  For people who have felt burned or repelled by the faith demands of
  Western religion, there is the added barrier that the teaching on
  rebirth is something that — for the unawakened — has to be taken on
  faith. They would prefer a Buddhism that makes no faith demands,
  focusing its attention solely on the benefits it can bring in this
  life.

There seem to be many approaches on this site:

Simply denying outright that the Buddha taught rebirth.
The Buddha taught the reality of rebirth as a (re)birth that takes place in this very life whenever self-views of "I" and "mine" occur. No "afterlife" concept of rebirth was taught or acknowledged by the Buddha.
Admitting he taught it, but insisting it was just skillful means.
Rebirth as a combination of metaphor and upaya.
Those who take rebirth at face value, but insist that mere experience can end.
Like above, but do not posit an end to this mere experience.
Those who think rebirth (generally) can be known incontrovertibly through reason alone.
Those who think rebirth requires a dose of faith to be known (generally).

And probably a number of other views that I've missed completely or misunderstood. Myself, I'm somewhere between 6, 7, and 8, I guess, but I struggle with this.

Was rebirth introduced in the First or Second Turnings, and why did the Buddha teach it?

To my mind, unquestionably it was taught and introduced. I think the Buddha taught it because it was/is a conventional truth and the Buddha taught the truth.

Would any of the Buddhist doctrines, excluding karma and rebirth, fail to make sense without rebirth?

Yes, I think there are obvious logical problems and inconsistencies that present if you deny the truth of rebirth. For instance, as BodhiWalker mentions above one could seek the end of suffering by merely ending this current life. Even more problematic, one could "liberate" others from suffering by murdering sentient beings painlessly. That's monstrous and I want nothing to do with it. I want to make quite clear, I'm sure this is not what others have in mind when denying or glossing the truth of rebirth. I'm emphatically not concluding that those who deny or gloss the truth of rebirth are murderous monsters, just that denying or glossing the truth of rebirth presents logical problems that I don't see a way around.

Anyway, I think Venerable Thanissaro Bhikkhu's article above is excellent and highly recommend reading it many times and contemplating these questions.


What does "abandoned for no future renewed existence" mean in this sutta?

No, it means to give up the clinging towards eyes and sights since they are neither you nor yours. As a result, eyes and eye contact cannot cause you to be reborn again in Samsara.


This is to be mindful about walking. Walking creates sensations in the body like:

touch of your feet on the ground
the tension of the muscles
sensations due to change of posture
sensations due to fatigue.

Whatever sensation:

If he feels a pleasant feeling,

he understands that it is impermanent;
he understands that it is not to be clung to;
he understands that there is no delight in it.

If he feels a painful feeling,

he understands that it is impermanent;
he understands that it is not to be clung to;
he understands that there is no delight in it.

If he feels a neutral feeling,

he understands that it is impermanent;
he understands that it is not to be clung to;
he understands that there is no delight in it.

If he feels a pleasant feeling, he feels it in a detached manner.
If he feels a painful feeling, he feels it in a detached manner.
If he feels a neutral feeling, he feels it in a detached manner.

Dhātu Vibhaṅga Sutta


OP: Is it possible to have an unaware, unconscious self-grasping (which would here transpire in my stories)?

There are 18 internal and external views across past, present and future making a total of 108 views of self rooted in carving.
18 Internal Preoccupations with Craving

(1) “I am”
(2) “I am this [I am like this]”
(3) “Thus am I [I am like that]”
(4) “I am otherwise”
(5) “I do not exist”
(6) “I exist”
(7) “May I be”
(8) “May I be this [be like this]”
(9) “May I be so [be like that]”
(10) “May I otherwise”
(11) “I might be”
(12) “I might be this [be like this]”
(13) “I might be that [be like that]”
(14) “I might be otherwise”
(15) “I shall be”
(16) “I shall be this [be like this]”
(17) “I shall be so [be like that]”
(18) “I shall be otherwise”

Tanhā Jālinī Sutta / (Vicarita) Tanha Sutta
For an untrained person, any externals experience always result in the self-view. What one should do is to contemplate perceptions, thought, view as not-self. To to this one have to develop awareness into this process.

the eye, form, eye-consciousness, eye-contact, feeling, craving, are not-self,
the ear, sounds, ear-consciousness, ear-contact, feeling, craving, are not-self,
the nose, smells, nose-consciousness, nose-contact, feeling, craving, are not-self,
the tongue, sounds, tongue-consciousness, tongue-contact, feeling, craving, are not-self,
the body, touches, body-consciousness, body-contact, feeling, craving, are not-self,
the mind, mind-objects, mind-consciousness, mind-contact, feeling, craving, are not-self.

Cha Chakka Sutta

OP: could writing down and elaborating grandiose, self-themed stories exacerbate self-grasping which would otherwise be much less?

Self-grasping is always there. (Only at streem-entry is this broke.) More you think about oneself (108 through paths above) it is reinforced.
If

perceptions,
thoughts, or
views

do arise one should straighten them by contemplating:

Impermanent as impermanent
Painful as painful
Not-self as not-self
Impure [unattractive or repulsive] as impure

See Vipallasa Sutta
When creating these stories your self-view may be reinforced. If you do this as living maybe you can take a step back and try to write stories without too much self-centeredness. When you have to write something and the above Vipallasa arises contemplate on the antidote.
This and this answer also might be of interest on how to eliminate self-view arising.


What is the real meaning of the third precept?

This is to have intimacy with someone under the protection of another. A wife or husband would be protective of each other in appropriate advances by another. A mother, father or family member would also do so.

  There are four conditions for wrong conduct in sexual pleasures.

  i) There must be a man or woman with whom it is improper to
  have sexual intercourse.

  ii) There must be intention to have sexual intercourse with such a
  person.

  iii) Action must be taken to have such an intercourse.

  iv) There must be enjoyment from contact of the sexual organs.

  With reference to the first condition, there are twenty kinds of
  women with whom men should have no sexual relations. They can
  be divided into three groups, namely: women under the
  guardianship of parents, family members, relatives and authorities
  charged with their care; married or betrothed women; bhikkhunis
  and religious women observing the Holy Life. For all women, a
  man forbidden by tradition or under religious rules is prohibited
  as a partner. For any unwilling partner who is drugged or forced to
  have sexual intercourse under threat of violence or coercion,
  conditions (ii) & (iv) exclude them from violation of the precept.

Source: FIVE PRECEPTS (PACASILA) on urbandharma.org


The kammas are imponderable because people tends to expect action 'A' resulting in the equal fruit 'A'. However as we know a single action 'A' is only one cause, there are many other conditions (other causes) which result in a fruit. Just as a cup of coffee implies the existent of coffee beans, but coffee beans by themselves do not necessarily result in a cup of coffee. There are so many other factors such as farmers, the sun, customers wanting to drink coffee for the outcome 'a cup of coffee' to result.

In my temple we like to say that the merit of a good deed is 'immeasurable'. Why is this? Because the outcome cannot be entirely predicted, a single good action, can lead to opportunities for further good actions to occur. For example, you help someone with a small task, and then that person gives you an opportunity to do more good, and eventually eventhough the original good action was only the beginning seed the final result is immense.

The only thing we know for sure is that good actions will result in good outcomes (if something consistently results in bad outcomes it is a bad action and you should stop doing it). So instead of trying to predict the final outcome, you should focus on the simple strategy of doing more good as opportunity allows.

Addendum regarding the comment

My understanding is that because the Four Imponderables can not be deduced logically therefore it is imponderable. For example a common stated effect of karma is said that killing leads to a shortened life span. There is no clear logical explanation why this is the case, you could argue it's through some kind of revenge, or perhaps susceptibility to illness caused by psychological damage, but it's only speculation.

Likewise, releasing animals doomed for butchering are said to be good karma for longevity, but once again there is no logical explanation why it would work.

Since speculations about the exact working of karma does nothing to lead to peace and end of suffering, the Buddha ask you to refrain from pondering about them and take it at face value.


They are perfectly compatible. The teaching of Karma is about latent (potential) result of our actions and choices. Science is in complete support with the idea of potential energy, latent results etc. It's just normal causation, albeit its subtle/hidden aspect, nothing magical.

It's like, when you act like a jerk, it leaves aftertaste with people, and then it comes up in the middle of other situations sooner or later. Or, you keep rushing in your daily life and leave simple things not taken care of, like taking out garbage or paying bills - and then these little things accumulate and really interfere with your life. It is stuff like that. Our actions, our intents leave residue, they create some little tensions in our mind, in other people mind, in the fabric of everyday things - and that stuff eventually comes up as some funky result downstream. I repeat, it's not magic, it is totally normal stuff - just hard to see because it's subtle.


Distinguishing Between Past Lives and The Active Imagination

According to the sutta below, one has to have a bright, spotless, rid of taints, pliable, steady and imperturbable mind immersed in concentration that can be directed towards the recollection of past lives. A mind full of imagination does not fulfill this criteria.

From MN 4:

  When my mind had become immersed in samādhi (concentration) like this  —purified,
  bright, spotless, rid of taints, pliable, workable, steady, and
  imperturbable — I extended it toward recollection of past lives. I
  recollected many kinds of past lives.

  That is: one, two, three, four, five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty,
  fifty, a hundred, a thousand, a hundred thousand rebirths; many eons
  of the world contracting, many eons of the world evolving, many eons
  of the world contracting and evolving. I remembered: ‘There, I was
  named this, my clan was that, I looked like this, and that was my
  food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that was how my life
  ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn somewhere else.
  There, too, I was named this, my clan was that, I looked like this,
  and that was my food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that
  was how my life ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn
  here.’ And so I recollected my many kinds of past lives, with features
  and details.

According to SN 22.79, the purpose of recollecting past lives is simply to become disenchanted with the change in the five aggregates, and the suffering associated with it, in the past and the future. It does not matter what is the content of the recollection. This can also be found in this answer.

If you wondering whether this refers to literal physical rebirth or metaphorical thought rebirth, perhaps this quote from the same sutta can help you:

  When my mind had become immersed in samādhi (concentration) like this — purified,
  bright, spotless, rid of taints, pliable, workable, steady, and
  imperturbable — I extended it toward knowledge of the death and rebirth
  of sentient beings.

  With clairvoyance that is purified and superhuman, I saw sentient
  beings passing away and being reborn—inferior and superior, beautiful
  and ugly, in a good place or a bad place. I understood how sentient
  beings are reborn according to their deeds: ‘These dear beings did bad
  things by way of body, speech, and mind. They spoke ill of the noble
  ones; they had wrong view; and they chose to act out of that wrong
  view. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a
  place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell. These dear beings,
  however, did good things by way of body, speech, and mind. They never
  spoke ill of the noble ones; they had right view; and they chose to
  act out of that right view. When their body breaks up, after death,
  they’re reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm.’ And so, with
  clairvoyance that is purified and superhuman, I saw sentient beings
  passing away and being reborn — inferior and superior, beautiful and
  ugly, in a good place or a bad place. I understood how sentient beings
  are reborn according to their deeds.


How to mitigate the negative karmic effect of killing

Wanting to become a degree holder is Bhava-tanha or craving to become. That craving is causing you to break the first precept. See how dependant origination is at play here.

You can either look for insects that are already dead or tell your professor that you cannot kill as a Buddhist.


Why is it profitable to stop the cycle of rebirth?

Excellent logical question however the question ultimately has no relevance because it merely represents the false ideas that have arisen in Buddhism for the last 2000 years or so. In summary:

The original scriptures refer to two types of teachings: (i) moral/mundane/kamma teachings for worldly people; and (ii) transcendent/supramundane teachings for enlightened people, namely:

And what is right view? Right view, I tell you, is of two sorts: There is right view with effluents, siding with merit, resulting in acquisitions [of becoming]; there is right view that is noble, without effluents, transcendent, a factor of the path. MN 117

The moral kamma teachings that refer to various states of being that follow from certain types of kamma (actions) are never impersonal. Such teachings refer to the same "being" the reaps what it sows, such as:

I saw — by means of the divine eye, purified & surpassing the human — beings passing away & re-appearing, and I discerned how they are inferior & superior, beautiful & ugly, fortunate & unfortunate in accordance with their kamma: 'These beings — who were endowed with bad conduct of body, speech & mind, who reviled noble ones, held wrong views and undertook actions under the influence of wrong views — with the break-up of the body, after death, have re-appeared in the plane of deprivation, the bad destination, the lower realms, in hell. But these beings — who were endowed with good conduct of body, speech, & mind, who did not revile noble ones, who held right views and undertook actions under the influence of right views — with the break-up of the body, after death, have re-appeared in the good destinations, in the heavenly world.' MN 4

The transcendent/supramundane teaching that all things are not-self (anatta) are never found together with the worldly mundane teachings about "kamma".

Its like the teachings found in kindergarten compared to the teachings found at university. You don't find teachings about algebra, calculus and rocket science in kindergarten for the small children.

To conclude and answer your question, when you act in an ordinary worldly way, there is a sense of "self" behind that action. For example, if there was no sense of self (for example, no "I want to have sex"); there would be no performance of ordinary action. Since there is a sense of self behind the action; there is also a related sense of self behind the results of the action (for example, "I hate my girl who left me for another guy & I am now feeling hurt").

Therefore, it is profitable to stop the cycle of "rebirth" ("cycle of getting burned by self-centred actions") because it is profitable to be without the pain & suffering of doing misinformed careless self-absorbed things.

..........................


What does a monk think on a day to day basis?

I'll disregard the emphasis on monks, because mindfulness isn't exclusive to monastics, and secondly, the monk as a super-hero trope needs some critical examination. Most monks, like 90% of them in traditionally Buddhist countries follow the herd, and ordain because it is better than farming, or because their family gets some respect in the village, or some motive other than nibbana and buddhahood. This means, it is the rare monk generally that graduates to being a real super hero in the sense of an Arhat, or who can practice or even attempt 100% mindfulness. This doesn't mean the rest of them are bad monks, not at all. Monks are human after all, and they are attempting the near impossible, which is more than one can say of most. Even in the time of the Buddha, there were a good many monks who were earnest at least initially, but were not so special, it appears.

I say all this because I respect and love the idea of monasticism, and don't want to see it become a Potemkin village. I live in India, where the popular notion of a monastic (Hindu, Buddhist, what have you) has taken a real beating, and a monastic is viewed by the urban educated as a sex and money crazy conman. There are still enough of course who unquestioningly fall at the feet of anyone in saffron robes, but that isn't very healthy either.

Politicians all claim to be incorruptible because no one votes for the one who is honest enough to admit he is a little dirty, because politics in general is a little dirty. And, monks and dharma teachers are similarly forced to at least tacitly let on that they are beyond simple human frailties, at least the really bad ones, and they constantly endeavor to live in mindfulness and bliss and speak in soothing voices.

The love of Nibbana cannot be born out of a hatred for anything, not even Samsara. In fact there cannot be Nirvana without Samsara, they inter-depend.

The old Zen saying is when sleeping sleep, when showering shower, when walking walk. This no-mind state is easier said than done.

By being regular in one's schedule and routine, and by having a time set apart each day to meditate one can bring about mindfulness.
Meditating daily or regularly, and attaining jhanas often is another good way to ensure constant mindfulness.
Being in the presence of an enlightened teacher who radiates mindfulness is yet another way to boost our own mindfulness energy.
Regular and heartfelt practice of Metta is another way to increase mindfulness.
Making a habit of returning to the present moment, is another good way. See, Thich Nhat Hanh's mindfullness moment practice
Not dwelling in negative thoughts and practicing the Bramha viharas is another method.


If you want her to contact you, it's an attachment that is going to cause you suffering. An act of Metta(loving kindness) would be calling her once in a while and checking if she is doing well. Then if she needs help, you can help her.


What was the reason why Buddha taught reincarnation?

The Buddha didn't need it so much as he explained that was just how things work. Just as water has the quality that's labeled "wet". Life has a quality (among many) that is labeled Death and Death has the quality labeled rebirth/Life.

Also, reincarnation and rebirth seem to be different in that the former implies a continuous soul and the latter simply the result of conditions.


How to make Nirvana as a top priority of your life?

I am studying MN19 this week and your post resonates with the Buddha's description of his own path to enlightenment. It begins with a very profound view:

MN19:2.1: “Mendicants, before my awakening—when I was still unawakened but intent on awakening—I thought:
‘Why don’t I meditate by continually dividing my thoughts into two classes?’
So I assigned sensual, malicious, and cruel thoughts to one class. And I assigned thoughts of renunciation, good will, and harmlessness to the second class.

Intent on awakening, we focus on the skillful, following what leads upward. MN19 continues on to extinguishment. I hope you may enjoy this sutta as much as I am this week.