Asides

Q: Buddhism becomes quite popular in the west in these days. Mindfulness meditation is a commonly suggested technique of meditation. However, we have no idea of how to start. Could you please tell us a bit more of how we should start with this mindfulness?

A: Well, the best way you should start is taking a retreat course for a certain time, such as maybe 7 days’ course under my instruction of mindfulness meditation. You should manage your time of holiday or vacation. Of course, traveling around the world can you broader-minded by learning different cultures and traditions; it is nice in one hand. Continue reading “Could you please tell us a bit more of how we should start with this mindfulness?”

Of course, there is the concept of hell according to Buddhism. However, it is not like ‘hell’ as taught in other religion; it is not something created by God but it is created by human unwholesome thoughts, speeches and actions. The concept of hell taught by the Buddha has nothing to do even with Buddhism because it is created by unwholesome thoughts, speeches and actions of human being including Buddhist or non-Buddhist. Continue reading “He told us that there is a concept of ‘hell’ even according to Buddhism. How is it? Do you really believe in hell?”

Q. This is the last question but it may be really silly one for you. However, we really want to know, ‘Can you tell us how a Buddhist monk who played football can be punished?’

A. Anyway, your question is really welcome. I know why you ask this question. May I ask you a question, ‘Do you know about the beginning of the football history?’

Q. Well, I have no idea about it. (Everybody is laughing, all of a sudden.) Continue reading “Can you tell us how a Buddhist monk who played football can be punished?”

Actually, Mangala has its perfect meaning as “Removing all the ill lucks from you and bringing all the good lucks to you”. Therefore, by saying “Mangala” in Pāli, Mingalapar in Myanmar, to someone, “May all the ill lucks be removed from you and all the good lucks be brought to you.” It is just shot to the point. Continue reading “What is the meaning of Mangalapa?”

Well, the goal of meditation is ‘To achieve Attainment of Final Nibbāna, that means the attainment of Ultimate Peace or happiness or liberation from all kinds of suffering called Dukkha.

However, in my experience with meditation for more than two decades, it has guided me how to live skillfully and quite happily and harmoniously with the rest of the world by understanding things as they truly are with lessening and reducing mistakes. Buddhist Meditation is actually being mindful of whatever we act, whatever we speak and whatever we think at every moment. Continue reading “What is the goal of meditation?”

Well, I will answer to your question comparing with myself when I was young. Of course, we pay homage, I do not want to say the word, ‘Worship’, to the Buddha by bowing down with the palms putting on each other in the middle of forehead when we are right before the Buddha’s image. We also say some dhamma words as instructed by our elders, parents and grandparents at home. Continue reading “Whatever you talk about Buddhism is so beautiful and interesting but why do people are asking from the statue of the Buddha as in other religion?”

First of all, I want to tell you that the Buddha has never claimed himself as a god but he was a human being like us. However, his mind is perfectly cultivated and his wisdom is highly developed by serious practice, not by believing in something. He assured that we can also cultivate our mind and develop our wisdom perfectly by following the Path discovered by Himself. The Path begins with Right Understanding. It does not begin with right faith or right belief. Continue reading “Do you believe in the Buddha as a God?”

I can understand how you feel when your Buddhism is negatively criticized by others. However, you cannot control them not to criticize Buddhism and you cannot order them “Don’t criticize Buddhism’. What you can do with someone who criticizes your Buddhism is that you must be aware of what yours is and what his is. You can’t tell him to change his opinion on Buddhism but you can be happy with yours on Buddhism. Continue reading “How can we do when Buddhism is negatively criticized by others because we get ill-will when Buddhism is criticized?”

After death, life will begin. Do you know dualism? Dualism means the idea of paired things existing. I mean if there exists good; there exists bad too. There exists light; there exists dark too. Similarly, there exists life; there exists death too. Continue reading “What will happen after death when a monk or a Buddhist die?”

Well, If we are not spiritually, educationally and culturally wide-experienced, we do not know how to value our own wonderful culture and wonderful and rich cultures of the world. Then, we can ignorantly and stupidly destroy wonderful culture of others and we can also be destroyed by other cultures reciprocally. Continue reading “Don’t you think that your wonderful culture will be destroyed by tourists like ourselves?”