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Question 20: ACCORDING TO THE LAW OF KARMA, WHAT CAUSE MUST BE SOWN TO ATTAIN NIRVANA?
Answer: According to the Law of Karma, “honoring teachers enables one to become a teacher”. Therefore, those who revere enlightened Saints will have the blessing to practice and attain the supreme enlightenment and transcendent Nirvana. However, the level of reverence determines the degree of Enlightenment achieved. Absolute reverence leads to… Read more ⇢
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Question 19: WHAT IS NIRVANA?
Answer: Nirvana is an absolute state where there is no more suffering, no more ignorance, no more attachment to the notion of self, no more rebirth, no more binding emotions, and no more disturbances of the mind. In other words, Nirvana is a state of absolute clarity, absolute wisdom, and… Read more ⇢
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Question 18: SO, IF WE FOLLOW BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI, WHICH HEAVEN REALM DO WE AIM TO REACH?
Answer: The goal of practicing Buddhism is Enlightenment and Liberation. Enlightenment is the ultimate wisdom, understanding everything in the universe, comprehending the truth of the cosmos, knowing the workings of the Law of Karma, achieving perfect morality, possessing boundless compassion, and being free from any suffering. While sentient beings are… Read more ⇢
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Question 17: IF THE UNIVERSE WAS NOT CREATED BY GOD, THEN WHERE DID IT COME FROM? EVERYTHING MUST HAVE A BEGINNING, RIGHT?
Answer: In our limited perspective, within a small scope and short timeframe, we see that everything has a beginning and an end. Humans are born, grow up, age, and die. Trees grow tall and eventually wither and die. However, if we expand our view to the infinite, we realize that… Read more ⇢
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Question 16: WHAT ABOUT THE KING OF HEAVEN, THE RULER OF THE CELESTIAL REALM?
Answer: Each Heaven realm has a king who rules over it, known as the Lord of the Heaven. In the higher Heaven realms, the role of those Lords is less prominent because most Celestial Beings are already very enlightened, virtuous, and self-disciplined, requiring no supervision. Most religions in the world… Read more ⇢
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Question 15: WHY DO CELESTIAL BEINGS IN HEAVENS HAVE A LIMITED LIFESPAN? CAN’T THEY STAY THERE FOREVER?
Answer: The Heaven realms are places where Beings enjoy the blissful rewards corresponding to the good karma they have accumulated in the past. However, no good karma can yield infinite results, no blissful reward is endless, so even Celestial Beings in the heavens have a limited lifespan. This is the… Read more ⇢
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Question 14: WHAT IS THE LIFESPAN OF BEINGS IN THE DIFFERENT REALMS?
Answer: Let’s first look at the Human realm, where the average human lifespan is about 75 years, though some live longer and some shorter. Illness, accidents, or suicide can cause someone to die prematurely, even if their biological lifespan is not over. Lifespan is also influenced by karma. For example,… Read more ⇢
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Question 13: ACCORDING TO BUDDHISM, THERE ARE SIX REALMS. IT SEEMS MORE DETAILED AND SPECIFIC. DOES EACH REALM HAVE ANY FURTHER DISTINCTIONS?
Answer: Yes, each realm has countless subtle differences that cannot be fully described in a few words. The Buddhist view of the universe is vast, profound, accurate, and encompasses everything comprehensively. For example, the Buddha taught that there are 25 different Heavens, varying in levels of merit, virtue, and meditation… Read more ⇢
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Question 12: ACCORDING TO CHRISTIANITY, PEOPLE GO TO HEAVEN OR HELL AFTER DEATH. SO IF REINCARNATION TRULY EXISTS, DOES THAT MEAN PEOPLE DO NOT GO TO HEAVEN OR HELL?
Answer: Heaven and Hell are two of the six realms that beings can go to after death. The Buddha taught that there are six realms to which beings can be reborn after death: the realm of Heavens, the realm of Demi-Gods, the realm of Humans, the realm of Animals, the… Read more ⇢
ABOUT THE AUTHOR JANNA
JANNA is the pen name of a certain monk who does not wish to use his real name. He is likely mature enough to understand that fame, wealth, and glory are as fleeting as morning mist.
In Pali, “JANNA” means purity, so it’s unclear which country he’s from. However, he seems to have studied the Nikaya scriptures.
Although he writes about Buddhism, he appears to desire unity with other religions to contribute to the cause of world peace. He attempts to demonstrate how differences can complement one another…
BUDDHISM FOR BEGINNERS 