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Question 47: WHY IS THERE A VIEW IN BUDDHISM THAT LIBERATION MEANS DOING NOTHING, AND IS THIS CORRECT?
Answer: Doing nothing is not part of the Noble Eightfold Path taught by the Buddha. The Noble Eightfold Path includes Right Actions, not “no action”. The view that doing nothing leads to liberation stems from misunderstandings within Buddhism itself. The first misunderstanding is that observing Buddhist precepts means merely refraining… Read more ⇢
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Question 46: IF RIGHT SPEECH INVOLVES POSITIVE IMPACTS ON PEOPLE’S MINDS, WHAT DOES RIGHT ACTION ENTAIL?
Answer: Right Action involves positively impacting the lives of others. Karma is created when we affect other people’s lives. If we improve someone’s life and bring them happiness, it is considered good karma; if we make their lives worse and cause them suffering, it is considered bad karma. Right Speech… Read more ⇢
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Question 45: WHAT CAUSES GOOD AND BAD KARMA FROM SPEECH?
Answer: Language is a means of communication, allowing us to share our thoughts with others. In the Heaven realms, Celestial Beings rarely need to speak because they understand each other’s minds directly. However, humans cannot perceive each other’s thoughts and must rely on language, whether spoken, written, or expressed through… Read more ⇢
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Question 44: HOW SHOULD WE DEAL WITH UNWHOLESOME TENDENCIES THAT DEEPLY INGRAINED IN OUR MIND?
Answer: Some people have deeply ingrained unwholesome tendencies that are difficult to resolve, such as arrogance, disobedience to parents, selfishness, lust, or gambling addiction. Even when advised, they may not change because if they do not want to change, they cannot engage in Right Consideration to counsel themselves. Most of… Read more ⇢
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Question 43: HOW CAN WE CULTIVATE INNER MORALITY?
Answer: In the Noble Eightfold Path, the practice of Right Consideration is meant to cultivate inner morality. Morality consists of the virtuous tendencies within us that drive us to bring happiness and goodness to others. These include qualities such as compassion, generosity, patience, humility, gentleness, self-restraint, selflessness, rejoicing in others’… Read more ⇢
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Question 42: WHY DO PEOPLE CREATE DEITIES TO WORSHIP?
Answer: Humans are highly intelligent and capable of creating a wide range of things, from those that are beneath them to those that are greater than themselves. For example, a poor writer might create a wealthy character, vastly different from himself. Throughout human history, there have been times when Saints… Read more ⇢
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Question 41: WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN DIVINE INTERVENTION AND THOSE WHO RELY ENTIRELY ON THEIR OWN MERIT?
Answer: Those who place their faith in divine intervention often exhibit an endearing humility, but they may not always discern between good and evil, just believing that any sin can be forgiven by the divine. In some cultures, even crime bosses devoutly worship and pray daily, seeking forgiveness and grace… Read more ⇢
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Question 40: IN THE HIGHER REALMS, DO THE DEITIES OF DIFFERENT RELIGIONS KNOW EACH OTHER?
Answer: Most deities are created by human imagination, so followers often do not have a clear understanding of what these deities are truly like and simply believe what they have been told. Each religion has its own deities due to the differing perspectives of its religious leaders. If these leaders… Read more ⇢
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Question 39: WHEN SOMEONE FACES DIFFICULTIES AND PRAYS FOR HELP, IS THIS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAW OF KARMA?
Answer: The Law of Karma is strict, yet it also allows for flexibility. For instance, if a person faces a bad karmic consequence, such as an accident, and prays to deities for protection, the deities can intervene: If the person in trouble has a sincere heart and has done good… 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 