Listed
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Marriage
New - Sep 13th!
A fundamental tenet of Buddhism is freedom from attachments. If that
is so, what is the purpose of the Buddhist marriage ceremony? It seems
to be a contradiction, a celebration of attachment within a philosophy
that avoids attachment.
Koan
New - Sep 13th!
Why is the lamp in the room?
Dreams
According to Buddhist philosophy, do dreams mean anything?
Women
in Buddhism
I was wondering if women study a different Buddhism from men and if
a woman can even really be a Buddhist?
The
meaning of OM
What does the word 'Om' mean?
'Tightening'
I have heard a lot about the need for 'tightening', and would appreciate
a fuller understanding of what that entails?
How
To Meditate
I recently became interested in meditation. How would you recommend
for me to get started? How and when do you recommend beginners meditate?
Structured
Practices
I have been involved with another Buddhist tradition that offers a
specific and structured path to follow for spiritual development and
enlightenment (do A, then B then C, etc.). I have been told that Rama
taught very specialized practices for each student. However, he is
not physically here now to guide new students. How do new students
know what practices to do and when to do them to advance towards enlightenment?
Feeling
of Death
Once when Rama said "Can you feel that? That is Death." It was a highly charged
feeling, like dry-ice, headachy strong, almost like an overhead energy field had
descended on the place...he said we should not go as planned, but wait until it
passed. I guess it could have been ill intentions being cast his way - or something
else...since then I think I have felt the same energy a few times...and wondered
about Carlos Casteneda's interpretation of Death an arm's length behind us to
the left - this was definitely not our own Death - how do we get located by things
of this nature?
Sexual
Frustration
I go through stages where I become sexually frustrated and yet do
not necessarily want to have sex with someone to alleviate it; primarily
because of loss of energy, direction and the complications that mixing
with someone else's aura can bring to my simple life...and I wondered
if doing certain meditation techniques could harness this energy better.
Freewill
verses Pre-determination
"There appears to be two schools of thought relative to the issue of free
will. One is like J. Krishnamurti's, which implies we have a kind of free will
which we can use to break through delusion, and the other is like Balsekar's,
which says there is no free will and that all is pre-determined, even the desire
to break through. What is your view of this issue?"
Emotionally
Cut Free
"I meditate daily, yet I find that from time to time a very 'Annoying Person'
tries to seemingly drag power and energy from me like a magnet. Can you explain
how to escape from this seemingly difficult situation? How do I emotionally cut
free from this individual in my life?"
Families,
Relationships, & the Pursuit of Enlightenment
"What role do families and relationships play on the Pathway
to Enlightenment?"
Starting
Over
"I've just found this site and I've been out of the practice
of meditation for quite some time. What's the best way for me to get
back into the practice?"
Kundalini
"What is Kundalini?"
One
year later
"It has been approximately one year ago that our Enlightened
Teacher Rama left this world. What's your perspective on various issues
one year later?"
Rama's
emphasis on career, money, & style
"Why did Rama emphasize career, money, high styled clothes, etc.
Aren't Buddhists supposed to be detached from these things?"
Meditation
and Career
"How does meditating every day affect one's career, and what
does career have to do with the practice of meditation anyway?"
Mudras
"When I sit and meditate, sometimes I move my hands and feel
the movements through my entire body. Someone told me these are the
beginning understandings of Mudras. What are Mudras? Has Rama ever
used Mudras? Is it OK for me to use Mudras? Should I be using Mudras,
or is it better to just sit and meditate deeply?"
Staying
Centered
"The more I meditate, the more sensitive I think I am to other
people's energy, moods, etc. I was wondering what people do to keep
themselves centered. And how to recognize when other peoples' energy
is affecting you."
[More returning
soon!]