Questions answered during our Q&A session:

1:21 Is it important to have a teacher or guide when beginning practice? Do you consider yourself a teacher or guide?

15:33 I have a concern about karma that I am creating because I have serious anger issues. I am terrified that I could end up in a Hell Realm (if they exist; I often feel as if I am in hell now). Should I just resolve myself to the fact that I will never get out of this? Am I experiencing negative karma from past lives or my personal past? How do I look at this so I have some hope?

23:13 Are there meditations to train your mind to be more open to imagination and creative thoughts while quieting the discouraging and distracting thoughts that can often plague artists and other creative types?

27:25 How do we make significant long-lasting progress on the path when we’re constantly losing our memory? I assume the process of learning the Dhamma and moving towards enlightenment should have a certain level of continuation.

35:18 How can we reconcile Samsara in our mind? What can be more delusional than believing in something where there is absolutely no factual proof, unknown and incomprehensible?

41:29 Could you please compare and contrast Samatha meditation and Vipassana meditation? If the Buddha were alive today, what would he not agree with in current Buddhism, including naming ourselves “Buddhists” in “Buddhism” since these are concepts and labels and maybe create duality? Would he approve of people putting objects on statues of him for merit?

52:08 How you can be truly responsible for your actions if everything is interdependent and lacks inherent existence: I would create more negative karma being raised in a difficult family situation and more good karma being raised in a caring one. Somehow that seems unfair to me because it is not something I can easily influence.

59:20 After the Buddha died, what happened, did someone take his place to teach? Was the Dharma created after his passing?

1:02:37 What is the Buddhist view on suicide when suffering becomes too much to bear?

1:16:32 How one can integrate with this ‘form’ world after awakening, as one still needs to live the remaining of their life on this planet?