Why Are Some Controversial Teachers Still Revered, Did the Buddha Speak about the Unconscious Mind and more… (Q&A Session November’18)
Questions answered during our Q&A session:
1:31 Do you know of any good meditation centres to stay at in Thailand?
8:28 I would like to know if a Buddhist can be religious? A lot of Buddhists have told me you can’t. I would like to understand your opinion on that.
14:49 I am still struggling with single-pointed meditation versus analytical meditation and where to put my focus on. I am afraid that I will miss the transformations and realisations that can result from analytical meditation. How can I make the best out of my daily meditation time?
22:52 What does the phrase, “Seeing the universe as it really is” mean?
36:08 Buddha was a man. Why do people pray and leave offerings to him as if he were a god? I understand having a statue of Buddha for inspiration, however I don’t understand the worshipping aspect.
41:23 I am doing Lojong practice in the evening. Are there Lojong commentaries by some Gelug masters like the Dalai Lama and Thubten Chodron?
45:30 How can we master pain as a distraction in meditation?
1:00:38 What is the best course of action to take for harmful insects that might carry disease? I’m thinking specifically of lice, bedbugs, and ticks.
1:10:35 What keeps you mindful and in the present moment?
1:13:09 How could Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche have achieved a high status as a Buddhist, when he slept with students and drank excessively? I’m just curious how somebody who seems to have given in so much to his cravings could be so revered and looked up to at the same time.
1:28:54 From what I’ve learned, Gautama seems to have been an extraordinary observer of the workings of the mind. Yet, he never seems to mention the Unconscious Mind. Is there a reason for this? A friend mentioned “Latent Tendencies” as the Buddhist equivalent of the Unconscious. Is this correct?
1:39:31 Are the Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path central to all Buddhist schools?