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In Vipassana meditation - How long does one keep watching an object?
When doing vipassana meditation and when one is observing an object - for how long does one keep observing and noting the object?
I have been wondering about this for a while now since i do not know what the "correct" approach is if such an approach exist. I have once read that one should keep observing the object until it ceases to exist in order to clearly see the dissolution-step of the process that all objects follow -> Arising, Presence, Dissolution. Thereby one will be able to see the impermanent nature of phenomena.
Help would be much appreciated. Thank you.
Lanka

(This depends on the teacher or lineage.)
Generally if you stay too long on a object the following can happen:

get attached to it or obsessed with the object. Say you have a pain in your stomach then you will think this might be food poisoning. Also why is it lasting so long? It is supposed to be impermanent but why is it lingering. Likewise all kind of thoughts will keep arising due to the object.
you can miss out on other experiences in other areas. Main thing is that you should be able to see all experiences through out the body. Staying in one object means that you miss many more subtle experiences. Say your stomach hurts but there is a itching on the head. If you stay with the pain you miss the itching.

So best is to systematically change the objects (emphasis on systematic and methodically here so you don't miss watching experiences even on a small part of your body,  i.e., you have to make every inch of your body sensitive to sense the subtlest of contact / sensation, e.g. the air touching your skin in absence of any other sensations. To see things as they are you have to horn your recognising or conscious part of your mind /  aggregates to register the subtlest of realities) so you experience everything on your body at most waiting on one object for for only a few minutes or so. If you are aware of the breathing, then you can see effects on it. In my case I stay on the breath only for few breaths. (No counting the breaths.)
Likewise if there are any parts of your body which is not sensitive enough to register any input / sensation (there is an object as your facilities are in contact with something or the other by your consciousness is not strong enough to recognize it), you have to wait on that place for a short time to see if you sense something.
You have to be equanimous in facing the sensations. In the absence of craving and clinging, your perception / mental reaction towards such experiences will become weaker and weaker. Also your stop putting fuel to the fire by creating new fabrications which will create further sensual experiences in the future.
As you do this you will start seeing things dissappear faster and faster until it disappears instantly once your attention comes to the object.
Any object, arises and passes away with such rapid succession. When you are sensitive to recognise it when your attention is brought to the object itself then you will see it happening. Otherwise by staying with the object your mind can get a bit concerned and then you will start seeing the arising and passing. (Keeping in mind the above arguments. ) In the latter case if the object is something like pain sometimes it may pass away before you can get concentrated enough to see the phenomena arising and passing. (At a grosser level this is arising and passing away also. ) Any case don't get excited or disappointed.

Let Atma ask Lanka. What would you observe if the object has been disappeared? It quite good to stay as long as it still exists with it, since one could maybe not look proper.
Just stay with it, the answer will come after simply looking for your self. No need to speculate.


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Sleep and meditation
I'm a spiritual and somewhat crazy person, and have been taught both zen and samatha meditation, though I rarely practice either.
I just underwent a series of short micros sleeps, which were accompanied by musical hypnagogic hallucinations. I've had both experiences many times, but never together - and it was the closest thing I can imagine to the "sound of one hand clapping".
I felt sleepier, stopped fighting, right after I closed my eyes would hear someone singing, and then immediately seem to wake up again. This process repeated itself some four or five times, until I stopped being amazed by it (see the first paragraph) and just fell asleep (- until now).
Do any sleep experiences, like hypnagogic hallucinations, micro sleeps, or even sleep paralysis, or anything else, have anything to do with meditation? It strikes me as one way that science might come to terms with the states associated with meditation.

Hi user. There is an example of question to avoid asking here in the help center, something like "I’m curious if other people feel like I do". Perhaps this question could be turned into a more "objective" one (at least, a question whose answers, in general, are not equally valid and that readers are able to do something close of an objective comparison).

The point to remember is that this is a site primarily for receiving informative answers to questions relating to Buddhist study and practice. It is not an open forum - the format doesn't lend well to discussion. For this type of question, one of the many online dharma forums would be more suitable.

Agreed. I could easily "like" and discuss this on my facebook feed. On SE, however, this kind of question is not a great fit.

@ThiagoSilva but i didn't ask about my feelings - let alone if anyone agreed with them ?

@user3293056 the point is the rationale, the example is illustrative. But rephrasing "I'm curious if other people feel like I do" to "I'm curious if other people experienced like I did" yield the same result, the same type of question: namely, one that surveys whether or not people experienced something, not a question that puts forward an inquiry inviting answers that clarify buddhist practice or doctrine (or asks for a clarification of an experience through the lens of buddhism).

@ThiagoSilva ok i may change the question !

@user3293056 I think a problem with a question that is phrased like, "Has anyone ever experienced anyone like this?" is that it could attract an unlimited number of people each answering "Yes, me!". Each new answer would be a bit new (different from previous answers) and as valid as any previous answer. There's no obvious way to select any best answer to that question, no way for any answer to finish answering or to provide a complete answer to the question. And it doesn't seem to describe any practical problem you have, so there's no way for anyone to help to answer/fix that problem.

Next time, try rephrasing your question as does _____ have anything to do with Buddhism?
Hypnogogic imagery DOES have something to do with mastering the lucid dreaming process in Tibetan Buddhism. Basically you have to master it and not get swept up in the process.

The question that crab bucket has asked recently is just the modified form of this question. This question do not deserve to be put on hold.

@jitin Crab bucket's question is modified, in particular it identifies a problem to be solved, and it asks for advice (on how to deal with this problem).

I have.  The hypnagogic/hypnaponic state is known for the interesting and even intense phenomena that can arise.  Here's my most vivid experience:

I woke up one morning, paralyzed.  This happened before (sleep paralysis), and I knew it was a symptom of the hypnagogic/hypnaponic state. Well, I had recently read a book on out-of-body experiences (OBE), and it stated that I should simply will myself to lift out of my body.  So I did.
I then felt a buzzing sensation up and down my body that grew to a
  fevered pitch.  It was INTENSE.  Then I felt myself lifting out of my
  body, with a static-electricity-like sensation at every point I exited. Then I
  saw the ceiling coming closer through CLOSED EYELIDS.
I was terrified, so terrified I wanted back in.  I ended up
  snapping back in, and literally shivered myself to sleep.
Then I woke up again, and heard strange music.  I never heard this song
  before, but the voice sounded like Sinead O'Connor's.  I then felt the
  buzzing again, like it was a spontaneous OBE.  I fought it hard, and
  it stopped.

The above was very vivid, more vivid than my waking experiences.  I chalk it up to the hallucinations (or lucid dreams) possible from this state.

hey that's interesting, i think i've had sleep paralysis before - but mostly try not to think about the nightmarish qualities of sleep

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Hard to understand becoming in paticca samupadda
It is said that dependent on becoming birth arises.
How can I understand becoming? What is becoming? Can you give me a simile by which I can understand it?
For example it is very easy to understand that dependent on birth, death arises because these two concepts are like the two faces of the same coin. You can't have one without the other.
How to see becoming to make it clear?

In Theravada Buddhism, there are two kinds of bhava:

kamma-bhava - the becoming that is kamma
upapatti-bhava - the becoming that is coming-to-be

The former is what is directly understood to be referred to in the teaching on dependent origination. It refers to the wholesome or unwholesome mental formation that constitutes volitional activity. It is the result of clinging, since clinging leads directly to acting on one's intense desire.
The second type of becoming is a by-product of kamma-bhava and is actually more or less synonymous with rebirth.

As it is said, "Bhava paccaya jāti," rebirth occurs in the human and deva worlds or in the lower worlds because of good or evil kamma-process. So rebirth stems from kammas which result from clinging (upādāna) and craving that is rooted in the contact between the six sense-objects and the corresponding sense-organs (āyatana).
In other words, there arise viññāna, nāmarūpa, salhāyatana, phassa and vedanā in the present life as the avijjā saṅkhāra, etc in a previous existence and now on top of that, taṇhā and upādāna give rise to new rebirth. The situation is like that of a man who has committed a crime while he is in prison for a previous conviction, or that of a man who has incurred new debt before he has fully settled his old debt.
Such new kammas accumulate by the thousands in a single lifetime. Under certain conditions one of these kammas becomes a death-bed vision and leads to rebirth while other kammas will create rebirth at other times in the life-cycle. If there are residual kammas from the previous lives that possess great force, they take precedence over present kamma, appear as death-bed visions and create rebirth in the lower or higher worlds. The post-mortem destiny of the person in such cases is determined by the nature of kamma.
-- Mahasi Sayadaw, Paticcasamuppada

As a simile, upadana is like the heat of rubbing two sticks together, bhava is like the igniting of the spark, and jati is like the flame and smoke that arise based on the ignition.

The idea of "I" is becoming.
The questions "How can I understand becoming?" and  "Can you give me a simile by which I can understand it?" are becoming because they are born of attachment & craving, as follows:

The craving that makes for further becoming — accompanied by passion &
  delight, relishing now here & now there — i.e., craving for sensual
  pleasure, craving for becoming, craving for non-becoming: This, friend
  Visakha, is the origination of self-identification described by the
  Blessed One.
MN 44

Paticcasamuppāda is loop.
(past:) having kilesa (especially avijja&taṇha) > do kamma (saṅkhāra/kamma-bhava) > (present:) becoming/born (suffering/uppatti-bhava/jāti) > having kilesa  > do kamma > (future:) becoming/born > (infinity loop).
Why buddha splits paticcasamuppāda to 3 periods?
Because  periods  make the practitioner notice 3 characterizes (anicca-characterize, dukkha-characterize, and anattā-characterize) through every time, so nowhere secure, every where is suffered by 3 characterizes. And the suffering can arise because of kilesa (especially avijjā&taṇhā). So stop the loop by destroy avijjā&taṇhā is one-way path to vanish the whole suffering.
See more information in tipitaka-pali S.N. nidānavagga, M.N. rathavinītasutta,
 paṭisambhidāmagga dhmmaṭṭhitiñāṇaniddesa, visuddhimagga kaṅkhāvitaraṇavisuddhi, saṅgaha chapter 8 and 9.

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Going from a waking state into the dream state while being conscious
I just listened to a audio dhamma talk by Ajahn Punnadhammo. Its called "Stop thinking" and can be found here.
In the last 5 minutes of the talk Ajahn Punnadhammo mentions some good exercises for learning about reality. He says that a good exercise is to try to be conscious while entering the dream state from waking state because the stages of falling asleep exactly mirror  the stages of dying! He says its like a sneak preview of what happens when one dies.
My question is; if one trains in this and succeeds in being aware and conscious throughout the death process and into the next life will one then be able to remember the previous (this) life?
Thank you for your time.
Lanka

Sri Lanka, I think that if you try hard enough at anything, you can succeed. I would be interested in your reasons for wanting to do so. I used to think that I have some memories of past lives, etc, but at some point I had an experience that made it basically irrelevant. There is so much here right now. Do you need more?

Thank you for your answer. I have actually no interest in remembering past lives. Instead i would like to develop through insight meditation. I would like to become a Buddha at one point in time so when that happens i will know all the past lives. I just asked this question because if one can remember just this 1 life when starting the next life, one would know already from infant what direction one should choose. Imagine that - being able to know that one should practice the dhamma already from 3-4 years old. Other than that i have no interest in past lives.

Also i wanted to train this because of being prepared for when death comes. Being prepared and trained to stay aware in this magnifizent oppertunity for learning!!

From my experience,staying awake while the body falls asleep can lead to Sleep Paralysis.

Thank you for sharing that Orion. I have had that experience too and it was scary. But i think one can work through it by using the noting-technique. I havent tried that yet though. What is your opinion on that?

I'm not sure Lanka,i have never tried noting during sleep.I was just watching the breath that's what kept me awake while the body shut down and then sleep paralysis hit me.

When I was about 12 I used to use self-hypnosis to force myself to go to sleep, but like you, it led to a paradoxical state and frightening paralysis. It is not fatal. Now when I want to get to sleep fast, I just meditate : )

@nocomprende. What kind of meditation method do you use to sleep fast? I find that it take longer for me to fall asleep when i meditate before sleeping. I use the mahasi-method.

Well, my comment about meditating to fall asleep was intended as humor, but is perhaps bordering on disrespect for the knowledge that I was given. As we know, one is not supposed to fall asleep while meditating! However, I was given some methods for caring for my energy body, and when I use those before falling asleep, it helps. I used to live at a retreat center, but have left and do not wish to disclose the name of the group. The meditation I was taught is mantra - a form of Raja-Kriya Yoga.

If one is truly mindful during the process of death, then one of two possibilities exist; either one will pass away into complete liberation as an enlightened being or, if there is still some substratum of clinging, one will be reborn as a deva or brahma and be fully conscious of one's previous life.

Thank you for this teaching Bhante. I really appreciate it. For a long time i have been wondering about what would happen if one were mindful throughout the entire death process. This has certainly given me motivation to practice this so i can prepare myself for when death occurs.


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Trouble understanding the path factor of Right Effort
The path factor Right Effort in the noble eight-fold path contains 4 steps which are;

Prevent the unwholesome that has not yet arisen in oneself.
Let go of the unwholesome that has arisen in oneself.
Bring up the wholesome that has not yet arisen in oneself.
Maintain the wholesome that has arisen in oneself.

I understand 1, 3 and 4 but have trouble understanding no 2 - "Let go of unwholesome that has arisen in oneself".
Is that done by using the noting-technique and then observing and noting the phenomena until it disappears?
Or is it that when e.g. anger has arisen and other techniques dont work then one uses Metta meditation as an anti-dote?
Thank you for your time.
Lanka

'Let go' is probably a bad translation. 'Abandon' might be better, or even 'remove'. It's from a root meaning 'in regards to becoming devoid of'.

Thank you for adding substance to that Bhante! Makes it easier to comprehend it. I had trouble understanding it to begin with because i thought that when actively trying to do away with the unwholesome arisen phenomena, one was instead creating/showing aversion towards the unwholesome phenomena.

There're different antidotes to the different unwholesome states that arise. Ven. Bodhi in his "The Noble Eightfold Path"'s Chapter 5 wrote:

For desire a remedy of general application is the meditation on impermanence, which knocks away the underlying prop of clinging, the implicit assumption that the objects clung to are stable and durable. For desire in the specific form of sensual lust the most potent antidote is the contemplation of the unattractive nature of the body, to be dealt with at greater length in the next chapter. Ill will meets its proper remedy in the meditation on loving-kindness (metta), which banishes all traces of hatred and anger through the methodical radiation of the altruistic wish that all beings be well and happy. The dispelling of dullness and drowsiness calls for a special effort to arouse energy, for which several methods are suggested: the visualization of a brilliant ball of light, getting up and doing a period of brisk walking meditation, reflection on death, or simply making a firm determination to continue striving. Restlessness and worry are most effectively countered by turning the mind to a simple object that tends to calm it down; the method usually recommended is mindfulness of breathing, attention to the in-and-out flow of the breath. In the case of doubt the special remedy is investigation: to make inquiries, ask questions, and study the teachings until the obscure points become clear.

Thanks a lot Santa for your answer. I actually have this book but didnt get to the part of Right Effort yet.

Abandoning is through:

application of antidotes to common polarity of perception [Girimanada, 10 perceptions]
abandoning the by being mindful and equanimous towards sensation thus not craving and clinging knowing the impermanence of the sensation, thus not adding fuel to the conditioning process ("normal" Sattipatana method as generally taught)
actively calming the fabrications (calming the breath and bodily functions, anchoring wondering the mind, etc.) while being mindful and equanimous to sensation. Here there is actively calming (fire fighting) than passively observing. (Anapana method)
Eradicating the defilements, influxes, 3 poisons, 10 fetters, etc. see [Sabbasava Sutta]

Also see: The Discourse on the (Four) Exertions

Thank you Suminda for this very detailed answer. I appreciate it. I like especially the link to the Discourse on the (Four) Exertions.

See: http://dharmafarer.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/30.3-Sabbasava-S-m2-piya.pdf


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Meditating dead monks
I stumbled upon this story about a 200 year old buddhist monk found in Mongolia where its claimed that he is not dead but instead in a very deep state of meditation.
I have heard about dead meditating monks before where its been claimed that they are not really dead but in deep state of meditation.
Here are some quotes from the story:

"Now, an expert has claimed the monk may have been in a rare spiritual state known as "tukdam"."
"When his body was examined by Buddhist monks in 1955 and again in 1973, Itigilov apparently remained in the lotus position and his body did not appear to show signs of decay."
"He said while the salt in the coffin may have played a part in slowing decay, other factors may have included the soil and the coffin's condition, adding the possibility of "some secret process of embalming" could not be ruled out."

Are these stories ought to be taken as fake or superstition or are there any reliable proof based on facts if such can even exist?
Thank you for your time.
Lanka

I tired to answer that question on another site: see this answer.
In summary I think (based on my reading, not being an expert) that "tukdam" means 'dead and meditating' or 'meditating after death' (so, it doesn't mean, 'not dead' or 'body not dead').
The news article hyperlinked in that question includes a picture of the monk's mummified (dead) body.

Thanks a lot for this answer. Is it possible that we could get your answer from this other site onto Buddhism SE - maybe copy-paste if that is allowed? I think its a great answer that elaborates on the topic and gives a fuller explanation.


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Was the Buddha harsh?

"And to whom, worthless man, do you understand me to have taught the Dhamma like that? Haven't I, in many ways, said of dependently co-arisen consciousness, 'Apart from a requisite condition, there is no coming-into-play of consciousness'? [2] But you, through your own poor grasp, not only slander us but also dig yourself up [by the root] and produce much demerit for yourself. That will lead to your long-term harm & suffering."
-- Mahatanhasankhaya Sutta, MN 38

There are many suttas in the canon where the Buddha admonishes monks, and the above is a notable example.
The translations, at least to my eyes, come as particularly harsh: "worthless" (in Nanamoli/Bodhi, we read "misguided" instead of "worthless". I've also read "foolish" elsewhere) -- there was another reprimand from the Buddha, almost mean as I recall how I felt while reading it, but which I could not find again.
I've constantly felt troubled with these passages. I also look with very suspicious eyes the dribbling with "The buddha was harsh for their own good" (unless, if it is the Buddha himself justifying his harsh words, not we trying to excuse him and spare the texts). I find it troubling specially in light of:

the very explicit right speech teachings, promoting the abandonment of harsh words.
the difficulty of reconcile harsh "formations" in a mind free of defilements.

Are the other/older versions (say, chinese, pali and tibetan) of these passages evoking somewhat equivalent harsh emotions on a reader? Or is it a particularity of the english translations? (Or is it just me?)
Otherwise, were these harsh reprimands ever discussed (in books, commentaries, etc)?

The literal translation is indeed 'worthless man'.

Seemingly harsh words don't go against right speech unless the intention is to hurt the individual. Most Asian parents use harsh words to straighten up their kids.

This question is addressed in the Abhaya Sutta from the Buddha himself, on the topic of Right Speech.
Your question should fall under "In the case of words that the Tathagata knows to be factual, true, beneficial, but unendearing & disagreeable to others, he has a sense of the proper time for saying them." (Abhaya Sutta).
From your same link on the Mahatanhasankhaya Sutta, you can read the commentary by Thanissaro Bhikkhu:

The Buddha calls Sāti into his presence, and after ascertaining that
  Sāti will not abandon his view even when reprimanded by the Buddha
  himself, he abandons Sāti as too recalcitrant to teach, and turns to
  cross-question the monks as to the relevant right view of how
  consciousness functions in the process leading to repeated birth.
The Buddha's treatment of Sāti might seem harsh, but he is actually
  acting out of compassion for the monks in the assembly, in case any of
  them might be swayed by Sāti's position. Seeing Sāti as a lost cause,
  the Buddha doesn't want this lost cause to cause further losses among
  the other monks. We have to remember that during the Buddha's lifetime
  there were no written accounts of his teachings; the monks and nuns
  all had to rely on their memory of what they had heard directly from
  him or through word-of-mouth from fellow members of the Saṅgha. Thus
  the Buddha saw the need to establish orthodoxy whenever a member of
  the Saṅgha was espousing false interpretations of his teaching.

The Buddha also discusses this in the Kesi Sutta which is summarized here by Thanissaro Bhikku:

Once, when a horse trainer came to see the Buddha, the Buddha
  asked him how he trained his horses. The trainer said that some horses
  responded to gentle training, others to harsh training, others
  required both harsh and gentle training, but if a horse didn't respond
  to either type of training, he'd kill the horse to maintain the
  reputation of his teachers' lineage. Then the trainer asked the Buddha
  how he trained his students, and the Buddha replied, "In the same
  way." Some students responded to gentle criticism, others to harsh
  criticism, others to a mixture of the two, but if a student didn't
  respond to either type of criticism, he'd kill the student. This
  shocked the horse trainer, but then the Buddha explained what he meant
  by "killing": He wouldn't train the student any further, which
  essentially killed the student's opportunity to grow in the practice.

Abhaya Sutta did not seem to fully address this to me, but Kesi sutta is spot on, thanks!

Just something I recently noted about this sutta: the Buddha explained what is the "gentle method" as "such is bodily good conduct ...such are devas, ...", the "stern method" as "such is bodily misconduct, ..., such is hell, ...", and the "gentle and stern method as the combination of the two ("such is bodily good conduct, ..., such is bodily misconduct"). So, while I think Thanissaro's interpretation might be a good and representative one, it seems it could also be at risk of being a stretch from what the texts actually say?

Here is a case of the Buddha himself justifying his speaking harsh words with a for-their-own-good type explanation from the Abhaya Sutta:

Just yesterday, lord, I went to Nigantha Nataputta and... he said to
  me...'Come now, prince. Go to Gotama the contemplative and on arrival
  say this: "Lord, would the Tathagata say words that are unendearing &
  disagreeable to others?"... Just as if a two-horned chestnut were
  stuck in a man's throat: he would not be able to swallow it down or
  spit it up. In the same way, when Gotama the contemplative is asked
  this two-pronged question by you, he won't be able to swallow it down
  or spit it up.'
Now at that time a baby boy was lying face-up on the prince's lap. So
  the Blessed One said to the prince, "What do you think, prince: If
  this young boy, through your own negligence or that of the nurse, were
  to take a stick or a piece of gravel into its mouth, what would you
  do?"
"I would take it out, lord. If I couldn't get it out right away, then
  holding its head in my left hand and crooking a finger of my right, I
  would take it out, even if it meant drawing blood. Why is that?
  Because I have sympathy for the young boy."
"In the same way, prince:
(1) In the case of words that the Tathagata knows to be unfactual,
  untrue, unbeneficial (or: not connected with the goal), unendearing &
  disagreeable to others, he does not say them.
(2) In the case of words that the Tathagata knows to be factual, true,
  unbeneficial, unendearing & disagreeable to others, he does not say
  them.
(3) In the case of words that the Tathagata knows to be factual, true,
  beneficial, but unendearing & disagreeable to others, he has a sense
  of the proper time for saying them.
(4) In the case of words that the Tathagata knows to be unfactual,
  untrue, unbeneficial, but endearing & agreeable to others, he does not
  say them.
(5) In the case of words that the Tathagata knows to be factual, true,
  unbeneficial, but endearing & agreeable to others, he does not say
  them.
(6) In the case of words that the Tathagata knows to be factual, true,
  beneficial, and endearing & agreeable to others, he has a sense of the
  proper time for saying them. Why is that? Because the Tathagata has
  sympathy for living beings.1


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Non Buddha Realms
I am not sure if I am asking about Original Enlightenment, but suppose that a sentient being doesn't (really) know they are a Buddha.
Are they really in e.g. a human or animal realm, or are they in a Buddha realm but experiencing obstructions to their awareness of that?

Hello. I noticed your question is tagged as "tendai". Are you looking for an answer from that perspective only?

no really, no - answer from any tradition. my question the way it is framed just reminded me of what i know about that school :)

From a Theravada point of view, a Buddha is an enlightened human with perfected insight and wisdom who lives in a human realm until he passes away into parinibbāna; at which point he would cease to exist. As an enlightened human with perfected insight and wisdom, it would not be possible to experience obstruction to awareness.
From some Mahayana points of view, we are all Buddhas already:

Another way of putting this is to say that Buddha Nature is "something" -- perhaps not the right word, but I don't think there is a right word -- that you are, together with all beings. And this "something" is already enlightened. Because beings cling to a false idea of a finite self, set apart from everything else, they do not experience themselves as Buddhas. But when beings clarify the nature of their existence they experience the Buddha Nature that was always there.
  Source: http://buddhism.about.com/od/mahayanabuddhism/a/Buddha-Nature.htm

(The above is a very basic reference to Buddha Nature, but I didn't want to get off topic with too much detail of something I am not well versed in.)
The concept of Buddha Nature also allows for non humans to be Buddhas:

The Lotus Sutra, written between 100 BCE and 200 CE, further developed and popularized the doctrine of the Buddha-nature. It influenced subsequent later sutras.[26]
  The tenth chapter emphasizes, in accordance with the Bodhisattva-ideal of the Mahayana teachings, that everyone can be liberated. All living beings can become a buddha, not only monks and nuns, but also laypeople, śrāvakas, bodhisattvas, and non-human creatures.[26] It also details that all living beings can be a 'teacher of the Dharma'. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddha-nature

So from this point of view, with all beings as part of an enlightened "something" many of whom do not experience their enlightenment due to delusion of a separate self; it would be possible for a Buddha of any realm to not know they were a Buddha.


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Is the title of tathagata ever literal?
I think it translates as e.g. "one who has thus gone".
My question is whether any historical being has ever really and in entirety "thus gone".
Perhaps in spirit, or in expression, but if e.g. Gautama really did - wouldn't we all be likewise "thus come"?

possible duplicate of Why does the Buddha call himself the Tathāgata?

@ChrisW i don't think the question is the same - please do edit the question if you feel you can help  :) ??

The answers to that question say that it has several (eight) possible 'etymological' meanings. I don't know what a 'literal' meaning is, that you could be asking about anew, apart from the several/ambiguous 'etymological' meanings. Unrul3r's answer is that they can't tell whether it's "gata" or "agata" i.e. going or coming. Andrei's is that it means "rooted". My guess is that its meaning includes the Buddha's loss of identity-view. And then you're asking about "in spirit, or in expression" which might be the very opposite of "literal".

I'm not sure what you trying to ask. Is it something like, "What does 'tathagata' mean? Was Gautama telling the truth when he called himself 'tathagata'? And/or any other historical being? Are we the opposite of whatever 'tathagata' means?" And you added the [tag:boddhisattva-vows] tag: do you want to connect that, somehow, with what you're asking?

This question is hard to interpret. By asking, "is X ever Y?", it seems like you are asking about the usage of X in a particular context; but then you clarify in the form of "has anyone ever P" which is a totally different question. Lastly, why would Gautama's having done P mean that we have all ~P?

Also "~P" could be "not-thus gone" as well as or instead of "thus not-gone".

The term Tathagata is gramatically ambiguous. You can parse it in two main ways. You can parse it as Tatha+gata, "He who has gone thus" which refers to going over to the other shore, which is a title of Nirvana, or you can take it as Tatha+agata (in which case the first a in agata drops out due to Sandhi) which means "He who has come thus" referring to coming to see the truth, or as "He who has come to see thus" because the term thus here is related to the term Tathata, meaning suchness, which is another title of Nirvana.

This article is highly relevant
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an06/an06.054.olen.html
I don't have time to write a full response, but that article (especially the Notes section) contains a lot of worthy information about the origins of the name.

Thank you for the reference! The note says, "consciousness of a Tathagata is untraceable" but the referenced Sn 1074 says, "goes to an end that cannot be classified". So, IMO it's consciousness after death that's unclassifiable. Using the bird-and-sailors simile, I can see the advantage of a bird that's unattached to the ship, but presumably the sailors need to be able to watch the direction in which the bird will fly away.

I think there is a clue when the Buddha was asked "Who are you?"
Buddha thought for awhile and then said I am awake.
Buddha did not say I am the son of a king, the father of a child and a husband, he did not say he was the head of a spiritual order.
http://www.noble-buddhism-beliefs.com/buddha-quotes.html

I am Awake
A Brahman saw the Buddha resting under a tree in meditation. The
  Brahman was impressed with the Buddha's disposition and demeanor.   He
  asked, "Are you a god?"
"No, Brahman, I'm not a god."
"Are you an angel?"
"No", replied the Buddha.
"You must be a spirit then?"
"No, I'm not a spirit," said the Buddha.
"Then what are you?"
"I'm awake."

"I am awake" he said. In modern terms it is not a long stretch to say I am consciousness. Well if I am consciousness or I am awake, is there any historical figure the Buddha would point out to us? Is it not probable that those who are trying to establish historical figures waking up have missed a fine point? It is not the historical figure that changes, it is their state of consciousness.
One who has thus gone would then be one who has gone out of the awareness of the world seen as things to a state of seeing all as an expression of consciousness.
We are all potential Buddha realized beings so we are all potentially "One who has thus gone." The spiritual preparation does have steps of purifying intentions and disciplining an unruly sense of self. But the emphasis is more on realizing awakeness than on categorizing our unpolished diamond nature.
So for me the question is what can I do to know in my heart without wavering or doubt that "I am awake." No more illusions then. Perhaps that is the going beyond, going beyond illusions. More than that is difficult to say with certainty.


text:
Zen koans, is there any point in thinking about them?
Or must we just count our breaths and repeat the phrase?
I was asked I think "what is your original face" - and I think it's the way / tao, but that's just something that occurred to me, I wrote down on a computer and it seemed alright.
It's not that I want to be a part of some tradition or church, really. But all I got out of counting breaths was a lot of leg pain, somewhat (but not completely) offset with some nice feelings and lots of stuff like this /<<<^^^^^

That type of koan is called a breakthrough koan. It is meant to lead to a sudden, initial insight that is direct awareness.
I have heard practice of breakthrough koans described as, "becoming one with the koan", which implies concentrating on it like a mantra.
The insight it leads to is beyond concepts. So by becoming one with the koan, in a flash, you will actually experience "Mu"/tao/the way. As opposed to just conceptualizing it.
Wuzu Fayan said, “It is like an Ox that passes through a latticed window. Its head, horns, and four legs all pass through. So, why can’t its tail also pass through?”
The ox, being conceptual thought, has been transcended; "Mu"

I think it's the way

Don't think. Transcend thinking. That is the way.
edit: Venerable Chong An Sunim explains there are different ways to approach koans. His suggestion is to do regular meditation (e.g., mindfulness of breathing). Sometime later, either while meditating, or just in everyday life, you will have an epiphany in regards to the true meaning of the koan.

If the ox is conceptual thought and Zen is the passing beyond it, why can't the tail get through?  ;-)

I don't teach koans nor do I work with a koan teacher. With that said, the ox is not real. It represents illusion. The lattice window represents insight. When enough insight happens, illusion is destroyed and the ox transcended. Similar to when people say, "meditate enough and meditation starts to do you." If you visit the link in my comment, Chong An Sunim has a video series explaining the Ox Herding Pictures.

Say you're learning some complex kind of science, maths, or something, and at the end of the chapter there are some questions. In something like history there might be an essay or something. There's no test, or anything, the problems aren't very realistic. Actually, the causes of World War Two are pretty well known and Pythagoras' theorem well and truly proved for some Millennia, not only is an eighth-grader from rural Colorado unlikely to add anything to that body of knowledge, it's unlikely to be of any use to the eighth-grader in later life, either.
But the authors always tell you how really important it is to do them, and not to cheat, and the students never believe them. The teachers, they say that there's something which isn't the direct object of the exercise which happens if you do them. Not only can you recite bits of important texts for the test, but you really get the idea. You can tell the difference between a kid who's memorised a textbook and one who just gets it, right?
Don't treat them like an Agatha Christie novel, though, nor something with a one sentence answer, or a single number. Don't break them into parts or analyse them: just constantly bear the problem in mind -- sleep on them.

I apologize: I'm gong to try to answer this even though I have not been taught zen.
I read a collection of zen koans a long time ago and I thought that they were cool (i.e. like an attractive puzzle) but kind of slippery (difficult to grasp or solve, difficult to get inside a koan and understand it).
In summary my answer is going to be that, maybe koans are good but they're not enough?
I say that because, since the time when I read those koans, I had more experience of life, and I learned (read, thought about, tried to learn some basic vocabulary of) a bit more Buddhist dharma. So now perhaps there's a bit of Buddhist dharma in me (or "in my understanding / vocabulary / mind").
Now when I read a koan, instead of trying to get into it, instead of finding myself being able to get into it, my experience is that it gets into me. When I attempting to parse (make sense of) the koan's words, they connect with bits of dharma that are already in me. One koan is like a ball with several spikes, that sticks inside me, and each spike connects to or activates a different bit of dharma, and joins them together or, I don't know what (because I'm not practising that).

If you really want to pass this barrier, you should feel like drinking a hot iron ball that you can neither swallow nor spit out.

For example, "what is your original face" makes me think of what I've learned about what Buddhist dharma says about "self", gets me thinking about that, and wondering "if I understood this koan (and understood Buddhist dharma about 'self') then how would that affect 'me', would it change my behaviour or outlook or the way people see me, etc."
So again, in summary: maybe they (koans) are good but not enough.
If you're learning (or being taught) Zen, I've no idea what other Buddhist Dharma (sources of dharma, suttas, teachers, lectures maybe, vocabulary) you're exposed to; perhaps the koan combines with these somehow?


text:
is nirvana - just whatever a Buddha wants?
Suppose Dave is a Buddha.
Does he want to be a Buddha?
Will he get what he wants - forever ?
Does it matter ?

Maybe there was more to this question than I thought.

1.Suppose Dave is a Buddha
Ok.
2.Does he want to be a Buddha?
Well his already a Buddha isn't he.If he didn't want to be a Buddha he wouldn't have worked so hard for it.
3.Will he get what he wants - forever ?
Like you said Dave is Already a Buddha.So there's no mystery,we know he got what he wanted.Forever? No. Only until his Parinibanna.
4.Does it matter ?
I think so yes.Becoming a Buddha means a lot to the person aspiring for Buddhahood.And it means a lot to the rest of us.So I think of course it would matter.

there's more to the question than being r dismissive. what is nirvana ?

though in fairness you answered what i was getting at - point 3 - he / she doesn't. i accept the answer as an answer, unless anyone disagrees ?

Does he want to be a Buddha?

I think it's usually expressed as a negative:

Life (or the experience of life) is unsatisfactory when you're not a Buddha; many examples of its being unsatisfactory include poverty, illness, death, separation from people and things you love, inability to have what you want, inability to keep what you have, failure to do what you want to, etc. (sorry for all that bad news! :-) That's the so-called "first noble truth".
This dissatisfaction is caused by desire: I want to live forever! I want all my friends and family, and everything I like, to live forever! I want no pain, no sickness, for anyone! Lots of money! Endless paradise! Never anything unpleasant! But I can't have any of these things and so life is unsatisfactory. That's the so-called "second noble truth".
This dissatisfaction (and desire) can end. If I stop wanting things that are unreal, stop wanting to keep things that are impermanent, then I'll stop finding life unsatisfactory. That's the so-called "third noble truth".

So I think that the Buddha knows (and teaches) that wanting (thirsting for) the wrong things (e.g. impermanent things) causes unhappiness. Dave no longer wants those things and is, consequently, no longer unhappy.

Will he get what he wants - forever ?

Well, yes: for as long as he's alive. It's assumed that once he became fully enlightened then he will no longer (or not again) become unenlightened. Because being unenlightened means wanting the wrong thing, wanting the kind of impermanent thing that will cause unhappiness: and the Buddha knows better (is wiser and has more discipline) than to do that.
There is a bit in the literature where people asked what happens to a Buddha after he dies, and the Buddha says that's one of the questions that not worth asking.

is nirvana - just whatever a Buddha wants?

I think it can be described as being liberated (freed) from the dissatisfaction which is caused by wanting or clinging to impermanent things.

So I started to answer: what the Buddha taught might be summarized as "the four noble truths" or as "causes of suffering, and his path or way to end suffering".
And I started this answer by saying it's expressed as a negative ("end of suffering").
But there's more to the teaching than that: joy; serenity; loving-kindness. Removing causes for suffering allows room for other, better experiences, more like the "getting what he wants" which you asked about. For example the Kimattha Sutta mentions words like 'reward', 'joy', 'serenity', etc.
I think that the Buddha also decided that a cause of dissatisfaction (which, he freed himself from) was views about 'self': views like "me" and "mine" etc.
According to the biography, once he became enlightened he felt compassion for other people who were still suffering, and decided to try to teach to them (in case, with the help of his teaching, some of them too could free themselves from suffering). And so he began to teach.
I guess we can say that that (i.e. helping to enlighten other people, other people becoming free and safe) was what he 'wanted'.

I liked this answer because it managed to teach something useful from an apparently unpromising question.

@Dan Sheppard I thought the question was apparently unpromising also but perhaps this question is more than it looks.

No, nirvana is not omnipotence and complete control of the universe.
Nirvana is understanding and embracing the true nature of ones mind.
Any state of getting whatever you want is impermanent.
The ultimate goal is ending suffering, I think this matters, I'd like to reduce suffering, it seems a fair task.
Some schools teach only the reduction of your own suffering.
Others the reduction of all suffering held by any sentient being.

I know the Theravada school teaches the reduction of all suffering.

Does he want to be a Buddha?
He doesn't want and doesn't
not want to be a Buddha.
Will he get what he wants - forever ? Being a Buddha,  Dave would want nothing. He gets what he wants(nothing) forever until the concept of time ceases in Parinibanna.
Does it matter?
It doesn't matter until someone makes it matter.
Is nirvana - just whatever a Buddha wants?
This question assumes that a Buddha would want something.


text:
"Switching focus"
When completely absorbed in a meaningful task, a friend or stranger passes by and says "Hello" or initiates a conversation. I now find myself not being as kind as I would like to be as my mind is still completely absorbed in the task at hand.
Meditation has helped improve my ability to focus like this and let external events just flow by, but from a Buddhist perspective, how can I practice my ability to "switch" and be more present in the interaction with the by-passer when I actually want to?

Mindfulness in daily activities can be very important to one's Buddhist practice. Meeting every and all social expectation isn't so important to one's practice. So to the extent possible, you may wish to remain mindfully absorbed in your task and not look for social cues that strangers want to talk to you. There is really no need to "be more present in the interaction with the passerby than I actually want to". You can let go of the feeling that you need to be available to everyone.
Of course this won't always work and sometimes it's a friend that's come to talk to you and you must stop what you're doing and respond. Noting your feelings ("annoyed" or "bored" or "anxious") without judging the feelings can help you remain mindful throughout the time you are talking.
If your friends drop by unexpectedly very often, they may not understand your need for time alone for your practice of mindfulness and meditation and the constant interruptions can make it hard for you to sustain your practice. Talking to them about this may be helpful especially since you are feeling "not as kind" as you'd like to be and that's not good for your mental state or the continuation of your friendship.
In other words, there is value to remaining mindfully absorbed at times and limiting the circumstances under which you even need to switch focus may be more beneficial than trying to learn a skillful way of switching focus quickly over and over through the day.

Your awareness and focus should be on arising and passing of phenomena pertaining to the 4 foundations of mindfullness (impermanence if you still cannot see arising and passing of phenomena) with strong equanimity towards sensations and maintaining your mind free from clinging and craving. It is not the task that you should be absorbed in but experiencing phenomena as they come and go. Also any of the 4 foundations of mindfullness you have to experience at the experiential level hence through sensations. E.g. if you are looking at your body posture then it should be the outline of sensations that you experience through your sense faculties that any conceptualization of the particular posture.
What ever task you do keep looking at phenomena / sensations / elements arising and passing equnimously then it is enough. You can even multi task.


text:
Is it possible to destroy the rupa heavens?
This may sound like an unusual question, but - is it possible in theory to destroy the rupa heavens - not by avoiding rebirth there, but for other sentient beings?
Not the tusita heaven - which I understand (correctly or not ha) is part of kamadhatu and strictly one of the jhanas :)
Thanks !

If I'm not mistaken, all realms will be at some point be destroyed and would reappear again, forever, in cycles.

There should be an observer experience any plane of existence. Once the observer is no more, in a relative sense they cease to exist.
All these are experienced through consciousness. When consciousness cease to exist so does all the places of existence.


text:
How do buddhist monks who are teachers have time for their own practice?
For a while now i have been wondering about how buddhist monks have time for their own practice. When i see buddhist monks like Ven. Yuttadhammo, Ajahn Brahm and Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi who contribute so much to the teaching of the dhamma and have set in motion so many initiatives like making videos, written books, teaching pali language, teaching on retreats etc. i wondered when and how they have time for their own practice?
Thank you for your time.
Lanka

It is a part of their practice. Teaching the Dhamma helps one understand it better. The more one understands the Dhamma, the closer one gets to Nibbana. Besides, how do lay people find time for Dhamma while doing full time jobs? Monks don't do jobs. So they have plenty of time to both teach and meditate.

Thanks Sankha. What if a monk who has students wanted to do a soletary retreat for some time e.g. 3-6 month. How can he do that if he has students?

How can a prince who is expected to be the king leave everything(including his wife and newborn child) behind and go meditate in the forest for years? :)

Renunciation. I understand now:)

It could be, if intention isn't actually one to gain favor and followers, if not finished the training, one of the five ways toward release...

“Further, it’s not that the Teacher or a fellow person leading the holy life teaches the Dhamma to the monk. But the monk teaches the Dhamma to others in detail, as he has heard it, as he has learned it2. And in whatever way he teaches the Dhamma to others in detail, as he has heard it, as he has learned it, in just that way the monk, with regard to that Dhamma, is sensitive to the meaning, is sensitive to the Dhamma. In him—sensitive to the meaning, sensitive to the Dhamma—joy is born. When he is joyful, rapture is born. In one who is enraptured at heart, the body grows calm. When the body is calm, one feels pleasure. Feeling pleasure, the mind becomes concentrated. This, monks, is the second opening to release…

Generally, if in training, teaching is next building, making robes... other allowed things, actually a 'palipoth', a hindrance, and suggested to be avoided by one in training generally.
In regard of how to see it as a receiver (which is the better view): a matter of much gratitude in any case (since teaching isn't a duty and requires a lot of sacrifices), and to avoid approach just as entertainment or not really serious, since a 'compassionate' monk could lose much needed substance. Not out of reason are 'practitioners' dwelling near teachers and in Dhammic areas, but do not progress through lake of effort, called 'hungry ghosts', something, an existance, caused also by being of disturbing nature, habit.
Generally, on the other side, from other view, occasions where one could receive Dhamma, has an open ear, are so seldom, that a person understanding the matterwould not hesitate not to sleep, eat, walk long distances and take on burdens seldom someone would be clear of them, and if, never take such as receiving teaching the Dhamma as light and common to gain.
Sure, most here wouldn't easy know, understand, but to avoid great shame later, there are those 'ritual' and ways of body and speech at least, taken on trust since generation back to the Buddha, approaching the Gems.
[Note that this isn't given for stacks, exchange, other world-binding trades, but for release]

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


text:
Are there any vampires?
Are there any vampires in any living or dead (hah!) buddhist tradition?
I read that there were kinda vampires in Tibetan Bon?
Not sure why I'm asking, probably spiritual ressentiment :)
Peace...

This is the closes thing i could find on Vampires. VETALA (Skt.): Corpse revived by a bad spirit, zombie.http://viewonbuddhism.org/glossary_az.html

Why not the reverse question, e.g. something that suggests Vampires, Zombies and ever other western monster myth derive from rakshas, yakshas, hungry ghosts, etc. Sometimes there really are connections, e.g. Thor and Indra are based on the same story because the story traveled with the indoeuropean religion in many directions.

Strangely there is a site about this. Check out Buddhism for Vampires. Like Orion says in her comments the tantric beings Vetala could be thought of as vampires or zombies. Certainly they seems to do a lot of hanging around in burial grounds and a bit of drinking of blood. If it looks like a vampire, drinks blood like a vampire then perhaps it is a vampire.

The author of that site claims on the about page, "As it happens, I also have no credentials when it comes to vampires. I don’t like scary movies, and I haven't really read much vampire fiction.
Given that, how I came to be writing a Buddhist vampire romance is one of those inexplicable confluences. Nevertheless, I find the intersection of Buddhism and vampires emotionally gripping and intellectually fascinating. I hope you will too."

@ChrisW A Buddhist vampire romance might be one for the book club - http://meta.buddhism.stackexchange.com/q/1500/157. Perhaps?? (perhaps not) :-)

The 'Genesis of this site' suggests he wrote it to bring Buddhism to ... Twilight fans, is it? Goths? Maybe this other book instead, which is something like 'Buddhism for Punks'...

i am worried about the reliability of this site hehe


text:
Is self enlightenment achieved through contemplation of impermanence?
Not asking for a friend, or as a plan... I started doing this some 11-14 years ago, and wondered if it was over - in any significant sense. Not that it matters - I might take the bodhisattva vows, now :)
THanks.
My question is: is self enlightenment achieved through contemplation of impermanence :) ?

Yes............

No.............

It really depends who you ask, and what you mean by "contemplate". The Buddha said:

When one sees with wisdom that 'all formations are impermanent', this is the path of purification.
(Dhp. 277)

So the actual path is through "seeing" impermanence. One might correct your question to say that self-enlightenment can be achieved through seeing impermanence.
It can also be achieved through seeing suffering, or non-self.
One could also adjust and say that self-enlightenment is achieved through contemplating the impermanent, i.e. the five aggregates, since contemplating them - or observing objectively, rather - is what leads one to see impermanence, suffering, and non-self.

"Bhikkhus, how do you conceive it: is form permanent or impermanent?" — "Impermanent, venerable Sir." — "Now is what is impermanent painful or pleasant?" — "Painful, venerable Sir." — "Now is what is impermanent, what is painful since subject to change, fit to be regarded thus: 'This is mine, this is I, this is my self'"? — "No, venerable sir."
-- SN 22.59 (Nyanamoli, trans)

ok as with Suminda: the aggregates, not the world and death :) ?

The aggregates are the world and they are death :)

Are you saying that enlightenment is achieved (finished) by seeing any one of the three characteristics? Or, is it started by seeing... ? Is this seeing necessary but not sufficient (i.e. more is needed too)? Are there other, single ways (other than seeing one of the three characteristics): for example, metta? Is the eight-fold way ... optional?

@user3293056 When Suminda said "see the phenomena arising and passing" I assume that the phenomena meant 'everything' i.e. 'all compound and/or conditioned things' and/or perhaps all 'mental fabrications' -- apparently the Buddha taught that the three marks of existence are characteristics of "Saṅkhāra".

@ChrisW any one of the three is sufficient. One of the three is necessary.

Contemplating will not take you all the way as there will be a perception or notional residue.
You can start with it and make efforts to see the phenomena relating to the aggregates arising and passing.
This will get you to the final goal as long as you do this with equanimity and non clinging and craving.
For further details see Girinananda Sutta. Here the flow of instructions starts with various contemporary practice to reduce polarity of perception but finally switch to Anapana for the lasting or final solution which is to eradicate any residual perception and the aggregates.

phenomena - such as, ?

@User. Mental and physical phenomena.

but not - e.g. death and the world ?

@User. "Death and the world" falls under mental and physical phenomena.

You need to also recognize that what is impermanent is stressful and what is stressful and impermanent is not self.

Walking upon this path you will make an end of suffering.

. . .

"All conditioned things are impermanent" — when one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering. This is the path to purification.
"All conditioned things are unsatisfactory" — when one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering. This is the path to purification.
"All things are not-self" — when one sees this with wisdom, one turns away from suffering. This is the path to purification.

-The Dhammapada Ch. 20(275-279)

is that all - tho?

@user3293056 Knowing it through concepts, as words on a screen, is one thing. Knowing it through insight and being (un)molded by it, is another.

ok - i didn't mean it frivolously - but i think it's an anti depressant thing in my case - peace :)


text:
Mindfulness of the world - its being OK
Does mindfulness include being "mindful" (noticing, etc.) of your world, or only sensations like the breath, walking. etc.?
So e.g. - being mindful of the other things that I do or do not have to do, rather than the task which is stressing me out and I haven't started yet.
I have "pronounced negative symptoms" of schizophrenia, and I badly need a way to be cognisant of tasks (like coursework) without approaching them directly and getting flustered. This may be one way.

Mindfulness is a translation of a Buddhist term that generally means "recollection" or "remembrance". It can be used in any number of ways, for example "recollection of the Buddha", "recollection of past lives", etc. In insight meditation, it refers to one's ability to recollect or remember the present moment, as taught in the discourse on the four foundations of mindfulness.
The four foundations are

body - recognizing and reminding oneself of bodily sensations as being simply bodily sensations
feelings - recognizing and reminding oneself of feelings (pain, pleasure, neutral) as being simply feelings
mind recognizing and reminding oneself of one's state of mind (scattered, focussed, etc.) as being simply a state of mind
dhammas - recognizing and reminding oneself of various aspects of ones experience on the path to enlightenment as being simply what they are.

So, to answer your question, mindfulness is simply a tool used to focus one's attention on a specific object; what you are suggesting sounds like a conceptual object, e.g. something unrelated to the task at hand to take your mind off of the present moment. This could be called "mindfulness", in the sense that you are actively working to recollect a specific object. It would be considered a form of samatha (tranquility) meditation, since it is no longer based on ultimate (i.e. present moment) reality.
The problem with what you suggest is that it seems to likely involve aversion to the present moment, and so it is not likely to lead to true freedom from the suffering associated with aversion. For this, you will need to practice mindfulness as described above regarding the four foundations. There, it should be used to focus on the present moment and remind you that the stress you feel is merely stress - not me, not mine, not good, not bad, etc.
A Buddhist perscription for your condition would be to focus your attention on the state of being flustered, as such states are conditioned by habit and can be countered with new conditioning (i.e. objectivity) through simply recognizing them as they are. As the Buddha said, for example:

idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu sarāgaṃ vā cittaṃ ‘sarāgaṃ cittan’ti pajānāti
Here, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu clearly knows a mind with passion thus: "a mind with passion".
-- MN 10

In my tradition, this is accomplished by noting the flustered mind, for example, as "flustered, flustered..." somewhat akin to a mantra.

Does mindfulness include being "mindful" (noticing, etc.) of your world, or only sensations like the breath, walking. etc.?

This in of the 4 foundation of mindfulness at the experiential level. It is not the concept or head talk of waking, breathing, etc. If you want to look at you posture look at the outline of your body through what you sense. When walking see the change in posture through the change of the outline of the body through what you sense. You should be constantly aware of it's impermanence and changing nature of what you experience. E.g. any pain you get has a start and and end. Also at some point when you further analyse you will see it as smaller vibrations which make the large pain and they are arising and passing away.

So e.g. - being mindful of the other things that I do or do not have to do, rather than the task which is stressing me out and I haven't started yet.

The wrong type of Mindfulness is supporting to stress people out. (If you do a course at: http://dhamma.org/ this is covered in the instructions given.)
In short right mindfulness is awareness of what is going on in the framework of you body and mind (through the 4 foundations of awareness) while being constantly aware of the impermanent and changing nature (at a deeper level arising and passing) of phenomena.
All metal and physical phenomena has sensations attached. Hence being with sensations will definitely help.

I have "pronounced negative symptoms" of schizophrenia, and I badly need a way to be cognisant of tasks (like coursework) without approaching them directly and getting flustered. This may be one way.

When you are with the 4 foundations of mindfulness you are with the present moment. This way there is no room to misinterpret reality.
Also it is best that you seek a good meditation instructor who can guide you in this case. Some on you can approach and reach out when there is a issue.


text:
Leg pain in retreats and even zen short sessions
I've never had a problem with sleepiness, and I only get impatient when sitting on my own.
But oh that leg pain is something else.
Does anyone have any advice from a Zen perspective - not necessarily how to reduce the pain, but how to not simply hate meditation because of it (at least the half lotus position, and at least when in that position).

If you are doing mindfulness , leg pain could be a great opportunity to be mindful about "vedana" . What I do is making mental notes of "pain , pain " for some time . Sometimes it stops if not I move my legs by first making mental note " feel to move legs " then slowly do move again with mental notes of each step .

I've added "from a Zen perspective", since I assume that's what you're looking for? Please correct if wrong.

There might be something useful in this post or this answer for you.

I too suffer from leg pain (along with back & neck pain) - which is alleviated now to some degree since I have adopted a proper sitting posture that I can maintain. It took a lot of experimentation, however. How much time have you put into really analyzing your position?You don't have to force yourself into lotus. I personally use the zazen position (aided by a kneeling meditation bench). Maybe I'm a rebel but the way I look at it, a position isn't helping you be mindful if it causes overwhelming pain, so I use positions that may not be traditional but which help me sit for longer times.

As you progress in your sitting and develop samadhi, leg pain will become less of an issue.  You will still experience it along with the discomfort, but it stops being such a matter of "oh-my-God-this-is-terrible-ring-the-bell-now" and instead becomes less of an immediate concern.  It's almost as if it's happening in the background while your koan or mushin becomes the center of your attention.
Think of leg pain like a tooth ache.  When you are sitting around and watching TV with your mind diffused and disordered, you are very much aware of the discomfort.  If, however, your mind is absorbed in something else - and I don't know of a single person who'd complain about their molars during sex, for instance - that pain has less command of your attention.
The important take away is to develop your concentration.  Follow the breath to its very outer limits.  Let your mind ride your exhalation all the way to the end.  If you allow your attention to break even for an instant, discomfort, thought, judgement, and opinion will arise in the vacuum.
As a side note, don't sit in half lotus if it causes you pain!!!  Use the Burmese posture where you put one foot in front of the other.  There is no sense in torturing yourself.  If you hate meditation, you won't practice it.  Zen isn't about self injury, it's about waking up.

I am a Zen practitioner that lives with chronic pain. I haven't been sitting for super long but I have learned a lot about sitting with pain since I've been in the Zendo.
My first recommendation is that if you have a teacher you ask them what to do.
There seem to be two end of the spectrum on this, and what's important is that you find what the middle between the two is for you (might be different today than it is tomorrow!).
1) As neko elucidated in their answer, the pain is a story. You don't "complain about [your] molars during sex." It can be very important to sit through the pain.
2) If you are causing actual harm to yourself, you are probably doing something wrong. Get up. Go lay down. Change postures. When I'm on retreat it is very important to me that I don't leave the retreat with a destroyed body. I have to balance when I sit with pain and when I stop sitting and take care of myself. I have to be very careful about falling into thought patterns around the idea of zen being some sort of bootcamp.

hello. define "harm"? it ruined any conventional peace i could've found...

@user3293056 I define self-harm in this specific scenario as "is doing this now going to directly cause me pain 24 hours from now?" or, "If I keep sitting in this posture will I need surgery?" The first of the three pure precepts is to do no harm. I use it as a guide for this type of scenario.

ok that makes sense, but it's not any long term effects which is putting me off meditation. as you say, it is strange to do something which feels like bootcamp, even if it has other benefits

@user3293056 Indeed it is. Best of luck on your journey.

Think of your leg as already broken and the pain is just a memory.


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Is there any canonical descriptions of the physical characteristics of the Buddha?
Question is in the title.
Im aware of descriptions of the Buddha in which he is described as "god-like" or "supernatural".
Im looking for any canonical descriptions of the physical characteristics of the Buddha that are bit more down to earth.
Thank you for your time.

From DN 30 - Marks of the Superman:

There are thirty-two special marks of the Super-man, brethren, and for the Superman possessing them two careers lie open, and none other. If he live the life of the House, he becomes Monarch, Turner of the Wheel, a righteous Lord of the Right, Ruler of the four quarters, Conqueror, Guardian of the people’s good, Owner of the Seven Treasures. His do those seven treasures become, to wit, the Wheel treasure, the Elephant treasure, the Horse treasure, the Gem treasure, the Woman treasure, the Housefather treasure, the Adviser treasure making the seventh. More than a thousand sons will be his, heroes, champions, vigorous of frame, crushers of the hosts of the enemy. He, when he has conquered this earth to its ocean bounds, is established not by the scourge, not by the sword, but by righteousness. But if such a boy go forth from the life of the House into the Homeless State, he becomes Arahant, a Buddha Supreme, rolling back the veil from the world.

Also from MN 91 - Brahmayu Sutta:

At that time the Brahmin Brahmàyu had a pupil, a young man named Uttara who had learned the three Vedas, knew the rites and rituals as officiating priest, the phonology and etymology of words and the marks of a Great Man. The Brahmin Brahmàyu addressed his pupil and said. 'Dear Uttara, approach the recluse Gotama, son of the Sakyas, who is said to be perfect, ... re.... enlightened and blessed, and find out whether these qualities are really so, or not. You should examine good Gotama for me,' 'Sir, how should I know whether good Gotama is endowed with these qualities or not,' 'Uttara, the two and thirty marks of a Great Man have come down to us in the sayings. One endowed with these marks has two courses of action and not another. If he leads the household life, becomes the Universal Monarch, a stable, righteous king with power in the four directions, endowed with the seven jewels. They are the jewels of the, wheel, elephant, horse, gem, woman, householder, and the advisor. He has more than a thousand sons, with heroic figures, clever and able to subdue foreign armies. He rules over the country bounded by the ocean righteously, without stick or weapon. If he leaves the household and becomes hermit, he will be perfect and all knowing and would remove the veil of darkness. I have given you this knowledge and you know that.'


text:
Buddhist shaolin monks and their practice
I once saw a television program about Buddhist shaolin monks. They were extremely skilled in martial arts and begin their training as young as 3-4 years old. Their day consists of martial arts training and Buddhist practice.
I was wondering about two things:

What Buddhist tradition do shaolin monks follow?
What kind of meditation do they practice?

Thank you for your time.
Lanka
Click on photos for full size

AFAIK Buddhism in nature is the path of eliminating sufferings, cultivating perfect wisdom and attaining enlightenment. There is no "tradition" per se.
Here is an interesting read

My Tai Chi teacher said he was from Wudang: that they closed the monastery there during the Great Cultural Revolution and made people find work (so, he worked as a bodyguard then and training soldiers). I think that the Chinese State isn't happy with there being too many different political organizations; for example, Christians are allowed, but not Roman Catholics, so whatever is happening in Shaolin is politically compatible with the Chinese State.

I also guess (but this is just a guess, I don't know and have never met anyone from Shaolin) that they (the State) might see Shaolin as being chiefly important for its cultural (or even touristic) appeal and legacy, rather than for its Buddhist tradition.

@Chris. Thanks a lot for the insight-answers. Do you know about the current political situtation for these monks? I mean it sounds like their culture and oppertunity for practice is being taken away from them by the government. When looking at pictures of them they seem to just mind their own business in the mountains. They seem peaceful.

The Cultural Revolution happened decades ago, under Mao Zedong: The government purged Buddhist materials from within the monastery walls, leaving it barren for years. I don't know what the current situation is, but I'm speculating that "tradition" was disrupted somewhat.

I see. I will try read up on the link you gave. I find these monks fascinating. The way they develop both body and mind. I mean in other buddhists traditions one meditates to achieve insight into the impermanence of the human body and here these monks are training to perfect their human form and to make it hard like iron so it can perform magnificent techniques. I wonder if that is their "nibbana".

Shaolin Buddhism
"Action Meditation"
Basically Shaolin martial arts come from the idea of “action meditation” of Chan (dhyana – Sanskrit, Jhana – pali) Buddhism (Mahayana).
The first Shaolin temple was started by an Indian Theravada monk called Buddhabhadra and the next Abbot of the temple was the famous Indian Mahayana monk called Bodhidharma who brought Chan Buddhism to China.
Batuo and the Shaolin Temple

The Shaolin Temple was founded in 495 by the Indian monk Batuo, or Buddhabhadra. After traveling to China, he received permission from Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei dynasty to build a temple at the foot of Shaoshi mountain in the Song mountain range in the Henan province. The word Lin means forest in Chinese, thus the temple was named Shaolin for the forest at the foot of Shaoshi mountain.
Batuo preached the orthodox teachings of Hinayana, or Nikaya Buddhism (Xiao Sheng in Chinese). In this type of Buddhism, which closely follows the teachings of Shakyamuni, there are 250 rules for monks and 500 rules for nuns. Batuo had two disciples named Sengchou and Huiguang, who were both martial artists before becoming monks. They were the first ones to bring martial arts to the temple.

Bodhidharma

Bodhidharma (PutiDamo or just Damo in Chinese) was another prince of a clan in what is now India. He also chose to leave the royal life to become a monk. When Bodhidharma came to the temple in 527, he brought the teachings of Chan Buddhism, part of the Mahayana (Da Cheng) school. This understanding had been passed down directly from Mahakasyapa to Bodhidharma's master Prajnatara, who was the 27th in the lineage. Bodhidharma was the 28th, and the first patriarch of Chan in China.
Bodhidharma created 4 integral parts of Shaolin Kungfu, also sutras. They were

2 qigong (Chi Kung) forms; the Yijin Jing (Muscle Tendon Changing Sutra) and the Xisui Jing (Bone Marrow Washing Sutra)
The Wuxing quan, the 5 original animal forms (Dragon, Tiger, Leopard, Crane, and Snake)
The Luohan Shiba Shou, The 18 Luohan Palms

Bodhidharma's disciple Huike was, like Sengchou and Huiguang, a military man before becoming a monk, and also brought martial arts knowledge to the temple. Huike became Damo's successor, and after him there were four more before the lineage ended. They were Sengcan, Daoxin, Hongren, and Huineng.

More on Shaolin Martial Arts

Shaolin monks practice Ch'an Buddhism. They say that the teachings of Ch'an Buddhism are inseperable from Shaolin martial arts, and that to reach the highest level both are required.
Often it is said that Bodhidharma visited the temple and found that the monks were not physically fit to make progress in meditation. This is why he created the chi kung forms Yi Jin Jing (Muscle Tendon Changing Sutra) and the Xi Sui Jing (Bone Marrow Washing Sutra). It is said that his teachings formed the basis for Shaolin martial arts. Martial arts were practiced in China long before this time, and other traditions including Taoism no doubt influenced the development of Shaolin.
In Western culture it is very natural to talk a lot and ask lots of questions. Also in the West, if someone wants to learn about Buddhism they often start to read lots of sutras and books. But Shaolin Buddhism in common with other types of "Zen" Buddhism places an emphasis on experience. It is "A transmission outside of the scriptures, not relying on words, pointing directly to one's mind. The attainment of Buddhahood by seeing into one's nature."
Shaolin Buddhism is an esoteric form of Buddhism which incorporates a thorough knowledge of internal energy (chi). Skill in cultivating this energy can lead to feats that appear superhuman. It is used both for healing and for martial arts. Also internal energy is considered essential for deep states of meditation.
Shaolin monks practice both mindfulness meditation and concentration meditation. There is also the philosophy that everything you do can be a form of meditation. Sometimes students are given a koan (gong'an), or a hua tou.
The master is able to tell which methods of meditation are best for the student at their particular stage of practice.
Shaolin Buddhism has now spread worldwide with temples in many countries.


text:
What is Zen Qigong in Zen Buddhism?
Question is in the title.
I was wondering about what this Qigong practice is and how it relates to Zen Buddhism. I've heard that it's a way of developing internal energy but I'm not sure what it's used for.
Thanks for your time.
Click on photos for full size

Qigong in Zen Buddhism comprise the Shaolin Eighteen Lohan Hands

They were taught by the great Bodhidharma in 527 CE to monks at the Shaolin Monastery in China when this First Patriarch of the Shaolin arts found the monks weak and often sleepy during meditaion...

Lifting the Sky
Shooting Arrows
Plucking Stars
Turning Head
Thrust Punch
Merry-go-Round
Carrying the Moon
Nourishing Kidneys
Three Levels to Ground
Dancing Crane
Carrying Mountains
Drawing Knife
Presenting Claws
Pushing Mountains
Separating Water
Big Windmill
Deep Knee Bending
Rotating Knees

Introduction to Shaolin Temple Luohan Qigong

Luohan Qigong is the "Art of Breath of the Enlightened Ones."  Luohan Qigong, or Lohan Chi Kung, is an system of exercises and breath control for improving your fitness, vitality, energy levels, concentration, poise, and well being.  Combined with seated or standing meditation, Luohan Qigong can also contribute to steady spiritual progress.  Numerous legends attribute the development of the Luohan Qigong methods, and the Muscle Tendon Changing Qigong methods, to the Buddhist leader Bodhidharma (Da Mo, Ta-Mo, Daruma), circa 525 CE, a early advocate of Chan (Zen) Buddhism.  There is little nor no written documentation of Luohan Qigong methods prior to 1880 CE.
The native religion of China, Daoism, and the native social philosophy of China, Confucianism, antedate the arrival of Buddhism by over 300 years.  These three viewpoints have often conflicted with one another, with Buddhism often characterized as a "foreign" influence, and at other times the three schools have blended together as in Complete Reality Daoism.  The Daoist scholar, Livia Kohn, has researched the history of Taoist and Chinese medical practices using exercise methods as a cornerstone.  There is documentation back to 200 BCE regarding these practices, although specific movement descriptions are often lacking.  Clearly these Daoist Daoyin practices and secular medical exercise methods for health and longevity influenced and were influenced by the qigong and martial arts practices of Buddhists at places like the Shaolin Temple.  Numerous other authors, listed above, have explained the intertwining and cross fertilization of the related qigong practices of the Buddhists, Daoists, and traditional Chinese medicine doctors: Liang Shou-Yu, Yang Jwing-Ming, Andy James, and Kenneth Cohen.


text:
How is Qi Energy used in Buddhist practice?
Ive seen television programmes and videos of buddhist shaolin monks who perfom incredible techniques such as breaking iron bars with their heads, impaling themselves with spears, throwing needles through glasses windows etc.
It was said that these monks create, harness and use Qi Energy which makes it possible for them to perform these techniques. I have two questions:

What is this Qi Energy?
Is it a strong and profound level of concentration like the Jhanas in Theravada Buddhism?

Thank you for your time.
Click on photos for full size

-1 Because I think that this a traditional Chinese concept and not a Buddhist concept, and so I'm not sure that it's on-topic here. Questions pertaining to the martial arts aspect of Shaolin might be better asked on Martial Arts.SE.

Isn't Qi Energy related to Qigong? If so Wikipedia describes Qigong as "According to Daoist, Buddhist, and Confucian philosophy, respectively, qigong allows access to higher realms of awareness, awakens one's "true nature", and helps develop human potential.". Seems somewhat related.

@Robin. In this quote its says that Qi Energy is strengthned in Qigong: http://www.qigonghealing.com/qigong/whatis.html. "Qigong (also spelled Ch'i Kung) is a powerful system of healing and energy medicine from China. It is the art and science of using breathing techniques, gentle movement, and meditation to cleanse, strengthen, and circulate the life energy (qi). Qigong practice leads to better health and vitality and a tranquil state of mind".

@Chris. As far as i understand Qi energy is trained during Qigong and Qigong is used by buddhist shaolin monks. When that is said i will take your advice and try posting the question in the Martial Arts SE. Thanks.

@Robin111 Qi is related to Qigong (or vice versa). What you quoted sounds to me like an interesting claim made by a fan of Qigong. Feel free to upvote the question if you think it's useful (note that I haven't tried close the question).

I also found the following on Wikipedia: Qigong history -- [...] in the 7th century AD. Meditative practice was emphasized and a series of qigong exercises known as the Yijin Jing ("Muscle/Tendon Change Classic") was attributed to Bodhidharma. The Chinese martial arts community eventually identify this Yijing Jing as one of the secret training methods in Shaolin martial arts.

@Chris. I posted the question in the Martial Arts SE. I will delete it here.

Why isn't this related to Buddhism then? At least with an edit such as "How is Qi Energy used in Buddhist practice?"

@Robin. Thanks for the edit suggestion. It does make the question more in line with our site. I will make the edit.

You don't have to delete: I was just voicing my opinion that it might be off-topic. If you leave it open then you might get an answer, perhaps from Ahmed for example if he sees this (and in fact you could guarantee he'd see it, by posting a comment under his answer to reference this question, saying that you'd like to know more about the "chi" he referred to in his answer).

@Chris. Thanks for the advice. I will try to do that.

@Robin111 I suspected that it wasn't related to Buddhism, because in my (limited) experience it's more related to Traditional Chinese Medicine, also to Chinese Martial Arts, perhaps especially Tai Chi, not to mention Qi Gong, also Daoism. I admit I know less than I'd like to about Chinese Buddhism so I don't want to close this question. I withdrew my downvote after the recent edit.

if anything, this question is on topic because a newcomer might look here thinking chi is a Buddhist concept. As a bonus, Ahmed's answer below provides a Buddhist perspective on the subject.

"How is chi used in Buddhist practice?"
Buddha ignored the fascination people had with all this and classified it as "the five elements" knowing that even the slightest attraction to these low physical phenomena would waste people's time and detract from the many more worthwhile goals. You don't have to know anything about chi in Buddhism because in Buddhism the method of true awareness is enough to dissolve all blockages and problems that might come up.
This is why so many uneducated Buddhist monks who didn't know anything about any of the other traditions still won the prize of Enlightenment! One of them was the patriarch of the Zen school, whom other jealous disciples tried to hunt down..
In those times, monks would be all too interested in those things, at the expense of understanding one's True Mind, which is beyond body and mind... If Buddha even mentioned the word chi, there would be a million and one distracting questions popping into people's head at those times--that would probably derail people's focus entirely... which is why Gautama supposedly returned as Padmasambhava and created the Tibetan school--much much later after the heart of Buddhism was established. (Tibetan school by the way is still aligned with Buddhism but has an integrated focus on the wisdom-energies.)
Nonetheless, chi is related to different karmic habits that we have and once these energies are dissolved the personality characteristic is also transformed--and vice versa.
Buddhism aims at a much higher target than physical perfection, beyond even physical immortality, and this is why it is possible in Buddhism to go beyond the body to transform the mind at its root, attaining things that are definitely Buddhist ("non-common supermundane achievements") and other things that are beyond form but common to all spiritual schools ("common supermundane achievements").
Buddhism aims at the highest possible level: transforming the 8th consciousness, the storehouse of karmas from our endless lives... becoming a radiant actualized Buddha helping all beings win Awakening, becoming free from cycles like birth-and-death and suffering. To Buddhism, these super-powers are nothing but wasting time developing tricks, totally distracted from our human and spiritual problem. That is, unless it is for skillful means (see the parable of the burning house).
With that Buddhist warning aside, to answer your first question, there are many different types of chi, based on various organs. This falls within the realm of TCM and there are many uses to knowing such things, especially in diagnosing one's body. I would love to have an intuitive TCM doctor analyze my sitting posture--lots of constructive advice can be gained from that!
So what is chi in related to Buddhist practice and meditation? How can we make use of such learnings to motivate our Buddhist practice?
The Taoists have mapped out a timeline for what the excellent cultivators and Buddhists go through:
jing > chi > shen > emptiness >> Tao
When one practices Buddhism 100% correctly (celibacy + samatha-powered vipassana), this process happens automatically all the way to "seeing the Tao"/bodhisattvahood.
Due to one's celibacy, one has stored up jing (semen) which after 3 months of jhana eventually starts to transform into chi. One will feel less hungry and can fast for a long time. One is qualified to do the things posted in the picture. Eventually after at least a year like this, one's chi will transform to shen. For several years this process will continue, one's sleep needs will drastically reduce. After even more refined letting go, one will be at the stage of "emptiness" free from dualities and one step away from turning around and "seeing the Tao"
Also, the Taoists have fancier, more interesting names than this - I'm just summarizing.
I recommend the dense book "How to Measure and Deepen Your Spiritual Realization" for a complete understanding of this subject of energetics and where your concern on energetics absolutely must stop in order to progress and not subconsciously focus on lower things and hold yourself back from awakening the formless, nondual prajna wisdom.
Whether one is a monastic or a layman, in this day and age there is a lot of confusing bioenergetics fascination so it is important to clear up this matter for yourself because even if I say "just study Buddhism, and keep noting, all that fancy stuff is nothing they will lose it after they die"... you are still curious and vulnerable to false information--especially since you want to be able to do cool things like be free of sexual desire (when your jing is full), no longer need to ingest food (when chi is full), and no longer need to sleep (when shen is full)... at the best false information + fixation might lead to nonbeneficial/retarding practices and at the worst, a painful fiery death (I refer you to the Buddhist story of Hakuin).
2nd question: yes, it is a result of staying in that state. After achieving the 1st jhana on a mental level, one must reside in this state until the body completes transforming. After one's body and mind are in sync (this may take a few months if one achieved jhana/insight quickly), one's state will stabilize (and one can go to even higher states more easily)... and one can feel and train one's chi to do various tricks--beneficial and harmful. One can also ignore those lateral pathways and continue on the Buddhist journey.
Go here for more nondenominational info and definitions.
Also read "Master Huai-Chin Nan - Internal Martial Arts Nei-Gong" to have all your chi-related questions answered, especially related to Buddhist practice.
The dense book I mentioned earlier has excellent case studies as well on how chi manifested in different practitioners' lives.

The words "Jing, qi, and shen" are introduced e.g. here: Three Treasures (traditional Chinese medicine)

@Ahmed. Thanks a lot for the insights and references. I appreciate it.

@Lanka Pleasure to answer, thanks for an excellent question. I also recommend Tao & Longevity by Master Nan as a primer on this subject, it is an easy read with many direct answers on bioenergetics.

@Ahmed. Thank you that sounds great:) I suspect this stuff should be practiced in order to fully understand, right? Im a theravada buddhist d i stick with this method only, so i guess my understanding of Qigong and Qi energy will be merely "intellectual".

@Lanka All True Dharma Practitioners (practicing 4 Noble Truths including 3 trainings) no matter what tradition they feel they "belong" to, go through this specific set of physical phenomena, whether they are conscious of it or not. The intellectual knowing of many of these things can be beneficial for such a person because then one will not be alarmed when such things happen but just let go and stay centered and aware. Natural manifestation of these energies is a sign of progress but unnecessary alarm or attraction can halt the spiritual progress or even scare away some practitioners.

@Ahmed. Is it the same as the 16 stages of insight in Theravada?

@Lanka 16 stages is a larger "map" so to speak that has not yet been mapped the taoist stages of physiospiritual development. I recommend "mastering the core teachings", a hardcore theravadin book to understand this concept of maps and interrelation

@Ahmed Hello Ahmed I wonder if you still can newer some of the questions related to this. Consdering the post is old. I have been trying to find relation of qi and Buddhism for so long so long finally I found this forum. And what amazing explanation Ahmed. Are you available to help more?

@Jyotish For any qi related question, I recommend Master Nan and Bill Bodri's biggest works. Go to meditationexpert.com for a wealth of free stuff. Those are the golden answers to all psychophysical gong-fu for any tradition, especially Buddhism. But yeah I'm open to good questions.

Many people will tell you that so-called Qi doesn't exist: that it has never been observed scientifically.
The "superhuman" performances you saw or heard about came from Chinese street performers' gimmicks in the old days. For example, A bulky guy would have a heavy slate laid on his belly and let people smash it with a hammer. Then he would stand up and start selling elixirs to the audience that were supposed to give you super human strength. It's just tricks plus physical conditioning. Not sure why the monks picked up and carried on this "glorious" tradition. I guess it's because that real martial arts the monks used to practice were for killing or maiming your opponents. That's why they practiced weapon-based martial arts styles such as sticks and spears. However, the dawn of of the age of gunpowder-propelled weapons rendered their martial arts obsolete.

In Zen, it's actually quite important.  The whole purpose of deep, abdominal breathing is to raise qi in the lower dan tien/hara.  This allows for deeper concentration and the ability to sit through discomfort.  At it's core, what a monk does on the cushion is really no different than what you see martial artists doing (the authentic ones, anyway).  All that differs is its application.  In martial arts, cultivated qi is used externally.  In meditation, it's directed internally.
Now all this isn't to say that there is some magical substance known as qi that allows people to perform superhuman feats.  Personally, I'm of the mind qi is just a convenient umbrella term for some of the phenomenology associated with meditative practice.  Be that as it may, it still plays a roll in some forms of Buddhism.

Hello here Ahmed seems to be saying that the Taoist goal and Buddhist goal are the same or at least the practice of either leads to the same goal which here Ahmed says in reference to the Taoist map as Tao. I am a little confused here. It would depend obviously on how to is defined and what practices are done but buddha clearly stated that vipassana is the only way. There are many variations of vjapshyana but do the Daoists have this practice at all? Their Tao is more like that of an eternalism view whereas when I was told by my teacher that when Buddhists talk about Tao that is free from these two extremes. Their lack of right view is also characterized by incorrect views in rebirth,  realms, role of deities and so on which obviously would not be the case if they were enlightened as per Buddhist way.

That's a reasonable question, but please re-post it (perhaps copy-and-paste it) as a new question (not post it here because it is not an answer to the current question). Use the Ask Question link to post a new question. When you write the question, you can start it using text like this In [this answer](http://buddhism.stackexchange.com/a/9335/254), Ahmed seems to be saying that etc. so that your question is linked to Admed's answer (or I can edit it to fix the link after you post it). When you do that, give your question a title as well.

There's no way (no place) for people to answer your question if you post it here as an answer; and people are more likely to notice that there even is a new question, if it's posted as a question instead of as an answer.

Qi Energy can be compared to mechanical pneumatic equipment that uses air to lift, move or destroy heavy & hard objects.
Where as the Jhanas refine the breathing until the breathing completely disappears.
Therefore, the Jhanas in Theravada Buddhism are not related to Qi Energy & are in fact the opposite of cultivating Qi Energy.

In-&-out breaths are the body fabricator
MN 44

He trains himself, 'I will breathe in calming body fabricator.' He trains himself, 'I will breathe out calming body fabricator.'
MN 118

When one has attained the fourth jhāna, in-and-out breathing has been stilled.
SN 36.11