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Why aren't there omnicidal Buddhists?
So, I'm not a Buddhist, but my understanding is that in Buddhist thought, existence is the root of suffering, and Buddhists seek to end suffering by attaining a state of spiritual enlightenment that, after death, will cause them to cease to exist instead of reincarnating ("Nirvana").
Since this spiritual oblivion is viewed as a good thing by Buddhists as a result, and that existence is viewed as a bad thing that causes suffering, why aren't there any murderous Buddhists that seek to bring about this oblivion more directly by killing everyone? You can't reincarnate into a new life if there's no new lives to reincarnate into, after all. Even if reincarnating into animals might be possible, you could prevent that by systematically wiping out all life on Earth down to the smallest microbe.
However, I've never heard of any Buddhist sects that actively seek to murder everybody. Why is this the case, when it seems like "murder everybody" could very easily be a logical conclusion of the Buddhist belief system? Have there actually been these sorts of Buddhist death-cults in the past, that simply haven't survived to the modern day (presumably due to having been violently suppressed by the governments of the nations they lived in once they started trying to murder everyone)?

There is one logical flaw in your plan...its that you have assumed that if you wipe out all life on earth, life won't restart itself...think about it...life was there even before humans arrived on the scene, even if you will systematically kill it... won't it start again? just as it started before and many eons of time before and before... and again you will be there with the suffering...

@TheWhiteCloud If they're going so far as to wipe out all life down to the microbial level, presumably they'd also take action to make sure it doesn't come back again by making the Earth permanently uninhabitable.

Also, you got this wrong, -->> "...existence is the root of suffering".... Buddhists don't believe that existence is root of suffering...Buddhist believe that "desire is the root cause of suffering...you have certainly misunderstood the Buddhist stand with Annihialiationism...which the Buddha had systematically disproved and told to be the wrong view...

but if you see the history of earth...there was a phase billions of years ago when there was no biological life or any life form...from that after billions of years later life emerged...from the primordial soup...and for the sake argument, let's say that we render earth lifeless....still in this infinite universe...astronomers are sure that there are earth-like planets...you will be reborn there...

We had 1-2 questions about this before, let me try to find something...

@AndreiVolkov If it's a duplicate, feel free to close. None of the questions that got suggested when I was posting the question looked relevant.

what is the point of killing everyone else?  to end the suffering of others while leaving yourself to suffer?  i don't understand

@lilredindy They'd kill themselves last, once they'd killed everyone (and possibly everything) else.

https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/29013/if-buddhists-believe-that-life-is-just-suffering-why-dont-they-just-kill-themse https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/2122/secular-buddhism-and-suicide https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/21928/is-suicide-similar-to-nibbana https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/35733/is-buddhist-practice-a-form-of-suicide https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/29019/is-the-existence-of-life-teaching-dhamma-a-form-of-attachment/29026 https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/27173/is-buddhism-antinatalist

That’s not how it works. Harmful resolves such as these are just another form of craving that will lead one to an unfortunate birth in hell

existence is the root of suffering

no, it's not. The official definitions are "unsatisfied thirst is [mental] suffering", "craving and grasping is the origin of suffering", "i-making is the root of suffering" and "ignorance is the ground of suffering" (My wording here should be accurate enough, the originals are in the Pali language so any translation will be approximate anyway).
To be absolutely honest, Buddha did say "however small, a piece of shit stinks and [individual] existence is the same - however short it is full of suffering". But he said it specifically about the confused existence of regular uninstructed worldlings, full of ignorance, i-making, craving, and the unsatisfied thirst.

Buddhists seek to end suffering by attaining a state of spiritual enlightenment that, after death, will cause them to cease to exist instead of reincarnating ("Nirvana").

Not really. That's the fairytale version for those students who can't take the full truth (yet).
The full truth is that Nirvana is a metaphor for "the Right View" aka "liberation of heart by wisdom leading to dispassion", where the "mental suffering" ends through essentially achieving the level of insight when one's expectations no longer clash with reality. The resultant state of conflict-less suchness (things being understandably as they are and not otherwise) is the true Enlightenment and Nirvana.
Now, in light of these definitions your question simply has no base in reality. It's like asking about the ethical issues with Santa keeping elves as slaves. There's no Santa nor enslaved elves, so the question does not apply.

I've never heard of any Buddhist sects that actively seek to murder everybody. Why is this the case?

I imagine when the Buddhist neophytes come to their Buddhist teachers saying "I have a breakthrough idea, let's just kill everybody" - the teachers who know what Nirvana is really about immediately pour a bucket full of ice-cold water over their heads and send them back to keep on meditating :)
As to why those Buddhists that don't have a teacher who'd know Nirvana isn't oblivion wouldn't do the same, essentially, even if you wipe out all life on Earth there are other worlds and other universes to be reborn into. Plus, and the most obviously, killing is bad karma that makes one get reborn in hell.

Well, I suppose the initial problem (from a reincarnationist perspective) is that once one is on the karmic wheel the only way off is live and attain nirvana. If all living beings were killed, then we would all be stuck in some metaphysical quandary — one of the Buddhist hell realms, the hungry ghost realm, the bardo state, etc — because our attachments to sensual life would be unable to find any release. At least, we'd be stuck there until the world evolved to provided us with a new vehicle for embodiment. No one really wants to be stuck in one of these realms, so trying to destroy the cycle of human rebirth is completely self-defeating.

I heard this statement by Beth Upton and saw it in the suttas too to some extent: rebirth is the caveat with the kill-all approach. Killing alone wont provide Nibbana but lead to less than ideal rebirths, given that no human incarnation is possible any more, e.g. as animals or devas, if you're lucky. Also it is said that the human existence is especially good for working towards Nibbana, because a broad range of experiences is available, from the hellish to the heavenly. So its overall good to keep the human plane intact.
She also said that it isn't really obvious up-front why avoiding existence might be a good idea, but if you shred your mind meditation-wise to a clear perception of dukkha associated with its every minute movement, it might appear more attractive. It also might become apparent in an experience of deep calm that gives a contrast to the intensity of usual mental operation, e.g. in concentrative meditation or in a near death experience.
And, eventually, its not about our everyday existence, its about craving that perpetuates activity, so to speak. People at the final goal of the meditative development continue to live in this world in a supposedly very nice state of mind devoid of itchy impulses. The keyword for that stuff is Arahant.
I'm not a believer btw., I just pass on what I've heard.

Literally, because you'll be reborn.
If you don't believe in rebirth, then because impermanent pleasures can be enjoyed without attachment and these outweigh the suffering all conditioned things bring with them. Same as anyone.

the Buddha declares that all sankharas [conditioned things] are suffering (sabbe sankhara
dukkha). However, they are suffering not because they are all actually
painful and stressful but because they are stamped with the mark of
transience: “Having arisen, they then cease.” Because they all cease,
they cannot provide stable happiness and security.

There seems to be a few misunderstandings on this board. Existence is the root of all suffering, but is not only composed of suffering.
What are “Conditioned Things” in Buddhism? mentions a Theravada verse used at funerals:

Impermanent, alas, are conditioned things! Their very nature is to
arise and vanish. Having arisen they then cease. Their subsiding is
blissful!

As posted in this comment I think this question is similar to the several topics tagged suicide -- which are also about the idea of killing, all the same counter-arguments apply here -- and topics like this asking about "antinatalism".
Buddhists have addition reason not to kill others -- it's directly contrary to not harming others.
It's contrary to the first of the five precepts which summarise a code of morality.
There are famous passages from Buddhist scripture like the Dhammapada:

All tremble at violence; all fear death. Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not kill nor cause another to kill.
All tremble at violence; life is dear to all. Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not kill nor cause another to kill.

As for the idea that "existence is the root of suffering" see for example the topic, Did the Buddha really say that "life is suffering"?

why aren't there any murderous Buddhists
There probably are, depending on definition.
For example Wikipedia says that the cult behind the Tokyo subway sarin attack was considered kind of Buddhist:

Shinrikyo Aum is a syncretic belief system that draws upon Asahara's idiosyncratic interpretations of elements of early Indian Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism, as well as Hinduism, taking Shiva as the main image of worship and incorporating millennialist ideas from Christianity, Yoga, and the writings of Nostradamus. Its founder, Chizuo Matsumoto, claimed that he sought to restore "original Buddhism" but employed Christian millenarian rhetoric. In 1992, Matsumoto, who had changed his name to Shoko Asahara, published a foundational book, declaring himself to be "Christ", Japan's only fully enlightened master, as well as identifying himself as the "Lamb of God".
Asahara's purported mission was to take upon himself the sins of the world, and he claimed he could transfer spiritual power to his followers and ultimately take away their sins and bad deeds. While some reject Aum Shinrikyo's claims of Buddhist characteristics and affiliations with Buddhism, other scholars refer to it as an offshoot of Japanese Buddhism, and this was how the movement generally defined and saw itself.
Aleph (Japanese cult)

There have been other historical instances of violence in nominally Buddhist societies -- like, I don't know, samurai, wars, civil wars, anti-immigrant ethnic cleansing.
I see non-violence as so fundamental to Buddhism that I personally apply No true Scotsman to the topic, saying that such thinking or action by (my) definition not Buddhist or contrary to Buddhism.
Buddhism does warn though about, for example, ignorance and delusion -- that (not to excuse it) there's been some ignorance or confusion about what's right, and so on.
Or possibly you might see it as being something like Christian "sin", i.e. contrary to the official doctrine, but found nevertheless in some smaller or even greater extent in some practitioners -- and in people who claim to be, or who "identify as", or who are members of a culture or society which identifies as or is influenced by "Buddhism" or which includes some of its historical iconography etc.

Would't people, if all exchange-members would be deleted, not seek for another birth, where ever possible? Some in other internnet realms, some outside, some in intranets, some animal-like, some as hungry ghosts, hell beings...
Nihilism isn't the Buddhas teaching and as long as there is craving out of not-knowing, beings wander on. Covid 19...20... 1017... no way, even for oneself, if thinking body is the self.
Sure there are also crazy "Buddhist" possible same confused thinking as good Nick, so take care!

May be not obvious for those unfamiliar with high attainments in concentrative meditation or the buddhist doctrine.

So actually Non-"Buddhists". Well... normal and ordinary matter of delusion, good householder.

There is an old movie that I will not name here, nor mention the actors. In this movie, the plot is that a psychiatrist talks to a troubled child, who later reveals to him that he can see and talk to people who have died (ghosts). He tries to treat the child, and get him cured of his delusions. At the end of the movie, there is a plot twist. It was the psychiatrist who was deluded and not the child. The psychiatrist discovers that he is not who he thought he was.
Similarly, people think they exist and Buddhism teaches that persons are reborn and suffer if they don't attain Nirvana, so instead they should strive and attain Nirvana so that they cease to exist.
However, there is a plot twist. Actually, there was no standalone permanent self or individuality all along. The enlightened disciple discovers he is not who he thought he was.
All phenomena is not self. The self is just temporary mental idea that arises and ceases depending on conditions. The self a minute ago is not the same as the self now.
Enlightenment is not about ceasing to exist to end suffering. Enlightenment is about understanding reality, purifying the mind and mentally letting go of the things that causes the arising of (mental) suffering. Enlightenment is about finding the only stable and permanent source of peace and bliss - Nirvana.
"Existence" refers to the ephemeral and dependently originated mental models of reality that is reified and not ultimately true. It is that which ceases for the enlightened. It is not that an individual who formerly existed, who now ceases to exist.


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Tibetan Buddhist Deities
Are Tibetan Buddhist Deities real (external)? I've been to two Medicine Buddha pujas and a Tsog offering and I can't figure out if it's all just hocus pocus. Professor Tom Yarnell's definition of Deity yogas as "ascertaining emptiness as arising in or experienced as the form of a deity" (not sure I got it right - it's from  a Tibet House video ("what is Deity Yoga?")I'm trying to understand. Thanks!

No, the Tibetan deities are not real in that ontological sense. There are two ways I will answer your question. One is to think of these deities as the personified qualities. To thus humanize them serves to make them a model and aspire to become them, aka, those qualities.
Second, thinking along your lines of Yarnell's definition: Ascertaining emptiness is synonymous to saying that one is able to see the mereological relationship in terms of dependent origination. And what does dependent origination conclude to a question about appearances and reality? What appears is not how it is. Therefore, in ascertaining emptiness in the form of deity is to take that as the object of meditation whose emptiness is analytically established and thus not revere something doubly illusory but to know it as illusory and yet use that to arrive at analytical conclusions.
Hope this helps.
As to the implicit question of offerings, those rituals have their uses. What one may think about an activity might well be hocus pocus but that might not be a characteristic of that activity to begin with!

This is an excellent answer

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Is the emptiness of final nirvana an illusion?
Is the emptiness of final nirvana an illusion?
When we misplace a box with nothing at all inside we haven't really lost its contents. I am convinced, based on this, nothingness is only really inside things that exist.
Meaning at final nirvana, the conventional self, which really no longer consists of anything at all, is really composed of absolutely nothing, must exist and have no parts.
Final nirvana does still arise, but the Buddha continues to exist, so emptiness, partite lack of substance, is an illusion. I'd like a Buddhist wide quote with sound reasoning.

are you referring to parinirvana?  maybe an infinity of emptiness? but that's just conceptual..

I'm not saying I have experienced it first hand, no-one ever could, could they @lilredindy

Forgive me for asking, but what made you think that Nirvana and emptiness are the same?

This perspective on emptiness is a bit turned around. Instead of standing as an outsider looking at a supposedly empty box, imagine being inside that box.  It's (perhaps) a somewhat claustrophobic experience (though we might not recognize that feeling for what it is); we are in this small, confined space that is filled with 'us'. Then follow this progression:

The box disappears and we find ourselves in a larger room, filled with 'our stuff'
The walls of the room disappear, and we find ourselves in a larger house, intermingling with those we know and care about
The house disappears and we find ourselves in a town or city, with all sorts of activity and distractions
The town/city disappears and we find ourselves in an open field, with far horizons
The field and sky disappear, and we are left in the vast expanses of space

We experience 'fullness' when we are bound by the attachments produced by the egoic mind, because we have placed ourselves in a mental container formed of our thoughts, attitudes, feelings, desires, etc. It's like wrapping ourselves in a blanket of mind; warm and familiar, but constrained. When we begin to quiet and still the egoic mind, those constraints loosen, and we start to feel the expanse around us. The more expansive that feeling becomes, the smaller and more intermittent the products of the egoic mind seem, and we start to experience that same sense of emptiness that we might have standing in a field under the wide blue sky. It isn't an objective emptiness in which nothing exists; it's the subjective emptiness of perspective and freedom.

Perception isn't real, lasting, a refuge, proper to regard as me, myself and I. So, form, not to speak of any perception of form.

I sorta see where you're coming form, but I didn't mention perception! Only emptiness, nirvana, conditioning, etc

And those are perceptions or not? Or form? huhh huhh!

To be clear, even the perception of Nibbana has the Sublime Buddha his disciples to be abound, but that's far from householders current task, which is penetrating form at first place. Mind is far to slippery for uninstructed and untrained mind. And where does good householder think that my person's coming from, hmm? Go on work and finish brain mastubating is of much benefit. Having done the task (=nibbana) will be real then, yet of cause it's not.

The Four Noble Truths are about suffering, not boxes.
So let's talk about loved ones. When a parent loses or misplaces a loved one, sorrow arises. Was the sorrow inside the loved one? The sorrow was not there before, so where did the sorrow come from? Trapped in suffering, what is the escape?

DN34:1.4.27: Renunciation is the escape from sensual pleasures. The formless is the escape from form. Cessation is the escape from whatever is created, conditioned, and dependently originated.

Looking for the end of suffering, we may become dissatisfied with form and eventually explore the formless, perceiving nothingness and emptiness:

MN121:8.7: There is only this that is not emptiness, namely the oneness dependent on the perception of the dimension of nothingness.’
MN121:8.8: And so they regard it as empty of what is not there, but as to what remains they understand that it is present.
MN121:8.9: That’s how emptiness is born in them—genuine, undistorted, and pure.

The truth to be found in boxes does not end sorrow, so we have to look beyond boxes to find the root of suffering. Going beyond boxes we might find a certain emptiness:

MN121:13.4: So, Ānanda, you should train like this: ‘We will enter and remain in the pure, ultimate, supreme emptiness.’
MN121:13.5: That’s how you should train.”
MN121:13.6: That is what the Buddha said.
MN121:13.7: Satisfied, Venerable Ānanda was happy with what the Buddha said.

nothingness is only really inside things that exist

Is surely the mistake.
Does everything exist that is composed of some but not all possible parts? Whether or not it is Buddhist, it is not trivially false, inconceivable, that the whole of reality exists, or that some parts do not combine.
It would be an unusual reading of interpenetration, and seems to amount to the claim that only and all absences exist. Which doesn't mean absences exist independent of anything, or that no theory is true of the possible whole - rather than actual, which does not exist.
Put another way (again): things that have arisen do not exist; things that cease do. An unusual way of looking at 'emptiness'

perhaps sabba sutta is also of interest:  https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn35/sn35.023.than.html. the negation of this 'All' concept may also lead to the perception of empty or nothing.

We have problems in our society, particularly when it comes to words, with the idea of "one". Concepts are bound up with this idea of duality as, for example, with your thoughts on existence and  non-existenxe. The only alternative to this duality which we can conceive of seems to be nothing, nihilism. We bounce between "two" and "zero". Somehow "one" is a hot coal which we can only jump over without standing upon it. In some ways the idea of the self and the other are the root of this,  the underlying duality, to the extent that has meaning. Ted Wrigley's excellent and creative answer, more worthy of votes than this one, illustrates this in a more useful way than the kind of conceptual thinking in this answer and in your question. But maybe this answer could serve as a bridge for you?

I'm not sure why you think of Nirvana as Nothingness.
I'm coming from a Theravada Background and Nothingness and Nirvana are not the same. There is no material plane, or place as Nirvana (Nibbana). The word Nibbana literally means severing the link or attachment (to sansara).
Nirvana is an understanding. That is why an Arahath is known as an 'Awakened one'. The understanding you attain in Arahath state allows you to stop forming attachments (lobha or dwesha) towards the world. You no longer have a reason to be born again, thus you have broken the cycle of birth and death. When an Arahath passes away there is no reason to form another link to the world, thus ending the birth and death cycle of sansara. It is not nothingness. If it helps you understand, you can think of it as ending of a process.

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Is the whole of reality what is being denied by some Buddhists?

Is the whole of reality what is being denied by some Buddhists?

So, for as long as the sensation of pleasure or an atom or visual consciousness or apple is thought to belong to everything that exists, we are confused about them; and everyone is. If so:

can we add that everything absent from the whole of reality exists?

I know you can literally couple the fire sermon (the Buddha goes nowhere after death) with the unanswered questions (does the Buddha exist after death, in unanswerable). But maybe they're saying that in his no longer existing in the world, he is beyond every concept except existence? So the question is unanswerable because of the assumption that he has somewhere to go.

noumenon does exist as something in addition to phenomena, but not all phenomena?

The statement in the 3rd paragraph -- "Anything which exists" etc. -- what (reference)  is that based on? Or what are you trying to say there and how is it connected to the (title of the) question?

I'll explain sorry @ChrisW

The whole first question would be clearer with a reference -- could you quote or link to what you're asking about? I mean, the first question is, "Some Buddhists are denying something -- is that 'something' the whole of reality?" ... but you don't specify which Buddhists you're asking about, nor what they said or wrote, nor even which school of Buddhism, so I think it's hard to be sure of what you're asking about.

all of them @ChrisW do you have a favourite I can namecheck (lol)?

The question seems to suppose or presuppose that Buddhists believe that, "Anything which exists, exists outside the whole (of 'reality', not 'the entire apple')." But I'm finding it hard to make sense of that assertion, i.e. to relate it to any Buddhist doctrine that I know of.

ah dwai @ChrisW I'd delete but unfortunately am unable to

If you pick up a bowl of water and carry it across the room to a table, the water will splash against the sides of the bowl and develop eddies and waves  as you move. If you come back an hour later, The splashing and eddies and waves are gone. So where did they go?
When pure consciousness is disturbed it develops its own splashes and eddies and wavs. Some of these we alienate as 'karma' or 'phenomena'; others we identify with as 'self'. If we don't let them still, they perpetuate, constantly recreating themselves. If we do still them they fade to nothing, and yet we lose nothing in the fading.
A man we call Gautama awakened to the stillness of pure consciousness. The man died; the stillness didn't.

The question only made sense to me after I read your answer. Thank you. :D

Even brain-mastubating can be taken on as if it would be real, right?
Why not simply take on ways of thinking the Liberal pointed out to go beyond desire of all kind?
In that way, of which he tries, good householder wouln't stop go after the refrigerator or are there first signs?

I like puzzles. I guess it's sad no-one else likes mine, but whatever.

it's not like every one of my questions are the same (or even that any of them are sufficiently answered). They may spring from the same motivation, broadly speaking, but again: whatever

brainmastubating. Or public farting. Right?

what are you doing, shitting in my mouth?

@user22169 On this site, if you're going to post an answer, then you should usually try to answer the question without saying "that's the wrong question to be asking". If you don't want to answer then don't, but maybe usually try and do it without appearing to criticize the user for asking.

What does the TOS say on "that's not the answer" in comments, criticize answers? How does on appear to "criticize" a user for answering? Thoughts, links?


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What are the names of all the books or subsections of the Tibetan Kangyur (and Tengyur)?
From AsianClassics.org you find downloadable copies of the Tibetan Kangyur and Tengyur. I have copied the Kangyur Table of Contents to a CSV here. You'll notice many things are missing titles, some have titles in only Tibetan, etc.
Is there any standardized list of table of contents for the Tibetan Kangyur/Tengyur? Or why isn't there?
BTW what is the organization scheme they have going there anyways, with KL00044-002(eTB) and things like that?


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What is the wheel in the Guhyagarbha tantra?
I am starting to explore Luminous Essence: A Guide to the Guhyagarbha Tantra, where in the first section on the "title", says:

All phenomena of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa are inseparable with the enlightened state; they dwell primordially as the eternal wheel of adornment of enlightened body, speech, and mind.

Not knowing much Tibetan buddhism (yet), what is meant by the "wheel" exactly? And by the wheel of "adornment"? Finally, what does it mean to dwell primordially, what is the actual word used that is translated to primordial from Tibetan? Same with the word wheel, what is the Tibetan word for it and also what is it talking about more specifically?

"The wheel of adornment" or "the lotus garland" is a metaphor for the multiverse, the interpenetrating matrix of worlds that co-arise together with the sentient beings experiencing them according to their karmic and mental conditioning.
The "Enlightened body, speech, and mind" aka "the enlightened state" is the ultimate nature of the multiverse or the ultimate reality "behind" the various worlds/appearances.
"All phenomena of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa are inseparable with the enlightened state" because they exist as different perspectives on, or different interpretations of, the ultimate reality.
"they dwell primordially as eternal" etc. means despite being illusory they are innate to the ultimate reality. In other words, the ultimate reality by its very nature always appears as illusory phenomena, it exists through them, not apart from them.


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What is meant by "secret" in the Guhyagarbha tantra?
I am starting to explore Luminous Essence: A Guide to the Guhyagarbha Tantra, where in the first section on the "title", says:

All phenomena of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa are inseparable with the enlightened state; they dwell primordially as the eternal wheel
of adornment of enlightened body, speech, and mind. Th is is what is meant
by the term secret. It is referred to as such because those who are obscured and
unfit to receive these teachings do not realize this, although it is genuinely
realized by the profound wisdom mind of the victorious ones. It is secret in
the sense that the three bodies go unrecognized due to the veils of temporary
obscurations, though they are present within. Moreover, the profound views
that reveal this presence are not known through one’s own power, nor are
they pointed out by another, and, even if they are, they are hard to realize. In
this way, they are hidden. Furthermore, unless this special view, meditation,
and conduct are concealed from those who are unfit to receive these teachings, the seal of secrecy will be broken and they will be misconstrued. Therefore, it is not taught to such individuals and must be concealed. In this way,
it is secret, both in the sense of being unseen and concealed.

(bold added by me)
What are they saying exactly here? Why must it be concealed exactly? What is at risk?
To me it sounds like they are saying, trying to describe the teachings of this Tantra to someone who is not ready or capable of hearing it will just make it even harder for them to understand its meaning, because they will not realize what you are saying and it will harden them in their own stance in disbelief of the teachings. So it is better to just keep it a secret and let them discover it for themselves.
I could be way off, I know very little about Tibetan Buddhism so far, but I would like to explore what they are saying and not sure the full impact of what they mean when they talk about "the secret".

It's all right there in the text in plain sight:

All phenomena of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa are inseparable with the enlightened state.

If you don't understand it, that's a sure sign that you need more study and practice.
If I were to explain it to you in a way that would "reveal the secret", all I would achieve is you going astray to the lower worlds.


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What is the mandala of the ground?
When you first learn about mandalas, you learn about sand paintings:

But in the Guhyagarbha tantra, outlined in Luminous Essence: A Guide to the Guhyagarbha Tantra, it is said:

The subject matter of this tantra is the maṇḍala of the ground, the ultimate natural state of all phenomena, which is primordially of an enlightened
nature within great purity and equality. Moreover, the tantra also shows the
path, the various means that allow one to actualize this ground either directly
or indirectly. Finally, the tantra reveals the maṇḍala of the fruition—perfect,
total purity. In short, the tantra teaches the profound realization of mantra,
as subsumed within ground, path, and fruition.

Where can I find more information on this deeper meaning of mandala. What is the mandala of the ground?

In this context "mandala" means "a living situation, with you in the center" or "a configuration of elements as seen from the inside".
So "mandala of the ground" means to see things from the perspective that takes "the ground" as one's living reality ("the ground" defined in the text as "the ultimate natural state of all phenomena, which is primordially of an enlightened nature within great purity and equality").
Similarly "mandala of fruition" is to see things from the perspective of Enlightenment (which is "perfect, total purity" attained when you "actualize this ground").
In other words, the text talks about shifting your perspective, the way you see and construct your reality.


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What is the "magical net" in the Guhyagarbha Tantra?
The Luminous Essence: A Guide to the Guhyagarbha Tantra says "This universal tantra of the great Magical Net is a secret among secrets".
Later it says:

Accordingly, mahāyoga teaches the complete nature of the ground, path, and
fruition of the entire mantra vehicle. It is, therefore, essential to develop certainty regarding all aspects of mantra practice based on mahāyoga. Mahāyoga
belongs to the inner tantras of secret mantra, and can itself be divided into an infinite number of categories. These all come about through the play of wisdom of the magical net.

Later they refer to "the wheel of the magical net." In several other places "magical net" is mentioned.
What is the magical net? Is that literally the etymology of "Guhyagarbha"? Searching the web reveals mayajala, but no insight is to be gained easily looking at that word.

Magical net is an allegory for upaya - a skillful approach to teaching Dharma by taking advantage of student's own inertia, as opposed to pushing student by force.
In other words, when a good teacher of dharma masters the skill of seeing from the student's (often somewhat confused) perspective, a talented teacher then can operate within that perspective to help the student follow along and gradually adopt The Right View. This often works better than forcing an immature student into the mandala of fruition.


text:
Is there a rift forming in Shingon since Eimei moved on?
When a school of Buddhism has a senior who passes away, is it common for the school to go into a type of dissarray, until a successor is chosen?
Some years ago I joined the Shingon school. It was awkward at the start, then upon the death of the (senior/master/sorry-correct-title-undefined), everything went sidewards. The body of the school seemed to splinter into minor sub schools, some casting doubt about other seniors. For a newbie this was disconcerting as the study of Shingon requires a 1 to 1 relationship, but my sensei stopped teaching, so I had to find another. Twas 3 years ago and I've still not found a replacement sensei. No new senior has been chosen.
Is this type of behaviour common in Buddhism?


text:
Do chanting mantras, devoting merit etc. to animals actually help & how do we know that?
I always hear of Buddhists encouraging people to chant mantras, dedicate merits, pray etc. for animals & pets so that they may be exposed to the dharma and take a better rebirth. Also, chanting for dead animals; the insect you unintentionally killed, the carcass on the dinner table, pets who have passed on etc.
How do we know that? Do animals have the capacity to comprehend dharma?

Good householder,
Repeating goodwill and good thought toward all beings is part of right view developing, are huge merits (if also acting likewise: non-harming, virtue in word and speech) for one who does.
Dedicating ones goodness, merits to all others, so that if they are able to take part on the deeds by approve and rejoicing, is also huge meritorious for one who does. One who joins the merits by mudita gain merits as well.
How ever, either taking part on merits or receiving certain gifts, once fallen into the realm of common animal isn't possible. And it's also not possible to make anything for others that would overwrite their own actions.
It's good to reflect what ever food like eating ones only son, or mothers (former existances), flesh to get disenchanted toward pleasures in the Sensual Worlds.
Seeing oldage sickness and death all around, not releasing anybody, anything, the wise is busy in focus on merits torward escape for there own kamma/deeds establishes beings.
Yet, even if one thinks "may all beings here without hunger" while liter the rinsing water of his food away, even this is merit in giving, yet not one of huge benefit as such starts with giving toward those with virtue, metta, the Noble Ones.
Metta, virtue and generosity of one with such attributes actuually helps the doer much and all others most possible. Sila is not only cause for wealth but also happiness (heavens) and liberation, once conducted on right view.
And no, animals are not capable to comprehend, understand the Dhamma, yet it's good if one leads ones pets to good habits which, when used to things, even if not understanding, is useful when one time getting, gaining better chance.
For the most, the only, but not small gift toward fellows and other beings, is not to harm them aside of sharing so that they can carry on. Else is up to their deeds.
Hypocritical behaviour like wishing well yet not willing to either act virtuoso nor generously not renounce sensual pleasures is bad in both ways but common under ordinary folk to feel a little better. Who likes people wishing well around while harming and without restrain?
It's like demonstrating for climate action while enjoying pleasures of all senses... fools gather not understanding the first Noble truth. And they wouldn't be willing to renounce, even if.

The term metta has been translated as loving kindness, benevolence, friendliness, amity, good will and universal love.
Cultivating metta is about changing YOUR state of mind, and not actually changing other people's or animals' state of mind.
Loving kindness is about you changing your thoughts, emotions, intentions, attitude, outlook and conduct, in such a way that it radiates with benevolence and friendliness to all beings (including yourself). It is so that you become the true friend who wishes everyone, without discrimination, to be happy and at ease with themselves. Loving kindness is a cure for one's ill will towards others.
On the other hand, compassion (karuna) is about you trying to understand the suffering of others and trying to alleviate the suffering of others, or at least not make it worse. Compassion is a cure for one's contempt for others.


text:
Time, space: real, lasting, own-able?
or uncertain, subject of change, a burden and not own- or control-able, not worthy to fall for?
Time to answer and give it up?

If you're talking about time or space from the perspective of physics:
All conditioned and/or compounded things are impermanent, in the sense that they would arise and cease, and also change. Only Nibbana is not impermanent. Everything else, including space, time, matter and energy are subject to arising, ceasing and changing.
Space - If you have 1 m3 of vacuumed empty space, is it permanent? If air or matter gets into it, then it's not empty anymore. According to quantum field theory, empty space is never truly empty, because quantum particles appear and disappear constantly.
In cosmology, space in the universe is said to be expanding, causing galaxies to become further apart as time goes by.
Time - Have you heard about time dilation? Time moves relatively a lot slower for an object that is moving closer to the speed of light. Therefore, time is conditioned.
The more we understand science, the more we understand that everything in the physical realm is impermanent, arising, ceasing and changing.
If you're talking about the realm of infinite space of arupa jhana, I believe that refers to a state of mind that's not permanent either.

Using the given space and sacrificing time: All six dhātus, elements, are uncertain, subject to change, a burden and not own- or control-able, not worthy to fall for, not possible to hold as own, a pain, suffering. Okāsa (space, possibility, time, room) is one of that.
It runs out!


text:
Which language will get you deeper into Buddhism, Pali or Sanskrit?
I seem to have read that the "original" or "oldest" Tripitaka was written in Pali, but at the same time the Sanskrit language is much older than Pali. How do Sanskrit and Pali relate in terms of Buddhism? I would like to collect as many Buddhist terms and their meanings in one of these two languages but not sure which would provide the deepest, most concise, clear, and complete terminology for the Buddhist cosmology and theories of mind and such. Sanskrit seems like it has a richer more established etymological system so it might be easier to understand concepts that way, but perhaps Pali is closer to the original meaning or something? Which language would be better for a beginner or advanced student of Buddhism?

I believe the two languages are related. If you know one, that understanding would carry over to the other to some degree. Many people have told me Sanskrit is a difficult language to learn.

Both Pali and Sanskrit are dead languages, and no one finds understanding by harvesting esoteric words. I"m not trying to dissuade you, please note; I'm just pointing out a concern. It's unfortunately easy to get lost in the flowers and lose track of the fruit.

Vedic Sanskrit is much older than Pali. Pali part of the family of Prakrits which descended from Vedic Sanskrit. The Buddha spoke a Prakrit dialect. Jain scriptures too were written in some kind of Prakrit dialect.
Classical Sanskrit was standardized by the ancient grammarian Panini around the same time as the lifetime of the Buddha. It too descended from Vedic Sanskrit. When we say Sanskrit today, we mean Classical Sanskrit.
Vedic Sanskrit is analogous to Old Latin. Prakrit is analogous to Vulgar Latin. Pali is analogous to Italian. Classical Sanskrit is analogous to Classical Latin.
Pali is a lot simpler than (Classical) Sanskrit in the sense that its grammar rules are simplified. For e.g. for nominal noun declensions, Sanskrit has three - singular, dual and plural. Pali only has two - singular and plural.
Words are simplified too. For e.g. maitrī → mettā, sthavira → thera, tṛṣṇa → taṇha, smṛti → sati.
Sanskrit is also a grand literary language and formerly a lingua franca in the Indian subcontinent, just as Latin was in Europe. It was the language of the royals, the clergy and the poets.
Prakrit dialects were used by the common people and the Buddha preferred his teachings to be spread in the language of the common people. Pali is a kind of standardized Prakrit used for the standardization of the Pali Canon.
Pali is only used in the Pali Canon and its commentaries or related works like the Visuddhimagga.
Then there's one more language called Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit (BHS) which is a hybrid dialect, between Pali/ Prakrit and Sanskrit. It's largely used by early Mahayana scriptures. Later Mahayana scriptures were composed in Classical Sanskrit because that became the main written language when people started writing.
So, which language will get you deeper into Buddhism?
That depends on which scriptures or texts you want to read.
In any case, Pali and Sanskrit are very similar. Think of Sanskrit being like German and Pali being like English, a Germanic language with much simpler grammar (but let's forget the large amount of Latin loan words). And BHS is something in between the two, like Dutch.

It really depends on what kind of Buddhism you practice.  For example, if you practice in a Thai forest tradition, being familiar with the technical Sanskrit jargon of the Yogacara school would be completely irrelevant.  Likewise if you were a student of Zen, being able to read the Tibetan tantras would be a complete waste of time.  I'd argue that there's definitely more written in Sanskrit, but even within that literature there will be texts that in no way influence how you practice.
FWIW, Pali isn't that hard of a language to learn...especially if you already speak a language that uses noun declensions.  Structurally, Sanskrit is very, very similar - just with a couple of extra cases.  One thing I will say, however, is that there are vastly more resources for learning Sanskrit.  That alone will probably make it easier to pick up.

If you want to learn Therawada Buddhism, learn Pali Language. Sinhalese (Sri Lankan native) is also a good language to learn Buddhism as there are a lot of Pali text translated to Sinhalese and there are a lot of Sinhalese monks who can help you understand Buddhism.
I might be biased, but I find it quite difficult to express Dhamma in English as there are too many subtle but important points either missed, misinterpreted or misunderstood. You are learning the physics of the mind, which could be thought of as the most complex thing. Language clarity is quite important.

Academically: English, Japanese, Chinese, French, and German. There is a lot more Japanese scholarship on Buddhism than English, a lot more Chinese scholarship as well. Many of the early groundbreaking translations of the buddhavacana into Western languages were by Frenchmen in the late 1800s, such as de La Vallée-Poussin et al.
On terms of practice, if you want to familiarize yourself with the texts, I would say the same as other users, adding Chinese and Tibetan to the list of languages to learn depending on what tradition you are most interested in and which manuscripts you think would be more interesting. They are very difficult languages for non-specialists to learn, but if you learnt Tocharian or Gāndhārī, you'd be one of very few people with access to a host of very old Buddhist manuscripts.
I will say, based on the precedent of Franklin Edgerton's paper "The Prakrit Underlying Buddhistic Hybrid Sanskrit" (which is very generously cited in Wikipedia's page on "Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit"), that Buddhist Sanskrit can be quite distinct from both Vedic and Classical Sanskrit. According to the cited text, when Buddhist Sanskrit significantly differs from Classical Sanskrit, it retains word senses and meanings largely identical to Pāli (see p. 502 of the cited paper). So it might actually be significantly more useful to learn Pāli instead of Vedic or Classical Sanskrit. There do exist courses in Buddhist Sanskrit, but they are rare. Here is one:
https://buddhadharma.co/Introducing_Buddhist_Sanskrit
You could look for courses like that if you've a fancy for obscure Buddhist Sanskrit. Buddhist Sanskrit, however, is more like Pāli than it is like Vedic or Classical Sanskrit.


text:
What does the word Bodhi mean etymologically?
Looking up the Pali bodhi leads to Sanskrit bodhi, which says "perfect knowledge or wisdom", from Proto-Indo European "to be awake". Perfect wisdom and being awake are not the same thing from a layman's perspective, so they are hinting at some underlying unity. Is that present in the components of the word? What about parts of speech of the word, what is its part of speech and how is it composed? Also, it seems to be related to the word Buddha (b*dh*), but I am not sure.
Bod seems to mean "body", and hi, I dunno. I may be doing this wrong :)

Etymologically, both bodhi and buddha stem from the root budh*, which is also the root for the English verb "to bud" (to flower, to bloom).
The verbal root budh* means "to awake," "to become aware," "to notice, know, or understand", as in the verbs bujjhati (Pāli) and bodhati or budhyate (Sanskrit).

Maybe you've heard of the old South Indian Monkey Trap (from this article):

In Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert Pirsig’s
bonkers-but-brilliant philosophical novel that turns 40 this year, he
describes “the old South Indian Monkey Trap”. ... The trap
“consists of a hollowed-out coconut, chained to a stake. The coconut
has some rice inside which can be grabbed through a small hole”. The
monkey’s hand fits through the hole, but his clenched fist can’t fit
back out. “The monkey is suddenly trapped.” But not by anything
physical. He’s trapped by an idea, unable to see that a principle that
served him well – “when you see rice, hold on tight!” – has become
lethal.

The monkey needs to let go of the rice in order to free himself from his suffering. The way to end his suffering, is to end his craving for rice.
But in order to end his craving for rice, he must first understand how his hand is stuck inside the coconut. When the monkey overcomes his ignorance about how the trap works, he would let go of his craving for rice, and release his clenched fist. With this, he would be free from his suffering.
So, when the monkey gains the wisdom of how the trap works, he overcomes his ignorance of the trap. The monkey gaining this wisdom is the same as the monkey becoming awake, becoming enlightened. Becoming awake is same as overcoming ignorance through wisdom.
So, "perfect wisdom", "becoming awake" and "overcoming ignorance" are pretty much the same.

(Illustration above: Paul Thurlby for the Guardian)


text:
Is the word "samsara" composed of simpler concepts etymologically or otherwise?
Looking up the word samsara, or the Wiki page leads to the same definition you see most places:

The endless cycle of birth, existence and death.

However, that is a lot of concept to pack into one word. How did they arrive at the word "samsara" to encapsulate such a complex concept?
Etymonline says:

"endless cycle of death and rebirth, transmigration of souls," 1886, from Sanskrit samsara "a wandering through," from sam-, prefix denoting completeness (from PIE root *sem- (1) "one; as one, together with"), + sr- "to run, glide" (from PIE verbal stem *ser- "to flow;" see serum).

But I don't know how I feel about PIE yet, not sure how they arrive at these derivations. Tangential question: it says 1886 is the latest definition, when does the word first get used?
If I were to go with etymonline's derivation, of sem and serum, it is the "one flow" basically, being one with the flow, being tied to the flow. But I don't know if that is a correct interpretation.
But the main question is, what do the components of the word mean. Is there any Buddhist text that elaborates on this concept and ties it back to the word more deeply? If so, what text is it and/or what do they generally say?

Reconstructing PIE is pretty robust. There may be some ambiguity in phonetic realisation, and certainly some ambiguity as to its ancestral meaning, but that there was a root and its path through to words of a certain meaning in dozens of languages today is usually uncontroversial. With so many well-recorded IE languages, regular language change can be deduced in each and sporadic changes in any one ignored and the root constructed with lots of chances for validation and cross checking. Laryngeal theory and Sassure's work being later validated by Hittite were the great internal check of this.

It is certainly a remarkable achievement which initially seems implausible or speculative. But it's on a firmer footing than much we take for granted and seems trivial in linguistics.

If you look up the etymology of samsara, it's composed of "sam" (together) + "sara" (course, motion, stretching out, extension). So, it's "moving or flowing together" like a river.
If samsara is a river, then craving (tanha) is like the river current. It's the force that moves the river and it's the cause of suffering (second noble truth).

This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have
heard: "Suppose a man was being carried along by the flow of a river,
lovely & alluring. And then another man with good eyesight, standing
on the bank, on seeing him would say: 'My good man, even though you
are being carried along by the flow of a river, lovely & alluring,
further down from here is a pool with waves & whirlpools, with
monsters & demons. On reaching that pool you will suffer death or
death-like pain.' Then the first man, on hearing the words of the
second man, would make an effort with his hands & feet to go against
the flow.
"I have given you this simile to illustrate a meaning. The meaning is
this: the flow of the river stands for craving. Lovely & alluring
stands for the six internal sense-media. The pool further down stands
for the five lower fetters. The waves stand for anger & distress. The
whirlpools stand for the five strings of sensuality. The monsters &
demons stand for the opposite sex. Against the flow stands for
renunciation. Making an effort with hands & feet stands for the
arousing of persistence. The man with good eyesight standing on the
bank stands for the Tathagata, worthy & rightly self-awakened."
Iti 109

https://suttacentral.net/define/sa%E1%B9%81 -- saṁ

Etymology
Questions on this site tend to be more about doctrine and practice and less about language. I don't know etymology beyond what you can read in a dictionary. Also I assumed the word pre-dated Buddhism, but Wikipedia says maybe not:

Some scholars state that the Samsara doctrine may have originated from the Sramana traditions and was then adopted by the Brahmanical traditions (Hinduism). The evidence for who influenced whom in the ancient times, is slim and speculative, and the odds are the historic development of the Samsara theories likely happened in parallel with mutual influences.

Meaning
I wonder if an equivalent modern metaphor might be "hedonic treadmill" i.e. chasing after pleasures.
I think of Samsara as depicted in the Wheel of Life and driven by the Three Poisons.
Buddhist text -- what text is it and/or what do they generally say?
In brief I think I've read them say that there's a lot of it (of samasara), and that it's not entirely happy or keeps being sad (because of loss).
This page on Access to Insight includes three sutta references.
There are other references to Pali texts -- suttas but also other texts like the Visuddhimagga and the Dhammapada -- in the definition here. Those references aren't hyperlinked, and they're in a slightly non-standard format or numbering (or by "non-standard" I mean, "there's more than one standard"), which I find makes lookup a bit tedious -- but I think that the first reference for example i.e. DN.i.54 corresponds to DN 2, where (as it happens) it's quoting a non-Buddhist explaining his (non-Buddhist) views:

Pleasure and pain are allotted. Transmigration lasts only for a limited period, so there’s no increase or decrease, no getting better or worse.

The next is DN.ii.206 which is DN 18 and so on.
This topic might help if you want to follow cross-reference like that: Tripitaka Section Numbering

I personally tend to concentrate on the Pali sutta -- i.e. there are also many other Buddhist texts beyond what's mentioned in my answer.

The metaphor "hedonic treadmill" is not the best for the following reason- becoming in samsara isnt driven by just the pleasures- aversion also propels that. Thus, hedonic would not be capturing this aspect of the samsaric flow.

The wheel of life does indeed symbolize the causal aspect of the samsaric flow.

Saṃsāra, Anamatagga, "whose beginning and end are alike unthinkable"
Saŋsarati (Sangsarati): to move about continuously, to come again and again. to go through one life after the other, to transmigrate
Saŋsāra: 1. transmigration, lit. faring  2. to go through one life after the other, to transmigrate.
Saŋ ~ bond, put together, sāra ~ going, moving, following, fluid, flow, reed, an arrow.
usually used with Vattha, Samsara Vattha: Circle of ... endless seeking, asking on.

"Saṁsāra literally means “wandering-on.” Many people think of it as the Buddhist name for the place where we currently live—the place we leave when we go to nibbāna. But in the early Buddhist texts, it’s the answer, not to the question , “Where are we?” but to the question, “What are we doing?” Instead of a place, it’s a process: the tendency to keep creating worlds and then moving into them. As one world falls apart, you create another one and go there. At the same time, you bump into other people who are creating their own worlds, too."
~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Saṁsāra" https://www.dhammatalks.org/books/KarmaOfQuestions/Section0008.html

In lord Buddha's words "පුබ්බා කෝටි න පඤ්ඤායති"[Pubba Koti napangnayathi]. It means "I cannot find the beginning of the "Samsara". Lord Buddha Looked backward millions trillions of years but could not be able to find the beginning of the life. It is like a circle. In a circle we cannot find the beginning as well ending.  But Lord Buddha taught us how to come out of the circle. That is attain Nibbana. To have better understanding you need to read and learn about Dependant Origination["Patichchasamuthpada"].
Read this article to find what happened to the person who traveled to find the end of this Universe:

Rohithassa Sutta
Loka Sutta

It is with ignorance (Avijja) as condition that formations (Sankara) come to be
This is the Wheel of Dependent Origination:

.
“1. Ignorance - avijjā
Ignorance of the Four Noble Truths in particular. That is to say, not seeing the realities of suffering and its origin.

Volitional Formations - saṅkhārā
Acts of the will in body, speech or mind. The making of karma.

Consciousness - viññāṇa
Knowing the sensory objects through the six types of consciousness, i.e. vision, hearing, smell, taste, touch and thought.

Body-Mind - nāmarūpa
The physical body and the three mental aggregates excluding consciousness, i.e. mental formations, perception and feeling. These together are sometimes called the mental body.

Sixfold Base- saḷāyatana
The psycho-physical bases of the six senses. The sense organs and their associated mental factors.

6 .Contact - phassa
Sensory impingement. The coming together of three factors; the physical organ, its object and consciousness. Example - visual contact is the coming together of light waves and the sensitive cells of the retina together with conscious awareness.

Feeling - vedanā
Pleasant, unpleasant or neutral emotional reaction to sense contact.

Craving - taṇhā
Craving for sense pleasures, craving for existence, craving for nonexistence. NB the link between feeling and craving is the key point where the cycle can be broken and liberation can occur.

Clinging - upādāna
The intensification of craving to the level of obsession. Defilement is very difficult to deal with if it has been allowed to develop to this stage. Four kinds of clinging are listed; clinging to sense pleasure, to views, to rites and rituals and to the doctrine of a self.

Becoming - bhava
Coming into existence or being. There are three levels of being; sensual, fine-material and immaterial. These correspond to sensory, jhanic and formless jhanic consciousness. Also to existence in the various realms. Sensual being includes the lower realms, human and sensual heavens. Fine-material includes the brahma realms and immaterial the realm of formless deities. NB nibbana is outside all of these realms and is not a type of becoming at all.

Birth – jati
The emergence into one or another order of beings.

Old Age (jara) and Death (maraṇa) and also sorrow and lamentation, pain grief and depair; that is how there is an origin to this whole aggregate mass of suffering. This is called the Noble truth of Suffering.
The inevitable result of being born.

For further learning listen to this videos:

Dependant Origination
Dependant Origination

Samsara is like this and lord buddha told us "I cannot see the beginning of the samsara of the creatures" Like in this picture we are traveling according to our Karmic results in other words the causes and the effects.

Until we understand the Ultimate realities and drive this journey to attain Nibbana.
Hope this article may helpful for you to find the answer of your question.
May triple Gem Bless You!!!


text:
What does Buddhism say about the "self"?
Looking at the Noble Eightfold Path led me to the non-self:

that no unchanging, permanent self or essence can be found in any phenomenon.

But while I agree that in the grand scheme of things there is no unchanging permanent self in anything, there is however a temporary self. Things come and go, and in between they create a self, even though that may be a delusion, it is still created.
What does Buddhism have to say about that sort of direction of thinking? I understand the goal is to think about and realize the non-self, but I also think it is important in the game of reality to be aware of the fact that there are temporary constructs which engage and interact with each other.

Are you really and literally asking about "the self" -- or would it be on-topic to answer about the kandhas (five aggregates of of clinging), and the three characteristics, and so on back to the Noble Truths? Because given that Buddhism says that things are non-self, I'm not sure we can agree on what "the self" is, that you might be asking about.

Anything related to the self would be fine if there is not direct talk about the traditional/typical idea of a western self.

Starting with my own (not Buddhist) analysis perhaps there are two types of "traditional/typical idea of a western self":

Social
Personal

By "social" I include everything that would be impossible if one were (perhaps by some miracle of Science Fiction) alone in the world:

Family and friends (e.g. "my family")
Wealth, possessions (e.g. my house, my money)
Social status (e.g. my job)
Legal identity (e.g. my passport, my birthdate, my contracts)
Reputation (e.g. my friends or enemies, my career)

I'll gloss over these, they aren't the main focus of this answer.
A lot of the suttas are by the Buddha and intended for monks who have "gone forth" and renounced these kinds of attachments and possessions and types of identity (also including "caste").
I think that Buddhism doesn't deny that such exist -- and I think it advises lay-people on how to fulfil some of their social obligations skilfully and wisely (e.g. Sigalovada Sutta (DN 31)) -- but that's not specifically "doctrine about self" (I'd consider it rather doctrine about "morality" etc.), and not the main focus of the suttas.
Still if you are interested in what advice can be found in the suttas specifically for lay-people, that's collected in this book titled The Buddha's Teachings on Prosperity: At Home, At Work, in the World.
Even so I think it's safe to say that, according to Buddhism, these things are all sankharas. They are (therefore) impermanent, not permanently satisfying, and their loss is an occasion for grief if one is unwisely attached to or clinging to them -- which is why (traditionally Meeting the Divine Messengers) the Buddha was inspired to "go forth" from his life as a lay-person.

By "personal" I mean to include what you may be aware of when you're alone in a forest -- as in fact a Bhikkhu might be or might have been.
Briefly, Buddhist doctrine categorises those as the "five aggregates".
Perhaps I'm wrong but I think the "form" includes the body (though there is another word for body, i.e. kāya) -- so you might say, "I have a body", or "I am a body", or "I die when the body dies", and so on.
Similarly for the other aggregates -- famously in the West, cogito ergo sum ("I think, therefore I am"), which I guess is a kind of identifying self with thought. There are also perceptions ("I see you"), feelings ("I am having a good time" or "I am sad").
The aggregates are also the "clinging aggregates" which are named at the end of the First Noble Truth (in SN 56.11).
After the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta (SN 56.11) I think the next two suttas were the Fire Sermon and the Anatta-lakkhana Sutta, which introduces anatta which is the subject of (at least) nearly 200 topics/questions on this site.
In conclusion a good summary might be what MN 2 says about A thicket of wrong views.

In Buddhism we talk of two kinds of truths: the conventional truth  (or relative, worldly) and the ultimate truth (or absolute).
In the conventional truth we can say that there is a self. For example, we can say things like “take refuge in myself” or “one should restrain oneself”. In the Dhammapada there is a full chapter of verses of the Buddha speaking in terms of this conventional self (chapter 12). In the conventional truth we can also speak of a “temporary self” as you said.
On the other hand, in the ultimate truth we cannot say that there is a self, as something that is separated, independent and permanent. In the same Dhammapada the Buddha says that all phenomena is non-self (verse 279).
The body is always changing, subject to growth and decay. It’s moving all the time, cells are working and renewing, blood is flowing, air is coming in and out. It’s never the same unchanged  body.
The body is also interconnected with everything else. The food with eat, the water we drink, the air we breath, they come from outside and become part of the body, and then they are expelled and go back to the outside. The shape of our body comes from all our ancestors and also from the environment we lived all our life. The body is made of all these things, interconnected with everything.
Looking more deeply we see that the body is made of skin, organs, bones, muscles, etc. The skin is made of cells, hairs, blood, etc. The cells are made of this and that, and so on. We come to see that, in fact, in the body there is nothing that can be called “body”.
We can say that the body is not a body. The body is just an idea in the mind.
All these things can be said also for feelings, perceptions, mental formations and consciousness. They can be said for all phenomena. Everything is non self, non separated, not permanent.
The self is just an idea in the mind and we try to remove that idea, without need to replace it with a new idea.
Non self is not a theory, it’s a practice of removing the wrong perception of a separate self entity. To meditate on non self it’s a practice for liberation and for freeing us from suffering and affliction.

Both ways of thinking, being or not being, are hindrances, causing suffering, and so the suggestion of ways of thinking focuses on to see clear whether something is worthy to take on as ones own, good householder. Be or not, isn't a question. Perceptions have causes, coming into being, decay, has an origin, isn't without cause.
Most usefull for understanding and not falling into extremes: Selves & Not-self
And yes, there are temporary perceptions of self, having cause in not knowing, seeing, so foolish to say there is no such as Self, which is the practice of the Jains.


text:
Is there a future Buddha?
Did the Buddha (Shakamuni) say another Buddha will appear in the future? Which text does that appear in?
didn't he say he would not be born again?  I recall that's what he said.

yes. Maithri buddha.

It appears in the Metteyyabuddhuppāda of the Cakkavattisutta, DN 26. From the translation by Venerable Sujāto:

Asītivassasahassāyukesu, bhikkhave, manussesu metteyyo nāma bhagavā loke uppajjissati arahaṁ sammāsambuddho vijjācaraṇasampanno sugato lokavidū anuttaro purisadammasārathi satthā devamanussānaṁ buddho bhagavā. Seyyathāpāhametarahi loke uppanno arahaṁ sammāsambuddho vijjācaraṇasampanno sugato lokavidū anuttaro purisadammasārathi satthā devamanussānaṁ buddho bhagavā.
And the Blessed One named Metteyya will arise in the world — perfected, a fully awakened Buddha, accomplished in knowledge and conduct, holy, knower of the world, supreme guide for those who wish to train, teacher of gods and humans, awakened, blessed — just as I have arisen today.

The honorific 'Buddha' means 'awakened one'. Since the intent of Buddhist philosophy and practice is to lead people to awakening, then there must ipso facto be future Buddhas, or else the entire project is fruitless.
If you take 'Buddha' to refer specifically a teacher of the (pure, unadulterated) dharma, then you're thinking about Maitreya. As this wikipedia article points out, the idea that a new teacher will arise after the dharma has been forgotten appears in some of the later sutras; see the sources section. The Maitreya has undeniably been expanded and exaggerated in the traditions of certain Buddhist sects, but that's as may be...
The arising of a new Buddha does not imply the reincarnation of the earlier Buddha. It merely means that some world-bound being has cast off the cloak of selfhood and realized the true nature of things. There's nothing mystical or mysterious in that. If the architect building our house leaves, another architect will come along to finish the job; the new architect does all the same things that the old architect did, but that doesn't make the latter a reincarnation of the former.

yes you are right about this, but the fact that Maitreya will appear in the future is also wonderous

it's ironic you talk about building via architect, when in fact, he was not building, but relinquishing his adobe.

actually u right! the buddha was an archtect...hE WAS a brhama too :|

Good householder,
It's mentioned, in an urgency by displaying causes of samvega, that a further Buddha will arise, yet exactly this Sutta DN26 urges to train for liberation in this life, while the mentioned fake monks and teacher, lead people to get into this terrible times...

The body of this sutta consists of a narrative illustrating the power of skillful action.
In the past, unskillful behavior was unknown among the human race. As a result, people lived for an immensely long time — 80,000 years — endowed with great beauty, wealth, pleasure, and strength. Over the course of time, though, they began behaving in various unskillful ways. This caused the human life span gradually to shorten, to the point where it now stands at 100 years, with human beauty, wealth, pleasure, and strength decreasing proportionately. In the future, as morality continues to degenerate, human life will continue to shorten to the point were the normal life span is 10 years, with people reaching sexual maturity at five. "Among those human beings, the ten courses of action (see AN 10.176) will have entirely disappeared... The word 'skillful' will not exist, so from where will there be anyone who does what is skillful? Those who lack the honorable qualities of motherhood, fatherhood, contemplative-hood, & brahman-hood will be the ones who receive homage... Fierce hatred will arise, fierce malevolence, fierce rage, & murderous thoughts: mother for child, child for mother, father for child, child for father, brother for sister, sister for brother." Ultimately, conditions will deteriorate to the point of a "sword-interval," in which swords appear in the hands of all human beings, and they hunt one another like game. A few people, however, will take shelter in the wilderness to escape the carnage, and when the slaughter is over, they will come out of hiding and resolve to take up a life of skillful and virtuous action again. With the recovery of virtue, the human life span will gradually increase again until it reaches 80,000 years, with people attaining sexual maturity at 500. Only three diseases will be known at that time: desire, lack of food, and old age. Another Buddha — Metteyya (Maitreya) — will gain Awakening, his monastic Sangha numbering in the thousands. The greatest king of the time, Sankha, will go forth into homelessness and attain arahantship under Metteyya's guidance.
The story, after chronicling the ups and downs of human wealth, life span, etc., concludes with the following lesson on kamma and skillful action.

Buddha is a word to describe certain qualities of a human person. Of course such one carries his last body in this very life.

In the Pali Tipitaka I think it's mentioned (only) in the Buddhavaṃsa:

In the twenty-eighth section is given the names of three Buddhas, namely, Taźhałkara, Medhałkara and Saraźałkara who lived before Dřpałkara Buddha at different intervals of the same world cycle. The names of other Buddhas (up to Gotama Buddha) are also enumerated together with the name of the kappas in which they have appeared. Finally there is the prophesy by the Buddha that Metteyya Buddha would arise after him in this world.

There are sutta references to previous Buddhas, so ...
And I believe it's a more prominent feature of other Buddhist schools (and texts) -- see Maitreya.

But the text where he actually says this? It doesn’t exist....

https://suttacentral.net/bv28/pli/ms?layout=linebyline&reference=none&notes=asterisk&highlight=false&script=latin -- "Ahametarahi sambuddho, metteyyo cāpi hessati"


text:
is formless better than formed?
I recall it being said by the Buddha that the formless - jhana perhaps - is better than the formed.  in which sutta does this say this?  I remember reading that, but I can no longer find the text

The quote you are thinking of, I think, is from the Santatarasutta, located in Chapter 3 of the "Book of Threes" (Tikanipāta) of the Itivuttaka (Iti 73). From the translation of John D. Ireland:

“Rūpehi, bhikkhave, arūpā santatarā, arūpehi nirodho santataro”ti.
“Bhikkhus, the formless is more peaceful than the form realm, and cessation is more peaceful than the formless.”

that's the one :)

The escape from form is listed in several suttas:

iti72:2.3: Renunciation is the escape from sensual pleasures. Formlessness is the escape from form. Cessation is the escape from whatever is created, conditioned, and dependently originated.

In addition, meditations deepen through the four jhanas, progressing into the subtler formless meditations:

AN9.41:11.2: ‘Why don’t I, going totally beyond perceptions of form, with the ending of perceptions of impingement, not focusing on perceptions of diversity, aware that “space is infinite”, enter and remain in the dimension of infinite space?’

Furthermore, understanding that form is necessarily limited simply because it serves to distinguish between that which is the form and that which is not the form, we may also find the following relevant:

SN41.7:6.2: Greed, hate, and delusion are makers of limits.

Lastly, "better" may not be quite the word to use in comparing the form and formless. In MN121, the Buddha discusses the meditation on emptiness, which teaches that meditation towards emptiness is less stressful but some stress related to form is necessary for living itself. Indeed, even the formless here is perceived as "stressful."

MN121:10.3: They understand:
MN121:10.4: ‘Here there is no stress due to the perception of the dimension of nothingness or the perception of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception.
MN121:10.5: There is only this modicum of stress, namely that associated with the six sense fields dependent on this body and conditioned by life.’

Nice but not the one I recall

the word 'better' was in the text. i can't find it :(

Ah. OK. There is indeed a "better" one:

AN2.76:1.5: The better of these two kinds of happiness is happiness that relies on the formless.”

Generally speaking, you may find it helpful to search the suttas using https://voice.suttacentral.net   with the phrase "better formless"

*Rupa-states/mindless ones" (asaññasatta) isn't at all desired, yet often common. If good householder asks about the four jhanas via the four-perceptions (arupa-jhana)... the four Jhanas, at least the first, is required for insight (leaving, world, home, sense sphere). While arupa-perceptions can be reached even without virtue, in this area the first step, compression of form, can not be archived as well as Dhamma not understood. Lacking the four Jhanas, useless.
As for livelihood (to maintain some happiness) the third Jhana is praised.
Good to mind minds in tune, since right (t)here, in the Dhamma-Vinaya, is the best place and freaks outside are mostly lost.
First: leaving home, making the hometask. Done, going up the mountains, where ever. But if not having left home, even if going up a mountain, aside of hardly finding space to do, bond to always return, not able to go beyond. The arupa-Jhanas are equal other awareness releases, like by metta, yet can be also and are often, maintained without having made the hometask, gained right view, considering the Dhamma. 1. Jhana is quite good and sufficient for the path.


text:
Moggaliputta-tissa Kathavatthu
Anyone knows where I can find an english translation of Moggaliputta’s work “Kathavatthu” (The Points of Controversy) where he somehow “saved” the Buddha’s message of the middle way contained in the Dhammacakkappavattana-sutta, which then later has been rejected by Theravada and Mahayana schools but flourished under Nagarjuna?

I found it here :
https://archive.org/details/pointsofcontrove00mogg/mode/2up
the other version online is the transliteration from Sanskrit.


text:
What to do in order to get back to meditating?
I meditated for many years and read quite a few Buddhist books by famous authors from here in America and abroad. Unfortunately, I have fallen away from meditating on a regular basis and reading Buddhist books. I would like anyone who can help me in trying to get back into the practice of meditation. If anyone has a suggestion on a book to read or a video to watch, that would inspire me to get back to daily meditation, I would really appreciate it. Thank you for your time.

Perhaps you can reinvigorate yourself to resuming meditation, by watching meditation videos and reading booklets by Ven. Yuttadhammo.
For basic insight meditation (vipassana) based on the mindfulness of breathing, you can consider starting with Ven. Yuttadhammo's "How To Meditate" series for beginners, which is available as a YouTube video playlist and as an online book.
This meditation is based on the four foundations of mindfulness (satipatthana). It comes in the varieties of sitting and walking meditation.
When you get tired of sitting meditation, you can do walking meditation and vice versa.
After you have mastered this, you can proceed to "How to Meditate II" by the same teacher.

Finding a place with good friends first where they leading you to meditate with them.
For nowadays, there are many online group where we mute the mic and voice to sit together in the morning.
But it is better if you can go to the meditation place like a temple, etc. I recommend Pa-Auk tawya, there are 41 branches around the world with all kind of meditations, start with Anapanassati.
Then check all of below every dhamma below are important to get start again, but get good friend first.

44. 6. 1.
(49) Kalyāṇamittatā –– Virtuous Companionship

I heard thus. At one time the Blessed One lived in the monastery offered by Anāthapiṇḍika in Jeta’s Grove in Sāvatthi, and addressed
the monks from there:

“Monks, before the sun rises, there is the forecast and precedence of dawn; in the same manner for the arising of the Noble Eightfold
Path to the monk, the forecast and precedence is virtuous
companionship.

“Monks, for the development and making much of the Noble Eightfold Path, the monk should expect virtuous companionship. Monks, how does
the monk develop and make much of the Noble Eightfold Path as a
virtuous companion?

“Here, monks, the monk develops right view relying on seclusion, non-excitement, for ceasing and to give up in the end with maturity...
re ... and the monk develops right concentration relying on seclusion,
non-excitement, for ceasing and to give up in the end with maturity
Monks, in this manner the monk develops and makes much of the Noble
Eightfold Path as a virtuous companion.”

(50) Sīlaṃ –– Virtues

I heard thus. At one time the Blessed One lived in the monastery offered by Anāthapiṇḍika in Jeta’s Grove in Sāvatthi, and addressed
the monks from there:

“Monks, before the sun rises, there is the forecast and precedence of dawn; in the same manner for the arising of the Noble Eightfold
Path to the monk, the forecast and precedence is the endowment of
virtues.

“Monks, for the development and making much of the Noble Eightfold Path, the monk should expect the endowment of virtues. Monks, how does
the monk develop and make much of the Noble Eightfold Path for the
endowment of virtues?

“Here, monks, the monk develops right view relying on seclusion, non-excitement, for ceasing and to give up in the end with maturity.
... re ... and the monk develops right concentration relying on
seclusion, non-excitement, for ceasing and to give up in the end with
maturity Monks, in this manner the monk develops and makes much of the
Noble Eightfold Path with the endowment of virtues.”

(51) Chanda –– Interest

I heard thus. At one time the Blessed One lived in the monastery offered by Anāthapiṇḍika in Jeta’s Grove in Sāvatthi, and addressed
the monks from there:

“Monks, before the sun rises, there is the forecast and precedence of dawn; in the same manner for the arising of the Noble Eightfold
Path to the monk, the forecast and precedence is the endowment of
interest.

“Monks, for the development and making much of the Noble Eightfold Path, the monk should expect interest. Monks, how does the monk
develop and make much of the Noble Eightfold Path endowed with
interest?

“Here, monks, the monk develops right view relying on seclusion, non-excitement, for ceasing and to give up in the end with maturity.
... re ... and the monk develops right concentration relying on
seclusion, non-excitement, for ceasing and to give up in the end with
maturity Monks, in this manner the monk develops and makes much of the
Noble Eightfold Path endowed with interest.”

(52) Atta –– Self

I heard thus. At one time the Blessed One lived in the monastery offered by Anāthapiṇḍika in Jeta’s Grove in Sāvatthi, and addressed
the monks from there:

“Monks, before the sun rises, there is the forecast and precedence of dawn; in the same manner for the arising of the Noble Eightfold
Path to the monk, the forecast and precedence is the accomplishment of
self.

“Monks, for the development and making much of the Noble Eightfold Path, the monk should expect the accomplishment of self. Monks, how
does the monk develop and make much of the Noble Eightfold Path for
the accomplishment of self?

“Here, monks, the monk develops right view relying on seclusion, non-excitement, for ceasing and to give up in the end with maturity.
... re ... and the monk develops right concentration relying on
seclusion, non-excitement, for ceasing and to give up in the end with
maturity Monks, in this manner the monk develops and makes much of the
Noble Eightfold Path for the accomplishment of self.”

(53) Diṭṭhi –– View

I heard thus. At one time the Blessed One lived in the monastery offered by Anāthapiṇḍika in Jeta’s Grove in Sāvatthi, and addressed
the monks from there:

“Monks, before the sun rises, there is the forecast and precedence of dawn; in the same manner for the arising of the Noble Eightfold
Path to the monk the forecast and precedence is the accomplishment of
view.

“Monks, for the development and making much of the Noble Eightfold Path, the monk should expect the accomplishment of view. Monks, how
does the monk develop and make much of the Noble Eightfold Path for
the accomplishment of view?

“Here, monks, the monk develops right view relying on seclusion, non-excitement, for ceasing and to give up in the end with maturity.
... re ... and the monk develops right concentration relying on
seclusion, non-excitement, for ceasing and to give up in the end with
maturity Monks, in this manner the monk develops and makes much of the
Noble Eightfold Path for the accomplishment of view.”

(54) Appamāda –– Diligence

I heard thus. At one time the Blessed One lived in the monastery offered by Anāthapiṇḍika in Jeta’s Grove in Sāvatthi, and addressed
the monks from there:

“Monks, before the sun rises, there is the forecast and precedence of dawn; in the same manner for the arising of the Noble Eightfold
Path to the monk the forecast and precedence is the accomplishment
diligence.

“Monks, for the development and making much of the Noble Eightfold Path, the monk should expect the accomplishment of diligence. Monks,
how does the monk develop and make much of the Noble Eightfold Path to
accomplish diligence?

“Here, monks, the monk develops right view relying on seclusion, non-excitement, for ceasing and to give up in the end with maturity.
... re ... and the monk develops right concentration relying on
seclusion, non-excitement, for ceasing and to give up in the end with
maturity Monks, in this manner the monk develops and makes much of the
Noble Eightfold Path for the accomplishment of diligence.”

(55) Yoniso –– Wise Thinking

I heard thus. At one time the Blessed One lived in the monastery offered by Anāthapiṇḍika in Jeta’s Grove in Sāvatthi, and addressed
the monks from there:

“Monks, before the sun rises, there is the forecast and precedence of dawn; in the same manner for the arising of the Noble Eightfold
Path to the monk, the forecast and precedence is wise thinking.

“Monks, for the development and making much of the Noble Eightfold Path, the monk should expect wise thinking. Monks, how does the monk
develop and make much of the Noble Eightfold Path by wise thinking?

“Here, monks, the monk develops right view relying on seclusion, non-excitement, for ceasing and to give up in the end with maturity.
... re ... and the monk develops right concentration relying on
seclusion, non-excitement, for ceasing and to give up in the end with
maturity Monks, in this manner the monk develops and makes much of the
Noble Eightfold Path by wise thinking.”

(56) Kalyāṇamittatā 2 –– Virtuous Companionship 2

I heard thus. At one time the Blessed One lived in the monastery offered by Anāthapiṇḍika in Jeta’s Grove in Sāvatthi, and addressed
the monks from there:

“Monks, before the sun rises, there is the forecast and precedence of dawn; in the same manner for the arising of the Noble Eightfold
Path to the monk the forecast and precedence is virtuous
companionship.

“Monks, for the development and making much of the Noble Eightfold Path, the monk should expect virtuous companionship. Monks, how does
the monk develop and make much of the Noble Eightfold Path with the
endowment virtuous companionship?

“Here, monks, the monk develops right view to drive out greed to the end, to drive out hate to the end and to drive out delusion to the
end. ... re ....and the monk develops right concentration to drive out
greed to the end, to drive out hate to the end and to drive out
delusion to the end. Monks, in this manner the monk, a virtuous
companion develops and makes much of the Noble Eightfold Path.”

(57) Sīla 2 –– Virtues 2

I heard thus. At one time the Blessed One lived in the monastery offered by Anāthapiṇḍika in Jeta’s Grove in Sāvatthi, and addressed
the monks from there:

“Monks, before the sun rises, there is the forecast and precedence of dawn; in the same manner for the arising of the Noble Eightfold
Path to the monk the forecast and precedence is the endowment of
virtues.

“Monks, for the development and making much of the Noble Eightfold Path, the monk should expect virtues. Monks, how does the monk develop
and make much of the Noble Eightfold Path with the endowment of
virtues?

“Here, monks, the monk develops right view to drive out greed to the end, to drive out hate to the end and to drive out delusion to the
end. ... re ... and the monk develops right concentration to drive out
greed to the end, to drive out hate to the end and to drive out
delusion to the end. Monks, in this manner the virtuous monk develops
and makes much of the Noble Eightfold Path.”

(58) Chanda 2 –– Interest 2

I heard thus. At one time the Blessed One lived in the monastery offered by Anāthapiṇḍika in Jeta’s Grove in Sāvatthi, and addressed
the monks from there:

“Monks, before the sun rises, there is the forecast and precedence of dawn; in the same manner for the arising of the Noble Eightfold
Path to the monk, the forecast and precedence is the endowment of
interest.

“Monks, for the development and making much of the Noble Eightfold Path, the monk should expect interest. Monks, how does the monk
develop and make much of the Noble Eightfold Path with the endowment
interest?

“Here, monks, the monk develops right view to drive out greed to the end, to drive out hate to the end and to drive out delusion to the
end. ... re ... and the monk develops right concentration to drive out
greed to the end, to drive out hate to the end and to drive out
delusion to the end. Monks, in this manner the monk with interest
develops and makes much of the Noble Eightfold Path.”

(59) Atta 2 –– Self 2

I heard thus. At one time the Blessed One lived in the monastery offered by Anāthapiṇḍika in Jeta’s Grove in Sāvatthi, and addressed
the monks from there:

“Monks, before the sun rises, there is the forecast and precedence of dawn; in the same manner for the arising of the Noble Eightfold
Path to the monk, the forecast and precedence is the accomplishment of
self.

“Monks, for the development and making much of the Noble Eightfold Path, the monk should expect accomplishment of self. Monks, how does
the monk develop and make much of the Noble Eightfold Path for the
accomplishment of self?

“Here, monks, the monk develops right view to drive out greed to the end, to drive out hate to the end and to drive out delusion to the
end ... re ... and the monk develops right concentration to drive out
greed to the end, to drive out hate to the end and to drive out
delusion to the end. Monks, in this manner the monk develops and makes
much of the Noble Eightfold Path for the accomplishment of self.”

(60) Diṭṭhi 2 –– View 2

I heard thus. At one time the Blessed One lived in the monastery offered by Anāthapiṇḍika in Jeta’s Grove in Sāvatthi, and addressed
the monks from there:

“Monks, before the sun rises, there is the forecast and precedence of dawn; in the same manner for the arising of the Noble Eightfold
Path to the monk, the forecast and precedence is the accomplishment of
view.

“Monks, for the development and making much of the Noble Eightfold Path, the monk should expect accomplishment of view. Monks, how does
the monk develop and make much of the Noble Eightfold Path for the
accomplishment of view?

“Here, monks, the monk develops right view to drive out greed, hate, and delusion to the end ... re ... and the monk develops right
concentration to drive out greed, hate, and delusion to the end.
Monks, in this manner the monk develops and makes much of the Noble
Eightfold Path for the accomplishment of view.”

(61) Appamāda 2 –– Diligence 2

I heard thus. At one time the Blessed One lived in the monastery offered by Anāthapiṇḍika in Jeta’s Grove in Sāvatthi, and addressed
the monks from there:

“Monks, before the sun rises, there is the forecast and precedence of dawn; in the same manner for the arising of the Noble Eightfold
Path to the monk, the forecast and precedence is the accomplishment of
diligence.

“Monks, for the development and making much of the Noble Eightfold Path, the monk should expect the accomplishment of diligence. Monks,
how does the monk develop and make much of the Noble Eightfold Path
for the accomplishment diligence?

“Here, monks, the monk develops right view to drive out greed, hate, and delusion to the end ... re ... and the monk develops right
concentration to drive out greed, hate, and delusion to the end.
Monks, in this manner the monk develops and makes much of the Noble
Eightfold Path for the accomplishment diligence.”

(62) Yoniso 2 –– Wise Thinking 2

I heard thus. At one time the Blessed One lived in the monastery offered by Anāthapiṇḍika in Jeta’s Grove in Sāvatthi, and addressed
the monks from there:

“Monks, before the sun rises, there is the forecast and precedence of dawn; in the same manner for the arising of the Noble Eightfold
Path to the monk, the forecast and precedence is the accomplishment
wise thinking.

“Monks, for the development and making much of the Noble Eightfold Path, the monk should expect the accomplishment of wise thinking.
Monks, how does the monk develop and make much of the Noble Eightfold
Path for the accomplishment of wise thinking?

“Here, monks, the monk develops right view to drive out greed, hate, and delusion to the end ... re ... and the monk develops right
concentration to drive out greed, hate, and delusion to the end.
Monks, in this manner the monk develops and makes much of the Noble
Eightfold Path for the accomplishment wise thinking.”

A book can't replace the first outwardly condition to develop the path, good householder, which is admirable relation, friendship. Books serve only ones defilements, wouldn't reject them, would neither cite the needed at time nor close up if unhealthy taken. What ever new restart starts with taking refuge into what's/who's heading or arrived at liberation. It's because of great beings that one is assisted to turn to proper attention, by it to abound the hindrances (five kinds of evil association, outwardly, inwardly), develop the path, gain it and heads toward liberation. Only a non-returner, e.g. completed the concentration section, would be no more of need in regard of admirable association for most possible success.
And what's the required condition to try to take on a birth/stand which is condition for the path? Remembering the decay, suffering, within the last turn till here, after having been touched, met, the fourth heavenly messenger.
Books, videos... might suggesting that nourishing on both, the five evil friends and the seven goof friends (wings of awakening) works, but they don't. They don't appear together and let flow out anything to the other side.

As the other answers say, I find I'm motivated by personal or social contact -- and I believe that's true for many humans, and to a larger extent than we're aware of, if we view ourselves as "independent adults", perhaps you're like me.
For example:

If I tell someone that I'm going to do something, that's motivation to do it and to remember it.
If someone else is doing something and and there's a scheduled time when I'm invited to do it with them, that's motivation to do what they're doing then (and an example to follow).
If someone asks me whether I've done something, and are pleased or sad if I have or haven't, that's another motive.

I found this to be true for many types of action: including meditation.
There are some actions where I have formed or learned the habit, and include it in my life without other people's involvement: but learning something new can be easier with others.
Perhaps it's one of many reasons why monks live together (in a monastery), especially to begin with.

As for reference-request I offer this to support the theory: Upaḍḍhasutta (SN 45.2).
There have been several topics on this site where people ask for a list of books, I'm not sure how to find them -- two of these are:

List of book recommendations
What books address various difficulties that may arise during various stages of meditation practice?


text:
What other meditation techniques are attributed to Buddha apart from Anapanasati?
Anapanasati is a meditation technique attributed to Buddha himself and it is from Tripitaka.
What other meditation techniques are present in Tripitaka and are attribited authoritatively to Buddha himself other than Anapanasati?

The Buddha taught 40 meditation subjects. The visudimagga states that Mindfullness occupied with the body(kayagatasati) is taught only in the Buddha's dispensation, not in any other sect.

Now comes the description of the development of mindfulness occupied
with the body as a meditation subject, which is never promulgated except after
an Enlightened One’s arising, and is outside the province of any sectarians.
(Visudimagga, page 236)

Mindfulness occupied with the body is also mentioned in many suttas.
https://suttacentral.net/an1.575-615/en/sujato?layout=sidebyside&reference=none&notes=asterisk&highlight=undefined&script=latin
https://suttacentral.net/mn119/en/sujato?layout=sidebyside&reference=none&notes=asterisk&highlight=undefined&script=latin
https://suttacentral.net/sn43.1/en/sujato?layout=sidebyside&reference=none&notes=asterisk&highlight=undefined&script=latin
https://suttacentral.net/dn22/en/sujato?layout=sidebyside&reference=none&notes=asterisk&highlight=undefined&script=latin
https://suttacentral.net/mn10/en/sujato?layout=sidebyside&reference=none&notes=asterisk&highlight=undefined&script=latin
Overall, there are 40 meditation subjects/objects/methods

Earth Kasina

Water Kasina

Wind/Air Kasina

Fire Kasina

White Kasina

Red Kasina

Yellow Kasina

Blue/Black/Brown Kasina

Light Kasina

Space Kasina

Recollection of the Buddha

Recollection of the Dhamma

Recollection of the Sangha

Recollection of Sila(virtue)

Recollection of Dana(Generosity)

Recollection of Devas

Recollection of Death

Mindfulness occupied with the Body

Mindfulness of Breath

Recollectionof peace(qualities of Nibanna)

Perception of a skeleton

Perception of the bloated

Perception of a livid corpse

Perception of the festering corpse

Perception of the cut up corpse

Perception of the scattered corpse

Perception of the hacked and scattered corpse

Perception of the Bleeding corpse

Perception of the worm-infested corpse

Metta(commonly translated as loving-kindness)

Karuna(commonly translated as compassion)

Mudita(commonly translated as sympathetic joy or gladness)

Upekkha(commonly translated as equanimity)

Perception of Repulsiveness in nutriment

Four elements(MN 62, MN 28 and AN 4.177). This meditation subject is mentioned in detail in the visudimagga. If it is hard for you to understand, I recommend reading this book. http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/know-see.pdf
The four elements meditation is mentioned there in a simplified way.

Boundless space(1st immaterial jhana)

Boundless consciousness(2nd immaterial jhana)

Nothingness(3rd immaterial jhana)

Neither perception nor non perception(4th immaterial jhana)

https://suttacentral.net/an10.29/en/bodhi You can find info about kasinas here. Note:The consciousness kasina mentioned in the sutta is light kasina. The visudimagga explains in detail on how to practice all of the meditation subjects/objects. https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/nanamoli/PathofPurification2011.pdf

20 meditation topics in bojjhanga samyutta, starting at SN 46.57
https://lucid24.org/sn/sn46/index.html
Using 7sb awakening factors as the basic meditation steps, jhana factors, and framework.
Those twenty meditation objects are "dhammas" that sati remembers, that dhamma-vicaya sambojjhanga takes as the meditation topic to investigate, then passaddhi and viriya use to enter into 4 jhanas with, and that upekkha does insight (equanimous-observation).