text:
Meditation technique to reduce/control pain/sorrow/loss
So I have been doing different meditation techniques to control/reduce different poisons(Klesha) of mind. Such as I do

Asuaba(Perception of Unattractiveness) for Lust
Perception of Loving Kindness (Metta) for Hatred
Anapanasati for overflowing of thoughts
Perception of Compassion (Karuna) for thoughts of harming
Perception of Sympathetic-Joy (Muditha) for jealous and so on.

But when ever I encounter thoughts or memories of sorrow and pain, loss, I  get confused on what meditation technique I should use to overcome it. All the dark memories haunt me, and i tend to fight them. But most of the time I fail to overcome them. And in that process my mind and body energy is already consumed and i become tired and sometimes i get a migraine.
Is there any specific technique to overcome sorrow and pain? I know that Satipattanaya is there only way of overcoming sorrow, pain and loss, But i want to know the specific technique that I could practice on.
A sutta reference is appreciated.
-Metta

Detachment. would be my suggestion. But all the methods overlap.

Each technique a type of character or mental biase.

Greedy: the ten foulness meditations; or, body contemplation.
Hating: the four brahma-viharas; or, the four color kasinas.
Deluded: mindfulness of breath.
Faithful: the first six recollections.
Intelligent: recollection of marana or Nibbana; the perception of disgust of food; or, the analysis of the four elements.
Speculative: mindfulness of breath.
  The six non-color kasinas and the four formless states are suitable for all temperaments.

See: Kammaṭṭhāna
The main techniques to overcome sorrow are:

Anapanasati and
4 Satipatthana

These address the root cause.
Samantha techniques temporarily suppresses the hindrances which being clarity to continue into Vipassanā. So some of the techniques you mention are not the most suitable through if you practice the Brahmavihara and loathsome mediation in such a way that it develops Insight this also can be helpful. The more sure way is always 4 Satipatthana and Anapanasati practised as Vipassana than to develop Samatha.
As for specific techniques, they are described below. In short, what you have to do is concentrate on the feeling of sorrow and other experiences until you understand it.
One of the shortest renderings of Insight meditation is as follows:

(1) having put away covetousness and displeasure in the world, a monk dwells exertive, fully aware, mindful, contemplating body in the body.
(2) Having put away covetousness and displeasure in the world, he dwells exertive, fully aware, mindful, contemplating feeling in the feelings.
(3) Having put away covetousness and displeasure in the world, he dwells exertive, fully aware, mindful, contemplating mind in the mind.
(4) Having put away covetousness and displeasure in the world, he dwells exertive, fully aware, mindful, contemplating phenomena [dharmas] in the phenomena.

Sacca Vibhanga Sutta and also similar passage is found in (Magga) Vibhaṅga Sutta
One of the recurring elements here is putting away covetousness and displeasure in the world which is the task at hand. In addition you have to put effort to that task and also you should not have a lapse of mindfulness when doing this task, otherwise you will not attend to it and perhaps do something else. In short the key elements are awareness, clear comprehension and abandoning craving.
Covetousness and displeasure are result of mental reaction to sensations:

(1) the latent tendency to lust reinforced by being attached to pleasant feelings;
(2) the latent tendency to aversion reinforced by rejecting painful feelings;
(3) the latent tendency to ignorance reinforced by ignoring neutral feelings.

Pahāna Sutta
In addition the 6 sense bases can be the source of these sensations which result in unwholesome roots:

i. On seeing a form with the eye,

one investigates the form that is the basis for mental joy,
one investigates the form that is the basis of mental pain,
one investigates the form that is the basis of equanimity.

ii. On hearing a sound with the ear,

one investigates the sound that is the basis for mental joy,
one investigates the sound that is the basis of mental pain,
one investigates the sound that the basis of equanimity.

iii. On smelling a smell with the nose,

one investigates the smell that is the basis for mental joy,
one investigates the smell that is the basis of mental pain,
one investigates the smell that is the basis of equanimity.

iv. On tasting a taste with the tongue,

one investigates the taste that is the basis for mental joy,
one investigates the taste that is the basis of mental pain,
one investigates the taste that is the basis of equanimity.

v. On feeling a touch with the body,

one investigates the touch that is the basis for mental joy,
one investigates the touch that is the basis of mental pain,
one investigates the touch that is the basis of equanimity.

vi. On cognizing a mind-object with the mind,

one investigates the mind-object that the basis of mental joy,
one investigates the mind-object that is the basis of mental pain,
one investigates the mind-object that is the basis of equanimity.

Dhātu Vibhaṅga Sutta
To prevent your mental reaction to sensation becoming unwholesome you can try:

“Nothing is worth clinging to”
When this was said, the venerable Mahā Moggallāna said this to the Blessed One: “In what way, bhante, in brief, is a monk freed through the destruction of craving, that is, one who has reached total perfection, the total security from bondage, the total holy life, the total consummation, the highest amongst gods and humans?”
“Here, Moggallāna, the monk has learned that nothing is worth clinging to. And, Moggallāna, a monk has learned that nothing is worth clinging to, thus: he directly knows all things [he directly knows the nature of the all]. Having directly known the nature of all things, he fully understands all things.
Having fully understood all things, he knows whatever feelings there are, whether pleasant, painful or neither painful nor pleasant.
As regards to those feelings, [Section on Disillusionment and Revulsion (Nibbida) follows]
he dwells contemplating impermanence in them;
he dwells contemplating dispassion [fading away of lust] in them;
he dwells contemplating ending (of suffering) in them;
he dwells contemplating letting go (of defilements).
When he dwells contemplating impermanence in them, contemplating dispassion in them, contemplating ending in them, contemplating letting go, he does not cling to anything in the world. Not clinging, he is not agitated; being not agitated, he himself surely attains nirvana.

Pacalā Sutta
Another rendering of the same is as follows:

If he feels a pleasant feeling,

he understands that it is impermanent;
he understands that it is not to be clung to;
he understands that there is no delight in it.

If he feels a painful feeling,

he understands that it is impermanent;
he understands that it is not to be clung to;
he understands that there is no delight in it.

If he feels a neutral feeling,

he understands that it is impermanent;
he understands that it is not to be clung to;
he understands that there is no delight in it.

If he feels a pleasant feeling, he feels it in a detached manner.
If he feels a painful feeling, he feels it in a detached manner.
If he feels a neutral feeling, he feels it in a detached manner.

Dhātu Vibhaṅga Sutta
You should be careful that you do not react to the sensation with unwholesome thoughts which are craving, aversion or ignorance.

(1) the latent tendency to lust reinforced by being attached to pleasant feelings;
(2) the latent tendency to aversion reinforced by rejecting painful feelings;
(3) the latent tendency to ignorance reinforced by ignoring neutral feelings.

Pahāna Sutta
Now to reduce mental chatter you can use initial and sustained application:

When, bhikshu, this samadhi has been cultivated, well cultivated by you, then you should train yourself thus:
“I will dwell exertive, clearly aware, mindful,
observing [contemplating] [body | feeling | mind | dhamma] the in the [body | feeling | mind | dhamma],
removing covetousness and displeasure [discontent] in regard to the world.”
Thus, bhikshu, you should train yourself.
When, bhikshu, this samadhi has been cultivated, well cultivated by you, then, you, bhikshu,
THE 1 ST DHYANA:
should cultivate this samadhi with initial application, with sustained application;
should cultivate this samadhi without initial application, with only sustained application;
THE 2 ND DHYANA:
should cultivate this samadhi without initial application, without sustained application;
should cultivate this samadhi with zest;
THE 3RD DHYANA:
should cultivate this samadhi zest-free;
should cultivate this samadhi attended by comfort;
THE 4 TH DHYANA:
should cultivate this samadhi attended by equanimity.

Saṅkhitta Dhamma Sutta
Also one should abandon fabrications. [Samma Ditthi Sutta] One such fabrications is thinking and pondering. [Cūla Vedalla Sutta] Beyond the 1st Jhana you can cut this out. Also thinking and pondering leads to latent tendencies (see: Anusaya by Piya Tan). Suppressing it thinking and pondering suppresses concept proliferation which in turn suppresses the latent tendencies. The Jhana also suppress the 5 Hindrances.

“Bhikshu, as regards the source from which proliferation of conception and perception assails a person: if one were to find nothing there to delight in, nothing there to welcome, nothing to cling to—this is the end of

the latent tendency of lust,
the latent tendency of aversion,
the latent tendency of views,
the latent tendency of doubt,
the latent tendency of conceit,
the latent tendency of desire for existence, and
the latent tendency of ignorance.

This is the ending of the taking up of the rod and the sword, quarrels, disputes, mayhem [strife], slandering and lying —here these evil unwholesome states cease without remainder.”
…
Avuso, dependent on the [eye | ear | nose | tongue | body | mind] and [form | sound | smell | taste | touch | mind-object], [eye | ear | nose | tongue | body | mind]-consciousness arises.

The meeting of the three is contact.
With contact as condition, there is feeling.
What one feels, one perceives.
What one perceives, one thinks about.
What one thinks about, one mentally proliferates.

From that as source, proliferation of conception and perception assails a person regarding past, future and present [forms | sounds | smells | tastes | touch | mind-objects] cognizable through the [eye | ear | nose | tongue | body | mind].

Madhu,piṇḍika Sutta
Above clarity from the suppression of hindrances and latent dependencies can be used to further develop Insight.
One should also contemplate causality:

As such, bhikshus, the instructed noble disciple closely and wisely attends to dependent arising itself, thus:
“When this is, that is;

with the arising of this, that arises.
When this is not, that is not;
with the ending of this, that ends.”

Bhikshus, dependent on pleasant contact, a pleasant feeling arises. With the ending of the pleasant contact, the pleasant feeling that arose in dependent on that pleasant contact, ceases, is stilled.
Bhikshus, dependent on painful contact, a painful feeling arises. With the ending of the painful contact, the painful feeling that arose in dependent on that painful contact, ceases, is stilled.
Bhikshus, dependent on neutral contact, a neutral feeling arises. With the ending of the neutral contact, the neutral feeling that arose in dependent on that neutral contact, ceases, is stilled.

Assutava Sutta 2
The arising and passing nature of the sensations result in unsatisfactoriness. Uncontrollable nature results in unsatisfactoriness. What cases sensations are also arising and passing which case the sensations to arise and pass. The cause of sensations are not controllable. Therefore, the whole sphere of experience is unsatisfactory.

pleasant feeling is pleasant when it persists, painful when it changes;
painful feeling is painful when it persists, pleasant when it changes;
neutral feeling is pleasant when there is knowledge of it, painful when there is no knowledge of it.

Cūla Vedalla Sutta
The whole sphere of what can be experienced can be categorized into 3 sensations and their variant. (Indriya Bhāvanā Sutta and Sal,āyatana Vibhanga Sutta different shades of these sensations.) As noted above the whole sphere of sensations is unsatisfactory. Since what can be experienced and know fall into the 3 sessions the whole sphere of experience is also unsatisfactory. The aggregates of consciousness is unsatisfactory as what it cognises is unsatisfactory. The aggregates of sensations is unsatisfactory. The aggregate of which classifies as favorable, unfavorable and neutral is unsatisfactory as the mental reaction to such and the sensations that follow are unsatisfactory. The experience thought the body is unsatisfactory and the perceptions about form is unsatisfactory. This lead to the 1st Noble Truth.

What does one know [cognize]
  with that consciousness?

One knows, "It is pleasant."
One knows. "It is painful."
One knows, "It is neutral."

Dhātu Vibhaṅga Sutta
Also see:

Indriya Bhāvanā Sutta
Sal,āyatana Vibhanga Sutta
Samma Ditthi Sutta

Finally the way to develop the Brahmavihara along with insight is as follows:
The goal of Metta meditation is to develop friendly feeling towards all living beings though Sila, Samadhi and Panna (in combination with equanimity) can be developed with it.
This is achieved by breaking down the mental classification you have towards individual beings or classes of them into groups which you deem favorable, unfavorable or neutral and reacting to them with pleasant, unpleasant and neutral feeling associated with each classification. One such classification systems would be me, beings I like, neutral or unknown beings and being you do not like. When you break down the classification you will like everyone like yourself. Another classification could be same country, neutral country and enemy country. When you break down the mental classification system you will love everyone as your fellow country men. Another classification could be higher life forms, lower life forms and same level life forms. When you break down this classification you will love all living beings equally.
When you classify if a being is from a favorable category you react with pleasant sensation, unfavorable category with unpleasant sensation and neutral category with unpleasant sensations. These sensation lead to the unwholesome roots of craving for the favorable and pleasant, aversion towards the unfavorable and unpleasant and ignorance towards the neutral, as discussed in the Pahāna Sutta. When such reaction stops you stop creating negative mental states and come out of misery.
In order to develop Metta you should wish every one in every category you can imagine to be well and happy. Also know how the classifications are woulding in the back of your mind and know mental reaction and sensation. Say you remember and foe look at the mental reaction and sensations that follow. If you remember a loved one see the mental reaction and the sensations that follows. Try to be equanimous knowing the changes and and arising and passing nature of the sensations.
Once the favorable and unfavorable categorisations are broken you do not despair if you meet with non loved one and with equanimity you do not get attached to others. Others cannot cause you stress.
The Metta pratice encompases the the 3 Fold Training and Noble 8 Fold Path:

Sila - because you with metta you act for one’s well being and that of other
Samadhi - Metta build some level of concentration by repeated thoughts
Panna - if you look at how you categorise and perceive how beings are favorable or unfavorable and how sensation arise, your mental reaction due to craving and clinging, (impact on the current and future 5 aggregates) then this can develop insight

Karuṇā and Muditā meditation, apart from developing the qualities, can in understanding the process behind perceptions, view, thoughts and mental state due to other beings which you calcify and in and inferior situation and superior situation. E.g. is some one is better or the natural dependency is for jealousy to arise, and through Muditā you counteract this. Also if someone is worse off the tendency is Māna to arise, and through Karuṇā you counteract these.
At initial stages conducive thoughts about Brahmavihara will bring about morality. Also continuous focus on the subject of will bring about concentration. The key to Insight is to know how throats, view, perceptions about a being influence your mental state, what current sensation associated with these unwholesome mental states and volitions in the present lead to unpleasant sensations in the future, how perceptions and view about beings proliferate to latent tendencies, how these sensation leads to craving and how these sensations are entirely unsatisfactory. Sensation associated with mental states can be used as the basis for moral restraint, developing a conducive environment for concentration and also wisdom, which can be achieved through Brahmavihara. Also see: Sedaka Sutta (Sila), Saṅkhitta Dhamma Sutta (Samadhi), Kīta,giri Sutta (Sila, Panna).
Foulness meditation does my not counteract sorrow if practiced for the purpose of reducing polarity or the mind or temperament, but can also lead to In sight which leads to liberation from sorrow. It also is it dangerous if over done, or improperly done, as you might develop aversion towards one's own body. This has lead to suicides. But it does have its usefulness if practiced correctly. This is to be practiced if one is lustful, that is you have the perversion (see: Vipallasa Sutta) of seeing beauty is form. By contemplating on foules you are cultivating the opposite perception, view and thoughts. When this neutralises the lustful tendencies you do not react to beauty with lust. If you overdo it you might start loathing your own body in which case you have to try to see beauty in the form until your mind and tendencies are no longer polarised. Indriya Bhāvanā Sutta discusses developing the opposite of perceptions that arise. In addition to developing the opposite of a lustful temperament you can also build insight of how perception works, what sensations arise due to form and what the mental reactions are. E.g. you see a beautiful body see the sensations, perception of beauty arsing and the metal reactions. Now you should try to understand the following:

On seeing beauty what sensations arises (vedanā), how recognise (saññā) it or how you judge (saññā) it or how you evaluate (saññā) it followed by your mental reaction (saṅkhāra)
now imagining that a person was skinned and is a pile of body part see what sensations arises (vedanā), how recognise (saññā) it or how you judge (saññā) it or how you evaluate (saññā) it followed by your mental reaction (saṅkhāra)
now imagining what the body ages and is old see what sensations arises (vedanā), how recognise (saññā) it or how you judge (saññā) it or how you evaluate (saññā) it followed by your mental reaction (saṅkhāra)
now imagining a decaying corpse what sensations arises (vedanā), how recognise (saññā) it or how you judge (saññā) it or how you evaluate (saññā) it followed by your mental reaction (saṅkhāra)

Repeat the above imagining the body was yours, especially in the case you are beautiful or smart.
Thought his try to understand how craving and clinging works and how the 5 aggregates works and how 5 aggregates come into being. Current mental reactions fueled by craving and clinging to unpleasant / neutral sensations creates fabrication which in turn creates the future consciousness and 5 aggregates to experience unpleasant sensations and opposite in the case of pleasant vipaka. Through this you can use foulness meditation to liberate yourself from misery also. But tread with care!

I think sorrow and pain come from at four three experiences:

loss due to natural impermanence, such as the death of a loved one
hurt in relation to relationships, which have not worked out or which we were mistreated
failure to achieve personal ambitions
injury or dysfunction of body &/or mind

For loss due to natural impermanence, we can reflect on the inevitability of impermanence, how it cannot be any other way, as explained in DN 16, as follows:

Ananda, have I not taught from the very beginning that with all that is dear and beloved there must be change, separation, and severance?
  Of that which is born, come into being, is compounded and subject to
  decay, how can one say: 'May it not come to dissolution!' There can be
  no such state of things.

For hurt in relation to relationships, I think reflecting about morality is helpful, specifically, how failure or mistreatment comes from a deficiency in morality. If we can reflect upon what is truly morally correct, we can start to see where we failed or where others failed. By knowing what is morally right, we can develop perspective on why the relationship did not work out & make us better prepared for the future. There are many suttas about relationship, such as AN 4.55, AN 4.53 & DN 13, etc.

As for not meeting personal desires or expectations, we can only reflect upon the noble truths & dependent origination, how craving/expectation causes suffering and how human life is often controlled by ignorance. Often, we make mistakes, miss opportunities or simply do not achieve what is wanted because ignorance is a common thing affecting all beings (except Buddhas). Here, we practise reflection upon the imperfection (dukkhata) of life. Here we practise metta & compassion towards ourself.

As for injury or dysfunction of body &/or mind, SN 22.59 explains each of the five aggregates can be subject to affliction, dysfunction or disease (ābādhāya). Again, the meditative reflection is this cannot be any other way; that it is the universal conditional for birth, aging, sickness & death to occur to all conditioned things; which cannot be escaped (except by acceptance, non-attachment & wisdom).

Although all of you are very much more knowledgeable than I am, I could suggest walking meditation as practiced in Zen/Chan Buddhism. Enjoy mindful walking in nature "without thinking of arriving anywhere" (phrase from a poem by Thich Nhat Hanh). Using the physical body can get you out of your head where you are not only in pain but worrying about how to stop it. I hope this is not off topic, but pain and sorrow due to trauma or PTSD can be treated by meditation in conjunction with therapeutic support. And in medical terms, migraine is a serious condition and should not go untreated. May I recommend two excellent books of meditations by Tulku Thondup Rinpoche, The Healing Power of Mind and Boundless Healing. May you find peace and happiness and be free of pain.

Is there any specific technique to overcome sorrow and pain?

Possibly "absence of remorse".

A sutta reference is appreciated.

AN 11.1
So I guess that means, for meditation, sīlānussati (and mudita).


text:
difference between material pleasure and spirtual happiness
What is the difference betweenchappiness which we can get from this world and the spirtual joy or happiness which buddha taught us?
Is the spirtual joy more greater than sensual pleasure like drinking, eating, having sex, riding bikes, cars etc? If yes why and how so? Why should someone ignore everything in this world just to achieve that joy?
As i know the spirtual joy is continious, without any disturbance unlike material joy which comes and goes like wind. But in scientific way is spritual joy which person gets after doing right concentration as buddha told is more stronger and pleasures than the sensual joy?

The ultimate happiness which Buddha taught is not like strong pleasure:

“Brahmin, I was firmly energetic and had clarity of mindfulness; my body was tranquil and my mind unified.
Fully secluded from the five senses, secluded from unwholesome mental qualities, I entered and remained in the first jhāna, which consists of rapture and happiness born of seclusion, accompanied by movement of the mind.
Through the stilling of the movement of the mind, I entered and remained in the second jhāna, which has internal confidence and unification of mind and consists of rapture and happiness born of samādhi.
Through the fading away of rapture, I remained even-minded, mindful and clearly comprehending, experiencing happiness directly, and I entered and remained in the third jhāna of which the noble one declare, ʻhe is even-minded, mindful, and abides in happiness.ʼ
Through the abandoning of happiness and suffering and the earlier ending of joy and displeasure, I entered and remained in the fourth jhāna, which has neither suffering nor happiness and consists of purity of mindfulness and even-mindedness.
- The Book of the Discipline (Vinayapiṭaka), ch.1: "The origin of the Vinaya" (Bu-Pj.1.1.5 MS.14)

So if this ultimate happiness is not as strong as sensual pleasures, then why it is so good? Maybe it is not so good? If it is neither suffering nor happiness, then isn't it just too bland?
Is it worth the efforts? Maybe it's better to enjoy strong sensual pleasures, even if they alternate with suffering?
Many people say so when they hear about Buddhism. Maybe they are right?
Through the practice of meditation and investigation of our feelings, we can spot something interesting: our heart in its depth does not actually like so much those strong pleasures. Because they are virtually always mixed with a grain of suffering. We don't feel totally easy when we experience them.
So Buddhism says that the worldly pleasures we chase are actually not happiness, but a form of "the suffering of impermanence". On the surface it seems pleasant, but there's always some uneasiness deeply inside.
We chase such experiences only because we try to escape our usual condition of dissatisfaction.
So even when we enjoy worldly pleasures, uneasiness remain. We might see it particularly clearly watching those who lead a dissolute life. If a person drinks a lot, has a lot of sex here and there, gambles in casinos, tries drugs, rides fast etc., does that person look happy?
We can feel pretty easily that despite the lifestyle full of sensory pleasures, so devoted to chasing them, such person must be very unhappy.
Happy people just wouldn't need such way of life.
On the other hand, imagine a person who lives in very simple conditions, satisfied with minimal things like little food and shelter, very calm, would such person seem unhappy?
We might feel intuitively who is happier, even though our restless mind associates pleasure with throwing money, big cars, nightclubs, expensive wines, random sex etc. rather than with simple life.
So the happiness pointed by Buddha is said "being beyond happiness and unhappiness, and that's why it is called real happiness".
It's beyond that worldly image of happiness - with incessant chasing, inner constraints, tensions, vexations, never completely satisfying.
The ultimate happiness is being satisfied. The chase is dropped. Vexations ceased. Tensions relaxed. The uneasiness is completely relieved.
It's feeling free, very natural, unencumbered, alive.
In harmony of all things, with fresh, clean senses.
Compassionate and responsive.
Wise and not limited.
That's why real happiness is superior not only because of being constant and free from impermanent conditions, but it's superior also because deeply in our heart we like it more.
When we experience it, we realize that we like being free, natural and easy more than we would like strong pleasures combined with those inner tensions of samsaric encumbrance.

Material pleasures are based on sensations. Ultimate spiritual pleasures of Nirvana independent of sensation.
Regarding material pleasure, or pleasure of a householder, there are 6 types which is elaborated in Sal,āyatana Vibhanga Sutta.
At an intermediate state or spirituality (still working towards Nirvana) there are 6 kinds of pleasures associated with renunciation which is elaborated in Sal,āyatana Vibhanga Sutta.
In simple terms the difference is the householder pleasure is through acquiring and getting pleasant experiences while spiritual pleases is thought renunciation and understanding / wisdom / seeing things as they are.
Since the ultimate spiritual pressure does not end or pass away and independent of any external factor or cause it is far superior than any pleasure based on sensations which are temporary and not in one's control and cause by or dependent on any other factors and causes.
The intermediate pleasures or pleasures of renunciation,  are still based on understanding and wisdom, hence they are also superior.

are those spirtual pleasures more better than sensual pleasure?

Updated to answer this.

"Monks, there is rapture of the flesh, rapture not of the flesh, and rapture more not-of-the-flesh than that not of the flesh. There is pleasure of the flesh, pleasure not of the flesh, and pleasure more not-of-the-flesh than that not of the flesh. There is equanimity of the flesh, equanimity not of the flesh, and equanimity more not-of-the-flesh than that not of the flesh. There is liberation of the flesh, liberation not of the flesh, and liberation more not-of-the-flesh than that not of the flesh.
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn36/sn36.031.than.html

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text:
Spoke to the Buddha in my dream-discard?
I dreamed that I spoke to the Buddha, seems like it waa Gautama. He told me I should extend my meditation practice to an hour two times a day instead of half an hour as I do now, to reap greater fruits.
I don't think I really spoke to the Buddha. Did the historical Buddha ever speak of such events? Thoughts?

If speaking about dreams, I've watched on t.v that a monk had dreamt that Lama told him a lady will come to monastery and will request him let her with them when this was only for monks though he going to let her with them and teach Dhamma. Next day it happens what he had dreamt about; first he disagreed but later on he remembered his dream last night he had and then she became nun. May my question would help you. Thank you.

I met many interesting people in dreams or in visions awake: Jesus, my old Zen teacher, some other Buddhist and Hindu teachers and so on.
Some of them have told me very powerful mantras, some have encouraged me in practice or pointed at my mistakes. And of course I practised with them in my dreams, with joy and benefit. In none of those dreams or visions they deceived me in anything.
My old Zen teacher said (when another practitioner asked him) that he doesn't visit his students in dreams. But, he said, it's possible that some local spirit might took his appearance and give helpful advice.
Likewise, in your case it's possible that a local spirit took an image of the Buddha and gave you good advice. And it's possible it was real Buddha.
There are known stories of advanced practitioners who saw awakened teachers in dreams or visions and learned from them a lot. For example, if I recall correctly, Je Tsongkhapa meditated in a temple with a statue of Atisha, and Atisha started to talk to him and elucidated many topics of Dharma, and that allowed Tsongkhapa to write his fundamental Lamrim.
Of course it happens that our mind plays tricks with us, so it's possible to receive ill advice in dreams as well. Bodhisattvas can see Buddhas of Sambhogakaya realm (invisible to regular people), until then we have to decide for ourselves, was the advice good or not.
...Anyway, some people found excuses to not follow advice of real Buddha, when he was in human body...

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text:
How far is attachment allowed?
My dog has run away and I am sad. To be honest I was probably not taking care of him the best as one possibly could. We both excelled or declined based on my success, but I tried to allow him his own freedom and now he is gone.
Do I grieve? I mean I know that I am but should I?
Is this precisely the type of attachment I should and must choose to sever? This dog has been my friend and cohort for almost 10 years. He helped me recover from heart attacks and multiple surgeries. How could one not grow attached?
So should I feel relieved or guilty and sad?
I made sure to ask this while he was missing. Now he has since been found and returned.

You might find your answer in these related questions about having a relationship https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/2835/is-it-possible-to-have-a-romantic-relationship-without-attachment, https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/21366/how-do-you-have-a-relationship

those were good answers Hugh thank you!

Having any confusion about what is proper and what is not, we can approach the question by investigation.
Even if we don't find the answer for a long time, our skills of investigation would probably grow; so this would help not only in solving that question, but also for all the future questions.
Feelings are the primary data for our mind. Therefore, in order to reach clean perception, it might be natural to accept feelings exactly as they come, not trying to change them in forceful ways.
Therefore, whatever feelings come, we can practice by

accepting them as they are,
observing whatever phenomena accompany them,
and investigating causes and results.

How can we investigate causes and results? For example, we observe how feelings are being created, and what phenomena they lead to.
This way we learn how various mental factors interact and develop. In that sense, we understand their meanings. This understanding of meanings constitutes the knowledge of what is proper and why exactly.
This practice will not only solve the problem, but also will give some insight in mechanisms working in our mind. Knowing those mechanisms, we could improve our practice, as well as help others better.
Let it be helpful!

This is not a direct answer per se, but I hope that you can find an answer within it. Acknowledging the absence of a dear one and remembering their good qualities are different things from dukka. It would be a good meditation to see at which point this acknowledgment & remembrance turns to dukka, and investigate the causes - you may find that this dukka is due to remorse, broken expectations, etc. Yet for one who has nothing to feel remorseful, has no expectations, the absence is felt, but there arises no dukka.

Ukkacela Sutta
Once the Blessed One was dwelling in the Vajji country, at Ukkacela on
  the bank of the river Ganges, not long after Sariputta and Maha
  Moggallana had passed away. And at that time the Blessed One was
  seated in the open, surrounded by company of monks.
The Blessed One surveyed the silent gathering of monks, and then spoke
  to them, saying:
"This assembly, O bhikkhus, appears empty to me, now that Sariputta
  and Maha Moggallana have passed away. Not empty, for me, is an
  assembly, nor need I have concern for a place where Sariputta and Maha
  Moggallana dwell.
"Those who in the past have been Holy Ones. Fully enlightened Ones,
  those Blessed Ones, too, had such excellent pairs of disciples as I
  had in Sariputta and Maha Moggallana. Those who in the future will be
  Holy Ones, fully Enlightened Ones, those Blessed Ones too will have
  such excellent pairs of disciples as I had in Sariputta and Maha
  Moggallana.
"Marvelous it is, most wonderful it is, bhikkhus, concerning those
  disciples, that they will act in accordance with the Master's
  Dispensation, will act in according to his advice; that they will be
  dear to the four Assemblies, will be loved, respected and honored by
  them. Marvelous it is, most wonderful it is, bhikkhus, concerning the
  Perfect Ones, that when such a pair of disciples has passed away there
  is no grief, no lamentation on the part of the Perfect One.
For of that which is born, come to being, put together, and so is
  subject to dissolution, how should it be said that it should not
  depart? That indeed, is not possible."
"Therefore, bhikkhus, be ye an island unto yourselves, a refuge unto
  yourselves, seeking no external refuge; with the Teaching as your
  island, the Teaching your refuge, seeking no other refuge."


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Is fasting good or bad?
Got interested after seeing benefits of intermediate fasting in retreats from noon (more energy more time)  - but started to read about benefits of longer fasts now   (24 hours - 28 days)
But there is the whole middle way thing to consider - did buddha talk  against fasting ? or just against fasting to suffer on purpose thinking that would liberate you ?
If i do it for health benefits it might be ok - right ?
maybe it does have benifits that can help the practice (more energy more time etc).

The object of Buddhist fasting is to eliminate the old habits. (ie:hunger)
This should be practiced in a middle way. That is why monks are required to not to eat after midday.
If you extend the fasting more than that it becomes the self-mortification. which was rejected by Buddha.

But reading about it it has a lot of benefits  - for better digestion - for losing weight - and other stuff  - including stuff which can help the practice in the long run

From Nyanaponika Thera's introductory essay to The Four Nutriments of Life, it is clear that the Buddha did not go into the specifics of fasting, as there was no research on the topic at that time. He only taught his disciples to eat between sunrise and noon.

Others, again, have tried to solve the problem of the body's dependence on food by reducing nourishment below sustenance level and by long periods of fasting. This harsh and futile method of self-mortification the Buddha, too, had tried out and rejected before his Enlightenment, and had vividly described his experience in the Discourse on the Noble Quest (Ariya-pariyesana Sutta). Also later on, the Buddha never recommended periods of fasting beyond the abstention from solid food after noon enjoined upon bhikkhus, and in the periodic observance of the Eight or Ten Precepts. What the Buddha, as a teacher of the Middle Way, advised was moderation in eating, non-attachment to the taste of food, and wise reflection on nutriment.

As long as your fasting is not considered to be "self-mortification", then you can do as you please.


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What's the difference between these 3?
What is the difference between satipatthana, samatha and anapanasati?  When I read about them they all seem to be saying the same thing so how are they different?

See also related question; "What is the difference between Satipatthana and Vipassana?".

Those three terms do have a lot of similarities when we apply them.
Anapanasati is a broad term translated as "mindfulness of breathing", it can refer to any type of breath-meditation where we apply mindfulness. In the anapanasati sutta it mentions being mindful of the body while you are breathing, therefore you don't have to be mindful of the breath directly.
Samatha means a calm state so samatha meditation is a type of meditation where we try to create calm. Often being aware of the breath is a way to create calm so this can appear similar to anapanasati.
The word satipathana means a foundation for mindfulness. This is a type of meditation where to aim to practice mindfulness of anything we choose. The satipathana sutta uses the body and feelings as examples of things we can be mindful of. If you don't have much calm then it can be good to be mindful of the breath because it is quite stable. This can be a type of anapanasati meditation; also notice how it is linked to creating calm (samatha meditation).
Those three types of meditation overlap a lot and sometimes we could use more than one of those words to describe what we are doing.

Sati-Paṭṭhāna = object-cause (ārammaṇa-paccaya) of sati-bhāvanā = object of sati development.
2 type of sati development's objects: samatha-paṭṭhāna & vipassanā-paṭṭhāna (samatha-kammaṭṭhāna&vipassanā-kammaṭṭhāna).
Samatha-paṭṭhāna = ānāpāna(ssati), paṭikūla(manasikāra), etc.
Vipassanā-paṭṭhāna = catudhātu(vavaṭṭhāna), vedanā(-kammaṭṭhāna), etc.
What is samatha?
Samatha is consciousness pause kilesa by thinking about samatha-paṭṭhāna.
What is vipassanā?
Vipassanā is consciousness destroy kilesa by thinking about vipassanā-paṭṭhāna.
Vipassanā must arise after samatha for regular people (neyya), who live with daily kilesa almost every time. Unless the perfect people (ugghaṭitaññū&vipacitaññū), who live with kusala more than kilesa.

Good analysis.What is the source of this?

Mahāsatipaṭṭhānasutta-commentary and desanāhāravibhaṅga @ netti-pakaraṇa. Must memorize that sutta in pali and learn it's commentary in pali. Memorizing is learning method that bodhisatta have choosing, not reading. I am scare to show pali source, because of dislike button is above there. I avoid to make they hate buddha's pali source. Many people here hate pali.

'Samatha' means' tranquility' or 'calmness'. It is one of two primary fruits of 'satipathana' (the 7th factor) & concentration/samadhi (the 8th factor of the noble eightfold path), the other fruit being vipassana (insight). MN 149 explains:

Any view belonging to one who has come to be like this is his right view. Any resolve, his right resolve. Any effort, his right effort. Any mindfulness, his right mindfulness. Any concentration, his right concentration: just as earlier his actions, speech & livelihood were already well-purified. Thus for him, having thus developed the noble eightfold path, the four frames of reference (satipatthana) go to the culmination of their development... the seven factors for Awakening go to the culmination of their development. [And] for him these two qualities occur in tandem: tranquillity (samatha) & insight (vipassana).

'Satipatthana' means 'establishment of mindfulness' and refers to establishing 'mindfulness' ('recollection' of the dhamma) in relation to sense experience. Thus the satipatthana suttas explain:

the meditator... is mindful — putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world.

The four noble truths tells us craving (greed & distress) create suffering and should be abandoned therefore the role of mindfulness is to remember to abandon greed & distress and meditate without greed & distress.
It is noticeable on Buddhist chatsites how many people are writing questions & posts that result from greed or distress in relation to meditation. It follows none of these people are practising Buddhist meditation correctly.
For example, observing breathing with greed or meditating with greed is not satipatthana; it is not mindfulness. Instead, it is the opposite of mindfulness, namely, the neglect or forgetting of the most basic dhamma principles that craving is to be abandoned.

'Anapanasati' means 'mindfulness with/when breathing'. It refers to the breathing becoming the 'sign' or 'mark' of right concentration, namely, the natural automatic arising of awareness (anupassi) of breathing when the mind is without craving & is quiet & silent.
'Anapanasati' does not mean 'mindfulness of breathing' because it is impossible to be mindful of breathing since the word 'sati' ('mindfulness') means 'to remember'. Breathing is not something that can be remembered.
This is why the suttas state the meditator 'observes' or 'contemplates' ('anupassi) the breathing rather than is 'mindful' ('sati') of the breathing.
As already quoted, the meditator is mindful to abandon greed & distress, as follows:

One is mindful to abandon wrong view & to enter & remain in right view: This is one's right mindfulness. MN 117

The 16 stages in the Anapanasati Sutta refer to the natural automatic fruition of meditation when right concentration has been established. Where as all of the various & disconnected practises in the Satipatthana Sutta is a later-day compilation of teachings for Buddhists who are beginners or who are practising meditation irregularly (rather than practising for many hours per day).
Ultimately, there is no difference between satipatthana & anapanasati, as stated in the Anapanasati Sutta, as follows:

Mindfulness with in-&-out breathing (anapansati) developed & pursued... bring the four frames of reference (satipatthana) to their culmination...


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Buddhism in context, differences through SE Asia?
What are some specific cultural aspects of different countries in SE Asia that are integrated into Buddhism, but that might not actually be consider purely Buddhism?
In other words, comparatively, why is Buddhism in Thailand different than Buddhism in Cambodia.  And what would the main differences be?

This is not a good question, from my point of view -- it encourages answers to point fingers and say, "this isn't Buddhism" and "that isn't Buddhism" and "you're not Buddhist" (or "You're not a pure Buddhist"), etc. I think it's probably a "Broad comparison" question -- one of the few types of question that people decided couldn't be answered satisfactorily and so which shouldn't be asked.

I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it fits the definition of a "Broad comparison" question defined in the FAQ.

So how might I reword it to allow people to share about the differences?  Ask only about one specific country?

I'm not sure how to reword it. Part of the problem is that it's a "broad comparison", another part is asking "not actually be consider purely Buddhism". If someone wants to say that Buddhism is practiced in Thailand, for example, I don't want to say, "Oh that is not Buddhism: not pure Buddhism." Do you think there's such a thing as pure Buddhism without cultural aspects? And if you are somehow asking about non-Buddhism, is that even on-topic on this site?

If you quoted and asked for an explanation of one sentence, like this one from Wikipedia, "Buddhism in Thailand has also become integrated with folk religion as well as Chinese religions from the large Thai Chinese population", then I suppose that would be on-topic ... no explicit rule against it, in the FAQs ... I couldn't predict whether there would be good answers to that, though.

@ChrisW I was merely attempting to learn about the nuances in Buddhism, some of which are cultural.  Not trying to make negative comparisons from a “which one is right or more pure” perspective, but how is Buddhism and it’s practices unique.

So maybe a question like, "What's unique about Buddhism in each of the various countries? For example what characterizes Buddhism in Thailand but no-where else?" That might remove the value-judgement: calling a characteristic "unique" rather than "impure". It's still very broad though; each country has a different history. If you did make separate questions about each country, that might be more focused. But wouldn't a good answer still be too long for this format, e.g. Buddhism in Thailand hardly scratches the surface.

Can you narrow the question any further? Say what kind of topic, what type of characteristic, you are interested in? Or say why you're asking, in case that helps to clarify what you're asking (i.e. what to include in an answer)? The question currently includes history, politics, customs, doctrines, famous teachers (traditions), etc.

Burma is the only one in the world that still have buddhist ancient learning system (mukkhapāṭha). The strongest buddhism country is Burma. The tipitaka-strictest nikāya is Shwegyin Nikaya of Burma.
About a hundred year ago, in colonization war, thailand began to lost our tipitaka memorizing system. We need to get western's learning culture to protect our land from colonial possession. The central region of Siam reform memorizing learning system to academic learning system. Mun's students (Phun acaro, etc) were the last tipitaka memorizers of thailand.
Mun was the north-eastern region of thailand, that got reform order from the central region. And Lao was the north-eastern colony of thailand at that time. So Lao tipitaka memorizing learning system had began to lost since that time, too. Kambodia, also.
Nowadays, Lao and Kambodia monks equal to thai mahanikaya tradition. They are not forest tradition.
Thailand and srilanka have lost tipitaka learning system in colonization war.
Thailand began to lost our tipitaka learning system about 1855 and after that years (Bowring Treaty).
The king trying to protect thailand by changing every rules of us. They also changed learning system of monk, too. They cancle memorized learning system, then took a writing learning system instead. We also started to lose abhidhamma learning system  at this time, too.
Writing learning system is for kamaguna 5. They save memorizing times to consume kamaguna 5.
Arahanta haven't writen. They keep tipitaka in their mind.
Before that time we still having tipitakathara, such as mun bhuritutto (he not memorized enough to be bhikkhu-parisūpaṭṭhāpaka). But after the changing, we never have tipitakathara anymore. The elder tipitakathara died. Never have any newer to be instead of them.
So, thailand loose our tipitaka learning system so long time ago in colonization war.
Buddhadasa was a monk after we lost tipitaka learning system. He is tipitaka cutter.

This question is very broad.
Buddhism came to SE Asia after Hinduism therefore I think a better question is how did Buddhism integrate into SE Asian cultures rather than how did SE Asian cultures integrate into Buddhism.
For example, in Thailand, although there are thousands of Buddhist monks, the Buddhist monks do not aggressively teach Buddhism to the common people therefore common people still have many traditional beliefs based in animism, ancestor worship and Hinduism.

Before Hinduism and Buddhism were introduced into Thailand there was only one religious belief, that belief was that a spirit world
  existed, not only did the spirits exist but they were mightily
  powerful and controlling, this belief is called Animism and it
  manifests itself in the form of spirit worship. It might not be
  strictly correct to call Animism a religion, maybe it is better
  categorized as a spiritual belief (spirit worship), but it is without
  doubt the oldest form of worship known to mankind, ‘Spirit Worship’ in
  one form or another was practiced long before all the popular world
  religions.
The majority religion in Thailand is Buddhism, 95 percent of the population are Buddhist but the percentage of Thais who have animist
  beliefs is probably slightly higher. Animism is practiced on a daily
  basis by most Thai people, although their religion is Buddhism they
  actually devote more of their time to Animist beliefs than they do
  practicing Buddhism.

Buddhism is not the official or national religion of Thailand.
For example, the kings of Thailand are considered to be the reincarnations of the Hindu god Vishnu and many Thai national emblems are Hindu.
In Bangkok is the well-known Erawan Shrine of Brahma.
In my experience in Thailand, monks mostly teach the common person to be generous, to not be angry & to have metta (loving-kindness & tolerance). Monks generally do not even teach morality, let alone higher Buddhist teachings, unless these are requested by the people.
Of all SE Asian countries, in my experience, the most authentic Buddhism is found in Thailand, possibly because the Thai have always been a very independent people; they can act objectively.
Therefore, one major influence of Thailand on Buddhism is Thai teachers, most notably Buddhadasa Bhikkhu & also Ajahn Chah (in terms of doctrine) and Ajahn Mun (in terms of monastic asceticism), was returning to the original essence of Buddhism.
For example, the Supreme Buddhist Patriarch of Thailand once said the common interpretations of heaven & hell are cultural rather than Buddhist, below:

On this very subject, His Holiness
  critically analyses that the very concept and belief of heaven and hell in Buddhism is a cultural
  influence of indigenous culture and belief. He states: (I quote) ‘the subject of cosmology appeared in
  Buddhism is clearly can be seen that it is not ‘Buddhist teaching’ at all but an ancient geography. The
  concept and belief about it was included in Buddhist Canon merely because of strong influence of
  popular belief of the time. Later Commentaries further explain about heaven and hell in a greater
  detail distant itself from the original teaching of the Buddha. If Buddhism teaches such belief on
  heaven and hell it would not be Buddhism at all but an ancient geography. Buddha wouldn’t be the
  Buddha who delivered the Noble Truth and ‘timeless’ message for mankind.’ (p. 1) (end of the
  quote) He then shows in his teaching that the concept of heaven and hell in Buddhism are in fact
  symbolic, representing the quality of mind and spirituality instead. One can be in heaven and hell in
  this very earth and life. No need to wait until one dies. 28 September 2008
  By Ven. Phra Anil Dhammasakiyo


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Insight in Buddhism
What is "insight" the "knowing that I know" in Buddhism?
I understand the concept of consciousness a bit better but what about having Insight.

Hi Carlos and welcome to Buddhism SE. We have a Guide and a Resource section for new users that you might like.

Insight is causality (4 Noble Truths, Dependent Origination and Conditional Relations) at the experiential level. Another insight what comes before this is that of the universal characteristics.
When your mind is not tainted by perversions (Vipallasa), i.e., your mind is in touch with the universal characteristics. Then you see clearly, i.e., see things as they are (Yathā Bhūta ñāna Dassana) which leads to the insight of causality. Just before this you understand the practice that brought you to the point which is the Noble 8 Fold Path which also is part of the 4 Noble Truths which is comprehended in full with insight.
At a more mundane level seeing that everything arises and passes can also be considered an insight. This is one station to realise causality and the universal characteristics.
If you means Insight Meditation by Insight this is a practice which aims at trying to understand

causality (4 Noble Truths, Dependent Origination and Conditional Relations) at the experiential level (Pativedha)
the universal characteristics at the experiential level (Pativedha)

there by verifying the theory (Pariyatti) and practice (Patipatti) through experience (Pativedha). The Insight you see that the theoretical aspects (e.g. Nirvana, causality) to be right the path which is supposed to take you to the realisation has taken you there.

There are many types of happiness and suffering around the universe. So, there are many wisdom to  gain insight about causes and effects of them (hap&suf) to avoid suffering and to take happiness.
Sīla wisdom (sammādiṭṭhi that arising with sammāvācā-magga, sammākammanta-magga, sammāācīva-magga) gain insight of physical immoral  acts by bad consciousnesses, that are causes of the worst kāma-suffering (4 apāya realms).
Samādhi wisdom (sammādiṭṭhi that arising with sammāvāyama-magga, sammāsati-magga, sammāsamādhi-magga) gain insight of kāma-consciousnesses, that are causes of the whole kāma. Because whole 11 kāma (4 apāya realms, 1 human realm, 6 kāma-heaven realms) still having physical suffering. Sīla can not protects people from abdominal pain, physical senility, angry-consciousnesses, etc. But samādhi can do. While people gain jhāna, they never feel pain, sore, or hurt. And Next life of them, bhramma-puggala, will never have any physical suffering, too. Until their jhāna's effects will be out of stock.
Vipassanā wisdom (sammādiṭṭhi that arising with sammāsaṅkappa) gain insight (3 pariññā) causes of saṅkhāra(pariññeyya)'s arising&vanishing (consciousnesses, mental factors, and matters), that are causes of life in the whole 31 realms. Samādhi can not protects people from arising and vanishing. When samādhi vanished, people can hurt again. And when jhāna's effects vanished, bhramma-puggala will die to born in the other realms such as 4 apāya, etc.
Sīla give this physical happiness to sīla-observers, people around them, and the society.
Samādhi give mental-happiness to jhāna-meditator.
Vipassanā give nibbāna (nirodha-ariyasacca), forever happiness, to arahanta. Nibbāna is no attaching (taṇhā-samudaya-ariyasacca), so nibbāna must no arising, no people, no time, no realm, no suffering (dukkha-ariyasacca).

I think that the most common way in which the word "insight" is used in Buddhism is to contrast two types of meditation: one is samadhi (concentration) and another is vipassana (insight).
The "insight" in this context is insight into the nature of things, especially the Three marks of existence.
Conversely, "knowing that I know" (which you mentioned in the question) is maybe not what's meant by insight. "Knowing that I know" reminds me a bit of Descartes' motto, i.e. "I think, therefore I am", which I think is actually to some extent opposed to a Buddhist ideal of anatta (non-self).
"Knowing that I know" might be classified as a view-of-self or identity-view (sakkāya-diṭṭhi), or perhaps it's a conceit.
I don't know, maybe it's possible for me to understand how an automobile works without being especially self-conscious about that. I'd call that understanding "insight", i.e. it's "insight into how a car works". Similarly insight in Buddhism is insight into the nature of the world, the nature of things ... I don't think it's especially/necessarily being self-conscious about that (in fact, preferably not).


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Are there any exceptions to the first precept?
I recently accidentally injured a bee, I did all I could to help it, but its wing was broken and so was its leg, it could not walk nor fly, it was clearly in a great amount of pain and distress. I tried to heal it with some energy work, but it was no good, I am just not experienced enough and for some reason on that day couldn't find focus with my energy work.
So I took the decision to do what was necessary to stop what I took to be unnecessary suffering, I killed the bee.
In another occasion where I was not responsible for the initial injury, I found a bee in great distress on the ground, I am not sure what happened to it, I think maybe it stung somebody because it appeared very hollow inside. There was nothing that could be done for it, and though it gave me great sadness, I also killed this bee to end its suffering.
I love all life, it greatly saddens me when I accidentally kill something, and even more so when I have to do it knowingly. But it would sadden me even more if I had to leave a being in suffering and not doing anything when I could and there wasn't a reason not to.
Am I breaking the first precept or can an exception be made to end the great and unnecessary suffering of a being who cannot be saved from their fate?
I heard a story about one of Buddha's previous lives where he sad that he found out about a murderer on a ship who was planning to kill everyone, and out of only compassion for the man the Buddha killed him with no hatred and only love so that he wouldn't have to go through all the terrible rebirths fore his actions of killing everyone on the ship (this is from a memory of someone telling me this story, I believe that they had read it somewhere, but I may be getting some the details wrong). And that by doing so he in fact cleared a huge amount of previous karma, rather than gaining any for this act. That is not to say though that I am doing this with the intent to clear karma, I merely want to help the bee.
Now although that is a different situation, could that be related at all to this?

Wanting to help the bee is good Karma as it is caused by compassion.
Having great sadness is bad Karma as it is caused by aversion.
Thinking that killing is ok is bad Karma as it is a wrong view caused by ignorance.
Completing the kill is bad Karma as it breaks the 1st precept.

It's the same case with the example of the Bodhisatta. Make it a point to use the term 'Bodhisatta'. Not 'Buddha'.
You either practice compassion and try to heal the bee or practice equanimity and let nature take its course.

Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.

I have come to agreeing with you.

Don't beat yourself up over it.  Precepts are an interesting thing.  Most people come at them with the idea that they are iron clad laws governing our behavior.  Don't get me wrong, in some ways they certainly are.  When you take this kind of legalistic perspective, however, I really think you are missing out on their greater purpose.
The precepts are decidedly simple.  Abstain from killing.  Abstain from stealing.  And so on and so forth.  But what does it mean to kill?  Did the Buddha really say steal?  The Pāli reads more like "do not take that which is not given".  What does that mean!?  Likewise, anyone with an opinion will give you their interpretation on what the "sensual pleasure" precept refers to.  Reading the precepts this way isn't to split legal hairs or an attempt to loosen restriction.  These are all valid and important questions - questions I think the Buddha intended us to ask by making his training rules so brief in content.
Rather than view the precepts as moral law, it might be helpful to see them as a kind of spiritual Rorschach test.  What you see is very much dependent on where you are in your spiritual development.  Please don't take that to mean that the more ironclad you are in your interpretation, the more advanced you are in your training.  The precepts are factories of insight.  They are meant to teach and enlighten not just govern behavior.

5 elements of 1st precept:

Living satta.
Be aware satta's living.
Killing consciousness arising "I will kill it".
Try to kill by that consciousness.
Satta die by that effort.

Must complete 5 elements to break 1st precept. No one can break 1st precept by just the fifth element.
Source: tatiyapārājikā-sikkhāpada in vinaya-pitaka.

In criminal law those are the elements of the offense. When we put on a criminal trial in a courtroom we list those types of elements in instructions that we give to jurors as they determine innocence or guilt of the accused.


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What does Buddhism teach about healing others through the mind
From my experience, one can influence outcomes of whatever by using intent. This is investigated much currently by Thomas Campbell, which you can read about in this My big TOE book and see in his videos on YouTube. What I read from a Buddhist perspective (http://www.buddhanet.net/tib_heal.htm) the mind certainly plays a role in your own physical health. What about influencing that health of others? For example, when one of my kids has the flu, I wish them good health using meditation. I have no objective proof but it seems to speed up the recovery.
My question is, what does Buddhism teach in using the mind to heal physical problems of others? And what about healing their mental problems through focused intent?
I wish to have tagged this with 'mental', 'physical' and 'health' but those tags aren't available.

What happens when we aren't attentively listening, and then we see someone who attentively tries to listen to something?
It's natural if we would begin to listen attentively too.
So our behavior and states of mind influence others, and are influenced by others. Therefore, having clear and calm mind can benefit others around us.
It happened that entering a room or a Dharma center where a Buddhist teacher experienced in meditation was present, I felt thick atmosphere of awareness. Like a field of energy.
Likewise, sometimes I felt similar "field of energy" entering a church, or entering my room when I practiced there a lot.
There are many stories how a state of mind influenced others or even influenced weather, e.g. stopped a drought. Famous Heart Sutra (except in the brief version) says:

Once the Blessed One was dwelling in Rajagriha at Vulture Peak mountain, together with a great gathering of the sangha of monks and a great gathering of the sangha of bodhisattvas.  At that time the Blessed One entered the samadhi that expresses the dharma called “profound illumination,” and at the same time noble Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva mahasattva, while practicing the profound prajñaparamita, saw in this way: he saw the five skandhas to be empty of nature.

It means the Buddha was in deep meditative absorption, and that helped Avalokiteshvara to immerse in deep clarity and gain insight.
I noticed such things in my own life. For example, when I sat down with a silent mind near people whose mind was scattered and troubled, often they realized something, e.g. solutions to their problems, or they recalled something they wanted to do.
Therefore we can say that harmony, clarity, calmness and concentration of our mind might help others too be in harmony, clarity, calmness and concentration.
When turbulence of mind ceases, our bodies naturally tend to optimize their self-regulation.
So there are Buddhist practices, especially in Mahayana, such as Bhaishajya Guru (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhaisajyaguru) sadhanas, which are used for healing.
Among the mental factors conductive to awakening, there are Four bases of spiritual power, or riddhipada. See Iddhipada (Wikipedia) and Four Steps to Magical Powers by Master Sheng Yen.
Improving our states of mind as means of practice is the basis of the concept of Six paramitas. It might be considered the central concept of Mahayana Buddhism, with the role similar to the role of the Eightfold path for Buddhism in general.
Six paramitas (six perfections) can be explained as developing puṇya (Pali puñña, English merit) - the energy of good karma. As we practice the first paramita, selfless giving, and so on, we move the burden of egoism away from our shoulders. It can be felt as natural "unconditional happiness". Like feeling warm sun on the skin, warm smile inside, clarity and calmness pervading everything, as unlimited as space.
That process of abandoning egoism therefore is explained as developing the energy of good karma. Our actions become more powerful and clean, our mind more stable and perceptive, and so on.
When we try to study Dharma intellectually, we can find it's hard to understand complex ideas like emptiness etc., but when we practice Six perfections, we develop punya, and understanding becomes easier. Therefore Mahayana teachers say: "The path of giving is the supreme path". (See e.g. "Ratna avali").
Some students misunderstand that, theoretically thinking that such words were addressed to laymen and so weren't ultimately true. They think that it's clear that the supreme path is studying emptiness. But in real practice we develop punya, and that enables us to realize emptiness, so it's the same path.
Therefore we shouldn't think that developing good karmic energy is somehow a lower path; it is indeed the supreme path, inseparable from the realization of emptiness.
That's why Mahayana practitioners, especially after a session of formal practice, pronounce "dedication of merit". In order to keep our giving selfless, and to keep our energy from dissipation, we give it away, to benefit everybody. We dedicate the developed punya to the awakening of all beings, or to other goals in that direction. For example, after a session of meditation etc., we can transfer merit dedicating it to healing a sick person.
Also note that causes created mentally become more powerful when they are expressed in actions of body and speech.


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What do buddha taught about dreams?
What has buddha told about dreams? Do dreams have any link with truths or realities? If a person understands something from his dream which he is asking in this world, than should such things considered as real? How is this world also one of the dream worlds among other infinite dream worlds/parallel universe? Is dream a type of meditation state?

Dreams (supina) are mental images that occur during sleep.

Also I found something may that would be helpful to you.  A Buddhist Approach to Dreams
Jung and Junti - Dreams West and East
by Rev. Heng Sure -.

Monks are not supposed to interpret dreams

Whereas some recluses and brahmins, living off food given in faith, maintain
  themselves by wrong livelihood through the low arts such as:
...

interpreting dreams

Te,vijja Sutta
Mahāsupina Jātaka does mention the Buddha interpreting 16 dreams King Pasenadi Kosala.
But with regarding dreams, there might be no accurate way to interpret them, by anyone other than the Buddha.
Dreams are not meditative states. In meditation you should be focusing on a particular object or having awareness. In both cases it is unlikely you might have a dream unless you dose off.

I once meditated consciously on what I was aware of while being in a dream. That is, not experiencing this waking life physical matter reality, but the dream state reality. I was conscious of the fact that I was 'dreaming' and with the freedom of choice I decided to remove all noise that was going on in the dream, sit down, close my eyes and focus on what I felt. Of course that sitting down, closing my eyes might all be created by the mind. What I want to say is that meditating and dreaming are not mutually exclusive in my experience. Maybe it depends on what you would define as a dream.

www.thefreedictionary.com/dream states "A series of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations occurring involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep" So in that respect, it wasn't a dream as the sensations and emotions occuring wheren't involuntarily. Also not entirely voluntarily, but my waking life reality isn't entirely voluntarily as well. That makes me conclude that in fact I am dreaming continuously to a certain degree. By body was asleep, and I was to a certain extent mentally self aware, more than average at least.

I'm not sure what Buddha taught about it. Here is something from my experience which might be of help.
From time to time I have a lucid dream, that is a dream in which I am conscious that I am dreaming. The more conscious I am, the more freedom of choice I have. Especially when I am motivated to ask a question to another being in the dream, I tend to 'wake up' in the dream. I've asked a couple of questions, spread over a couple of dreams. The answers provided were sometimes riddles to me for days. And suddenly a realization/epiphany struck me. Sometimes an answer was as clear as it could be right away. What these answers showed me were things nobody in waking life reality showed me, and what really helped me grow personally.
To give a concrete example. I once asked someone in the dream world what she was doing for ME. That is, I ignorantly assumed that this was MY dream world, and everything and everybody in it, was part of MY mind and so must had a purpose for ME. You can understand that that ME is ego and therefore based on illusion instead of reality. What the first dream person replied was: "I am not letting myself lead by YOU". I didn't directly understood that answer, I was more interesting in what I was looking for. So I ran of to another person. I came up from behind, took the person by the shoulders and turned her around and asked the same question. She replied with: "If you would work WITH US, than you would know."
The moment I experienced the dream it was reality, as in the pure definition of what reality is: "The quality or state of being actual or true". The experience in that moment was actual and true.
In that respect, no matter what the source is, information is always real, and therefore reality. Understand that the dichotomy of subjective and objective reality nuances it in the following aspect: When you take some subjectively created reality to be objective reality, you have an erroneous perception of reality, which is by definition an illusion.
Whatever monks supposed to do with interpreting dreams or not. I think it is always good to interpret any information from whatever source. If I would have limited myself back then to "Oh, I am not supposed to interpret my dream" I wouldn't have grown by it. Now I did and I am glad I spent time interpreting it.
So yes I do think that dreams have a link to reality. So yes, if you gain understanding from something by an experience you had in a dream, go for it I would say! Apply your newly gained knowledge, see if it works. If it does consistently, it must be very real and you should keep using that knowledge. Because only real things work.
I'm sorry that I could provide any information with respect to what Buddha taught. What I do know is that Buddha taught that when you have used a boat to cross the river, and it is no longer of use to you, you should leave it, how important that boat was to cross the river, or how much energy you spend in creating it, it is no longer of the same value once you have crossed the river (source). So don't hold on to the need to find a Dhamma about a certain subject. If you own experience is a guide to you, then go for that! Where do you think Buddha obtained his teachings from? First hand experience. So, I would say that if it works, the knowledge you gained through your own experience, it is more worth trusting that then needing to find a teaching to validate it. I am assuming here that you are looking for validation, my assumption might be wrong.Maybe you don't feel like you need it for validation, but you are just looking for supplementary information.

There is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that believes that the dream world is just as real as the waking world.
After some reflection I remembered...
It's the "Mind only school" Yogachara
And Here - Mind Only School

Slightly philosophical, but I hope this contributes...
According to the Prajnaparamita Sutra (over 2,000 years old) and related texts, dreams (known in sanskrit as svapna) have a classification although they are regarded as unreal. The Prajna-Paramita was allegedly practiced by all past Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and the knowledge contained therein is closely related to the knowledge-quality of the mind of a Buddha.
There are five types of dreams defined:

i) In the case of physical unbalance (kāyavaiṣamya), when the hot vapors predominate, one dreams a lot, one sees fire (tejas), yellow (pīta) and red (lohita) ;
ii) When the cold vapors predominate, one sees especially water (ap-) and white (avadāta);
iii) When the windy vapors predominate, one sees particularly flights [of birds] and black (kṛṣṇa);
iv) When one has thought a lot [during the day] and reflected well on what one has seen and heard (dṛṣṭaśruta), one sees all of that again in dream;
v) Finally, the gods send dreams to teach about future events.
These five types of dreams are all without reality; they are false visions.
(source)

Note: in order to understand the last sentence of the above quote, you should learn the context in which the discussion takes place: the unreality of the dharmas are compared to Dreams (svapna); this example forms part of a set of ten comparisons. The goal is thus to prove the emptiness of dharmas, not to invalidate the purpose of dreams.
The source link contains an interesting discussion regarding the reality of dreams. For example, one opposing argument is treated as follows:

Question. – You should not say that the dream has no reality. Why? Because every mind depends on causes and conditions (hetupratyaya) in order to be produced and, in the dream, consciousness (vijñāna) has all sorts of conditions (pratyaya). Without these conditions, how could consciousness arise?
Answer. – It’s nothing of the sort: in dream, we see something although we should not see it. We see, for example, a human head (manuṣyaśiras) with horns (viṣāṇa) or dead bodies flying through space (ākāśa). Actually, people do not have horns and dead bodies do not fly. Thus the dream has no reality.

What follows is a very interesting discussion regarding the illusion of conceptual existence but that's rather off-topic for this question.

Dreams occur through our identification in the waking life with nāma-rūpa or concept and object. Therefore, with relative reasoning dreams originate as a reflection of the cycle of samsāra which bears the component of duḥkha thus, the efforts of interpretation are futile. How so?
If identification with nāma-rūpa in the waking life leads to various degrees of discontented states that identification must also present in the interpretation of ones dreams. This would be similar to handing a user-feedback form to someone who has just punched you.
A question to contemplate quietly with yourself is: What would the motivation be for the interpretation of your dreams?
Interestingly, I hear in the enlightened state one has dreamless sleeps which goes some way to reinforcing the connection to identification with concept and object in the waking life and concept and object in the dream state.

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Seeking attention and validation?
Over my life I've realized that my behavior has always been set to the point of wanting attention and validation. A lot of times it's subtle, like the way I move or speak. But other times I find myself shouting out inappropriate jokes and sometimes making a fool of myself, kind of a comedian thing. And sure people laugh, but a lot of the time, I feel as though I'm not being honest to myself when I act in this way. And sometimes think back that "damn, that kind of was stupid."
On the other hand, when I try to control myself (like being mindful) I become completely quiet and introverted. Almost like I got 2 extremes- silent and outlandish.
Did the Buddha ever speak of anything regarding this? Thoughts?

Great question. Sure, Buddhism speaks about seeking praise and fame. The reason we seek praise and fame (to which seeking attention and validation is very similar) is because they give us a sort of energy, they pump us up. In modern terms, they trigger the reward mechanism in our brain, which produces dopamine, the happy hormone.
Now, according to Buddhism, this is not the right way to get energy. This way of getting energy makes us dependent on our (projected) image in the eyes of others. This image, also known as "ego" then gets its own life of sorts and makes us do crazy things, like being a comedian you mention, in order to get its "fix". Needless to say, having a big ego makes one very vulnerable to the opinions of others, very emotionally unstable.
Instead, Buddha said (SN 22.43):

Monks, be islands (alt. trans. lamps) unto yourselves, be your own refuge, having no other; let the Dhamma be an island(/lamp) and a refuge to you, having no other.

Initially, this means crosschecking our choices and actions against the Dharma and the opinions "of the wise" - instead of trying to get attention and validation from everyone around. This process of crosschecking everything against the reference point of Dharma/guru/elders is called "mindfulness". Taking Buddha (as the role model), Dharma (as the conceptual framework), and Sangha (of elder practitioners, as confirmation/validation) as your reference point for all decision making is called "taking the refuge". For as long as you are on the path, the Triple Gem becomes your source of praise and validation, your source of energy.
Eventually, we should develop our own wisdom to see what's right and our own mental/emotional stability to the point where we can be independent of others as far as our energy. Basically we become egoless - meaning, we can now stop worrying about our image in the eyes of others, because we have completely internalized Dharma, we become the proverbial "wise" and "worthy".
When that happens, attaining the second Jhana occurs spontaneously, since you have now rid yourself of the perpetual conflict between differing opinions and can truly become your own source of clarity, praise and energy.

I understand such behavior as manifestation of explorative model. I recall similar things in my life. I was a child, and due to some favorable events I realized that many human habits are strange, so I didn't take them automatically as natural.
Thus when I saw people behaving stupid, I often mocked, mimicing their behavior. Sometimes it worked: they realized they look stupid, and became sober and natural.
But gradually I got a bad habit myself: seeing strange stupid behavior, I started to repeat it. Often it helped to understand something better: I realized both how it appears to onlookers, and how it feels from inside.
To a degree, I learned what it leads to and where it comes from.
But sometimes I wore such mask (or we can call it a role) for a long time. I just had not enough understanding to get rid of it. But eventually, due to external help and my own investigation, the causes and effects of such role revealed, and I liberated from it.
Maybe that's your case too: you got a habit and though you realize it's stupid, your realization is not enough to let it go.
Then probably you need to explore meanings of such behavior - its causes and effects. Then you will know the mechanism, the lesson will be learned, and the explorative model will be dropped.
From then on, you will be able to help people with the knowledge gained in that exploration.
Some advice right now: don't judge too much. You see, "it's stupid", but there are causes for such behavior. You can use it for learning, to gain some important insights which will advance you in the practice of wisdom.
So realize that even if something looks stupid, there can be good reasons. If you explore and absorb such knowledge, you could be free from judgments, you could look beyond the surface, seeing not just appearances but deep causes in human behavior.
To me, the ability to see causes, the experience in their observation, helped in the practice of insight immensely. Now when others ask for advice, I usually can see very well how to help them. Isn't it worth having done those slightly stupid things in the past?
Besides, it's not necessary to continue such behavior. As long as we understand its reasonable role in our life, we can concentrate on exploration of causes and results, e.g. observing movements in our mind but not manifesting them automatically. And even if we would manifest stupid behavior sometimes, then it might happen that, from the point of view of unlimited mind, doing this stupid thing was actually wise.
Happy exploration!

This is a facet of manifestation of all unwholesome factors.
----------
here are fourteen unwholesome mental factors. The first four listed below are present in all
unwholesome states of consciousness. The others are variable.
1) Delusion (moha) is synonymous with ignorance regarding the Four Noble Truths.
2) Shamelessness of evil (ahirika) is lack of conscience, not as a mysterious inner voice,
but as an abhorrence towards evil.
3) Fearlessness of evil (anottappa) is moral recklessness resulting from ignorance about
the moral law.
4) Restlessness (uddhacca) is a state of excitement that characterises all unwholesome
acts, contrasting with the peace that accompanies wholesome acts

Were you part of a big family?  Did you need to compete for attention by being loud and a comedian when you were growing up?  A lot of this stuff is conditioned at a very early age.
I don't think it has anything to do with being honest. It's conditioning. 90% of it is subconscious. We act out roles that were programmed into us. As much as we fight against things and swear we will never do such and such again, we continue to do it. As much as we might despise our parents, we end up becoming like them in many ways.
This is not to say that we cannot escape the chains of our conditioning but it takes a lot of consistent work. We can't think our way out of it. Awareness is good but it's not enough to change anything.
It's best to be gentle on yourself. Don't beat yourself up by calling yourself "stupid" etc because chances are you will continue acting in ways that you don't want to.
Just know that it's not self and keep cultivating that other quiet side. Eventually you will become mindful enough to see the impulse before you act and then you will make the choice not to and start to create a new habit. The more you do that the less your conditioning will have a hold over you.

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Meditating to feel calm
I have often read that you shouldn't meditate to try and have a pleasant experience because meditation is about "letting go" and cultivating equanimity etc and not about trying to feel something else.  But then what is samatha?  It's tranquility ie a calm pleasant experience so therefore if you do that kind of meditation then aren't you trying to have an experience?

Undertaking the practice of Samatha meditation, should be done for the sake of the practice itself - not for seeking out pleasant experiences. The minute one is thinking about achieving and gaining pleasant experiences, one has fallen into the hindrances. As a result of that, one has moved away from the primary object of meditation and thus are not cultivating concentration any longer.
It comes down to ones intentions for doing the practice.
Its a good idea to regularly clarify and affirm ones intentions for practicing - especially with Samatha meditation, that is very important. Its easy to become attached to the pleasant sensations this type of meditation practice can result in.
One should ask oneself why one takes on this practice. A wholesome intention is essential. Wholesome intentions for engaging in Samatha meditation could be:

Collecting the scattered mind (e.g. to be used later for Vipassana meditation)
Deepening serenity
Purification of the mind stream
Cultivating a high level of concentration (e.g. to be used later for Vipassana meditation)

Meditation based in "letting go" & equanimity leads to calm (samatha).

The Sutta states that when we are morally virtuous, the other spiritual
  states arise naturally, without even the need for cultivating them volitionally (cetanā’karaṇīya), thus:
(1) For the morally virtuous (sīla,vata), there arises freedom from guilt, appaṭisāra.
(2) For the guilt-free, there arises joy, pamudita.
(3) For the joyful, there arises a zestful mind, pīta,mana.
(4) For the zestful minded, there arises a calm body, passaddha,kāya.
(5) For the calm-bodied, there arises happiness, sukha.
(6) For the happy, there arises concentration, samādhi.
(7) For the concentrated, there arises the vision of true reality, yathā,bhūta,ñāṇa.
(8) For one who sees true reality, there arises revulsion, nibbidā.
(9) For the revulsed, there is letting go [dispassiom], virāga,
(10) For the dispassionare, there is
(10) the knowledge, and
  vision of freedom. vimutti,ñāṇa.dassana.
This passage, in other words, elaborates on the 3 trainings (ti,sikkhā) into their various progressive
  stages, centred around meditation, that is, based on moral virtue (sīla) (1-2), we have good mental concentration
  (samādhi) (3-7), which in turn bring us liberating wisdom (paññā) (8-9)

Introduction to (Ekādasaka) Cetanā’karaṇīya Sutta by Piya Tan and similarly in (Dasaka) Cetanā’karaṇīya Sutta
As you progress in the path you get pleasant feelings. Also this process is without intention. This includes that you should not try to get any of it or progress. You should not try but let it unfold.

The term cetanā’karaṇīya (= cetanā akaraṇiya) refers to our meditative
  progress beginning with the cultivation of moral virtue, stressing its importance. If we are well
  grounded in moral virtue, then our meditation will naturally progress. This is because moral virtue is
  about the cultivation of the body and speech.
  It is not about wishing, belief, prayer, vows, rituals, or even
  religion: it is that moral virtue is the basis for mental cultivation and inner peace.
The Sutta commentary says that the phrase cetanā,karaṇīya means “to be done without having
  thought, considered, mentated” (na cetetvā kappetvā pakappetvā kātabbaṁ, AA 5:1). Proper meditation,
  in other words, is a thought-free process, in the sense that distractions have to do with thoughts, and our
  efforts should be to let go of all thoughts in due course. At least, all our thoughts, in a positive sense,
  should be directed to our meditation object.
In other words, we need to suspend all deliberating, which is, after all, thinking. Letting go of all
  thinking, our mind begins to settle ever more fully and deeply so that it can directly feel or experience true
  reality. Initially, we simply give our full attention to a suitable mental object, such the breath. As we
  watch the breath, it becomes calmer and still, so does our mind.
This means that if we are morally virtuous, our efforts in meditation would work out naturally by way
  of conditionality (one wholesome state leading to another), without any need for thinking. Indeed, in meditation,
  any kind of thinking would prevent us from attaining samadhi, although its proper use (ie, by directing
  the mind) is necessary in the cultivation of wisdom (paññā) and spiritual powers (abhiññā).

Introduction to (Dasaka) Cetanā’karaṇīya Sutta by Piay Tan

The pleasant experience is there to let you know that what you are doing is efficient. In contrast to an unpleasant experience, like mental suffering, which indicates that what you are doing is inefficient. In what respect is it efficient or inefficient? With respect to creating or sustaining life that builds on , and works with, reality, rather than destroying constructs and working against it. Much like a fractal algorithm (youtube video). With the right formula, the pattern becomes more and more detailed and never runs into a dead end. When you don't apply the same working formula over and over, it runs into a dead end and it no longer becomes more and more detailed. The same with life, apply the correct formula and it keeps growing. That is what your senses reflect. That what you define as pleasant while meditating is a sense that indicates that your mental activity is adding to life, instead of the opposite.
That said, just as the other answers already mentioned. If you are seeking out the pleasant experience, you 'forget' the function of experience. Then it is just like taking drugs to feel happy. What would it add to life if you would only feel pleasant and it wouldn't reflect that what you are doing is good or bad with respect to life? That experience wouldn't have more purpose than only make you feel pleasant. With respect to the greater good, it is useless. Real happiness comes from adding to the greater good. I've created a 5 min video that explains what spiritual enlightenment is. It might help to understand the purpose of experience.
You certainly should pay attention and enjoy pleasant experiences, and investigate at the same time, if you don't already know, what it is that you are doing, so you can cultivate that doing.
So in that respect it is perfectly valid to seek out this pleasant experience. As long it is not your end goal. Your end goal should include adding to the greater good and not being isolated to your mind only, in my opinion.
This is all based on my own experience, though I might stated somethings as fact, of course this is all just my perspective.


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Calming the mind
I am usually a calm person but lately my anxiety is off the roof. A little bit of background. I am a 28 year old female about to end my enlistment in the army and have put my resume out there. But I haven't heard anything back from the government. I am getting really stressed because it feels like i am diving into the unknown and the date of end of contract is really close. Worse case scenario, I will use my GI bill to pay for my rent but that hasn't stopped me from being anxious.
Question: Is there something I can do to stop worrying and keep my mind at peace? Do you guys have any advice you can give me which made it easier for you to go through a difficult uncertain time in your life. Also, are there any mantras, or book or anything in the teachings of the Buddha which might help me. Thanks again

There are countless methods and approaches to calming the mind. Processes like anxious thinking repeat themselves over and over. So the question is how to stop that repetition.
One of the simplest, widespread approaches is mindfulness of breathing. When we are overwhelmed by emotions, our breathing becomes fast and coarse.
If we watch that, this awareness helps to calm down. First of all, we become aware of the tension in our breathing. If we have even minimal skills in relaxation (everybody has!), then we can calm down the tensions in our body.
(Often it's contracted diaphragm and the like).
So with love and attention we "send love" to the tense parts of our body. Wishing them to relax and to enjoy relaxation and calmness.
As a result, excessive tensions of body relax, and emotional tensions calm down too - at least to a degree.
Secondly, placing attention on breathing, we divert it from painful thoughts. It helps to let those thoughts extinguish.
That principle of withdrawing our attention from vexations is common for very many methods of calming.
My favorite is what I call Turtle Meditation. Did you see how turtles draw their paws and head under the shell?
Likewise, to develop tranquility, we withdraw from the object our emotions, our thoughts and our wishes.
It can be summarized in a brief phrase: "Don't feel, don't think, don't wish". Apply these three principles to the object that bothers you. Don't try to feel it, don't try to think about it, don't try to wish anything about it.
Note that it doesn't mean we should escape the real world and build ourselves a cocoon. The method is just to cut off the process of re-generation of vexations. When a problem needs to be solved, do it, don't escape; but when unnecessary vexation repeats over and over, then you will know how to stop it.
Maybe the only problem is that this method might seem counter-intuitive. We are used to think that concentration on our wish helps to fulfill it. Do you think so, right?
Indeed, often concentration is exactly what we need to achieve our goals. But when all the necessary actions are performed, what next?
Too often we remain concentrated on a problem - losing our time inefficiently, remaining tense, exhausting our body and especially our poor, self-torturing brain.
Did you notice that sometimes our strong wishing actually blocks us from receiving what we want?
Often it happens that we need to let the situation go - and then miraculously the fruit falls in our hands.
As Master Sheng Yen said, memorize the Four Steps of solving problems:

Face it
Accept it
Deal with it
Let it go

We need to apply strength of our muscles if we want to throw a ball, but in order to actually throw it we also need to release our grip, and it's better to do that just in time.
Memorize another advice from Master, which he admonished to apply both on retreats and in daily life:

Abiding nowhere, give rise to the mind.
Let all affairs come to rest.

I love to observe the world, to investigate what happens in the mind. Do you love that too?
Every child loves to learn. Only with time we lose that love for learning - some people to greater degree, some to lesser.
So another method for calming the mind is to supplement that calming with investigation. For example, if you can't reliably "turn off" your anxiety, can't let it go, then you can watch:
"Is that mental whirlpool helpful?"
Or: "Does this anxious concentration on the object of passion help?"
Observe. Then one moment a realization might strike, like a lightning in the dark. You would realize that this process of repetitive anxious thinking doesn't help anything.
And that realization will make turning your attention away easy. Moreover, this realization will affect your motivation. You will understand your mental processes better, and you will be less prone to developing unhealthy processes.
More likely your thinking will be healthy, your personality will become more joyful and unconstrained, people will feel your kind, free attitude to life, and so you will help others even by your presence - with calm, relaxed, easy-going mind.
It is said that all Buddhist practice boils down to the Three Highest Trainings:

wisdom,
calmness,
discipline.

You can find these three trainings in all the methods I described above. For example,

persistently watching your breathing when you feel vexation is discipline;
then sending loving care to tense parts of your body is calmness;
seeing that your worries don't help and should be let go is wisdom.

In Buddhist practice, you can find many more methods and approaches. For example, Pema Chodron wrote several books on fear and anxiety, and how we can apply Buddha Dharma.
Regarding mantras: yes, we can use any mantra we like. All Buddhas are of the same nature, so Tara the Swift Savior helps as well as Compassionate Avalokiteshvara, as well as Mirror of Wisdom Manjushri, and so on. Some details see in my answer about chanting Buddha's name ("nembutsu").
Especially I love to practise Mahayana, e.g. the method of the Six paramitas (Six perfections). It turns our attention away from our worries and concerns about self, directing our life to helping others. As a result, our worries diminish. We realize that the world is big, and our problems look like a grain of sand in comparison. Our dramas look like puppets in a sandbox.
A brief explanation why Six paramitas help see in my answer about Buddhist healing.
The practice of Six paramitas is explained in details here: TheSixParamitas.pdf
Good health to all beings!

There is a type of meditation called samatha, which is "the Buddhist practice (bhāvanā) of the calming of the mind (citta) and its 'formations' (saṅkhāra)." [1]
Since you are asking how to calm your mind in a time of stress, practicing this type of meditation will help to alleviate your worries.
The practice is simple. You focus on a single object, such as the breath, and whenever your mind wanders, you bring it back to the breathing. If you have never meditated before, I would recommend reading this brief description of the technique. Feel free to read the whole thing (it is not terribly long), but the practical part starts at Meditation Instructions.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samatha