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What Does It Feel Like to Be in Nirvana?
Nirvana is the goal of the Buddhist path. The literal meaning of the term is "blowing out" or "quenching". Nirvana is the ultimate spiritual goal in Buddhism.
What Does It Feel Like to Be in Nirvana?

nibbana is not a place, ''in nibbana' does not apply.

Nibbana is a state abided in.

as DD said there is a context like that yes

Dear Achmed, Only a Tathagata can tell how it feels like in a understandable way for you. Even-though the users try to explain it in their words how they think how it feels to them may not be applicable for you. But I can tell you something for sure. It's a feeling that you've never experienced even in your dreams, not only in this very life but in every previous lives. Tathagata said different people feel it differently as Sunnata, Animitta, and Appanihita.

The fully liberated ones (called arahants) do not experience any kind of mental suffering. They may experience physical pain which they endure and not suffer mentally from.
They do not have latent tendencies (anusaya), defilements (kilesa), effluents (asava), fetters (samyojana), the five hindrances (pañca nīvaraṇāni), craving (tanha), clinging (upadana) and the fourteen unwholesome mental factors from the Abhidhamma. They do not have the 3 poisons (greed/ lust, aversion and delusion).
They may plan to do something (see this answer), but they never plan to become something or somebody. They don't brood about the past or, dream or worry about the future.
Where the unenlightened feel boredom due to inactivity or feel loneliness due to lack of company, the arahants feel completely at ease and peaceful, and even prefer this. Their mental state is peaceful, free of "noise" and mental agitation of any kind.
They eat or take care of their health only out of necessity for maintenance and not with desires for sensual pleasures or to become something or somebody.
Each of the technical terms mentioned like fetters, hindrances, effluents, defilements, craving, clinging, unwholesome mental factors, 3 poisons etc. are all very detailed and often expand into further lists and definitions - you can search for them on Buddhism.SE.
But if you want a super short summary - it's bliss and peace all the time.
Also please see Dhammapada chapter 7.

What Does It Feel Like to Be in Nirvana?

It doesn't feel like anything. In Nibbana phenomena doesn't arise and cease as they do in Samsara, therefore when returning from Nibbana one won't have any conscious recollection of it but one will know that one was away, that the mind went to cessation.
When returning one will feel a deep peace and happiness but that comes after the mind has returned from Nibbana.
You can validate this for yourself in insight meditation by going through the 16 stages of insight by yourself or with a teacher.

Nirvana is the goal of the Buddhist path. The literal meaning of the term is "blowing out" or "quenching". Nirvana is the ultimate spiritual goal in Buddhism. What Does It Feel Like to Be in Nirvana?

Why, I'm glad you ask... just kidding. I wonder how likely it'd be for someone who already attained Nibbana to hang out at online Buddhist forums to describe what it feels like being in one...:-P For the rest of us unenlightened, we can only surmise that it's the state of bliss far far more refined and superior than any worldly bliss one'd ever encounter.

“Bhikkhus, I will teach you the taintless and the path leading to the taintless. Listen to that….

“Bhikkhus, I will teach you the truth and the path leading to the truth…. I will teach you the far shore … the subtle … the very difficult to see … the unaging … … the stable … the undisintegrating … the unmanifest … the unproliferated … the peaceful … the deathless … the sublime … the auspicious … … the secure …. the destruction of craving … the wonderful … the amazing … the unailing … the unailing state … Nibbāna … the unafflicted … dispassion … … purity … freedom … the unadhesive … the island … the shelter … the asylum … the refuge … …” ~~ SN 43.14-43 ~~

True Non-abiding Nirvana is experienced as tathata (suchness). Suchness is the state of attainment of the Third Noble Truth, when there's absolutely no craving for things to be other than they are. Because in suchness there's no conflict between "is" and "should", the dukkha (painful feeling of wrongness) does not arise. Everything is just so.
This includes one's attitude to oneself. There's no craving to be better or to be someone else, the feeling that something is wrong with oneself is completely gone. There's no inner conflict. One is just so. Being just so, one's spontaneous nature can unfold with no hindrance.
This suchness or being just so is characterized by interpretative ambiguity. A buddha leaves things open, not  taking one-sided positions, not jumping to conclusions, not oversimplifying, not overgeneralizing. Being free from position, having fully embraced ambiguity, a buddha is free from judgment, therefore free from craving and aversion, free from conceptual boundaries, free from dukkha.
Externally, everything is Great Perfection. Internally, the Buddha-nature spontaneously unfolds. Secretly, there's tremendous compassion for sentient beings still stuck in confusion.

廓然無聖

-- this is how it feels to be in Nirvana.

Nibbana - Destruction of taints is spoken of as Nibbana.
It is also said 'cessation of existence is Nibbana'.
Nibbana element with residue; An Arahant abides without delusion. In that is said to have attained Nibbana in this life. On the account of the absence of delusion there, it is called 'nibbana'. On account of that by which there is still the experience of painful & pleasant feelings it is called 'with residue'
With the breakup of the body and extinguishment of life-force; For him, here in this very life, all that is experienced, not being delighted in, will be extinguished. That, is called the Nibbāna-element with no residue left. Having no residue for the future, Is that wherein all modes of being utterly cease.
Seeing with wisdom the cessation of perception & feeling is that by which one's taints are destroyed.

Who knows, good householder? Understand?
(Or maybe not so deep for the beginning: Taken there is one not knowing the taste of chocolate. Could one tell him how it tastes? No. Does good householder like chocolate? Then stay with it, if it can satisfy and causes no burdens in regard of supply)
[Note that this isn't given for stacks, exchanges, other world-bindin trades, but for libetation]

You can add Dhammapada 64 - spoon in soup.

For the path, yes. That goes also very deep, good householder. One who's like one kind of spoon would probably approach those who "know" by you and make them suggestion, right? There is an Upasaka dog, always lying down next when speaking on Dhamma. At least, although not understanding, he has a lot of virtues. Atma often reflects this, when a mixed assembly comes up to make merits in listening Dhamma. Sometimes they need to bow down the dogs.

My persons guess is that one hardly would find a modern Buddhist simply answering "I don't know" but I have strong faith, right?

It feels like living, as opposed to merely being alive.


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Can bad kamma be overcome in one lifetime
If there is a puthujjana who has led a life full of the major and minor defilements till about 40 years of age, suddenly turns around, starts leading a totally celibate life and also observes the rest of the major five precepts strictly, maintaining a strict meditation schedule even while still being a householder, does he stand a chance of getting nibbana in this very lifetime? Or, does he have to take rebirth/s and suffer the consequences of his bad kamma before he can aspire to Arahathood?

According to AN 6.87, there is actually a list of characteristics, and such a person will never be able to have the right mental state or moral capacity to learn the Dhamma:

"Endowed with these six qualities, a person is incapable of alighting
on the lawfulness, the rightness of skillful mental qualities even
when listening to the true Dhamma. Which six?
"He has killed his mother; he has killed his father; he has killed an
arahant; he has, with corrupt intent, caused the blood of a Tathagata
to flow; he has caused a split in the Sangha; or he is a person of
dull discernment, slow & dull-witted.
"Endowed with these six qualities, a person is capable of alighting on
the lawfulness, the rightness of skillful mental qualities even while
listening to the true Dhamma. Which six?
"He has not killed his mother; he has not killed his father; he has
not killed an arahant; he has not, with corrupt intent, caused the
blood of a Tathagata to flow; he has not caused a split in the Sangha;
and he is a discerning person, not slow or dull-witted.

According to MN 86, Angulimala killed many human beings, but he could still change and become an arahant. So, probably, he did not commit the transgressions above (killing father, killing mother, killing arahant, injuring Buddha).
So in short, if one did not commit the acts mentioned above or have those characteristics, one could theoretically completely turn around and become an arahant in this very lifetime.
From Dhammapada:

Few among men are those who cross to the farther shore. The rest, the bulk of men, only run up and down the hither bank.

But those who act according to the perfectly taught Dhamma will cross the realm of Death, so difficult to cross.

87-88. Abandoning the dark way, let the wise man cultivate the bright
path. Having gone from home to homelessness, let him yearn for that
delight in detachment, so difficult to enjoy. Giving up sensual
pleasures, with no attachment, let the wise man cleanse himself of
defilements of the mind.

Those whose minds have reached full excellence in the factors of enlightenment, who, having renounced acquisitiveness, rejoice in not
clinging to things — rid of cankers, glowing with wisdom, they have
attained Nibbana in this very life.

Thanks @ruben2020 for the detailed answer. This is very encouraging.

It all depends on the individual and how far it is on the path. Some beings have done extensive practice in past lives and just need a little push before becoming enlightened.
Some beings are ready to become enlightened in this very life with just little practice. Some need a teacher, others become enlightened by themselves, they are called silent Buddhas (Paccekabuddhas).
So yes, some beings can become enlightened in a single lifetime if they have done the necessary work in current and past lives.

Good householder,
It's very unlikely that one not able to leave house, one without sufficient faith in the whole path, although he has actually all ways open, would be able to attain final liberation, and from that point, yes, such will still have to face a lot effects of his bad deads the times remaining, even if having gained path, if.
The usual meditations householder go after this days, lacking the right causes, merely increases wrong view but train one simply to bear things as long as possible.
And five precepts is far to less to reach even the secound path. One can of course buy of what traders and "householder-teacher" like to sell, or use to defend their incomplete ways and ideas. That's also a matter of strong Upanissaya, the people one meet and gather with.
[Note that this isn't given for stacks, exchange, other world-binding trades but for an escape from this wheel]

I understand that monkhood with observation of 'all' the rules of vinaya is perhaps necessary for nibbana, but aren't there ANY exceptions at all? Say, the householder has old parents totally dependent on him financially and because of health reasons, would it be justified to leave them to become a monk? Are there any references from the scriptures that clearly say that only monks attain full liberation?

Does Nyom have old parents he is the only who can support them? Guessing: no. See, it's a matter of faith, a matter of samvega. A person attaining Arahatship while householder is bond to join the holly life or will not live longer than a week. This days Noble ones are very rare and hardly to find an Arahat. So it's really very "fantastical" to meet a householder more advanced then path-enter in this days, good householder, and others might be some actually having attained path in previous life. All a matter kamma, Upanissaya. Here you are and that already should answer the question.

Effort is the only factor for arising of conditions for kamma to ripe, which can be bend here and now. 7, 6 lifes, birth, aging, sickness, death, seperation... aren't an ease, even if born in merely blessed situations. So what now. And not forget, this is the last generation with access to a still functioning Sangha, the last.

It depends on if the puthujjana is brain damaged by their bad kamma. For example, on Buddhist internet forums, the puthujjana that appear brain damaged by porn &/or drugs appear to have the following characteristics:

obsessed with the avoidance of women as temptresses
obsessed with 'asuba' (watching images of corpses, etc)
obsessed with austerities, such as living off rubbish dumps
obsessed with texts that describe no feeling & no consciousness
obsessed with a nihilistic tendency
obsessively exhibit great impatience, intolerance & anger.
obsessively believe they have right view when they have wrong view
obsessively lack a sense of humour

The above is called the eightfold path of brain damaged puthujjana.
But for a puthujjana that is not brain damaged, their brain, body, nervous system & mind can regenerate & purify itself of the results of bad kamma.
In summary, it is not necessary to greatly suffer the results of bad kamma (refer to AN 3.99). This is why the Buddha called "old kamma" merely "something to be felt rather than identified with" (refer to SN 12.37). This said, there will always be some type of withdrawal symptom from bad kamma that requires a purification process (refer to MN 136); even if this withdrawal symptom is merely an unpleasant feeling or mood in the here-&-now. It follows 20 years of bad kamma may only result in only 20 weeks of withdrawal symptoms or negative feelings & moods. SN 13.1 says:

For a disciple of the noble ones who is consummate in view, an
individual who has broken through [to stream-entry], the suffering &
stress that is totally ended & extinguished is far greater; that
suffering which remains is next to nothing: it's not a hundredth, a
thousandth, a one hundred-thousandth, when compared with the previous
mass of suffering.

Hahahaha! 'The eightfold path of brain-damaged puthujjana' is very creative. I particularly like the eighth one- 'obsessive lack of a sense of humour'. On a more serious note, the quotes from the nikayas have given me hope. Thanks a lot @Dhammadhatu

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Anapanasati vs Vipassana, what to follow?
I have a friend who recently did Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program as designed by Jon Kabat Zinn. I haven't done it myself but he explained to me that it is based on the Vipassana technique of awareness-based body scans.
I have done S.N.Goenkya's ten days meditation courses but I currently follow Ajahn Brahmas meditation guide book Mindfulness Bliss and Beyond. When I told my friend who didn't know about Ajahn Brahma, he said 'his teacher said that calming the mind is a wrong technique of meditation'.
Now when I look at it, S.N Goenka's Vipassana technique though good for healing the subconscious mind does not talk about reaching higher meditative absorption of Jhanas. Whereas Ajahn Brahm, in his book and
in his youtube videos talk about reaching Nimmitas and Jhana through Anapanasati i.e. Breath Awareness Meditation.
I want to ask;

Which is the right way to go?
What is the difference between Vipassana and Anapanasati goals of attainment?
Can I attain Nirvana without doing Vipassana but by just doing Anapanasati?
Is there a difference between Vipassana Jhana and Anapanasati Jhana?

I've closed this question as a duplicate. Please look at the other questions that I've linked to see if it answers your question. If you think your question is totally different or if you want to change your question so that it is different, please reply to me here in the comments.

designed by Jon Kabat Zinn... the Vipassana technique of awareness-based body scans...I have done S.N.Goenkya's ten days meditation courses

Awareness-based body scans in themselves are not "vipassana". It appears Jon Kabat Zinn & S.N.Goenkya have simply hijacked or misappropriated the word "vipassana".
The word "vipassana" means "clear seeing" and does not mean any specific method of tracking a meditation object.
While it is possible awareness-based body scans may result in "vipassana" happening, awareness-based body scans in themselves are not "vipassana".
In summary, there is no record of the Buddha ever teaching awareness-based body scans.

I currently follow Ajahn Brahm's meditation guide book Mindfulness
Bliss and Beyond. When I told my friend who didn't know about Ajahn
Brahm, he said 'his teacher said that calming the mind is a wrong
technique of meditation'.

Ajahn Brahm's book emphasizes "jhanas", which are the final component of the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path. Ajahn Brahm's book also correctly refers to "insight/vipassana based on jhana" (p 223), quoting the sutta MN 43.
Ajahn Brahm's book quotes & teaches a method of practise the same as the Lord Buddha taught from SN 48.9 (which is also taught at the very end of the Anapanasati Sutta), namely, making "letting go (vossagga)" the meditation object.

Now when I look at it, S.N Goenka's Vipassana technique though good
for healing the subconscious mind does not talk about reaching higher
meditative absorption of Jhanas.

S.N Goenka's technique is unrelated to "vipassana". If S.N Goenka's technique resulted in "vipasssana" then "jhanas" would arise from that vipassana because the Pali suttas say jhanas & wisdom develop eachother, as follows:

Natthi jhānaṃ apaññassa, paññā natthi ajhāyato ; Yamhi jhānañca paññā
ca, sa ve nibbānasantike.
There is no meditative concentration for him who lacks insight, and no insight for him who lacks meditative concentration. He in whom
are found both meditative concentration and insight, indeed, is close
to Nibbana.
Dhammapada 372

Whereas Ajahn Brahm, in his book and in his youtube videos talk about reaching Nimmitas and Jhana through Anapanasati i.e. Breath Awareness Meditation.

The Buddha practised & taught Anapanasati. Refer to SN 54.11 & MN 118.

Which is the right way to go?

The Buddha taught Anapanasati.

What is the difference between Vipassana and Anapanasati goals of attainment?

Anapanasati practised correctly results in vipassana. Anapanasati describes 16 sequential experiences/steps and vipassana begins to occur at the 3rd step, which is called 'experiencing all bodies' (refer to this book), which means experiencing how the quality of the mind conditions the quality of the breath and the body, which is an insight into the Four Noble Truths.
In addition, if anapanasati is practised correctly (with a clear mind established in letting go), the impermanence, unsatisfactoriness & not-self of the breathing is also seen starting at step 3.
Each of the four tetrads of Anapanasati includes "vipassana". The 4th tetrad of Anapanasati is exclusively vipassana. Try to ignore those who have not fulfilled the training; when they say false things, such as: "Samatha tetrads 1 to 3 and Vipassana tetrad 4".
In the Anapanasati Sutta, each step (except steps 1 & 2) is preceded by the instruction: "He trains himself". This means the practitioner is developing the Three Trainings of higher morality, higher mind & higher wisdom, therefore, developing vipassana in each step starting at step 3.

Can I attain Nirvana without doing Vipassana but by just doing Anapanasati?

Anapanasati is vipassana. The teachings of Jon Kabat Zinn & S.N.Goenkya are not necessarily vipassana. If they were, you would be already enlightened.

Is there a difference between Vipassana Jhana and Anapanasati Jhana?

The above terms are invalid and unrelated to what the Buddha taught.

Thank you very much for this detailed answer. It answers all my questions.

Practice unfolds according to view. When a practitioner declares, "this works!" or "this does not work!" there is always context to be considered. What was the original individual view?
The Buddha himself pointed this out regarding the practice of serenity and discernment:

AN4.94:2.1: As for the person who has serenity but not discernment: they should approach someone who has discernment and ask: ‘Reverend, how should conditions be seen? How should they be comprehended? How should they be discerned?’ That person would answer from their own experience: ‘This is how conditions should be seen, comprehended, and discerned.’ After some time they have both serenity and discernment.
AN4.94:3.1: As for the person who has discernment but not serenity: they should approach someone who has serenity and ask: ‘Reverend, how should the mind be stilled? How should it be settled? How should it be unified? How should it be immersed in samādhi?’ That person would answer from their own experience: ‘Reverend, this is how the mind should be stilled, settled, unified, and immersed in samādhi.’ After some time they have both discernment and serenity.
AN4.94:4.1: As for the person who has neither serenity nor discernment: they should approach someone who has serenity and discernment and ask: ‘Reverend, how should the mind be stilled? How should it be settled? How should it be unified? How should it be immersed in samādhi?’ How should conditions be seen? How should they be comprehended? How should they be discerned?’ That person would answer as they’ve seen and known: ‘Reverend, this is how the mind should be stilled, settled, unified, and immersed in samādhi. And this is how conditions should be seen, comprehended, and discerned.’ After some time they have both serenity and discernment.

Serenity and discernment work together. We need them both. It doesn't help to neglect a weakness to practice a strength. We need to understand what is lacking and work to strengthen what is lacking. Different people have different views of what is needed. Your friend and you are different people with individual views. What works for your friend may or not work for you. The end goal is the same, but the practice will differ according to view. Approach the teacher with the right view.

AN3.53:1.1: Then a brahmin went up to the Buddha, and exchanged greetings with him. Seated to one side he said to the Buddha: “Master Gotama, they speak of ‘a teaching visible in this very life’. In what way is the teaching visible in this very life, immediately effective, inviting inspection, relevant, so that sensible people can know it for themselves?”

Practice unfolds not according to need but according to view. Apart from this, the sutta quotes are useful

Thank you. Updated answer and added clarifying quote. The word "need" was indeed awkward.

Which is the right way to go?

A monk, no matter how renowned or knowledgeable, unless s/he's already attained enlightenment would still hasn't had 100% complete understanding of the Dhamma. Hence it's important to always go back and validate what they say against the Buddha's words. And the Buddha said the right way is to go with the Noble Eightfold Path, which involves both elements of Samatha/Tranquility and Vipassana/Insight.

What is the difference between Vipassana and Anapanasati goals of attainment?

Anapanasati is an implementation of both Samatha( tetrads 1 to 3 ), and Vipassana( tetrad 4 ).

Can I attain Nirvana without doing Vipassana but by just doing Anapanasati?

See 2. above.

Is there a difference between Vipassana Jhana and Anapanasati Jhana?

Notice there's a wide spectrum on the Samatha/Vipassana scale, but even on the extreme spectrum of Vipassana, the "dry-insight", there's still element of Samatha ( the KhanikaSamadhi/MomentaryConcentration, see Ven. Gunaratana's "The Jhanas" for more details ).

this answer confused me because it criticized monks, praised the buddha, but then refers to a monk saying things that appear not to be the buddha's words.

You're always confused even at the most straightforward answer. I never suggested not to listen to monks at all. One can listen and verify at the same time.

In the Anapanasati Sutta, each step (except steps 1 & 2) is preceded by the instruction: "He trains himself". This means the practitioner is developing the Three Trainings of higher morality, higher mind & higher wisdom, therefore, developing vipassana in each step starting at step 3.

Why don't you two get a (chat)room?:)

It's a lot more fun sparring in public ;-)

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Is samadhi the same as samatha? Is there khanika samatha?
I read the following on the internet:

Notice there's a wide spectrum on the Samatha/Vipassana scale, but
even on the extreme spectrum of Vipassana, the "dry-insight", there's
still element of Samatha ( the khanika/Samadhi/Momentary Concentration,
see Ven. Gunaratana's "The Jhanas" for more details ).

It is said the Buddhist commentaries refer to Khanika (momentary), Upacara (neighborhood) and Appana (attainment) Samadhi.
Are 'samatha' & 'samadhi' synonymous?  Does Buddhism refer to Khanika/Momentary Samatha?

Shamatha and Samadhi are not synonyms.
Samadhi is Single-Pointed Concentration, a completely stable and highly refined state of attention. You can achieve voluntary sustained Samadhi through meditation practice, however one could also accurately call Samadhi to, for example, as when you are heavily in lust or infatuated with an object, where your attention is single-pointedly concentrated on the object of your desire, or when you are immersed in playing a video game. Samadhi just refers to a type of attention which is single-pointed, stable, and non-distracted, and is not good or bad by itself.
Shamatha, on the other hand, means "mental quiescence" or "calm abiding", and it refers to a state of the mind which is fully pliable and yelding. It is composed of two main components: the conscious and voluntary direction of attention with a powerful and enhanced awareness (sati a.k.a. mindfulness), and stable, single-pointed attention (samadhi).
Therefore, Samadhi is an essential component of Shamatha but they are not the same thing.

If I sit dow on the cushion for a moment, that's momentary samatha. Samatha is simply calmimg.  It can take place anywhere.  Samatha can lead to samadhi, but the two are by no means identical.  It would be akin to equating the ingredients to a fully baked cake.

Samatha is in group of two, Samatha & Vipassanā. It is by function.
Samādhi is in group of three, Sila, Samādhi, Paññā. It is by state (step by step of practices [sikkhā]).
Every wholesome which one does is Samatha if one doesn't do Vipassanā because it is just periodical calming by calming function, although it is completed.
Vipassanā is Seeing truth function. The truth covers every reality, so it is forever functions after it is completed.
Dāna&Sīla are not stable.
Samādhi is stable but not understand enough to complete seeing reality function.
Paññā is seeing (Ñā) every angles (Pa) of  realities. There
are many realities and each reality has many angles, so if the practitioner's Samatha (calming function) is not Samādhi (stable) enough, it will has not enough time to collect enough angles to see the truth. It is going to lost strong power of wholesome enough to see the truth, and need more time to begin for collecting the mind power again.
These all are cleared in NettiPakarana.


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can any one please explain me the significance of Talipot fan in Buddhism?
Namo Buddhaya,
can any one please explain me the significance of Talipot fan in Buddhism ? is it part of any traditional process  ? I have seen many photos in internet as Bhikkus holding the Talipot HandFan, some covers their face while chanting. Is there any particular significance ?
thank you
Reference Images -

In the book "Buddhist Ceremonies and Rituals of Sri Lanka" by A.G.S. Kariyawasam, there is a sub-chapter on the Pirit Ceremony which states:

Pirit (or paritta) is a collective term designating a set of
protective chants or runes sanctioned by the Buddha for the use of
both lay-men and bhikkhus. Pirit-chanting is a very popular ceremony
among the Buddhists of Sri Lanka. As the term itself implies it means
a safety rune (paritta = protection), the ceremonial recital of which
is regarded as capable of warding off all forms of evil and danger
(vipatti), including disease, the evil influence of the planets, evil
spirits, etc. These may be real dangers to the safety of persons and
property as well as superstitiously believed-in calamities. In
addition to this curative and positive aspect, pirit is also chanted
for the attainment of general success (sampatti,siddhi).  In the
domestic  and  social  life  of  the  Sri  Lankan Buddhist no
important function can be considered complete without this ceremony.
However, the ceremony may vary from the simple to the highly
elaborate, depending on the occasion and the status of the sponsor.

Going deeper, it states:

Until the monks arrive for the pirit chanting, the devadutaya is
kept  confined  and  guarded.  Once  the  monks  arrive  and  take
their seats inside the pavilion, a dialogue takes place between the
devadutaya and a monk, the purpose of which is to reveal to the assembled gathering that the task of the messenger, which was
to invite the gods to partake of the merits, has been done and that
all the gods have arrived. The devadutaya makes this statement
standing and guarded by the swordsmen, at the entrance (dorakada) to
the  chanting  pavilion  within  which  the  monks  have  taken  their
seats. It is this statement of the devadutaya which thus comes to be
called the dorakada-asna, meaning “the message read at the
thresh-old.” The gist of this statement, written in the same kind of
stilted language as the vihara-asna referred to earlier, is that all
the gods invited have arrived for the pirit ceremony so that they
may dispel all misfortune and bring about prosperity to all.
After the dorakada-asna,  another  monk,  standing  within  the
pavilion, reads out a similar text called the anusasana-asna,
wherein all the gods assembled are requested to rejoice in the merits
of the entire ceremony. This monk holds in his hand a round-handled
fan made of the talipot leaf, elaborately decorated, a symbol of
authority and  high  ecclesiastical  position.  These  three
ritualistic  texts  mentioned  in  the  foregoing  account  (i.e.,
vihara-asna, dorakada-asna, and  the anusasana-asna)  were  all  composed  during  the  Kandyan period (18th century) when ceremonies
and rituals, especially those connected  with  the  gods,  became
more  popular  than  during  the earlier periods.

So apparently, the use of the talipot fan (as a ceremonial fan) originated in Sri Lanka in the Kandyan period (18th century) and its use is as a symbol of authority and to show the high ecclesiastical position of certain monks. From there, it's not surprising that it spread to other Theravada countries.
I speculate that to say that the purpose of the talipot fan (as a ceremonial fan) is for monks to hide their faces for anonymity and humility, is perhaps a modern spin to shift the purpose of the talipot fan from being a symbol of authority to being a symbol of anonymity and humility.
Further note: I think the talipot fan originally was used just as a fan to produce breeze or to shade from sunlight, but at some point, it was given a ceremonial function and became elaborately decorated.

thank you for the very detailed explanation

If I understand correctly, a monk covers his face with a fan to remove his identity, to become an anonymous monk rather than a specific person.
One of the most important doctrines in Buddhism is anatta, a realization that our notion of "self" or "I" is an illusion and that in fact there's no such thing.
Removing one's identity by covering the face while speaking with laypeople serves to illustrate the teaching of anatta in a simple and obvious manner.
It is as if the words of wisdom were coming from the overall corpus of Dharma ('dharma-kaya') rather than a specific individual.

Can any one please explain me the significance of Talipot fan in Buddhism?

Great question.
The Talipot fan is used when giving a Dhamma talk to remove focus from the monk so that the listeners will instead focus on the spoken words, ie. the Dhamma.
The focus should not be on the monk and his appeareance. Some monks are very good looking due to the purity of their mind and listeners might become attracted to their appearance thereby removing focus from the real goal of the teaching, the Dhamma.

While accepting Jade's and Ruben's answers, I'd like to add something that I've read about talipot fan.
If we look at the story of seventh verse of Arahanta Vagga in the book, "The Dhammapada - Pali text & translation with stories in brief & notes" (1963) by Ven. Narada, it has mentioned that;

"While attempting to awaken, with his fan, a pupil novice who was thought to be asleep, a teacher accidentally injured the pupil's eye. Later, when the teacher tried to close the door, he injured the pupil's hand too. But the pupil showed no resentment at the carelessness of his teacher. He was well trained. The Buddha praised him"

So, the origin of talipot fan may considered to be from India during Tathagata's time.
In the book, "An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon in the East-Indies" (1681) by Robert Knox, it has mentioned that;

"It is a yellow coat gathered together about their waist, and comes over their left shoulder, girt about with a belt of fine pack-thread. Their heads are shaved, and they go bare-headed and carry in their hands a round fan with a wooden handle, which is to keep the sun off their hands.
...
They have the honour of carrying the Tallipot with the broad end over their heads foremost; which none but the kings does: wheresoever they come, they have a mat and a white cloth laid over upon a stool for them to sit upon; which is also an honour used only to the king."

Nowadays in Sri Lanka when a Thero receives an honorary title, he is presented with a decorated talipot (vijinipath) and a scroll.
From the story of Goddess Laja, we can see that Venerable Mahakashyapa had used the word "vijinipath = talipot fan" without describing it. So it could have been a common instrument at that time also. From these, we can conclude that talipot fan was used from ancient time.

"Goddess, disappear l said. Erudite preachers of the future who mount pulpits with vijinipath in their hand should not be heard to say that a certain goddess came down to help Venerable Mahakashyapa with his day to day chores. Now, go away and never come again."

I think the talipot fan originally was used just as a fan to produce breeze or to shade from sunlight, but at some point, it was given a ceremonial function and became elaborately decorated.


text:
Does the Vinaya forbid drinking while giving or listening to dhamma talks?
Possibly the greatest thing in the world that makes my blood boil and my mind to become enraged in Cultural Marxist and SJW offendedness, anger and uncontrollable rage is seeing individuals drinking tea, water or anything else while giving a lecture; be it a secular lecture or dhamma talk.
To see someone set up their drink glass or other drinking receptacle simply to give a 30 minute lecture then start to slurp and gulp during the lecture sets my mind on fire as my mind forms the view this is the height of rudeness to the audience and arrogance, elitism and an utter total lack of discipline and self control on behalf of the speaker.
As I write this question, my mind is, right now, in this moment, spontaneously born (opapātikā) into Sīlabbata-Parāmāsa-Hell.
When Bhikkhu Buddhadasa was alive and a very old man, often on the verge of death, I observed him giving dhamma talks for 90 minutes to 2 hours and he never drink anything. During one series of talks over a number days, when it was reputed his death was imminent, he occasionally lost consciousness (when the translator was speaking) and had to be woken up (and he would continue to the dhamma talk right where he left off).
Anyway, after taking a breath or two to calm down, my question is, does the Vinaya forbid drinking while giving or listening to dhamma talks?
For example, I recall the Vinaya says things like listeners of dhamma talks should not wear hats, etc.
Thanks

Good question. I have seen Bhikkhu Bodhi was giving lectures but he reaches the glass of water but does not drink. However, it is not a bad thing to leave a glass of water as I heard some people can die from thirst.

You may not believe it but i used to give dhamma talks. I sat in meditation posture generally with closed eyes and rarely looked at the audience. Back to topic! Thanks

Wow! Perhaps I can listen to your Dhamma talk one day. I hope we are not going to have an argument -)

Sorry but it wasn't me. Never been a monk. Regards

Other then the aversive unfounded preoccupation here: it's actually one duty for monks to arrange drinking water for all participate at their gatherings.

Where does this come from? Vinaya?

OP wrote:

I recall the Vinaya says things like listeners of dhamma talks should
not wear hats, etc.

I think you got it reversed, the Vinaya does not apply to lay people. The rules apply to Bhikkhus only. The right way would be, Bhikkhus shall not teach the Dhamma to people wearing hats, holding a weapons, laying down etc., most with the exception of illness.
So far, I could not find anything in the Vinaya about drinking water while teaching.  And besides, rules for drinking water is not tight since the Buddha must have known how important it is for the body and the brain to stay hydrated.

Unable to search the Vinaya with ease, I searched the suttas.
The suttas indicate that Dhamma talks following alms meals should be received respectfully. By implication, the immediate needs of the talking monk will all have been satisfied by the prior offering of food and water. Therefore it would normally be rare to need water immediately after a meal with drink.
However, dry throats do arise as a medical condition (e.g allergies or throat cancer), and speaking does dry out the throat.

SN35.133:5.1:  Then the brahmin lady served and satisfied Udāyī with her own hands with a variety of delicious foods. When Udāyī had eaten and washed his hand and bowl, she took off her shoes, sat on a low seat, uncovered her head, and said to him, “Sir, when what exists do the perfected ones declare that there is pleasure and pain? When what doesn’t exist do the perfected ones not declare that there is pleasure and pain?”

Regarding boiling, the suttas also mention:

SN46.55:16.1: Suppose there is a bowl of water that is not heated by a fire, boiling and bubbling. A person with good eyesight checking their own reflection would truly know it and see it. In the same way, when your heart is not overcome and mired in ill will … Even hymns that are long-unpracticed spring to mind, let alone those that are practiced.

i marked this down. the quotes appear to have not relevance to the question and appear to be discursive. also, the remark about "throat cancer" sounded very imaginary

Not imaginary. I converse regularly with a monastic who cannot speak at length without having coughing fits eased by drinking tea. Cancer was definitely involved. I see absolutely no offense in that practice of drinking while speaking of the Dhamma.

there are lots of sick monastics that never developed samadhi thus superior health

sekhiya 51
"na surusurukārakaṃ bhuñjissāmīti sikkhā karaṇīyā."
Not to make noise (slurp) when absorbing a liquid.


text:
Translation of a Chinese Bön book about Dzogchen
I am looking for a translation in english (or french) of the following book in Chinese Mandarin:
大圆满前行法海
It is a book in the Bön tradition about Dzogchen.

The "海" here corresponds to "Ocean of (+ blah blah blah)", just like the Tsongkhapa's work "Ocean of "+"reasoning" corresponds to "正理"+"海".

I coudn't find a translation, but from what I gather from the title:

大圆满 Dzogchen
前行 forward, advance
法海 Fa-Hai

法海 Fa-Hai was a Chan monk in the Tang dynasty, but is also the name of a Sino-Tibetan Lama (1920-1991) who studied both Chan and Dzogchen. Monica Esposito wrote a book in English on this blending of disciplines:
The Zen of Tantra: Tibetan Great Perfection in Fahai Lama's Chinese Zen Monastery
Hope this helps.

This is the book probably : https://sanxuezang.com/book/7571
Use the website https://www.deepl.com to translate.

大圆满前行法海 is not a Bon text. It's either a Nyingma Buddhist text or a Chinese Ch'an Buddhist text.
Here is a Chinese site that has information about 大圆满前行法海 and its author, but it's in Chinese. You will need to use a translator to read it.
https://baike.baidu.com/item/%E5%A4%A7%E5%9C%86%E6%BB%A1%E5%89%8D%E8%A1%8C%E6%B3%95%E6%B5%B7/15454540
The author is 孜珠.丁真祖普俄色活佛.
The publisher is > 宗教文化出版社
Publication date: July 2013
The book covers > the purpose of learning Buddhism, how to listen to the Dharma, how to find a guru (teacher), and the Dharma knowledge of Yong Zhongben's practice.
There is a table of contents on this page as well.
Here are a few clips from the Table of Contents using Google translate.
1 Arouse Bodhichitta... 3
1.1 Four immeasurable minds... 3
1.1.1 Home... 3
1.1.2 Sad... 4
1.1.3 Kindness... 11
1.1.4 Happy... 12
1.2 Generate Bodhicitta... 14
2.1 Reflect on the purpose of studying Buddhism... 4
2.2 How to listen to Buddhism... 5
2.2.1 Qualified speakers... 6
2.2.2 The scene of listening to the Dharma... 6
2.2.3 Behaviors that should be discarded... 8
3.3.2 Hell... 42
3.3.2.1 Eight Hot Hells... 42
3.3.2.2 Eight Cold Hells... 44
3.3.2.3 Short-lived hell... 44
3.3.3 Hungry Ghost... 46
3.3.3.1 Hungry Ghosts Walking in the Earth... 46
3.3.3.2 Hungry ghosts... 47
3.4.1 Evil deeds to abandon... 62
3.4.1.1 Five poisons... 62
3.4.1.2 Ten Evil... 64
3.4.1.3 Results of negative karma... 70
3.4.2 Good deeds to practice... 76
5 Guru Yoga... 100
5.1 Praying to the merits of the guru... 100
5.2 Guru yoga rituals... 101
5.2.1 Prayer... 101
5.2.2 Seven supply... 102
5.2.3 Being blessed... 106
5.2.4 Receive empowerment... 107
5.2.5 Backward... 107
5.3 Guru Yoga sitting down and practicing... 107
~ ~ ~
You can get similar information, in English, if you read these two books.
"The Complete Nyingma Tradition from Sutra to Tantra - Books 01-10: Foundations of the Buddhist Path" by Choying Tobden Dorje
"The Union of Bliss and Emptiness Teachings on the Practice of Guru Yoga" by H. H. the 14th Dalai Lama and Thupten Jinpa


text:
When I empty out intentions and relax in meditation, what is this force that moves my body in complex patterns?
When I empty out intentions and relax in meditation, what is this force that moves my body in complex patterns?
For example, when I let go for a bit I start walking and making circles and doing movements with my hands (mudras), and even martial arts type of moves with intricacy and  intelligence. There is a force making me doing it and I feel my body following energies like a magnet.
So the questions are:

why does it happen?
what am I suppose to do with it?
is this like wu wei of taoism or Tibetan Buddhist Shamans channeling spirits?

it is very appropriate that a yoga doer edited this question. this question shows why Hindu yoga is antagonist to the buddhist path.

That's chi, not wu wei.  Wu wei is more of an approach - one that can give rise to feelings of chi, aid in samatha meditation, etc.  Using chi is outside the scope of Buddhist practice, although Jwing-Ming Yang mentions its role in Buddhism in many of his qigong books.  Personally, I appreciate his effort, but his writings on the subject seem like a bit of a stretch to me.  You're better off just sitting on the cushion.  Meditation practice is complicated enough.  No need to add additional complexity.

Buddhist walking meditation is walking back & forth (caṅkamanta), as in this video, however for twenty to thirty paces.
As for the involuntary movements, these are caused by your past doing of yoga, tai chi, chi kung or whatever breath-related exercises you were doing.
Your case shows exactly why yoga, tai chi, chi kung, etc, are obstacles & contrary to Buddhist meditation.
If you wish to deprogramme your nervous system, possibly a skilled acupuncturist or Bowen therapists can assist.

I haven't do any kind of meditation rather than sitting and relaxing. Everything like head movements, kechari mudra, hand mudras and walking around hapens involuntary. Are any of these related to buddhism? Because I believe there is something shamanic in my case

thank you. i offered my answer. performing these unnatural movements, such as imitating postures of certain animals, will result in the nervous system developing a habit for these movements. Its like taking drugs. If you take drugs, when you stop taking drugs, the urge to take drugs will arise. Its the same with these movements. Hatha yoga, chi kung, etc, are major impediments to the buddhist practise of letting go and relaxing. Best wishes


text:
Is there a list of (all the) Suttas that mention supranormal powers?
I know there are the miracles of the historical Buddha and the Samannaphala Sutta, but is there a comprehensive list of Suttas that mention supranormal power(s)?

Here are the search results for "psychic" in five main nikayas. It is not exhaustive since translation is not complete:

AN10.90
AN10.97
AN11.10
AN1.188-197
AN1.235-247
AN1.394-574
AN3.101
AN3.102
AN3.144
AN3.156-162
AN3.40
AN3.60
AN4.191
AN4.276
AN4.45
AN5.100
AN5.23
AN5.28
AN5.67
AN5.68
AN6.2
AN6.41
AN6.54
AN6.70
AN7.71
AN8.19
AN8.28
AN8.30
AN8.70
AN9.35
AN9.83
AN9.84-91
AN9.92
DN10
DN11
DN14
DN16
DN17
DN18
DN24
DN26
DN28
DN29
DN2
DN30
DN33
DN34
DN3
MN103
MN104
MN108
MN118
MN119
MN129
MN12
MN149
MN151
MN16
MN25
MN37
MN49
MN50
MN56
MN6
MN73
MN77
MN86
MN91
MN92
MN99
SN12.70
SN14.15
SN16.9
SN21.1
SN21.3
SN22.101
SN2.26
SN22.80
SN22.81
SN40.1
SN40.2
SN40.3
SN40.4
SN40.5
SN40.6
SN40.7
SN40.8
SN40.9
SN41.4
SN4.20
SN43.12
SN43.7
SN45.155
SN51.10
SN51.11
SN51.12
SN51.13
SN51.14
SN51.15
SN51.16
SN51.17
SN51.18
SN51.19
SN51.1
SN51.20
SN51.21
SN51.22
SN51.23
SN51.24
SN51.25
SN51.26
SN51.27
SN51.28
SN51.29
SN51.2
SN51.30
SN51.31
SN51.32
SN51.33-44
SN51.3
SN51.4
SN51.5
SN51.6
SN51.77-86
SN51.7
SN51.8
SN51.9
SN52.12
SN5.5
SN6.14
SN6.5
SN6.6
SN8.10
SN8.12
Thag10.7
Thag1.38
Thag16.9
Thag17.2
Thag18.1
Thag19.1
Thag20.1
Thag21.1
Thag6.10
Thag6.1
Thig11.1
Thig13.5
Thig5.1

@ruben2020 thank you.

MN77 also discuss psychic powerin detail.
But if you want list of suttas containing psychic powers then try searching 'psychic power' in Suttacentral Voice Search or simply  click here.
You will also find 'settings' icon there where you can manage number of result you want to see.


text:
Choosing between contemplative traditions
When choosing between the contemplative traditions—Vipassana, Tibetan and Zen, is the following saying accurate?

Zen is for poets, Tibetan is for artists, and Vipassana is for
psychologists (Robert Wright).

This would enable me to recommend them separately to future students of Budhism.

That quote has absolutely no founding in reality.  You could plumb the psychological depths of the alayavijnana in Tibetan Buddhism or Rinzai Zen, paint masterful works in Soto, compose gathas in the Theravadan, or do absolutely none of those things in any of those traditions.  A good teacher is worth more than the lineage he or she teaches.

Dhamma-Vinaya, the Buddhas path, is for those seeking release from suffering, and of course, has less to do with the mentioned householder trends.

When the student is ready, the teacher appears. It all depends on the disposition of the students. No bona fide teacher can help an unready student.
Also, being an artist, painter or psychologist is not an inherent perquisite or advantage for a student of Buddhism.
Since Robert Wright does not understand Buddhism very well and also appears to pursue Buddhism for a commercial purpose, his opinion appears to not represent reality.
The Buddha himself said:

When you know for yourselves that, "These qualities are skillful;
these qualities are blameless; these qualities are praised by the
wise; these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to welfare &
to happiness" — then you should enter & remain in them.
Kalama Sutta


text:
I had strange things showing up while meditating
So... i turned 15 a few months ago and i discovered some youtube channels that spoke about spiritual ilumination and other stuff,i watched a lot finding myself relating to almost everything there and decided i should try because why not. One day i went to my bed and first i took 5 minutes of controled deep breathes and then closed my eyes and cleared my mind,at that moment i seen "something" from my back like my field of view got bigger. I had my eyes closed but i would still see the things behind me and my room,and all that with my ryes closed. I got scared as this was my very first time experiencing something like this so i opened my eyes. I tryed again after half and hour but i was not calm enough so i went to sleep. The very next day in the morning i went to my desk and had deep breathes again. 5 seconds in and 5 out. Then closed my eyes. After like 1 minute i got really calm but then i started seeing a red thing in front of me. Was looking like a tomato but not perfectly rounded and then my eyes started moving involuntary and then turned down. My 2 questions are : is all i went trough these 2 days good or bad? And why do my eyes move involuntary and turn down.
Thanks.

Welcome to Buddhism.SE, @DavidRoll. Is this in any way related to Buddhism?

I am not buddhist,but  i do belive it is the same goal.

Your question is about immersion, so let's address that first:

AN4.41:1.1: “Mendicants, there are these four ways of developing immersion further. What four?
There is a way of developing immersion further that leads to blissful meditation in the present life.
There is a way of developing immersion further that leads to gaining knowledge and vision.
There is a way of developing immersion further that leads to mindfulness and awareness.
There is a way of developing immersion further that leads to the ending of defilements.

Your question can then be understood as asking whether there is bliss, knowledge and vision, mindfulness and awareness and the ending of defilements. If not, then this is not right immersion.
Studying more in the suttas, we read that immersion is preceded by seven other steps. We must therefore ask ourselves if those steps have been followed:

AN6.63:13.1: And what is the cessation of sensual pleasures? When contact ceases, sensual pleasures cease. The practice that leads to the cessation of sensual pleasures is simply this noble eightfold path, that is: right view, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion.

And yet even the first step is mysterious. What is right view?

SN45.8:3.1: And what is right view?
Knowing about suffering, the origin of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the practice that leads to the cessation of suffering.

These are the four noble truths. Without knowing the four noble truths, we fall into wrong immersion.
Keep studying the suttas. Keep meditating. Find a good teacher. Be a good person.

Thanks for the help,i will try again today and comment my experience here.

A good way to look at you experience is like driving a car or walking.  The two serve a purpose - to convey you from one place to another.  What you encounter on the way, however, is ultimately arbitrary and unimportant.  For instance, I could be driving to Pittsburgh from my home in New York City.  I may travel down Interstate 80 and notice the trees along the highway.  Maybe on another trip, I'll be especially aware of the gas stations or the number of truck I pass.  None of those things are important.  What is important is me getting from New York to western Pennsylvania.
From a Buddhist perspective, when we meditate, our goal is to calm and focus the mind to better prepare it for insight into unwholesome preoccupations like ignorance, self, and craving.  Anything that is not aligned with undoing these unwholesome roots is just a side road, a tourist trap, etc. that distracts us from our main purpose which is enlightenment.
Don't get me wrong, some of these sights can be pretty interesting.  I mean, I almost always stop and gape at the Delaware Water Gap as I'm driving out west.  But if we focus on these sights, crave them, and become too interested in them, we'll never get to where we are meaning to go.

Buddhism does not teach practising controlled deep breathing for 5 minutes.
Your question is not related to Buddhism.
When deliberate deep breathing is practised, strange things happen.
For example, i recall seeing a video (here) of a superfit 11 times world surfing champion faint & collapse while doing deep breathing.
Buddhist meditation is about making the mind clear (free from greed & craving) so the mind naturally observes natural calm breathing.


text:
How can we end the suffering of all animals?
My idea is to build a black hole and destroy everything, but this idea may seem evil to many.
I have no other idea, and many may say we should allow other beings to continue to suffer, I think this is an evil idea.
How can we end the suffering of all animals?

Time is divided into 3 parts.

Are you sure a black hole will destroy everything? Do you understand the world enough to determine what is best for other beings? Why did the Buddha declare the cosmos to be one of the four imponderables? How can you free something or somebody other than yourself as long as you're in shackles?
I am sorry if this sounds harsh: Find the way of freedom from suffering for yourself first. I don't see how you can benefit another being other than being compassionate and searching for the path to the end of suffering for yourself. With gaining freedom for yourself you will more and more see how others can be freed.

It’s almost funny (in a darkly humoristic way) that we who call ourselves “wise humans” (Homo Sapiens) can never see the one guaranteed way to put an end to our troubled and selfish behaviors—change our way of being.
We always seem to take for granted that humans will always act in negative, selfish ways that harms everyone and everything around them. There is no way to change that, or so it seems that we as a species believe that to be the case. We cannot, so the thinking goes, improve ourselves because the human being is a fixed and determined bundle of ignorant and shitty behaviors. Yet when we find ourselves too weak to be in peak health, we change our diet, exercise regularly, and build up our muscles and immune system. But our behaviors are not something we think we can easily change. It’s absurd, and it’s deadly to others.
Yes, the Buddha gave humanity a way to end our individual suffering. But he gave us something more: he gave us an example of what a human being can accomplish when they actually try. I’m not even talking about enlightenment. Sure go for it, but follow the Buddha’s example while you are at it and benefit all along the way.
The answer you seek is called “mahakaruna” and it is a change in your ‘operating system’ that occurs when you follow the path of Avalokitasvara, Manjusri, and all the Buddhas, all of whom changed themselves into beings of Mahakaruna. That word means “Great Responsiveness.” It is a way to be in the world which is the opposite of our normal selfish and destructive way of being. It is the result of meditation using the support used by the Bodhisattvas I mentioned above, and all the Buddhas. Read the Surangama Sutra and pay close attention to the detailed account of how Avalokitasvara describes his path to enlightenment. That is the ultimate goal, but along the way, you are progressively changed into a being that manifests Mahakaruna in all your dealings in the world. It’s not, as some take it, a practice of compassion, although that is virtuous practice as well. Rather, it is an automatic (as we would say today) consideration of all beings in each moment of your life, rather than the focus that we are taught that only considers yourself and what you want.
And then get everyone around you to do it too. That is how you will end the suffering of animals—and what you inflict on others—by changing how you, and we all, operate in the world.
There is even a prophecy in Tibetan Buddhism that recommends this practice as a way of helping all beings survive this next decade and all the troubles coming during it (remember global warming?).
I hope this may change your mind, Achmed, about creating a black hole to end all things.

In maybe a billion years from now or more, Earth's oceans will be boiled away and all life on Earth will be destroyed due to the increase in energy output from the Sun as part of its lifecycle. Later, the Sun will expand and engulf the Earth.
If any other planet in any other star system or galaxy has life, it too will experience the same fate when its star approaches the end of its natural life.
However, somewhere out there, whenever the mind-body (namarupa) phenomena arises again due to evolution, suffering will emerge again. It cannot be avoided forever.

"Why is that? From an inconstruable beginning comes transmigration. A
beginning point is not evident, though beings hindered by ignorance
and fettered by craving are transmigrating & wandering on. Long have
you thus experienced stress, experienced pain, experienced loss,
swelling the cemeteries — enough to become disenchanted with all
fabricated things, enough to become dispassionate, enough to be
released."
SN 15

Animals such as dogs, cats etc. became that type of being by doing various misdeeds when they were humans a long time ago. These Asathpurusha — People who did bad things — became animals to repay for the bad things they did, so they can rebalance the world.
Animals are a result of that previous human who did bad things. Therefore, you cannot end the suffering of all the Animals in the world. Nothing you do will make them back Humans, not until they've paid their debt, not until they get a Human Type from the random pool for the next life at the death.
However, there are things you CAN do to prevent more Animals from coming to the world.
How exactly? By making more people aware about the nature of reality and making them aware about Buddhism.
If you do X, Y, Z things all the time, then your next life is crafted based on what you think, do and say. If you can turn more people to do stuff that gets a Human life, that's how you stop creating more Animals.
IF you can help 1 person to attain Sowan (Sotapanna), Sakrudagami (Sakadagami), Anagami or Arihath (Arahant), that's how you prevent 1 more Animal coming to the world for FOREVER.
You think your idea of "destroying all the animals in the world with a Black Hole" isn't evil, but it is not. Not sure why? Let me explain!

No one likes to be killed. No one likes to be hurt. As such you're doing an evil thing for the Animals by killing them to save them without their explicit permission. Even if you have the permission from the Animals, you're in fact doing a misdeed by killing them. That accumulates you sins or "factors" to be born as a potential animal in the next life, guaranteed death by such situations in future lives.

Even if you killed them, they will still be reborn as Animals or as an another being which still have suffering. Because it does not matter if it's an Animal, Human, Deva or a Brahma, suffering is still there. That's why attaining Arhat stage is important.

Then the "Black Hole" is actually a Hell where Pure Delusional people are reborn who perform Anantariya Sins such as killing their biological mother or father among 6 other things.
That hell does not get destroyed even at the biggest end of the worlds. Beings there live for a Trillions of Trillion years until their debt is paid.
If you're wondering why allowing animals to suffer isn't evil, here's why.

That "Animal" was born to pay its debt accumulated by its own misdeeds when it became a Human. By allowing them to continue their course of life, you're giving them the chance to pay that debt the only way that Animal can pay it.

By not trying to change the fate of that Animal through inefficient and illogical means, you're creating a ton more Raga (Lust), Dwesha (Anger), Moha (Delusion) thoughts, actions which pollute the world. How deep is that pollution? That spreads up to 10,000 Lokha Dhatus. That means you're causing a huge chain of Negative Energy and Sins not just for you & that animal, but trillions and trillions of beings in all 31 Realms.

So as a summary, you cannot end the suffering of anyone by killing them. The only way is attaining Nibbana which prevents being born as any type of being including the Animals. Right now, you won't see this as the only way, but as you dig deeper on WHY, you'll realize it.
Good luck on your journey!

This is not a very eco-friendly answer. Humans are the worst animal with regards to the ecosystem

According to Buddha Dharma, Human is not an animal like dogs, cats etc. That kind of animals fall under the beings living within the 4 Hells. That's why out of the 31 Realms, there is a separate realm for Humans. Goal of the Buddha Dharma is Nibbana. Not living an Eco-friendly life. And Humans can attain Arihat stage which also solves your eco-friendly problem.

Of course it’s not the same kind of animal viz. the worst animal...but perhaps in minimal amount the best animal

Destroying every living being, including all animals, in current world and epoch is not going to liberate them from sansara. If they have not reached liberation by their own merit, they will be reborn in a different world and epoch, in a realm corresponding to their carma. You follow the path and collect merit and dedicate it to the imminent liberation of all human being. Your merit eventually leads to your personal liberation and you can't accumulate merit for someone else, leave alone a whole realm of beings. However when you're a buddha or a boddhisattva, your capacity to help other beings to accumulate merit of their own is immense.

buddha seems to have said according to the discourse:
"Monks, I can imagine no one group of beings more variegated than that of common animals. Common animals are created by mind."
I'm not sure exactly what that means.the second line doesn’t have much to do with the rest of the teaching therein. perhaps it alludes to the mind as that which divides the subject-object (me and not me)?  if the mind didn't do that, then i guess there would be no animal at all.
based on the quote and my construing the meaning, it might suggest that if one fixes their mind, or clears it of delusion, or however the division is destroyed, then that might perhaps end the suffering of all animals.


text:
How does Nirvana fit into theory of evolution?
Can nirvana be called as some sort of directed evolution? Can a Buddha or Arahat be considered as an evolved being as compared to the rest?

Of course. In the suttas the Buddha explains how ignorance leads to suffering, suffering leads to seeking the way out, and seeking the way out leads to Nibbana.
So Ignorance, Suffering, Noble Path, and Nirvana are phases of the same sequence. You can call it development or evolution (in the general sense of the word), sure.
Although, to be precise, when we use the word Evolution we usually mean the natural evolution caused by the procreation, crossing, mutation, and natural selection of phenomena (such as the living beings, the memes, the tendencies etc.)
Armed with this knowledge we can describe The Noble Path as Evolution of tendencies under the evolutionary pressure of Karma guided by the Right View.
What are tendencies? Tendencies are mental and behavioral habits that lead to similar thoughts and behaviors in the future. Good habits lead to other good habits. Bad habits lead to other bad habits. The habits or tendencies procreate, they cross-pollinate, they mutate, and they are subject to natural selection. They have all the same forces at play as what we see in the Natural Evolution.
In the nature, the more fit organism can survive and pass on its genes to subsequent generations. In human life, those impulses that we allow to manifest as actions - they too procreate, cross-polinate, and pass their influence to their subsequent generations.
Once you realize that discord is dukkha and clearly see what type of actions generate discord, you reach the conclusion that cessation of unwholesome behavior leads to cessation of discord and thus of dukkha. This point is called The Stream Entry. From this moment onward, those mental and behavioral tendencies that lead to cessation of dukkha have competitive advantage. Your Right View and Right Intention play the role of Natural Selection. Wholesome tendencies procreate and lead to other wholesome tendencies.
This evolutionary process is inclined towards Nirvana. As your habits change and mind clears up, those behaviors that used to generate chaos and discord in your life - go extinct. And those behaviors that lead to peace, harmony, and enlightenment - proliferate and grow stronger.
This process gets more and more refined until it reaches the phase when your own thoughts are the only remaining source of discord. This is when the practice of Jhana is the most beneficial. As you practice the Jhanas, the habits of samatha and vipassana grow stronger, until they become the dominant force of your life. The refinement of these two tendencies culminates in Nirvana.

The scientific definition of evolution is as follows:

Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations.

There is no guarantee that the offspring of a Buddha or Arahat will be an enlightened being, i.e. these characteristics are not guaranteed to be passed on to their successive generations (Not a very rigorous scientific answer but I hope you got the gist of it).
Another way to think about it is that

Has it been experimentally proved that Nirvana fits into the theory of evolution? OR, Can we design an experiment that can show if Nirvana fits into the theory of evolution?

As far as I know, these questions can not be answered as of now (Perhaps no one has tried to do it). So from a scientific point of view, I would say 'no'.

No.  Buddhas are outside of causality.  Natural selection is a science of causes.

Evolution in nature perpetuates samsara because it encourages becoming and it encourages reproduction. From the sutta quote below, you can see that going with the flow stands for craving. Craving is the cause of suffering according to the second noble truth. Evolution drives the natural tendency towards craving - sensual cravings and cravings towards becoming.
Going against the flow of nature is renunciation. Trying to end craving is against what evolution in nature drives us towards.
The idea of natural spiritual evolution is not found in Buddhism. The effort to becoming liberated is against natural evolution. Furthermore, as you can see in the Buddhist world today, extremely few join the monastic order in pursuit of liberation.
Natural intellectual evolution only leads towards increasing sensual enjoyment while attempting to reduce suffering, through improvement in healthcare, education, infrastructure, politics and economy.
Natural intellectual evolution does not lead towards liberation from clinging to sensual enjoyment. Rather, it leads one towards asking how to increase enjoyment while avoiding suffering as much as possible.
From Iti 109:

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

Thank you for the answer. That was helpful.

The internet says:

The theory of evolution is based on the idea that all species are
related and gradually change over time.
Evolution relies on there being genetic variation in a population
which affects the physical characteristics (phenotype) of an organism.
Some of these characteristics may give the individual an advantage
over other individuals which they can then pass on to their offspring.

Buddhism says a Buddha arises from "mere chance" (adhicca), as follows:

Bhikkhus, it is by chance that one obtains the human state; by chance
that a Tathagata, an Arahant, a Perfectly Enlightened One arises in
the world; by chance that the Dhamma and Discipline proclaimed by the
Tathagata shines in the world. - SN 56.48

Therefore, it appears Nirvana does not fit into the theory of evolution because Nirvana or the disposition to reach Nirvana appears not related to ancestral genetics.


text:
Why is Buddhism a venture of a limited few?
This question is further to my last question on Nirvana and evolution, and considering the answer... If we believe the Buddhist cosmology to be true and Nirvana as an evolutionary next step, then why is it that very few people actually tread the path to it?
Considering the world religious demographics only 7% of worlds population follow Buddhism and of those who call themselves Buddhists maybe just 1% actually want or strive towards Nirvana.
Is intense suffering an inevitable step to begin striving towards Nirvana? If Buddhist understanding of the human condition and psychology is true, why do only a limited few humans want or strive towards Nirvana? If Buddhist cosmology is true, why do humans not en masse go on the Buddhist path?

The Buddha once asked himself much the same. And in his question, we catch a glimpse of why there are a limited few. Indeed, the Buddha first thought that there were none:

SN6.1:1.4: “This principle I have discovered is deep, hard to see, hard to understand, peaceful, sublime, beyond the scope of reason, subtle, comprehensible to the astute.
But people like attachment, they love it and enjoy it.
It’s hard for them to see this thing; that is, specific conditionality, dependent origination.
It’s also hard for them to see this thing; that is, the stilling of all activities, the letting go of all attachments, the ending of craving, fading away, cessation, extinguishment.
And if I were to teach this principle, others might not understand me, which would be wearying and troublesome for me.”

Fortunately for us, Brahmā Sahampati swooped to the rescue, proclaiming:

SN6.1:5.5: “Sir, let the Blessed One teach the Dhamma! Let the Holy One teach the Dhamma!
There are beings with little dust in their eyes. They’re in decline because they haven’t heard the teaching.
There will be those who understand the teaching!”

So the Buddha looked and saw that there were indeed a few with little dust in their eyes.
It's not so much the intensity of suffering that inspires one on the path. It is the sheer inevitability of suffering in even the smallest relishing. Everybody else is looking exhaustively for exceptions to the understanding that:

MN1:172-194.26: ...relishing is the root of suffering,

There are no exceptions.

Only a few centuries ago people had no idea about hygiene. There was simply no idea that dirty hands, filthy surfaces etc. was a good environment for growth of bacteria causing diseases.
Only a century or two ago (depending on country) there were no public schools. There was no common understanding that children require systematic education in language, mathematics, and sciences.
Only 50 years ago there was no notion of healthy lifestyle. The virtue of healthy natural diet and exercise was virtually unknown to the wide population.
Only 30 years ago the scale of human impact on planet's ecology was not understood at all. Humans were completely careless about pollution and overconsumption of natural resources.
Similarly, the real science of sentient ethics is not yet understood by humanity. There is no understanding of conceptual mind, how it develops, how it builds its picture of the world and the self, how this picture leads to actions, and how this creates experience of happiness or suffering.
Happiness is not really understood. Suffering is not really understood. Mind is not really understood. What's good and what's bad is not really understood.
Since people don't understand happiness, suffering, mind - they are confused about what is really important. They get fooled by the fake shiny promises of the materialistic civilization. They pursue things they were told will make them happy. But as they do that they only end up creating even more trouble for themselves because they don't understand how things work. They keep spinning in this vicious cycle of trouble, confusion, fake promises of happiness, and wrong action causing more trouble. They think they have no time to stop and look around. They don't know any other way to live. It really is very sad.
At some point humanity will evolve to understand these concepts, and then the things that Buddha taught will be common knowledge taken for granted, just like hygiene, public education, healthy lifestyle, and ecology are taken for granted today.
The question you asked is Why. Why are people ignorant of how mind works? Because self-reflection and self-awareness is hard. It's much easier to study the external world. Most people don't have enough motivation to study the external, let alone the internal which is much harder to understand.
Why don't people have motivation? Because they don't see the reward, they don't see how studying mind can help them achieve their goals.
Perhaps they have wrong goals you'll say - and I will agree, most people pursue all kinds of superficial goals they adopt out of ignorance.
As Buddha explained, ignorance is innate. The mind is a recognition and interpretation machine. It recognizes signs and interprets them to their meanings. The tremendously complex system of signs and their meanings is our model of the world, model of reality. This model is rebuilt by each generation based on the information passed on by the previous generations. The way this model is constructed starts from the superficial observations and gradually moves to deeper realizations.
Children are superficial, their minds are superficial, their understanding of life is superficial - because they are just starting out. Similarly, most people are superficial about mind, and happiness vs suffering, and ethics (what goals are worth pursuing). Why? Because it's deep, it's not obvious, it's not easy to see. And because other things that are easy to see completely absorb their attention.

"At some point humanity will evolve to understand these concepts" - I disagree with this. I doubt humanity as a whole will evolve in such a way that everyone becomes Arahants and make the species extinct. Natural evolution works against extinction, and towards proliferation. Natural evolution sustains craving, clinging and becoming.

We obviously disagree on what enlightenment (bodhi) means. Mahayana does not define it as extinction.

From a separate perspective, simply looking at humanity and how people function, I'll point out that practicing Buddhism in the way needed to reach nibbana is work.  Throughout history, humans show an aversion to work: we are naturally lazy.
Even outside of Buddhism, people stray from the paths of their religions.

We see similar problems in mainstream Christianity.  Jesus's main rule is, "love one another as you love yourselves."  Yet, despite it's complete simplicity, many (most?) self-professed Christians routinely exhibit non-loving behavior and attitudes towards others.  Maintaining a consistently loving approach to everyone and everything, all the time, is work.  And, again, we're lazy.

We see similar problems in mainstream Judaism.  Tikkun olam, or "fixing the world", is a fundamental tenet: the basic idea is that the world is broken, and we humans must endeavor to fix it.  Put another way, we should leave the world better than we found it.  Yet, despite the simplicity of this dictum, many (most?) self-professed Jews routinely engage in behaviors and attitudes that don't improve the world.  Maintaining a consistently constructive approach to everyone and everything, all the time, is work.  And, again, we're lazy.

(I am personally unfamiliar with Islam, Hinduism, etc., so I will not make any similar comparisons here, although I suspect they could be made.)

It's extremely difficult to let go of sensual enjoyment. Experiencing sensual enjoyment leads to clinging, meaning trying to experience even more sensual enjoyment.
Hence, the masses have the natural tendency towards burning with sensual fever, rather than trying to escape it. It's a vicious cycle.
From Magandiya Sutta:

"Now suppose that there was a leper covered with sores & infections,
devoured by worms, picking the scabs off the openings of his wounds
with his nails, cauterizing his body over a pit of glowing embers. The
more he cauterized his body over the pit of glowing embers, the more
disgusting, foul-smelling, & putrid the openings of his wounds would
become, and yet he would feel a modicum of enjoyment & satisfaction
because of the itchiness of his wounds. In the same way, beings not
free from passion for sensual pleasures — devoured by sensual craving,
burning with sensual fever — indulge in sensual pleasures. The more
they indulge in sensual pleasures, the more their sensual craving
increases and the more they burn with sensual fever, and yet they feel
a modicum of enjoyment & satisfaction dependent on the five strings of
sensuality.

There's also another vicious cycle.
According to MN 9 (below), as long as you still have fermentation or effluents, you would still have ignorance, and vice versa (also see this question). Ignorance is a very deeply ingrained and deeply lingering fetter.

From the origination of fermentation comes the origination of
ignorance. From the cessation of fermentation comes the cessation of
ignorance. .....
From the origination of ignorance comes the origination of
fermentation. From the cessation of ignorance comes the cessation of
fermentation.

There is a vicious cycle between ignorance and fermentation.
It's very hard to escape these. Natural evolution sustains these vicious cycles.

OP: My question is if Buddhist understanding of human condition and psychology is true why only limited few humans want or strive towards Nirvana. If Buddhist cosmology is true why not humans enmasse on the Buddhist path?

Actually Tathagata saw this and mentioned it in many occasions. We can find plenty of phrases in Pali canon which emphasise that only few people understand this subtle and deep Dhamma and get across this Samsara.

"Appaka te manussesu
ye jana paragamino
athayam itara paja
tiramevanudhavati"
~ Verse 85, Dhammapada
Meaning: Few among men reach the other shore (Nibbana); all the others only run up and down on this shore.
"Ye ca kho sammadakkhate
dhamme dhammanuvattino
te jana paramessanti
maccudheyyam3 suduttaram"
~ Verse 86, Dhammapada
Meaning: But those who practise according to the well-expounded Dhamma will reach the other shore (Nibbana), having passed the realm of Death (i.e., samsara), very difficult as it is to cross.

Tathagata has never told a lie. This Dhamma is true irrespective of the time period. So the following should also be true for past, present and future:

"Appamadena Bhikkhave Sampadetha
Buddhuppado dullabho lokasamim
Manussattabhavo dullabho
Dullabha Saddhasampatti
Pabbajjitabhavo dullabho
Saddhammassavanam dullabam"
Meaning: Oh, Bhikkhus! Strive on with diligence. Rare to appear is the Enlightened One in the world. Rare is it to be born as a human being. Rare is it to be endowed with the conviction in the three Gems, Kamma and its result. Rare is it to attain the bhikkhuhood. Rare is it to hear the Teaching of the Buddha.

From above quotes, you can understand why only limited few humans want or strive towards Nirvana.
Note: This is how I understood. I may be wrong but not Dhamma.

For something to mature there must a state of not being mature. Most beings are not mature in their faculties and accumulated merit, many beings are humans not enjoying the accumulated merits much, they are not rich, they are not well-off but they have opportunity to do a lot of good deeds and by the merit of those deeds attain a better state; there are also those who are' living of the previously accumulated merit, enjoying sensual pleasures much and are well-off. Very few are ready to turn away from both merit and demerit, most are longing for what they don't get enough of and what is considered difficult to attain.

Maybe you want to consider merging your two answers into one?

My question is if Buddhist understanding of human condition and psychology is true why only limited few humans want or strive towards Nirvana. If Buddhist cosmology is true why not humans enmasse on the Buddhist path?

Because of a disease called the Four Perversions every single one of us un-enlightened earthling is afflicted with to a greater or lesser extent:

“Monks, there are these four perversions of perception, perversions of mind, perversions of view. Which four? ‘Constant’ with regard to the inconstant is a perversion of perception, a perversion of mind, a perversion of view. ‘Pleasant’ with regard to the stressful… ‘Self’ with regard to not-self… ‘Attractive’ with regard to the unattractive is a perversion of perception, a perversion of mind, a perversion of view. These are the four perversions of perception, perversions of mind, perversions of view." ~~ AN 4.49 ~~

I think one either experiences a lot of stress or is able to appreciate the stress experienced by others very intensely. This makes one life & death kind of serious. Some people experience a lot of hardship and don't get wiser tho.

Every single one of these answers looks at the issue from the Buddhist perspective, rather than an average human being perspective. Furthermore, most of the answers try to denigrate those not taking up Buddhism, to comparatively increase their own self-worth (so much for compassion and empathy).
The hard facts are these:

The Buddha was a spoiled rich boy that got bored and left his castle.
He saw that most people had horrible lives and had absolutely no way to make their lives better (ancient India, caste system, etc)
The alternatives, at the time, were: suffering, Buddhism, or suicide.

At the time, Buddhism seemed like a reasonable choice.
Now, life on average is a little bit better, and it's easy to have delusions of grandeur, so there is a valid alternative to letting go of all ambitions.
The truth is that it's the same reason why most people don't become monks. In fact, with religion, there is the idea of heaven. With Buddhism (raw and true Buddhism) there is no such thing, there is just - "you feel and want nothing and then you die."
I know for a fact that this will be taken as trolling, but Buddhism before the 4 schools (5 if you count the silly Nyingma wizards) made a ton of things up was just the 4 noble truths and the eightfold path. It's stoicism in a different wrapper, nothing more.

My question is if Buddhist understanding of human condition and psychology is true why only limited few humans want or strive towards Nirvana.

People identify with their suffering.


text:
How to make Nirvana as a top priority of your life?
Apart from watching dhamma talks, reading dhamma books and watching dhamma related youtube videos, and apart from telling yourselves that ' there is dukkha in life and you have to free yourself from the cycle of birth and death', how can one motivate oneself by making Nirvana as the top priority of one's life?
I mean how can I change the narrative of the perspective of the story of my own life and humanity at large so that Nirvana is all that remains.
How to strive single pointedly towards Nirvana and make all other undertakings of day to day life as secondary?

I am studying MN19 this week and your post resonates with the Buddha's description of his own path to enlightenment. It begins with a very profound view:

MN19:2.1: “Mendicants, before my awakening—when I was still unawakened but intent on awakening—I thought:
‘Why don’t I meditate by continually dividing my thoughts into two classes?’
So I assigned sensual, malicious, and cruel thoughts to one class. And I assigned thoughts of renunciation, good will, and harmlessness to the second class.

Intent on awakening, we focus on the skillful, following what leads upward. MN19 continues on to extinguishment. I hope you may enjoy this sutta as much as I am this week.

That was very helpful. Thanks.

It depends on the company you keep.
Associate with people who focus on the holy life, and that will become your focus too.
From SN 45.2:

Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was dwelling among
the Sakyans where there was a town of the Sakyans named Nagaraka. Then
the Venerable Ānanda approached the Blessed One. Having approached, he
paid homage to the Blessed One, sat down to one side, and said to him:
“Venerable sir, this is half of the holy life, that is, good
friendship, good companionship, good comradeship.”
“Not so, Ānanda! Not so, Ānanda! This is the entire holy life, Ānanda,
that is, good friendship, good companionship, good comradeship. When a
bhikkhu has a good friend, a good companion, a good comrade, it is to
be expected that he will develop and cultivate the Noble Eightfold
Path.
“And how, Ānanda, does a bhikkhu who has a good friend, a good
companion, a good comrade, develop and cultivate the Noble Eightfold
Path? Here, Ānanda, a bhikkhu develops right view, which is based upon
seclusion, dispassion, and cessation, maturing in release. He develops
right intention … right speech … right action … right livelihood …
right effort … right mindfulness … right concentration, which is based
upon seclusion, dispassion, and cessation, maturing in release. It is
in this way, Ānanda, that a bhikkhu who has a good friend, a good
companion, a good comrade, develops and cultivates the Noble Eightfold
Path.
“By the following method too, Ānanda, it may be understood how the
entire holy life is good friendship, good companionship, good
comradeship: by relying upon me as a good friend, Ānanda, beings
subject to birth are freed from birth; beings subject to aging are
freed from aging; beings subject to death are freed from death; beings
subject to sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair are
freed from sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair. By
this method, Ānanda, it may be understood how the entire holy life is
good friendship, good companionship, good comradeship.”


text:
Understanding uncertainty of thoughts and the mind
It's quite easy to see the changing behaviour of the things we see, hear and feel.

Appearence between a child and an old man.
Good smell and bad smell
Having a wound and not

Those things are quite easy to see. But it is hard to see the changing behaviour of mind and thoughts.
I'm aware of

I may angry now. But I will be grateful in next five minutes. (Changing thoughts). (But I'm also getting repitative thoughts)
I have different prespective than in my childhood.
Knowledge that I have is changing.
If cut down the body into pieces, we can not find any "I"
I and I in the previous life shoud be totaly different (Can see this clearly if I was an animal.)

Even thoughts are changing, It feels like source of it remains unchanged. How to understand this clearly? What are the practises that I should do? What meditation practises help to understand this?

What you describe is the phenomena of the monkey-like mind, which changes more quickly than the body.
From SN 12.61:

“It would be better, bhikkhus, for the uninstructed worldling to take
as self this body composed of the four great elements rather than the
mind. For what reason? Because this body composed of the four great
elements is seen standing for one year, for two years, for three,
four, five, or ten years, for twenty, thirty, forty, or fifty years,
for a hundred years, or even longer. But that which is called ‘mind’
and ‘mentality’ and ‘consciousness’ arises as one thing and ceases as
another by day and by night. Just as a monkey roaming through a forest
grabs hold of one branch, lets that go and grabs another, then lets
that go and grabs still another, so too that which is called ‘mind’
and ‘mentality’ and ‘consciousness’ arises as one thing and ceases as
another by day and by night.
“Therein, bhikkhus, the instructed noble disciple attends closely and
carefully to dependent origination itself thus: ‘When this exists,
that comes to be; with the arising of this, that arises. When this
does not exist, that does not come to be; with the cessation of this,
that ceases. That is, with ignorance as condition, volitional
formations come to be; with volitional formations as condition,
consciousness…. Such is the origin of this whole mass of suffering.
But with the remainderless fading away and cessation of ignorance
comes cessation of volitional formations; with the cessation of
volitional formations, cessation of consciousness…. Such is the
cessation of this whole mass of suffering.

OP wrote:

Even thoughts are changing, It feels like source of it remains
unchanged. How to understand this clearly? What are the practises that
I should do? What meditation practises help to understand this?

Please try the meditation practice taught by Ven. Yuttadhammo in his booklet "How To Meditate" and also taught in this video playlist.
I quote from Chapter One of "How To Meditate":

The basic technique of meditation that we use to facilitate this
change is the creation of clear awareness. In meditation, we try to
create a clear awareness of every experience as it occurs. Without
meditating, we tend to immediately judge and react to our experiences
as “good”, “bad”, “me”, “mine”, etc., which in turn gives rise to
stress, suffering, and mental sickness. By creating a clear thought
about the object, we replace these sort of judgements with a simple
recognition of the object as it is.


text:
How to cultivate the perception of 'Anatta'?
Out of the three marks of existance, 'dukkha' or 'sufferring' and 'annicca' or 'impermenance' are directly understood as a day-to-day experience as well as through the intellect.
However 'anatta' or 'no-self' is neither a normal day-to-day experience nor can it be intellectually understood.
I know that in the first Jhana, 'anatta' is a direct experience, but for those who have not yet reached the state of Jhana how can one cultivate the perception of 'anatta' such that it helps to move towards Jhana? How can one be mindful of 'anatta' off the cushion?

Do any of these, answer your question? How to experience Anatta, The actualization of Anatta, Anatta during meditation, what is anatta during vipassana practice?, Is realizing anatta, will it help meditation?

You mean vipassanā jhana, like nanas?

i think the question should be reopened because "perception of Anatta" ("aniccasanna") is a specific practice in Buddhism and in some ways different to "contemplation of anatta" ("anattānupassī").

Well, it's actually not that difficult. Stop thinking in terms of persons and start thinking in terms of information, tendencies, and influences.
When you see a person doing something, don't think: "this person has decided to do this and that". Instead, think in terms of influences: there were these circumstances that formed this view and led to this behavior.
Similarly, when you think about yourself, don't think "I have decided to do this and that". Think, "here are the habits, here are the influences, here are the attachments, here are the stereotypes, here are the reactions, here is the knowledge of Dharma - and here's the behavior emerging from the interaction of all of the above."
For those who prefer official Theravada terminology, think in terms of skandhas. The key thing to understand is, they are not found inside a person. They span people and time.
And of course, the most essential Anatta practice of all: never acting to benefit one's ego.


text:
Bodhi day celebration, is it universally on December 8th or do some Mahayana buddhists use a lunar calendar?
National Public Radio's Buddhists Prepare To Observe Bodhi Day, When Siddhartha Gautama Became Buddha article and podcast begins:

These winter holidays are a time for fellowship, joy and, for religious people around the world, worship. For many Buddhists, Bodhi Day is December 8. And tomorrow starts the celebration. Bodhi Day marks the day that Siddhartha Gautama became the Buddha.

Wikipedia's Bodhi Day mentions Mahayana Buddhism and specifically Zen Buddhism.
For those who recognize Bodhi Day is the Gregorian date of December 8 universal, or do some Mahayana Buddhists use a lunar calendar to place it?

Interesting. According to Wikipedia, Bodhi Day appears to be the Mahayana version of Theravada's Vesak Day. Also interesting is that they are roughly 7 months apart.

China, Taiwan, South Korea and Vietnam use the lunar calendar for all Buddhist holidays save for some exceptions (Taiwan's Vesak is on the same day as Mother's Day). Japan is a bit different due to the Meiji Restoration, such that most holidays, Buddhist or non-Buddhist, now follow the Gregorian Calendar.