text:
Virtue of monk and lay ariya
If there's a monk without any attainment of awakening yet and a layperson with some stage of attainment (say sotapanna, anagami), what does the sutta text say about virtue of them?

Monasticism is a vehicle, not a destination; simply putting on the robes doesn't make one more virtuous.
A monk without any attainment whatsoever is not worth being called a monk. A true monk is defined by their attainments, as per the Dhammapada (Buddharakkhita, trans):

9. Whoever being depraved, devoid of self-control and truthfulness, should don the monk’s yellow robe, he surely is not worthy of the robe.
362. He who has control over his hands, feet and tongue; who is fully controlled, delights in inward development, is absorbed in meditation, keeps to himself and is contented — him do people call a monk.
367. He who has no attachment whatsoever for the mind and body, who does not grieve for what he has not — he is truly called a monk.

If one is corrupt, they are not considered worthy of being called a recluse:

184. Enduring patience is the highest austerity. "Nibbana is supreme," say the Buddhas. He is not a true monk who harms another, nor a true renunciate who oppresses others.

Also relevant:

260. A monk is not an elder because his head is gray. He is but ripe in age, and he is called one grown old in vain.
261. One in whom there is truthfulness, virtue, inoffensiveness, restraint and self-mastery, who is free from defilements and is wise — he is truly called an Elder.
307. There are many evil characters and uncontrolled
  men wearing the saffron robe. These wicked men
  will be born in states of woe because of their evil
  deeds.
394. What is the use of your matted hair, O witless
  man? What of your garment of antelope’s hide?
  Within you is the tangle (of passion); only out-
  wardly do you cleanse yourself.
395. The person who wears a robe made of rags, who
  is lean, with veins showing all over the body, and
  who meditates alone in the forest – him do I call
  a holy man

That being said, there is a little-known but pithy passage in the Sutta Nipata (vv. 220-221; Ireland, trans) where the Buddha says:

These two ways of life are not the same:
  that of a householder supporting a wife
  and one without worldly attachments...
As a peacock never approaches the swiftness
  of a swan, so a householder cannot imitate a
  bhikkhu, a hermit meditating in the forest.

Again, this only applies if all else (i.e. their practice and attainments) is equal.

Interpreting virtue as "behavior showing high moral standards". The person with the attainments would be more virtus / morale, as monk without attainment may transgress the moral code which they live by (even any or the lay percents - some overlap with disrobing offences here also) but an attained person will have only a lesser chance of doing so depending on the level of attainment. (5 precepts being automatic from the 1st stage of sainthood. As more fetters drop more moral you become.)
With regard to respect lay people should have towards either of them, the monk should come foremost, as

All Buddha's efforts over many life times was to establish the order of monks, if it is not for this effort we will have not monks or lay people
The order institutionalizes the practice and preserves it for future generations and also is instrumental in practice, so if lay support and respect diminishes the order will decay
Monks have devoted more time to practice than lay people, when time comes lay people will have to enter the order. So you should be respectful or this as monkhood aids people to gain more Karma and do better practice
In balance of probability a monk will have a higher chance of attainment than a lay person
Though a monk without attainment may transgress some monastic codes they have undertaken to live by more strict standers

An enlightened lay person is more virtuous than an unenlightened monk. Because such a lay person would be devoid of certain unvirtuous qualities which the monk would be having. But a monk with a similar attainment would be more virtuous than a lay person with a similar attainment due to the higher Sila.

According to SN 55.7:

"There is the case where a disciple of the noble ones reflects thus:
  'I love life and don't love death. I love happiness and abhor pain.
  Now if I — loving life and not loving death, loving happiness and
  abhorring pain — were to be killed, that would be displeasing &
  disagreeable to me. And if I were to kill another who loves life and
  doesn't love death, who loves happiness and abhors pain, that would be
  displeasing & disagreeable to the other. What is displeasing &
  disagreeable to me is displeasing & disagreeable to others. How can I
  inflict on others what is displeasing & disagreeable to me?'
  Reflecting in this way, he refrains from taking life, gets others to
  refrain from taking life, and speaks in praise of refraining from
  taking life. In this way his bodily behavior is pure in three ways.
"Furthermore, he reflects thus: 'If someone, by way of theft, were to
  take from me what I haven't given, that would be displeasing &
  disagreeable to me... If someone were to commit adultery with my
  wives, that would be displeasing & disagreeable to me... If someone
  were to damage my well-being with a lie, that would be displeasing &
  disagreeable to me... If someone were to divide me from my friends
  with divisive speech, that would be displeasing & disagreeable to
  me... If someone were to address me with harsh speech, that would be
  displeasing & disagreeable to me... If someone were to address me with
  idle chatter, that would be displeasing & disagreeable to me. And if I
  were to address another with idle chatter, that would be displeasing &
  disagreeable to the other. What is displeasing & disagreeable to me is
  displeasing & disagreeable to others. How can I inflict on others what
  is displeasing & disagreeable to me?' Reflecting in this way, he
  refrains from idle chatter, gets others to refrain from idle chatter,
  and speaks in praise of refraining from idle chatter. In this way his
  verbal behavior is pure in three ways."

So according to this a stream enterer will live according to the five precepts, so it follows that the same would be true of everyone above that too.
For the source of this quote and more info about the stream enterer I reccomend Ajahn Thanissaro's study guide that is filled with Sutta quotes on the subject here:
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/study/into_the_stream.html

The one who does not judge virtue is more virtuous. How can we know the inner intentions and experiences of another person? Each one is a Buddha waiting to be revealed. If one judges another, one identifies with outer appearances that one judges. This is an impediment to awakening that is not dependent on gaining virtue or merit, but on releasing and being free of identification with the self based in form as one primary identity.
If you asked Dogen this question how do you think he will answer?


text:
How should a married person get ordained in Theravada Buddhism?
Can a married person who does not have children ordain if he has the consent of his parents? Does his wife has to give permission? How much contact should he keep with his wife after he ordains?

A married man need not ask his wife for permission. Even the permission from one's parents was once disregarded by Sariputta (in ordaining Revata).
According to the rules (Pāc. 80), though, a woman has to get permission from her husband. This seems to be a carry-over from patriarchal Indian society. I would suggest that in societies where woman are seen as equals to their husbands rather than property, this rule should be broken. I know this isn't the direction of your question, but just for the sake of completeness, the point of the rule was that angry husbands posed a threat to the sangha (I was almost beaten in modern day Sri Lanka by one such jealous husband for ordaining his wife).
Assuming you are confining your question to men wanting to become bhikkhus, there is no requirement for consent from one's wife. Examples of married men becoming monks (ostensibly without the permission of their wives) are Ratthapāla, Culakāla and Mahākāla, and Yasa.
Note that having children is not a barrier to ordination (for women either).
As for contact between spouses after ordaining, the answer is pretty obvious; the spouse should be treated as any other lay person, though special care should be taken not to fall back into attachment with them. The story of Maha and Cula Kala is instructive in this regard.

Can you send my the link to (Pāc. 80), I do not find it.
I am the wife and give no permission .
But the family from my husband think just mother need to give permission.
I did not want to but I cried on ordination (hiding)
I thought I am ok with it until it happen.

Here is a link to (Pāc. 80): http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/vin/sv/bhikkhuni-pati.html#pc-part8 -- it says, "80. Should any bhikkhunī sponsor (the Acceptance of) a trainee without getting permission from her parents or her husband, it is to be confessed."

In most Buddhist countries today it's a matter of law already to need to gain the agreement by ones wife since many used it simply to escape from family responibilities. And to use the holly life deliberated as simply escape from ones responsibilities touches Vinaya as well (in derived manner)

Married people can ordain. Ideally you should get permission from your wife also though not explicitly required.
You have to limit the relationship to that of any other woman. I.e,

no physical contact or being alone with her
no flirting or anything such talk
you should not get involved in any of her worldly problem like providing for her though you can make the arrangements beforehand

Ideally you should break ties of being your wife or special or significant other but still can be friends treating her like a friend or sister.
If your parents live you have to get their permission.
See the following for more information on the process: http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhistworld/ordination1.htm

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text:
What does a traditional Buddhist wedding look like?
I have been to Christian weddings (American), Jewish weddings, and Hindu weddings, but I have no idea what a traditional Buddhist wedding looks like.  I realize that there are probably differences between the different sects of Buddhism, but are there any common cultural threads?

These are more inherent with the local culture and customs than to do with Buddhism. So they might change from region to region and country to country.
The is no Buddhist wedding as such though some elements of Buddhism are incorporated like hymns (Jayamangala Gatha).

Here in Sri Lanka, the couple go to a Buddhist temple to get the blessings before or after the marriage ceremony. The festivities are mostly cultural. But if you really want to do it the Buddhist way, don't serve liquor or kill animals for your wedding. Also, don't get into debt just to make the ceremony grand.

A marriage is something that increases attachments to this world, and Buddhism encourages to go in the other direction on reducing attachments. So, Buddhist monks or Buddhist monasteries do not play any role in marriages at least in Theravada. Of course, the monks would give their blessing to the couple as in any other special occasion in their life when they visit the monastery before or after the marraige, as mentioned by Sankha.
Weddings are taken according to local customs of the people involved in it. The closest that happens to a religious activity during a wedding is the chanting of paritta, Jayamangala Gatha as a blessing to the couple. This is also performed by lay people. Another influence of Buddhism in a marriage I would say is that the couple would bow to the parents as you would bow to a monk or a Buddha statue.
Recently in Sri Lanka there were some attempts to have weddings in a temple, and it got criticized by monks and the public (I don't know the current situation though).

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text:
Tripitaka Section Numbering
Does anyone have a comprehensive side by side reference to Suttas numbering from different edition (PTS, VRI, etc.) of the Tripitaka?
I have trouble with reconciliation of certain references to the Sutta names.

(UPDATED)
After some digging, it seems that indeed there is no one standard that can be truly relied upon to work for all version of the tipitaka, at least for the Samyutta and the Anguttara. For the Digha and the Majjhima, it's pretty simple to say DN 22 or MN 10, and I think the order and numbering is pretty consistent across the board.
And no, unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any such chart as you are looking for. We discussed this some time ago on the Yahoo! Pali Study list (2011) and as John Kelly said:

For the Nikayas, clearly there is no issue for DN and MN. It is SN
  and AN that are problematic. The problem arises because the original Pali has
  no numbers and the various editions of the Pali (Be, Ce, and so on) use
  differing numbering schemes based on how their editors choose to separate the
  suttas.

What we do have:
http://www.suttacentral.net has a full concordance for all of the nikayas between the system used internally by the Pali Text Society and the system employed by Bhikkhu Bodhi (and ATI and the DPR). For example (picked at random):
http://suttacentral.net/sn28

    ID          Title                   Vol/Page

    SN 28.1     Vivekaja                SN iii 235
    SN 28.2     Avitakka                SN iii 235
    SN 28.3     Piti                    SN iii 236
    SN 28.4     Upekkhā                 SN iii 237
    SN 28.5     Ākāsānañcāyatana        SN iii 237
    SN 28.6     Viññāṇañcāyatana        SN iii 237
    SN 28.7     Ākiñcaññāyatana         SN iii 237
    SN 28.8     Nevasaññānāsaññāyatana  SN iii 237
    SN 28.9     Nirodhasamāpatti        SN iii 238
    SN 28.10    Sūcimukhī               SN iii 238

ID here refers to the international standard: samyutta #28, sutta #1-10.
Vol/Page refers to the PTS volume (three) and page numbers 235-8.
So, given a reference like "SN 28.5" or "SN iii.237", you could check this chart and see that the first refers to the Ākāsānañcāyatana Sutta, and the second may refer to one of five suttas, including the Ākāsānañcāyatana Sutta. Given that these are the two most common systems in use, this is probably the best you are going to get.
Also, as noted, ATI has notations for all of its suttas (it uses the international standard), and gives both the PTS and Bodhi page numbers. They also have a conversion chart for the Samyutta between the VRI and "modern" systems (the DPR actually accords with the modern system in its numbering).
Further, the VRI Tipitaka (and the Digital Pali Reader based on it) has notations for volume and page numbers of each of the major versions of the Tipitaka (Thai, Burmese, Sri Lankan and PTS), in case you come across that sort of notation.
Finally, as a bonus, the DPR has a title search function, by which you can do the opposite - given a sutta title, you can track down where it is in the tipitaka.
So, sorry to fudge my answer again and again, but here it is in (hopefully) final form.

In my opinion this is a non answer and what you mention in your comment it is bad answer as per you comment. So how should we deal with this?

Let us continue this discussion in chat.

Answer updated.

Leigh Brasington has published a Sutta Number cross reference here: http://www.leighb.com/suttanbrxref.htm
In addition SuttaCentral now seems to to be able to get the full referencing using the following URL format: https://suttacentral.net/sn/full where sn means Saṃyutta Nikāya (SN). AccessToInsight also has similar index format e.g. http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/index.html
Also in the Piya Tan's translations there are multiple cross referencing schemes. E.g. Dhamma,cakka Pavattana Sutta has S 56.11/5:420-424 = Mv 1.6.16-31 @ V 1:10-12 • Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta Mv 1.6.32-37 (V 1:12 f) • Pañcavaggiya Pabbajjā in the even pages. If you know the Sutta by same then you can use LIST & INDEX of Suttas & Essays 2002-2013, Sutta Glossary Index early Buddhism and related terms Vol1 & Vol2 by Piya Tan and if there is translation you can find the header. The index also has simplified numbering.
Reference:

Issues when searching for texts by reference number
How to navigate the Digha Nikaya
@ruben2020's answer above
Piya Tan / Dharmafarer's Sutta Lists and Indexes

Additional site for sutta crossreferencing.
https://palistudies.blogspot.com/2018/05/navigating-sutta-numbering-schemes.html
https://palistudies.blogspot.com/2020/02/sutta-number-to-pts-reference-converter.html

Do you mean like these for the Sutta Pitaka?
These pages list out the numbers and names of the suttas, and even provide a one-line description.
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/index.html
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/index.html
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/index.html
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/index.html
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/index.html

What I meant is PTS vs VRI vs ... what ever other editions of the Tripitaka (or parts) that is available.

Maybe you can add http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ numberingg also.

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text:
Are the results of positive Kamma good from a Buddhist's perspective or good from a "Samsaric's" perspective?
When making good Kamma, there is a clear Buddhist element on it, for instance: If you give food to a Paccekabuddha you will receive greater benefits, suppoting the Sangha creates more merit than supporting another organized group.
However, when receiving the vipaka (consequences) of the good Kamma, things get confuse... some results of good kamma are wealth and beauty, things that will only make it harder for one to renounce the world, things that essencialy create attachment, so looking from that side, I believe one can argue that the results of good Kamma in the human realm have nothing to do with Buddhism, being born as a humble person, in a poor Buddhist country, not necessarily beautiful, would be a better result from a Buddhist's perspective!
So, are the results of good Kamma something dangerous and misleading? Or did I misunderstood it? Is it dangerous to create a lot of positive Kamma constantly? Any discourse mentioned it and how to deal with it?

Are the results of good Kamma something dangerous and misleading?
Positive karma, conditioned by ignorance is dangerous and misleading because it helps to extend the samsara . Good and bad karma appear in dependant origination in two places as Formations (Saṅkhāra) and Being (Bhava).
Formations are divided into meritorious (Puññābhisaṅkhāro), demeritorious (apuññābhisaṅkhāro), and imperturbable (āneñjābhisaṅkhāro) deeds or volitional actions of body, speech, and mind which is a cause for Consciousness.

Tattha katame avijjāpaccayā saṅkhārā? Puññābhisaṅkhāro,
  apuññābhisaṅkhāro, āneñjābhisaṅkhāro, kāyasaṅkhāro, vacīsaṅkhāro,
  cittasaṅkhāro
http://tipitaka.org/romn/cscd/abh02m.mul5.xml

Being (Bhava), which conditioned by clinging, can be further divided as kammabhava and upapattibhava. Kammabhava is again meritorious, demeritorious, and imperturbable (Jhana) things we do. Here, Kammabhava is a cause for Upapattibhava (different realms) and Birth.

Tattha katamo upādānapaccayā bhavo? Bhavo duvidhena – atthi
  kammabhavo, atthi upapattibhavo. Tattha katamo kammabhavo?
  Puññābhisaṅkhāro, apuññābhisaṅkhāro, āneñjābhisaṅkhāro – ayaṃ vuccati
  ‘‘kammabhavo’’. Sabbampi bhavagāmikammaṃ kammabhavo
http://tipitaka.org/romn/cscd/abh02m.mul5.xml

From dependant origination, it is evident that the meritorious acts or good karma (conditioned by ignorance and clinging) and there results play vital roles in turning the wheel of life and extending our samsara.
Any discourse mentioned it and how to deal with it?
In MN 9 Sariputta thera mentions about Formations and how to deal with it,

"When, friends, a noble disciple understands formations, the origin of formations, the cessation of formations, and the way leading
  to the cessation of formations, in that way he is one of right view...
  and has arrived at this true Dhamma.
"And what are formations, what is the origin of formations, what is the cessation of formations, what is the way leading to the
  cessation of formations? There are these three kinds of formations:
  the bodily formation, the verbal formation, the mental formation. With
  the arising of ignorance there is the arising of formations. With the
  cessation of ignorance there is the cessation of formations. The way
  leading to the cessation of formations is just this Noble Eightfold
  Path; that is, right view... right concentration.
"When a noble disciple has thus understood formations, the origin of formations, the cessation of formations, and the way leading to the
  cessation of formations... he here and now makes an end of suffering.
  In that way too a noble disciple is one of right view... and has
  arrived at this true Dhamma."

MN 9

about Being and how to deal with it,

"When, friends, a noble disciple understands being, the origin of being, the cessation of being, and the way leading to the cessation of
  being, in that way he is one of right view... and has arrived at this
  true Dhamma.
"And what is being, what is the origin of being, what is the cessation of being, what is the way leading to the cessation of being?
  There are these three kinds of being: sense-sphere being,
  fine-material being and immaterial being. With the arising of clinging
  there is the arising of being. With the cessation of clinging there is
  the cessation of being. The way leading to the cessation of being is
  just this Noble Eightfold Path; that is, right view... right
  concentration.
"When a noble disciple has thus understood being, the origin of being, the cessation of being, and the way leading to the cessation of
  being... he here and now makes an end of suffering. In that way too a
  noble disciple is one of right view... and has arrived at this true
  Dhamma."

MN 9

Because of this, I believe it is better to be born in a place where you can hear the Dhamma, rather than extending the samsara by doing positive or negative kamma.

Excellent answer, Appreciate the details and sources

This is beyond excellent!

Another way to proceed is to go past doing deeds for good kamma and avoiding others to simply improve our karmic condition. When the intent is to affect the personal self rather than work for the betterment of all sentient beings, the seeds of personal self are cast and sprout and bear fruit.
Doing what we feel is right action is commendable. Holding the intention that we are getting better or improving our situation is a side road that detours us from the direct road to conscious action. If we align our intentions then the path to awakening is simpler.

Though the final goal is unconditioned, then path leading to the final goal is conditioned.
So to get our of Samsara you need a store of good karma (Parami) this would create the ideal conditions for you to practice and attain the final goal.


text:
Tiratna Buddhist Community Curriculum
What are the main texts that are studied in the Tiratna Buddhist Community? Is there a generally recommended core set of books to read, and what are the main canonical texts studied?

I've been practicing with the Triaratna Community for over 7 years and over that time I've been through a fair number of texts with various study groups. I'll try to summarise the most relevant texts here but different order members/centres certainly have their favourites so someone else in the community might give a slightly different list.
As a bit of background, the Triratna Community is an eclectic school so our texts come from all the branches of Buddhism.  However the founder Sangharakshita studied and practiced Buddhism in the 1950s in northern India around the time that there was an exodus of Tibetan lamas from Tibet. So in practice the texts we study tend to be influenced by Tibetan or Theravadan traditions. Zen and Chinese Buddhism in general is under represented. Not that we think there is anything wrong with those texts but the history of the movement means we have less exposure to them.
So the texts we study tend to be either from the Pali Canon or Mahayana texts (transmitted by his contact with Tibetan lamas I think) or texts that Sangharakshita himself has written. We run a four year study course (which I've done part of) which covers the main principles and texts so a browse through that would give you a flavour but I will attempt to summarise the main ones
Pali Canon
Middle Length Discourses generally but more specifically from the pali canon

Satipatthana sutta Some of our studying material for this here
Anapanasati sutta. There is an excellent (and free) talk by an order member on this if you are interested how it is taught in the Triratna Community.
Karaniya Metta Sutta
Dhammapada. Some of our studying material for this here.
Udana

Mahayana

Heart Sutra. We chant this during our main ritual.
Diamond Sutra. This is the first sutra read by Sangharakshita when he was 15. It was then he knew he was a Buddhist.
White Lotus Sutra
Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra
Golden Light Sutra

Also

Bodhicaryāvatāra
Life of Milarepa

Also there are a great many books by Sangharakshita which are studied and referenced. If someone was interested I would probably recommend Who is the Buddha, What is the Dharma and What is the Sangha as a good entry point into his thinking. When people are becoming ordained the read and study his book The Survey of Buddhism which is where he first put his ideas down. It's a dense read though so I wouldn't necessarily recommend it unless you were very interested.
EDIT
I've just come across this very comprehensive book, Puja Readings and Other Texts as used in the Triratna Buddhist Community, which details all the texts used by the Triratna movement. As well as been a good reference to the Triratna curriculum, I'd recommend it as a good general anthology of Buddhist texts covering Theravadan, Mahayana and Tibetan sources. Certainly worth a look if anyone is interested and reasonably priced I think. It weighs in a mighty 700 pages plus so there is a lot of reading for your money.

There is much material available that describes these practices such as
https://thebuddhistcentre.com/system/files/groups/files/Triratna%20Resource%20Pack%20for%20Newcomers%20-%20texts.pdf
Here is a brief summary
https://thebuddhistcentre.com/text/what-triratna-buddhist-community

The Triratna Buddhist Order and Community is a worldwide movement of
  women and men living by the Buddha’s teachings in the conditions of
  the modern world. Neither monastic nor lay, we are simply Buddhists,
  at varying stages of commitment and understanding.
Triratna is a Sanskrit term meaning ‘Three Jewels’: the Buddha, Dharma
  (his teachings) and Sangha (the community of all those who follow the
  teachings). The founder of the Triratna Buddhist Community and Order,
  Sangharakshita, considers the defining act of a Buddhist to be Going
  for Refuge to these Three Jewels. This is the central principle or
  orientation of the Triratna Buddhist Community and everything we do.
  At our Buddhist Centres we teach meditation, study the Buddha’s
  teaching together, engage with the Arts, support each other through
  life, and engage in our local communities. We also promote projects in
  which Buddhists can live and work together, and explore how to turn
  our work into a spiritual practice.

If you are searching for a center near you
https://thebuddhistcentre.com/text/triratna-around-world


text:
When meditation goes wrong
Although it has been claimed that meditation does help in several ways, I have read on the Internet that there are cases where psychotic episodes, schizophrenia and suicide tendencies arise after meditation retreats.
Where I have read that this has happened is in Goenka's Vipassana retreats, which are 10 days long retreats. In particular, the only way to start at Goenka's retreats is first with a 10 days retreat.
I did one of those retreats without any unhealthy consequences, but I do confess that during the retreat I was kind of 'watching' myself to avoid any unhealthy episode.

Is there any explanation to this unhealthy responses to meditation retreats?
Is it clear why this happens?
Is there any way to minimize chances to get that wrong ?

In articles of Vipassana Research Institute it is kind of stated that the main source of this problems is that meditators have tried 'other traditions'. Is this a credible scientific answer?
Some references I found on the web:

Mental Health and Intensive Meditation Retreats
Meditation-Induced Psychosis
For Whom May Participation in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program be Contraindicated?
Psychiatric Complications of Meditation Practice
Terrible and Traumatic Experience at Goenka Retreat This one is quite an informal blog. I have found that it is frequently cited.
The Potential Downside To Vipassana. Again, an informal blog.

Can you give reference to the mentioned article.

Sankharas coming up? That's how I would observe it. Although I can't deny having similar feelings. But if you pull through, the clarity on the other side is worth practising for.

Let me know if you there is anything i might have not covered.

Some references are now included.

Updated answer to add a bit more information on ego defence mechanism.

Expanded section on mixing techniques.

It's great to practice Vipassana Meditation which help improve our wisdom.
You may listen this Free Vipassana Meditation MP3 teaching from a guru who have 30 years experience. Regards,
Kidbux

This question is very close to these two: http://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/217/health-risks-of-meditation/1363 and http://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/1999/overwhelming-states-of-being-reached-through-meditation

Bhante Sujiva's "River of no Return" mentions that one can become lightly neurotic or psychotic if the corruptions of insight (around the 4th vipassana stage) are not identified as such.

Things can go wrong in meditation. Some of the are as follows:

If you are not equanimous, i.e., you are reacting to different situation thus creating negativity. This can accumulate to an extent this might be very dangerous.
The basis of your meditation is greed, hatred or delusion. There are some techniques where the basis is this hence can easily go wrong. You have to be very careful and have a teacher to guide you if you do this type of meditation. E.g. in Kasina meditation you develop some attachment to the device. This should be very subtle but incorrectly practicing this can lead to an imbalance. In foulness meditation if you practice too much you might become polar to the other end where you even dislike your self and attempt suicide. This has happened in Buddha's time also.
Meditation you are area of different fears and other phobias and you closely be aware of them. This can result in imbalance of the mind if you are not strong and steadfastly equanimous. This can start tipping you over to the wrong direction.
If you strive way too hard always mindful of your progress and what you achieve you are continuously creating negativity hence you can fall into depression and anxiety. You should always do meditation for without attachment to the outcome or progress. You have to be balanced and equanimous.
You are trying to concentrate too much. This leads to disappointment when you fail. You are then accumulating negativity.
Meditation brings new experiences and sensations. If you react to them will cause problems as you are creating negativity.
You should be mindful of any polarity you have (temperament) you have and be sure you stop a particular type of samatha meditation when you are neutral if you do samatha
You have be be extremely mindful of the 5 hindrances and defilements and further be mindful that no Tanha or Upadana is in play. Sometimes you might be inadvertently developing some of these. If this continues you will go out of control so make sure you are on track. E.g. if something you are doing meditation is making you irritated, if you do not notice it soon enough and make amends to properly practice this will become stronger and can lead to depression. If you have doubts you this will have proliferation of thinking and logic followed by restlessness.
You have to be equanimous when Sankara comes up. Meditation shakes up Sankara. This means if you have something like mild depression, the intensity of this will also increase, as more and more Sankara comes up. The plus side is sooner it passes away better you become as this will eventually pass away.
Also we have built in to our self some form of ego defence mechanisms. Letting go of ego or perception of I or self can also cause lot of trauma. Best is to stay put, being equanimous and without reacting as reacting will cause more conditioning.

What is needed to be done is (so things don't go wrong):

you have to always be equanimous
you have the right concentration and awareness, i.e., not based in a slightest trace of attachment, hate, delusion and always be mindful of the arising and passing of sensation with 1) not reaction (equanimous) 2) looking at the 3 marks of existence
stick to Sathipattana and Anapana if you do not have a well experienced teacher
alway be mightful where any negativity arises even in meditation, i.e., you reaction to sensation / feelings
sensation / feeling is as part of us (5 aggregates), it also appears in the 4 noble truths (dukkha is also a feeling), dependent origination, Satipatthana. If you do not give adequate emphasis to this then you might not be practicing the right type of awareness or concentration. (see: Vedanā in the Practice of Satipaṭṭhāna)

One VRI reference I found where other techniques were discouraged: My experiences with Goenkaji. Here what is discouraged is the practice of Mantra and Tantra in the same time as practicing Vipassana. Though statistical / clinical trials may have not been done to the extent of drug approvals, this perception may have been formed based on experience. So to avoid danger it is best to accept it at face value.
Also see:

The Importance of Vedana and Sampajanna
The Discourse Summaries
Discourses on Satipatthana Sutta
The Great Discourse on the Establishing of Awareness
Answer https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/a/3774/295 to question Are the results of positive Kamma good from a Buddhist's perspective or good from a "Samsaric's" perspective? (unrelated but might be of some insight)
What can go wrong in Mindfulness Therapy as used in Clinics? (Related question)

As this is a science driven question I will try to give a science driven answer first and then an additional comment.
People can have a nervous breakdown anywhere, watching TV, in a elevator, working out... I can find no scientific evidence that meditation can create such thing, I can say that for 2 reasons:
1- As far as I'm aware there is no group analysis or long term study on meditators (comparing to a non meditators group) to support that claim.
2- As far as I'm aware, there is no scientific evidence coming from reliable source or based on brain scans that might even suggest that.
That was the scientific answer from my point of view, based on my experience and limited knowledge of the subject.
Now comes the problem........meditation don't create problems, but can bring them to surface and make you deal with them, so it is strongly advised to meditate under a teacher specially if you have big traumas and issues, they can all come up strong during meditation.

I have no problems with downvotes, but it is more useful if the person explains what is wrong with the answer, it would be a good feedback, honestly I fail to see a reason for downvoting... thanks!

I don't get why that was down voted either.  +1 for balance and a totally legit answer.

When some one downvotes it is shown in their profile under reputation heading if you really want to find out. If you look at the users with weekly reputation changes, there are only a few. Any way this is too much trouble though. Any way it is a good practice to leave a comment.

Hi, I'm not really interested in finding out who did it, but in understanding why. A downvote by itself won't help the person because it leaves no useful feedback, if the person explains what is offensive/misleading or useless in the answer, it would be great, because I could try to make it better next time, that's all :)

Do you have evidence for saying, "There is no analysis" and "no evidence": can you know/prove that those do not exist? How thorough was your search of the literature? Has it been studied? Would it more accurate to say, "I don't know of any analysis/evidence", instead of "There is no"? If there's a novel theory (e.g. "meditation can cause psychosis") it might not be "scientific" to reply, "I don't know any evidence, therefore the statement is untrue." Some closely-related replies would be fine, e.g. "I know of no evidence for believing the statement." Can a brain scan even detect psychosis?

If you're going to state unequivocally that there is or is/is not scientific evidence supporting a claim, you need to be able to back it up. Your statement reminds me of a debate several years ago about the effectiveness of a particular form of alternative healthcare: A conventional doctor was discouraging the use of this form of healthcare and stated that there was no scientific study showing that it was helpful. A practioner of that form of healthcare responded by asking how many scientific studies had been done; the doctor was forced to answer that there had never been a study about it.

P.S. I didn't vote either way on your answer.

Dear ChrisW, I don't disagree with your points, however I think it would be impossible to keep up with the forum, answers would be 10 pages long like a scientific paper if we had to provide all details, sources etc. I think SE is running very well as it is, helping people, enabling positive debate and quick answers. Once again, your points are valid, but there is a trade-off involved. Anyway, as you gave me a nice feedback, please allow me to do the same: I think in a Buddhist site we have the responsability of being kind, this is the 3rd or 4th time you write me "not so kind" comment, tks :)

GreenMatt, hi! Well, anything written on the internet is based on the knowledge of who is writting it, it doesn't make much difference how the person states it, they are just words, it all comes down to the credibility of the person and if the answers agrees with your good sense. Once again, it could be improved if the person proved everything with details, sources and clear evidence, but it would make the forum impossible to run, answers would take days and would be 10 pages long, in my humble opinion :)

Unfortunately I have a habit/upbringing/education which says that it's fine/expected to criticize what has been said, without regard to the person who said it. I'm sorry that my comments haven't been kind, and thank you for trying to tell me. I saw a sign on a bus once, which I admired: "It's nice to be important. But it's more important to be nice."

That was a very good sign. I think your points are very smart, but I got like 4 critics in a row and it did feel too personal, I'm sure they are not (based on your comment right above), but still it is not nice :)

@konrad01: This isn't meant to be personal, just a statement about comments on the web: Since I don't know you, I have no idea how credible you are. Unless I've missed something, you haven't said if there has ever been a study about meditation and mental health problems. It would not take much more effort to state something like "A study has shown ..." and then post a link if you have one. It should not take a lot more time to read that either, unless the study article is long, but the reader can decide if/when to read the study. At least then there would be back up for your scientific answer.

Hi Greenmat, I was talking to ChrisW about the personal thing, sorry if I got you confused, it is because this is the 3rd or 4th time it happened in a short period of time, last time I was accused of being ageist for making a queston on generation Y. You see,  in every question and answer you can find something to criticize, the debate will go on forever and this is not what I want, so I told our friend how I was feeling about it :)

I think the point is less about the lack of back up and more about formulating something with certainty without having gone the actual lengths to verify it and be able to point at them when someone interested in checking by themselves need it. Even in scientific papers we write "we don't know of any studies that ...". In MN 27 and SN 47 i think buddha exposed similar concerns

I agree with that point Thiago, but this is not what triggered the whole discussion, but yes, this is a useful feedback and I will pay attention to that in the future, if I answer here again.

I would be extremely suspicious of claims that. As a general rule of thumb, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Saying that meditation can cause psychosis sounds like a pretty big claim to me, so I'm inclined to set that aside until there is some solid evidence to back it up.
A lot of so called 'unusual' things can happen during meditation, but I wouldn't call any of them psychotic breaks by any means. The most common thing is for people to see things like lights during seated meditation or to have sudden waves of goosebumps, and occasionally you can have sensations of falling or body parts vanishing or moving. For some people there are stages when things feel unfamiliar or strange for a while, but these experiences fade away as long as you keep practicing correctly.

I think the question should be reworded to, if someone has a psychological breakdown, permanent or temporary, is this caused by the meditation retreat or is this a consequence of this person being vulnerable or unready to dive into the depths of meditation.
Because I know people that have bawled their eyes out for a two day retreat, I did not see them blaming the retreat or meditation. In fact they went back to their life with no apparent damage. Knowing what you are ready for is part of being a good student.
An organization that does not give a novice shorter possible retreats may have overlooked that we are not all at the stage and some of us are not ready for a 10 day retreat. Friends have told me that they meditated on a daily basis for a year or two before they felt they were ready for a longer retreat.
The real problem with longer retreats is that our crutches get taken away and we may find ourselves in unfamiliar places that we could interpret as scary. Some people have developed the observer to the point where this is no big deal. Others clutch themselves in the fetal position and find themselves thrown into uncharted territory.
I am a modernist with the belief that we should not put people in situations they are not prepared for. This is not a way for a wise teacher to proceed in my opinion. If you sign up for a teacher or method that is very strict and inflexible, one should expect to endure a testing of greater proportions.
Let's not blame meditation, let's reexamine those who throw people untested into extreme situations without a safety valve and those who throw themselves blindly into retreats when they are not ready to face or accept the reduction or shrinking of the personal self.

"we should not put people in situations they are not ready for" +1

Edit: Added paragraphs to increase readability. Please roll-back if not agreeable.

Any reasons to make such claims? Links? References?
People can experience certain states of consciousness during meditation which could be described as dream like states, and clinically they are probably nothing more than lucid dreams... But there is absolutely no evidence for it to have any negative side effects. In fact, mindfulness courses are considered to be helpful for people with psychosis and suicidal tendencies.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25218397
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24785766
Also, it's not helpful for anyone dealing with psychological problems themselves that are looking into something like meditation to find some completely unfounded claims on a forum about someone that "read something somewhere on the internet" which can lead people, in particular with anxiety, to not do something that is very well proven to be beneficial for them.

http://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/3425/what-can-go-wrong-in-mindfulness-therapy-as-used-in-clinics

If one has right view or partiality to no view then most "threats" that happen in the course of practice would be transcended.

That's an answer to a different question, i.e. "When meditation goes right". Psychosis affects approximately 1% of the general adult population. For the people who are affected by it, psychosis and related symptoms might make "right view" difficult to practice.


text:
Amisa pooja for Buddha
I know that we can make great Karma by offering Flowers,candles,incense,food,robes and other things for the Buddha statue thinking as if the Buddha is alive.
But whenever I do offer these things my mind says "The Buddha is not there to receive this.And this is not the proper way to pay respect for the Buddha. The proper way is to try to be mindful and try to be free from the defilement in the mind."
Am I cultivating bad thoughts by thinking this way? What is the proper way to think when we offer these things to the Buddha statue?

Both are ways to show respect for the Buddha. Offerings are a lesser way compared with the practice of Sila, Samadhi, and Panna, but you do not have to choose between the two. You can develop the path and also make offerings.
The best way to make offerings is to make your offering be endowed with the three factors you have control over. The Buddha once taught that there are six factors that affect the merit of an offering, three of which are determined by the giver's mind:

"Monks, the lay woman Velukandaki, Nanda's mother, has established a
  donation endowed with six factors for the community of monks headed by
  Sariputta & Moggallana.
"And how is a donation endowed with six factors? There is the case
  where there are the three factors of the donor, the three factors of
  the recipients.
"And which are the three factors of the donor? There is the case where
  the donor, before giving, is glad; while giving, his/her mind is
  bright & clear; and after giving is gratified. These are the three
  factors of the donor.
"And which are the three factors of the recipients? There is the case
  where the recipients are free of passion or are practicing for the
  subduing of passion; free of aversion or practicing for the subduing
  of aversion; and free of delusion or practicing for the subduing of
  delusion. These are the three factors of the recipients.
"Such are the three factors of the donor, the three factors of the
  recipients. And this is how a donation is endowed with six factors."

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an06/an06.037.than.html
In brief, before giving have a joyous mind, have a mind that is bright and clear during the offering, and be pleased with the offering once you have made it. This is the best way to make offerings.

It's bit tricky I guess, If we offer something to a statue of the Lord Buddha we know there's no one to accept it so there's no recipient... ?

But even in the Buddha's time, there were times that he didn't actually use someone's offering. But that didn't change the greatness of the act of offering and the amount of good karma one cultivates by that since the above six factors were fulfilled. So I guess the same thing applies when we do the offerings to the Buddha statue even though the Buddha is actually not there to use it.

The proper way is to try to be mindful and try to be free from the defilement in the mind.

The best way is to do do Puja to the triple get is through the practice of Dhamma.
The Buddha spent many life times doing paramis to teach us the Dhamma. So the best Puja is for us to practice it.
1st we should learn the dhamma. When you listen to a Sutta if you get any stage of sainthood, congratulation, as these only a few of such people with little dust in their eyes. Many of us do not. This is because have have not fully understood that the Buddha ment through these words. With out understanding the intended meaning we have imposed our own meaning or our imperfect view on what this is. (What ever we see at the experiential level is what the Buddha intended to teach us.) All is not lost as that is how many of us start. It is through practice that you can understand the true meaning of the words.
As I said before the Buddha had gone through much suffering over many lives to deliver us his message. We should strive hard to understand this at the experiential level. This is the best Puja we can do.
I am not condemning Amisha Puja. This serves a purpose. This is like the bark of a tree. Without it the Sasana will not survive. For a person this is what initially draws one to the temple to learn and the practice. But practice should always follow, i.e., start with Amisha Puja and progress to Prathipati Puja.

To honor the Buddha one should be mindful, be aware of body & mind. One shouldn't try to think or try not to think but be aware of the thinking itself and then be aware of whatever experience that is  appropriate after that. Practice is the best pooja.


text:
Were there earlier western monks before Bhikkhu Ananda Metteyya (Charles Henry Allan Bennett)
Looking at the Bio of Ven. Nyanatiloka who was regarded as one of the earliest monks. I came across that he had met Bhikkhu Ananda Metteyya (Charles Henry Allan Bennett) who was also a Western monk before him.
I am curious to know who were the earliest Western monks? How did they get their conviction (to the extent to ordain) as most countries were strongly Christian or Catholic.

Earlier western Theravada monks?

Yes. Theravada monks.

Gordon Douglas (monk),

Gordon Douglas has traditionally been seen as the first European to become ordained as a Bhikkhu in Southeast Asia although Laurence Carroll (U Dhammaloka) and others are now understood to have been earlier.1 He was ordained in Siam in 1899 or 1900 and assumed the name Bhikkhu Asoka or Ashoka.2

An online summary is Theravāda Spirituality in the West.

U Dhammaloka,

U Dhammaloka (Burmese: ဦးဓမ္မလောက; c. 1856 – c. 1914) was an Irish-born hobo (migrant worker)1 turned Buddhist monk, atheist critic of Christian missionaries, and temperance campaigner who took an active role in the Asian Buddhist revival around the turn of the twentieth century.
Dhammaloka was ordained in Burma prior to 1900, making him one of the earliest attested western Buddhist monks. He was a celebrity preacher, vigorous polemicist and prolific editor in Burma and Singapore between 1900 and his conviction for sedition and appeal in 1910–1911. Drawing on western atheist writings, he publicly challenged the role of Christian missionaries and by implication the British empire.

Found in the abstract of Rewriting the History of Early Western Buddhist Monastics.


text:
Does anybody know the composition of the 6th council and how the delegates were chosen?
Nyanatiloka and Nyanaponika were the only Western born monks to attend the 6th Council. I am curious to know the composition of the 6th council and how the delegates were chosen.
Wikipedia says:

The council was attended by 2,500 monastics from eight Theravada Buddhist countries.

Clearly there would have been more countries involved than the 8 Buddhist countries. Also the delegates from countries which were not predominantly Buddhist sponsored by a Buddhist country they lived in. Also how come Nanamoli Bhikkhu and Ven. Ñāṇavīra Thera did not make it as delegates?

May be you can contact the owner of this website, http://www.aathaapi.net/AboutMentor.php
He has a record of events from the 6th council. I remember he mentioned, monks from even Pakistan participated in the council. Monks from Japan have also been there.

http://store.pariyatti.org/Cha77897789ha-Sa7749g257yana-Souvenir-Album--PDF_p_4427.html a download of this PDF shall probably help you.

@SumindaSirinathSalpitikorala  Reference : The Six Dhamma Councils

I have been asking around and done some research, but got nothing specific to answer your questions. Some years ago I spoke with an elder Norwegian Buddhist, who said that no less than 12 countries(to his knowledge) was present, plus a number of schools from each country. He said that extra invitations were sent out by the original invited and that this was allowed. A bit like how the Buddhist UN conferences work - just without all the fancy food... :)


text:
What are the other Theravada Councils held between the 4th and 6th
The Wikipedia entry on the 5th council says:

However, there were a number of other councils held in Ceylon and Thailand between the fourth and sixth ...

What are these other councils? Where where they held? What was their significance?

I suggest you ask for citation there. Or initiate a discussion under the Talk tab.

What are these other councils? Where were they held? What was their significance?
I am going to try to answer this to the best of my abilities.
I do not know the specifics of where they were held, but I do know what they are & their significance.
All the Buddhist councils are meant to preserve the Dhamma the Buddha formulated & to discuss the Tipitaka & its interpretations.
Buddhist councils have not consisted of all schools unified, although in some cases they have been.
I hope my answer suits you well! :)
May you be well.

Councils are only held after some schism between the schools. Bah.
Politics is a Mara to arouse emotion; stick to all the precepts oneself... do not worry about; Titles, Recognition and other such nonsense.
Emotion is human delusion... Born out of: The feeling and sensation skandhas. There is only pain or not pain; same as pranayama breath; Only you know if the breath is a long pain or a short pain, not a long pain or not a short pain.
Move from such pranayama and it becomes the breath of; The Prajna Paramita: One of peace and wisdom.

This doesn't answer the OP's question -- please see Answers vs Advice. If you don't think the question is worth answering then just don't answer it, or find a different question that is worth answering.

It was worth answering; and I did so with the proper practice... wearing white robes from causing or re-arousing schism isn't cool. OP if you really want to  know: email or call: Wat Carolina; The Abbot: Chao Kun was most likely at all of those councils he should be able to clarify when and what was said at them.

Here is a descriptions of some of the councils and their significance
http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/Buddhist_councils

Please avoid posting link answers. The question should be addressed in the answer itself.

There's a Wikipedia article too, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_councils

The Wikipedia article mostly agrees with your second link i.e. http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/Buddhist_councils ... but your first link i.e. http://www.thisismyanmar.com/nibbana/2589year.htm currently returns nothing (an 'empty' page) when I try it.


text:
Where did Nanavira Thera deviate from the commentaries
I came across that the Ven. sir (http://www.nanavira.org) interpreted the Dependent Origination without the traditional 3 lifetime interpretation.
Are there other places he deviated? What are they and what was his interpretation? How are the others who hold similar view?

Most of it is available in his Notes on Dhamma, and some more in the Letters. In other words, anyone interested is welcome to do their homework. Some examples:

Cittavīthi, ... of which so much use is made in the Visuddhimagga ... is a pure scholastic invention and has nothing at all to do with the Buddha's Teaching

...

... the erroneous notion of anuloma-gotrabhu-magga-phala, supposed to be the successive moments in the attainment of sotāpatti. It is sometimes thought that the word akālika as applied to the Dhamma means that attainment of magga is followed 'without interval of time' by attainment of phala; but this is quite mistaken.

...

Phassa, 'contact', is defined ... as the coming together of the eye, forms, and eye-consciousness ... But it is probably wrong to suppose that we must therefore understand the word phassa, primarily at least, as contact between these three things.

I was looking for commentary vs Ven. Sir's interpretations side by side and what exactly the differences between them.


text:
To what extent is Theravāda followed in Japan?
Extract from Ven. Nyanatiloka's Bio says

In 1920, after being denied re-entry into British ruled Sri Lanka, Nyanatiloka taught at Japanese universities for five years, including at Taisho University where he was assisted by the legendary eccentric Ekai Kawaguchi, and at Komazawa University where he taught with President Yamagami Sōgen (山上曹源), who had also studied Pali in Sri Lanka. He also met with Japanese Theravada monks. He lived through the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake, which destroyed Tokyo, but was surprised to see universities reopen just two months later.

To what extent is Theravāda followed in Japan? To what extent is it taught or studied there? Has Japan produced any Theravada Scholars or Meditation Masters? Which books have they written?

I'm guessing he met with Japanese monks who had received Theravada ordination outside Japan. But I could be wrong, maybe there are Theravada monasteries in Japan.

http://www.parami.org/duta/japan.htm

In Japan in 2003 the number of Buddhist temples were

30,000 Pure Land
21,000 Zen
15,000 Shingom
14,000 Nichiren
5,000 Tendai

The source for this is Introducing Buddhism by Peter Harvey (pp 409 2nd Edition)
There is a Japanese Theravada Association which claims thousands of members and the Dhammakaya movement has six centres in Japan. However this appears to be a more recent phenomena and the above figures appear to indicate that it is a small movement in the context of Buddhism as a whole in Japan.

Check this book:
The Life of Nyanatiloka Thera: The Biography of a Western Buddhist Pioneer.
He was in Japan in the 1920s.
There were apparently two Theravadan Monks at that time.


text:
Who is Bhikkhu Sīlācāra?

... The architect Rutch from Breslau had already designed a monastery with huts for monks, and the plan was that Bhikkhu Sīlācāra and other disciples were to join Nyanatiloka there. ...

(Wikipedia entry on Nyanatiloka)
Who is the monk mentioned above? What is the contribution that he has made? Any books by him?

There's a Wikipedia article with a list of his writings: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C4%ABl%C4%81c%C4%81ra

I edited the Wiki article so there is proper link to the above page. Thanks for sharing the information.

The link lists a summary of Bhikkhu Silacara's life and other books about him.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C4%ABl%C4%81c%C4%81ra
It is a starting place to begin your study.

This is the same link as was posted by ChrisW on Sep 26th. Please avoid posting link answers. The question should be addressed in the answer itself.


text:
What was the 1st attempt to have a Theravada monastery in the West?
Venerable Nyanatiloka had tried to setup a monastery in the West. Were there previous attempts? How successful were they? Do they still exist? If not, what happened?
Following is the link "Plans for a Theravada Buddhist monastery in Europe" with regard to this exercise. Extract as follows:

Upon returning to Germany, Markgraf planned to found a Buddhist Monastery in the southern part of Switzerland and formed a group to realise this aim. Enrico Bignani, the publisher of Coenobium: Rivista Internazionale di Liberi Studi from Lugano had found a solitary alpine hut at the foot of Monte Lema Mountain, near the village of Novaggio overlooking Lake Maggiore, and Nyanatiloka left Burma for Novaggio at the end of 1909 or the beginning of 1910. The architect Rutch from Breslau had already designed a monastery with huts for monks, and the plan was that Bhikkhu Sīlācāra and other disciples were to join Nyanatiloka there. Nyanatiloka's stay and plans drew a lot of attention from the press and several journalists visited him to write about the him and the planned monastery. However, Nyanatiloka suffered heavily from bronchitis due to the cold weather, and also from malnutrition, and after half a year left Novaggio with the German monk candidate Ludwig Stolz, who had joined him at Novaggio, to try to find a better place in Italy or North Africa. In Novaggio he worked on his Pāli-grammatik (Pāli Grammar) and his translation of the Abhidhamma text called Puggalapaññatti (Human Types).

What was the name, place, and/or date of this attempt to setup a monastery?

I added the link above.

A summary of the history of Buddhism in Germany: http://www.buddhismtoday.com/english/world/country/024-Germany.htm and other countries: http://www.buddhismtoday.com/english/world/country/

According to this timeline, Theravada had the following significant times
http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/history/thera_timeline.htm

1899  • First Western Theravada monk (Gordon Douglas) ordains, in
  Burma.
1958   • Ven. Nyanaponika Thera establishes the Buddhist Publication
  Society in Sri Lanka to publish English-language books on Theravada
  Buddhism. • Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement is founded in Sri Lanka to
  bring Buddhist ideals to bear in solving pressing social problems. •
  Two Germans ordain at the Royal Thai Embassy in London, becoming the
  first to take full Theravada ordination in the West.

The Insight Meditation Society predates the first monastery

1970's     • Refugees from war in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos settle in
  North America, Australia and Europe, establishing many Buddhist
  communities in the West. • Ven. Taungpulu Sayadaw and Dr. Rina Sircar,
  from Burma, establish the Taungpulu Kaba-Aye Monastery in Northern
  California, USA. • Ven. Ajahn Chah establishes Wat Pah Nanachat, a
  forest monastery in Thailand for training Western monks. • Insight
  Meditation Society, a lay meditation center, is founded in
  Massachusetts, USA. • Ven. Ajahn Chah travels to England to establish
  a small community of monks at the Hamsptead Vihara, which later moves
  to Sussex, England, now known as Chithurst Forest Monastery.
1980's     • Lay meditation centers grow in popularity in North America,
  Australia and Europe. • First Theravada forest monastery in the USA
  (Bhavana Society) is established in West Virginia. • Amaravati
  Buddhist Monastery established in England by Ven. Ajahn Sumedho.

Depending on what your thoughts are on The Insight Meditation Society, you may consider that an earlier "monastery" and how strictly you interpret monastery.


text:
Do lay Buddhists ever wear distinguishing clothing or jewellery?
I'm aware that Buddhist monastic communities often wear robes that distinguish them and visibly mark them out as Buddhists. Do lay Buddhist ever do the same thing? Is there any jewellery or clothing that lay Buddhists wear to mark them out as Buddhists - a visible marker of their religion. This is obviously common in other religions e.g. crucifixes for Christians - but do Buddhists of any tradition have an equivalent?

AFAIK Nope. Buddhists are supposed to practice dhamma. (Keep precepts, generosity,..) Such kind of mark/symbols are unnecessary.

Buddhist meditators sometimes wear all white clothing during a meditation course or to meditate at a monastery/temple.

I'm in the US, with <1% self identified Buddhists in most counties. So there isn't a lot of established customs as there are abroad, where wearing say a white band in Theravada countries, or a pilgrims hat in Japan (worn by hikers as they hike from temple to temple).
I organized a Buddhist book club and generally don't use a table tent, I forget them and lose them. So the American thing to do for group identity is to get a T-Shirt.
I'm thinking of one like this:
http://www.spreadshirt.com/gautama-buddha-fade-t-shirts-C3376A16488554#/detail/16488554T175A135PC1002313903PA296

Are you really getting a T-shirt? You should let us know when you decide. Post on meta maybe!!

@CrabBucket Can't tell if your serious there... I embrace my local tacky culture and add Buddhism to it. (as opposed to seeking Buddhism as part of a wholesale rejection of my own culture) Yesterday on the metro I saw a woman with a cross tattoo on her wrist. Tacky, but it's what you do to show you're a member of the club. So T-shirts, tattoos. White sashes are for foreigners, armbands are for political radicals, no one wears hats except for sports fans, jewelry is out of fashion at the moment, at least for me. Gotta work with what we got left.

I was absolutely serious. Part of the motivation of the question just a little investigation into how people admit they are Buddhists or not by external displays. In the west there is a real penumbra of Buddhist, Buddhish, Crypto Buddhists, pagan-organo-Buddhists that it could be quite important to nail your colours to the mast in some way. And if your colours are on a T-Shirt then that's how things are coming into the West. Which is an interesting thing of itself.

At least in the Theravada tradition people do not were distinguishing clothes or jewelry.
Though not used as a distinctive form, but as more of protection and a good luck charm, some wear a Pirith thread.

While I believe your question was intended for everyday wear in Vietnam and only in the temples most lay practitioners wear a blue/grey uniform a bit similar to the monastic's robes. A practice followed in Vietnamese temples around the world.
See an example: http://afamily.vn/doi-song/le-vu-lan-chu-hieu-tron-day-20120827125422575.chn (Hungry Ghost Festival)
Nam Mô A Di Đà Phật.

Another cultural example is that in Laotian temples, men, women, and children wear pha bieng; an upper body scarf worn diagonally across the torso with the right shoulder exposed.

Lay buddhists in their everyday life are not prescribed any distinguishing clothing etc. Buddha laid total emphasis on practice and this can be inferred from many stories of his lifetime. Though, when you go on a meditation retreat, as said by @Robin111, it is suggested that you wear clothing which fully covers your body and white coloured clothing is preferred. This is due to practical reasons and to aid yourself in the practice. But in day to day life, there is no prescription of any type of clothing or any other symbolism

Perhaps wearing mala's would be an indicator?

Hi, welcome. I flagged this because it isn't an answer.  On the other hand, this would be no problem as a comment. Also what is a mala?

@qweilun Here's a Wikipedia article describing malas: Buddhist prayer beads


text:
Proper way to give metta
Is it necessary to only feel subtle sensations while giving metta or is it only required to be equanimous while giving metta.
I have sometimes felt painful sensations that cannot be 'shaken away' after a sit and find it harder to concentrate on giving metta. So should one only be equanimous and carry on with the practice or leave metta bhavana to another time?
What works for you while radiating metta?

Different lineages / teachers would advice on this differently. My answer is based on what I picked from different teachers.
Before doing metha best to to do a bit of breath meditation and insight meditation. Come to the stage that you have Piti or Passaddhi or at least you feel comfortable. Then wish that other share your peace and happiness. Keep wishing your self and others to be well and happy. Ideally keeping your attention around your mouth. Lips touching or above the upper lip and base of your nose. Also try to bring out a mild smile (this generally relaxes tension) as this will influence your mood. Also in the process if possible try to calm the fabrications, i.e., realise the speed and length of your breath from start to end.
This should not a mere recitation of words. You should wish from the bottom of your heart. In the process uproot your defilements to make your mind pure.
One of the objective of Metta Bhavana is the reduce the defilements based on aversion, dissolving ego as well as the hindrance of ill will, especially towards other beings. So you should be mindful when doing it that aversion does not arrive and also you are not in any discomfort as this also sometimes lead to aversion and tension (which intern creates new unwholesome fabrication and conditioning). Doing this after breath meditation and awareness meditation can help the cause in identifying 1) defilements arising based on aversion 2) any hidres arising due to enmity or any pre conceived notion of the person. Always be aware of the metal factors arising during the meditation and if they are unwholesome try to tame them by being aware that they have arisen and the sensations they bring up and then the dissolution of it.
Also when you think of some one keep a note of how thoughts proliferate and what feeling this brings up. You think about a friend you might then remember some other incident with them. All this creates feeling and sensations when you react to them. Try to be equanimus. Similarly when you think about a foe or even an attractive person. Also then you think about animals or other life forms, you might experience emotion, feelings and sensations. Suddenly you might remember a rat who ate your favorite piece of furniture. Or the fear of a snake when you think of this type of animals, or the disease they spread if it is a cockroach or rat. Then these thoughts arise you mind make a contact followed by reaction and sensation. Keep focused on this element. The sensation this causes trying the be equanimous about the sensation and realising the sensations have the 3 marks of existence. Also notice how your are reacting or sensation that are created with perception of an entity / being. Look at the feeling when you recall incident or people who attacked your ego or what ever you call me, mine, etc. and realise how ego is hurting you. Also realise how your react when remeber someone praises you or has been benevolent to you. Also look at how perceptions about an entity / being also contributing to stress in the process. Look at mental image -> recognition -> reaction -> sensation -> craving -> clinging ...  Try to see the dependent origination, factors of enlightenment and 4 noble truths at work even through Metta meditation. When practiced in the right way Metta can take you far.
Meditation based on the Four Sublime States help expand upon the type of defilements which to reduce through these meditations.
If you feel any discomfort take this into awareness while radiating Metta. Keep your attention on these parts which hurt. Also be mindful of perspiration while doing it.
Also refer to:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mett%C4%81
http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/scrn_metta.pdf
http://www.dhammasukha.org/metta-barebones-booklet.html (very good guide)
http://www.dhammasukha.org/forgiveness-meditation.html (very good guide)
http://www.dhammatalks.org/mp3_guidedMed_index.html
http://www.vridhamma.org/en1992-02
http://www.vridhamma.org/en2008-08
In simple words, how are body sensations linked to moods and feelings? (Un related but helpful in advance stages of any meditation)

Maybe send metta to the pain, try to truly accept the pain as it is and if you can't accept the pain then you can try to truly accept that you can't accept the pain at that time and that could lead to peace.

How can one send metta to the pain? Pain is not a sentient being.

Metta is for helping the meditator so it will help you no matter who or what the meditation object is. You can say more impersonal things like "may this pain be accepted", "may this pain be filled with my acceptance", if it's hard to pretend the pain is sentient. You can say to the pain many things like: "May we be friends", "pain, may I understand you and accept you", "Your welcome to come any time", "I can see you now, your more like a fuzzy little kitten that occasionally claws at me".


text:
What was the reason behind Colonel Henry Steel Olcott and Anagarika Dharmapala split
Though the two of the worked together in the early years I have heard there was a split between them later on.
When did this split happen? What was the cause? What is the implication and aftermath of it?

The reason stated in Anagarika Dharmapala's wikipedia page for his split with the Theosophical society is that he was against the idea of a universal religion that the Theosophists were aiming at.

Dharmapala eventually broke with Olcott and the Theosophists because of Olcott's stance on universal religion. One of the important factors in his rejection of theosophy centered on this issue of universalism; the price of Buddhism being assimilated
into a non-Buddhist model of truth was ultimately too high for
him."Dharmapala stated that Theosophy was "only consolidating
Krishna worship." "To say that all religions have a common
foundation only shows the ignorance of the speaker; Dharma alone is
supreme to the Buddhist".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anagarika_Dharmapala

Later, in 1904 he had split with Henry Steel Olcott as well. The reason given in the book Relics, Ritual, and Representation in Buddhism is,

Dharmapala broke with Olcott in 1904 when the latter showed disrespect toward the relic of the Buddha's tooth, one of the most sacred relics of the Buddha worshipped in Sri Lanka.

The author cites Return to Righteousness: A Collection of Speeches, Essays, and Letters of the Anagarika Dharmapala as the original source for this and quotes the following phrase from this book in a footnote,

Col. Olcott insulted the feelings of the Buddhists by showing disrespect to the Tooth Relic, a copy of which he had placed under the shelf.

After the split I don't think there was  enough time for something significant to happen, because Henry Steel Olcott died on 1907.


text:
Can Buddhism help me escape the difficulties in my life?
I am tired of the rat race, working a job I hate to buy things that I don't need.
I am tired of technology and the grasp it has on everybody in the western world.
Is there a feasible way, within Buddhist practice, for the average westerner to escape it all in exchange for a simple and pure life?

may i suggest a more on-topic question, like "Can Buddhism help me escape the difficulties in my life?" or, "Will becoming a monk help me escape the difficulties in my life?"

too open-ended / opinion based?

@AndreiVolkov Shouldn't it be answerable? a) suffering is the first noble truth b) a way to escape is the fourth noble truth c) right livelihood d) etc. I don't know what the '[tag:zen]' tag is in the question for.

Of course. Realizing that you don't need things or that those things aren't going to make you happy is the beginning of awareness that the worldly world is not as great as you thought it was!
Fortunately, the Buddha laid the grounds for understanding exactly this sort of suffering and how to remedy it with the Four Noble Truths.
No need to be like everyone else in your society/community. Change your lifestyle in any way you see fit to give you time to study, practice, and explore that which leads to true happiness. No need to live in a cave to do this either; unless you want to. But people can live incredibly simple lifestyles anywhere as long as they aren't trying to fit in with those around them. Best wishes in your journey to true happiness. :)

Ordaining seems like an obvious (albeit challenging) answer to your question- if you truly want to escape it ALL, becoming a monk is the exact solution you're looking for.
However, if that isn't realistic for you right now and, like me, you are looking to experience a most peaceful existence, there are definitely aspects of Buddhism that will allow you to have a go at this. I don't claim to know much, but some tips on how to have more ease in daily life include:

See obstacles as opportunities for spiritual development- if you feel that you hate your job, this is a great chance for you to practice some mindfulness, and really observe your thought process revolving around your aversion to certain things. If you can study, and thus come to understand your hatred, maybe you will find some peace in that way. And you can apply this so any reaction you have to an experience, be it good, bad or neutral.
Meditation- many types of meditation, if practiced regularly, can produce peaceful and equanimous mental and physical states. If you meditate for a decent amount of time in the morning before work, maybe you will find some peace before going in. Adding to this, you can derive a little bit of satisfaction/happiness just from the knowledge that you are practicing meditation. If you meditate in the morning, you can go through the rest of the day with a bit of added confidence- you are a practicing buddhist, yay.

Anyway, as I said I don't know much- I am trying to deal with the same issues as you! Hope my little bit of advice helps.
Ian

There will be other things besides technology which will drive you nuts, anywhere. It might be good to change environment, for the sake of your sanity, if there will be less of them, but that is in itself not about Buddhism, it is just a very natural and laudable care about your well-being.
I find nonetheless the following very useful (Daniel M. Ingram, Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha (http://integrateddaniel.info/book).

When I think about what it would take to achieve freedom from all
  psychological stuff, the response that comes is this: life is about
  stuff. Stuff is part of being alive. There is no way out of this while
  you are still living. There will be confusion, pain, miscommunication,
  misinterpretation, maladaptive patterns of behavior, unhelpful
  emotional reactions, weird personality traits, neurosis and possibly
  much worse. There will be power plays, twisted psychological games,
  people with major personality disorders (which may include you), and
  craziness. The injuries continue right along with the healing and
  eventually the injuries win and we die. This is a fundamental teaching
  of the Buddha. I wish the whole Western Buddhist World would just get
  over this notion that these practices are all about getting to our
  Happy Place where nothing can ever hurt us or make us neurotic and
  move on to actually mastering real Buddhist practice rather than
  chasing some ideal that will never appear.

You see dukkha quite clearly and do not want to continue to dwell in Samsara. I would suggest considering ordaining. It seems in line with your insights.

Yes you should start a simple meditation.Buddhist meditation doesn't require you sitting down like yoga to it on your way to office,in the bath tub where ever you want.You don't even need to close your eyes.
Please refer this link to learn more..
http://mahamevnawa.lk/inenglish/


text:
Buddhism Guide Line
Let me restate this question. Its a difficult question for myself. When I mean guide line i guess Im assuming a general Fundamental line then I assume traditions would vary from this one line, but I dont know. Its difficult to find these guides or fundamental aspects from the sources I've tried looking at. I find most sites all agree on Four Noble Truths, Eight fold Path, Five Aggregates, Meditation, Non Duality, Non self, Impermanence, Metta Suttra, Dhamapada, Pali Cannon, Just these concepts I've come across. The hardest thing would be there is no experts around my area, no meditation centers, nothing to go on at all. Just simply the internet an depending on who you talk to you get a different question so I find it confusing at times trying to get a view point of what to search for. I tried googling the answer an I find many sites that just tell you their point of view an dont even offer a fundamental line to follow They offer a few bits an pieces of what Siddhartha said. It was really the reason why I joined this site was to find a expert or master to help me understand Buddhism. I dont have a tradition in general, just trying to seek out the exact teachings of Siddhartha.
Maybe this is a better way of putting the question. In less Buddhism is just a pick an choose philosophy, where you start an continue where ever you want in the path

The answer you are going to get is going to depend largely on what tradition you want to study and practice in. Are you interested in a particular school or tradition of Buddhism?

Looking at the answers below, it is clear we're not going to get a single good answer for this question as it stands. Reading through the options listed makes me dizzy. Can you specify a tradition at least?

One of the problems with this question is that even specifying a tradition is hard -- in fact it's probably among the harder aspects.I'm going to ask a meta question to talk about what useful components of this overall question could be.

On second thoughts, I won't. It's been tried already (http://meta.buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/170/asking-fundamental-beginner-questions) and didn't really get much traction. Ah well.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/begin.html suggests there are two components: 1) learning suttas 2) learning to meditate. Maybe there is also 3) living well/ethically, practising the Eighfold Path or something quite like that. Chronological or other sequence for beginners suggests a sequence for reading suttas.

Buddhism is often symbolized by a wheel; the Wheel of Dhamma or Dharma. The circular nature of the symbol is also representative of how people progress along the path of Buddhism; it's a circular progression. With each time around, your understanding grows so you may find if you re-read books, you get even more out of them in subsequent readings.
Begin with whatever interests you and don't be concerned that you don't seem to have many resources nearby. Through the internet we have access to more knowledge than humanity has ever had before. It takes a while to sort through it of course; but as Andrei mentioned, this is a process that takes years.
In the 2,600 years of Buddhism, many schools and traditions have evolved. Keep an open mind and try to learn a bit from each as you decide which tradition really speaks to you. Even if it seems that there are no Buddhist groups, monasteries, or temples in your area; don't give up on seeking out a group if that interests you. I was convinced there were no groups on my area, but in time I actually found several. Not all groups, teachers, temples advertise their existence. It can take a while to find something local or to determine a place you wish to travel to, to learn more. Have patience. :)
With whatever else you do, developing a meditation practice will help turn all this from an intellectual exercise to an experiential one.
Best wishes.

If I had to lay out the wheel in a order how would that Look like? What do you start with an then where do you continue from there?

"The Beginner's Guide to Walking the Buddha's Eightfold Path" by Jean Smith might be a good starter book. She recommends focusing on the wisdom teachings of the Eightfold path first; Right Understanding and Right Thought. Then one moves to the morality teachings of Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood. Lastly she recommends one focus of the mental discipline teachings of the Eightfold Path; Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration. But again, it's not like you have to finish one before you start the next. Very circular and with ever deepening understanding.

I would start with keeping the five precepts and then doing meditation.
For a beginner one of the most important lessons to learn is practicing restraint and overcoming our resistances (I feel too lazy to meditate, I want to gossip/trash talk about this person who I dislike, ect). We call this "balancing the faculties".
When you feel lazy you push yourself to do what you is correct and wholesome, even if difficult. When you feel restless and agitated you stop feeding the negativity and cultivate the opposite.
When possible you should find a teacher who would be willing to give you advice on meditation. A monk or nun is best, but if you have none nearby, you can trust a experienced layman, or laywoman who can give you a meditation object and help guide your practice.

Well I was actually hoping to find A teacher on this site, but not sure if this is the kind of site for that anymore.

The internet can not make up for the personal instruction of a teacher who guides your practice. Those best able to instruct you in this matter, are often busy with helping their own students and making sure to no over-extend themselves and weaken their own practice. So you see you are in a bit of a pickle. Why not go to a meditation center/monastary in your area? If none exists...I can attempt to help, I would be willing to give you some starter advice. Please PM me if you are interested.

I looked for the Option to Send personal Messages I didn't find the option, An went to the Help section to see if it was some kind of option you get with reputation progression, I didnt see a listing for it, I guess or Now assuming it may not fit this format. But yes I would love to have some starter Advice. It would help me kick off the official right start to Buddhist. Because the Internet is helpful for some things it is not on trying to Achieve instructions on where to begin an how to follow Buddhism like a guide.

If you go to my profile, I have my email listed there. TGold80@aol.com Please email me and we can start.

I recommend the following, and in the following order. You won't blow a gasket if you do things out of order, but I've placed them as I have for a reason:

Read "10% Happier" by Dan Harris and put into practice some basic daily meditation
(Optional and only if you're philosophically minded) read "Waking Up" by Sam Harris (no relation to Dan)
Either watch Yuttadhammo's basic teaching videos on Youtube (start here) or, if you don't mind some controversy**, read "Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha" by Daniel Ingram (better still, watch the videos and read the book)
Expand your study. As you do, gradually increase the amount of time you spend actually doing the practice rather than merely reading about it. Here are some good sources to get you further off the starting blocks:

Anything by Yuttadhammo, There's a ton on YouTube
Bikkhu Bodhi's stuff at http://www.accesstoinsight.org
Anything by Shinzen Young -- again see YouTube. See especially his Google Talks (here's one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XCWP4pODbs). They're long but very worth the effort

Using your new-found but by-now growing knowledge and practice, find a teacher, tradition, and community. Also, broaden your daily personal practice into more intensive retreat-style practice from time to time
Lather, rinse, repeat

One other comment. My own experience says that there is no silver bullet to the problem of unguided newcomer finding their way. You just have to feel your way carefully, listen, cross-check, keep your brain and common sense switched on (that's crucial in these internet days when there is so much nonsense spouted), and try to see the process of learning itself as part of your spiritual practice. To begin with it can feel like you're scrambling around in a room with no windows and no lights. But eventually your eyes will grow accustomed, you'll even find the dimmer switch for the lights, and then as you learn how to turn up the light you'll realize you're not in a room but in a vast cave, full of the most incredible treasure. Good luck!
** Note that although MCTB is controversial, in my opinion it is seen that way for no good reason that should bother a beginner. Ingram is heavily influenced by the teachings and lineage of Mahasi Sayadaw (as is Yuttadhammo), and when he talks about Buddhism he is doing so from a position of quite considerable knowledge and experience. That's not to say he's right, but to your beginner's eyes he's not saying anything important that's wrong.

Open your heart to magic.
Discover the force behind karma that always acts contrary to your attachments.
Pick up the concept of Spiritual Materialism.
Stalk your ego and work on your karma/attachments for at least 5 years.
Study Buddhist theory. Realize the virtual (conventional) nature of all objects.
Practice formal meditation for several years.
Realize God / Tao / non-duality.
Master the mechanism of Intent (aka faith -- deliberately choosing and maintaining your perspective).
Realize Prajna-paramita and Emptiness.
Awaken to your True Nature.
Cultivate your True Nature.

After reviewing your Answer it has left me with more questions. I can understand karma an Attachments. I will have to try an look into Spiritual Materialism. Stalk your ego, an attachments, how does one do this is that Mindfulness?, an why 5 years? Seems arbitrary in a way.  What is formal Meditation awareness of breath or mantra? again why 7 years? Does Buddhist acknowledge a God? Is that part of the Non Duality? I will look up prajna - paramita - an emptiness is that like the removal of ego?  True Nature does the equal a form of Enlightenment?

Take your time :)


text:
What are the differences between Hinduism and Buddhism?
Hinduism is similar to Buddhism, but both are different.
Many people think that Buddhism is derived from Hinduism, so it is similar to Hinduism.
What are the differences between Hinduism & Buddhism?

there is also Relationship between Buddhism, Hinduism and Yoga?

If this is a duplicate answer, why not post a link to the original post so we can read the information there?

From what I found Hinduism was the religion, Siddhartha was raised in. Hinduism has a vast arrays of Gods, Like Vishnu, Shiva, Krishna, an so on. Buddhism to my understanding Has no God in it. The difference starts there. Hindus have many gods and Buddhism has none, although it can become difficult when comparing Bodhisattva's an Buddha's an the dwellers of the celestial world depending on your Buddhist tradition.
Buddha concentrated more on not worrying about the divine beings. But to worry about fixing your self.Basically in the aspect of Karma you decide for yourself what happens to you. There is no judge to your life but yourself. You rebirth higher or lower depending on your Karma ( depending on the Buddhist tradition ). You are the master of your self, an so focusing on yourself you alone can help yourself. You do not worry about appeasing deities. Or the origin in which you came from, an what lies beyond today. To be in the present an to judge according to your own understanding seems to be the Buddhist method.
So a religion that focuses on the worship of their deities, the practices of the deities, the rewards an punishments from the deities. All this becomes distractful an can cause great deal of suffering when you are trying very hard to appease a certain deity. An in Hinduism there are vastly many of them. There are many gurus that teach very different an strange customs. Some traditions still perform animal sacrifice ( Kali )
Buddha ultimately walked away from the Brahmin teachers, an the way of Hinduism, as he did not see the path leading to happiness. He saw that people became ascetics an starved them selves and pierce there bodies in harsh ways to prove the devotion to their gods. Buddha once tried these methods to find enlightenment, but almost starved to death an realized, if he had died nothing would have been gained from doing these things. So he focused on how to find true happiness, an that was through insightful meditations an begin teachings the Dharma.
The main difference is the Deities, the customs an practices of both can become mingled as they have a similar basis on some things. But really the focus is what makes them different. To focus on a god or to focus on your self as a "god". Hopefully this helpful in some way.

sorry for the downvote. a lot here is factually incorrect. Siddhartha was not raised in Hinduism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_Vedic_religion also Buddhism is not without gods, there are enough questions on this site dealing with that topic.

Buddha Rejected the Concpect of a Creator God. So what are you referring to?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_in_Buddhism
If you are refering to Devas, they are not completely considered as Gods more like higher realm beings, since they too are said to suffer, die an reborn. What would you consider as a God would help me understand what you mean by gods in buddhism. Here is the Devas link to clarify if you are referring to them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deva_%28Buddhism%29

Also here is link talking about Buddhas rejection of the Vedas, The Hinduism to help calrify http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gautama_Buddha_in_Hinduism
here some q an a on it https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070724233426AAH5FTY an here is another for help too http://www.answers.com/Q/What_parts_of_Hinduism_did_Siddhartha_accept_and_what_parts_did_he_reject

From now on I will be posting references so that I will not have my answers criticized. If you dont like what Wikipida says then dont fuss at me for receiving my answers from it an helping others to understand.I answer from what I know if I need help I search for it. This is what I found.

I forgot a link the connection of reincarnation from Hinduism that helped Siddhartha understand rebirth. http://www.answers.com/Q/How_did_the_idea_of_reincarnation_from_Hinduism_lead_to_Siddhartha_Gautama%27s_forming_of_Buddhism

Buddha practiced all the religions of the day and could not find awakening from suffering. The Hindu faith rests more on ceremony and ritual than some methods of Buddhism.
Buddhists do not have to believe anything or worship anything, just wake up.
Disclaimer, I am not a Hindu, but they do have many rituals and ceremonies.
If you find a path that works for you, follow it until it is no longer usable, then find the next leg in the journey, even if it means becoming a lay practitioner.