Does Chanting Attract Spirits?

Mar. 21 | Question: I heard some saying that chanting certain mantras or sutras attracts spirits (ghosts) as they also want to listen to the Dharma. Is there any truth in this? If so, does it really matter, especially if I sometimes chant at night? Answer: Generally,...

The Buddha’s Victory Over A God & Demon

Mar. 20 | If your inner Mara already subdues you, you are subdued by the outer Mara too. -Stonepeace As summarised from the Brahma-Nimantanika Sutta, the Buddha spoke of an occasion, when a wrong view arose in the mind of Baka Brahma, a god residing in Maha Brahma...

Differences Of Refuge And Respect

Oct. 11 | Question: Is it alright, as Buddhists, beyond the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, to pay respects to various gods and deities? Answer: If we think of asking gods for assistance before we think of the Triple Gem, it’s probably a sign that we haven’t really...

How Even The Gods May Fall

Sep. 12 | That even gods may fall is a powerful reminder that merely doing good is not good enough. - Stonepeace Whoever has accumulated much merit, after his rebirth in the Deva-realms [heavenly planes of gods], lives there till the end of the life-span of that...

Was The Buddha A Free-Thinker?

Nov. 11 | To assume oneself to be right dogmatically is to be wrong spiritually. - Stonepeace Recently, there is an increase in atheists and agnostics (free-thinkers) who are eager to show that it is possible to be secular humanists, to be moral (instead of immoral...

The Cross-Manifestations of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas & Gods?

Nov. 10 | It is common for those unfamiliar with the intricate different details between various religions to suppose that all the divine worshipped or taken refuge in are similar, to be manifestations of one another in myriad forms, that they are “all the same”....

Are Buddhists Atheists?

Nov. 10 | According to online dictionary m-w.com, an “atheist” is “one who believes that there is no deity” and a “deity” is “the rank or essential nature of a god/ a god or goddess/ one exalted or revered as supremely good or powerful.” Many theists,...

Take Ultimate Refuge

Aug. 25 | How could gods of this world possibly liberate us, being themselves tied to the prison of Samsara? Instead let us take refuge in that on which we can rely on. To take refuge in the Triple Gem is a practice of the Bodhisattva. ~ #7 of the 37 Bodhisattva...

How Were The ‘First’ Humans ‘Created’? (Part 2: Sutta Analysis)

Mar. 26 | What is the point of being ourselves [who are imperfect], if we cannot recreate ourselves [to become perfect]? - Stonepeace Like other natural cycles such as the water cycle and the four seasons, the Buddha taught that the universe undergoes beginningless...

How Were The ‘First’ Humans ‘Created’? (Part 1: Sutta Summary)

Mar. 18 | The Dharma is the best thing for people in this life and the next as well. - The Buddha (Agganna Sutta) Taught by the Buddha, the Agganna Sutta is fascinating because it demystifies many mysteries, such as how the universe, the Earth, humanity, civilisation,...

Can a ‘Creator God’ be ‘Created’?

Mar. 4 | Unless out of Bodhicitta, wanting to create something external is a sign of internal [spiritual] imperfection, incompletion and discontentment. - Stonepeace In the Brahmajala Sutta (http://tinyurl.com/sutta1), the Buddha tells of a long time ago, when...

The Bird That Flew Too Far

Dec. 9 | Dharma practice does not require faith in any god, while every god requires faith in Dharma practice. - Stonepeace It is said in the Kevatta Sutta that a monk once wondered where the four great elements of earth (extension), water (cohesion), fire (heat)...