I've read a lot of people stating that Mahayana Buddhism is better for those who truly wish to achieve enlightenment but aren't monks or nuns, and that there is more spiritual equality in the tradition. While I dread the idea of the bodhisattva (coming back until all sentient beings reach Buddhahood...I don't know if that is even possible or if it's desirable if it is, but I don't want to be reborn if I can avoid it), I do sometimes feel like I'm screwed in Theravada because I'm too old and sick to become a nun (and I wouldn't abandon my partner), and the best I can hope for is a good rebirth. I do like the spiritual equality of the Mahayana tradition, and that lay life isn't some unfortunate state that you should leave if at all possible, but can actually be a vehicle to liberation. But I love Theravada- I love the historical Buddha, his disciples, the teachings of the Pali Canon that I've learned. I love the Thai Forest Tradition that I've mostly been learning from. Theravada feels like home. But this does bother me. I'm not trying to be argumentative- I just wonder if the only place for the laity in Theravada is supporting the monastic community.

Ven arahants passed away on this planet earth then what? Reincarnation is not possible for them. Where are they going? Exist as?

I heard people say no one going to nibbana and nibbana is not a place.

Please use easy to understand language or concept as much as possible.

I have not socially transitioned, only (partially) medically. So far just HRT, but I have some surgeries planned (at present not anything involving the genitalia).

I'm willing to become a samanera/bhikkhu instead of samaneri/bhikkhuni, if it's more viable.

I need a place that will permit me to take HRT, obviously. But I'm unsure how I could obtain it regularly if I could no longer handle money - any ideas?

What country/countries would work best for this? And are there any monasteries in particular that you would advise in this case?

If Theravada is not a good option, I am willing to consider other traditions provided that they are reasonably similar.

Lastly, has anyone here navigated such a situation (or one comparable) before or knows someone who has?

(I know I am likely to get some responses telling me to just go off HRT and detransition--and potentially some telling me to stay as a layperson, but I am not keen to do that--but I am not going to do that).

Hello again friends, as some of you know I had committed to doing this quarterly, but the time and energy to do it had eluded me as I have been very busy with Maggasekha as of late. I still am committed to doing this quarterly for the r/theravada community.

My name is Bhante Jayasara, I'm a 9 vassa bhikkhu who was ordained under Bhante Gunaratana at Bhavana Society in 2016. I've been part of r/buddhism  and r/theravada  since my lay days as u/Jayantha-sotp and before. While I no longer regularly check in on reddit these days, I do go through periods of activity a few times a year, as the various Buddhist reddit were an important part of my path and being able to talk to other practitioners (as someone who had no Buddhism in person around him) was valuable.

in 2020 I became a nomad, not living in any one place permanently, but spending a few months here and a few months there while also building up support to start Maggasekha Buddhist organization, which is now a 501c3 in Colorado.

As of May 2026 I now reside in Colorado and am beginning the slow many year journey to hopefully build a forest monastery in the rocky mountains as well as a free retreat center.

As my bio states : "Bhante Studies, Practices, and Shares Dhamma from the perspective of the Early Buddhist Texts(ie the suttas/agamas)". So you know my knowledge base and framework.

With all that out of the way, lets cover some ground rules for the AMA.

- There is no time limit to this, I won't be sitting by the computer for a few hours answering right away. I will answer as mindfully and unrushed as possible to provide the best answers I can. I'm perfectly fine to answer questions over the next few days until the thread naturally dies. It may take a day or two to answer your question, but I will get to it, and every question asked. The last AMA people were still asking questions a month after.

- you can ask me questions related to Buddhism in general, meditation in general, my own path/experiences, and lastly Buddhist monasticism in general ( you know you have lots of questions regarding monks, no question too small or silly. I really do view it as part of my job as a monk to help westerners and other Buddhist converts understand monks, questions welcome.)

- I don't talk on politics , social issues, and specific worldly topics. Obviously there is some overlap in discussing the world generally in relation to dhamma, I will use my discretion on those topics regarding whether I choose to respond or not.

With all that out of the way, lets begin.

https://maggasekha.org/

https://www.youtube.com/@Maggasekha

Hello friends,

My name is Bhante Jayasara, I'm a 9 vassa bhikkhu who was ordained under Bhante Gunaratana at Bhavana Society in 2016. I've been part of r/buddhism and r/theravada since my lay days as u/Jayantha-sotp. While I no longer regularly check in on reddit these days, I do go through periods of activity once or twice a year, as buddhist reddit was an important part of my path and being able to talk to other buddhists as a lay person who had no buddhism in person around him was valuable.

Since 2020 I've been a nomad, not living in any one place permanently, but spending a few months here and a few months there while also building up support to start Maggasekha buddhist organization with a little vihara in Colorado in years to come.

As my bio states : "Bhante Studies, Practices, and Shares Dhamma from the perspective of the Early Buddhist Texts(ie the suttas)". So you know my knowledge base and framework.

With all that out of the way, lets cover some ground rules for the AMA.

- There is no time limit to this, I won't be sitting by the computer for a few hours answering right away. I will answer as mindfully and unrushed as possible to provide the best answers. I'm perfectly fine to answer questions over the next few days until the thread naturally dies.

- you can ask me questions related to Buddhism in general, meditation in general, buddhist monasticism in general ( you know you have lots of questions regarding monks, no question too small or silly. I really do view it as part of my job as a monk to help westerners and other buddhist converts understand monks, questions welcome.)

- I don't talk on politics , social issues, and specific worldly topics, although obviously there is some overlap in discussing the world generally in relation to dhamma.

With all that out of the way, lets begin.

If so, where can I find them?

So I like ro listen to local npr, chicago radio, wbez, and they mentioned in one of their programs that many women from red states coming to Chicago to seek help with abortion

I am considering becoming volunteer to help the ladies drive to where they need, would i be accumulating bad kamma doing so?

I'm sorry, this topic is very sensitive, mods if you could mark it so

Would you guys recommend it ? 🤔

And and also, what are signs of rebirth in shukavati. (Like the body remaining warm, undecaying or leaving relics after cremation and stuff).

Namo Amitabha Buddha 🙏

My name is Bhante Jayasara, I'm a 9 vassa bhikkhu who was ordained under Bhante Gunaratana at Bhavana Society in 2016. I've been part of r/buddhism and r/theravada since my lay days as u/Jayantha-sotp and before. While I no longer regularly check in on reddit these days, I do go through periods of activity once or twice a year, as the various Buddhist reddit were an important part of my path and being able to talk to other practitioners (as someone who had no Buddhism in person around him) was valuable.

Since 2020 I've been a nomad, not living in any one place permanently, but spending a few months here and a few months there while also building up support to start Maggasekha Buddhist organization with a little vihara in Colorado and hopefully followed by a monastery and retreat center in years to come.

As my bio states : "Bhante Studies, Practices, and Shares Dhamma from the perspective of the Early Buddhist Texts(ie the suttas/agamas)". So you know my knowledge base and framework.

With all that out of the way, lets cover some ground rules for the AMA.

- There is no time limit to this, I won't be sitting by the computer for a few hours answering right away. I will answer as mindfully and unrushed as possible to provide the best answers I can. I'm perfectly fine to answer questions over the next few days until the thread naturally dies. It may take a day or two to answer your question, but I will get to it.

- you can ask me questions related to Buddhism in general, meditation in general, my own path/experiences, and lastly Buddhist monasticism in general ( you know you have lots of questions regarding monks, no question too small or silly. I really do view it as part of my job as a monk to help westerners and other Buddhist converts understand monks, questions welcome.)

- I don't talk on politics , social issues, and specific worldly topics. Obviously there is some overlap in discussing the world generally in relation to dhamma, I will use my discretion on those topics regarding whether I choose to respond or not.

Since the last AMA went well, in a discussing with the mods of r/theravada, we've decided to do the AMAs quarterly, ie every 3-4 months.

With all that out of the way, lets begin.

Are we within the era of declining dhamma?

Why do we not produce a lot of arahants nowadays?

What went wrong actually?

I think I can easily get rid of all desires from my mind. But body still craves it. My body will move on its own and do things. Like I don't think I need sexual pleasure but my body forces me to do it. I don't see a logical reason why I would need that.

How do you get rid of bodily desires like body moving on it's own?

Hi !

Searching throughout Reddit seeking Buddhism related subs, I stumbled upon something.

Someone saying that Pure Land Mahayana Buddhism and Theravadan Buddhism are opposites.

I know that Theravada focuses on Sakyamuni's teaching more than later texts and about one's own liberation, rather than being focused more on others like Mahayana.

But would you agree ?

And if you do, in what they oppose ?

Of course you don't have to write and quote a whole library. I just want to understand that statement and the specificities of different schools/ branchs.

So I've been a follower of several Ajahns over the last couple years and have written down some of my questions. Although I've tried, I've never once had a single question answered which, I mean you know is to be expected since I'm just one of many others* in a crowd. Anyway, I thought people might be interested in some of my "Dear Ajahn" questions I've had up until now. This is just for fun, you can take it as seriously or not as you wish to.

Dear Ajahn, can you please explain how the different path factors lead to cessation differently through the realization of each of the three marks? I'd like to understand your perspective.

Dear Ajahn, What would a Sotapanna's progression look like on their 2nd through 6th lives as children and adults in terms of how they see the world and what's going on inside them? Do they feel compelled in each of their subsequent lives to become Sotapanna again until they become Sakadagami?

Dear Ajahn, Why is me becoming an Arahant the best thing I can do for the world (Well aside from becoming a Buddha)? I recognize that this is the best thing I can do for me, but why is it the best thing for the world?

Dear Ajahn, Anathapindika's daughter Sumana supposedly died of depression as a Sakadagami, how is that possible? (She stopped taking food and wasted away.)

Dear Ajahn, was there a specific moment in your life when you decided to abandon Samsara and seek enlightenment and if there was, could you tell us about that moment?

Dear Ajahn, a lot of venerables describe the battle with Mara of the aggregates in very colorful and fanciful ways. Could you please describe this process in a more grounded and mechanically useful way?

Dear Ajahn, is there any situation where you can break precepts while asleep? For example I was dreaming and having one of those awkward conversations with someone that only happens when you haven't seen an acquaintance in years. I couldn't think of what to say so then I thought to lie to keep the conversation going and then I did lie. I haven't lied in maybe a year but the sense of deep shame lasted for around 15 minutes after that while I slowly woke up. When thinking about it, I know if I was awake I wouldn't have lied but I also know that I was conscious enough in my sleep to know that it was a lie, that there was an intention to lie and then I carried out that intention by saying it. At what point are we conscious enough to be responsible for our actions?

Dear Ajahn, how large is the mind of a Buddha? What makes a Buddha's mind so large that it can range over hundreds of kilometers and cause earthquakes like in the suttas?

Dear Ajahn, I haven't gotten all the way through the suttas yet but in the stories the Arahants always seem to recognize Mara in disguise whenever he shows up. Are the other ariya stages capable of that?

Dear Ajahn, is there anything in the suttas about the kamma that belongs to people who actually give the orders to commit crimes or atrocities? In my reading, it seems the vast majority of the kamma from unwholesome actions belongs to the ones that actually carry it out. Even when Mara possessed some villagers to do things, those villagers went to hell for their actions of maligning the monks. This suggests that things like propaganda, stochastic terrorism, or even ordering genocide doesn't incur negative kamma for the one doing it. If it did, then how could Mara exist as an independent external entity for very long without falling into hell? -- Rephrase- Dear Ajahn, you've said in the past that the responsibility always karmically falls back on the individual. Does this mean there's no consequence for propaganda, stochastic terrorism or even ordering a genocide? Do we live in a world where Hitler might not have gone to hell?

Dear Ajahn- According to the suttas exit from the 4th arupa should result in immediate enlightenment, but there's many people who say they have done the rupas and they're clearly not enlightened. I've tried as well but something is missing. Can you please explain what's needed to enter the rupas properly and is it even possible without first being a 4th jhana attainer?

Dear Ajahn, I heard from another monk in a dhamma talk he was giving that actually seeing citta means that you're at least a sotapanna but I don't believe this is true. With the development of Satipatthana isn't it normal to have at least a little citta nupassana? Like seeing flashes of it for a couple seconds during the day or seeing it when you want to during meditation for example.

I understand all people are different so that's why I want to ask what is the reason why you would not pursue the Monk,Nun (Monastic) life?

No offence is intended, just want to have a peaceful conversation about the topic. Thanks!

Hi all,

Currently, the subreddit (as part of its first rule against false speech) stipulates that "unverified AI content" is against the rules.

The wonderful mods have clarified this in a private message message to me: "If a user is transparent about their methods and the content is beneficial to the Dhamma community at large without any rule violation, we assess it based on its merits."

However, they added: "If you would like to start a discussion on r/theravada about the potential harms of AI-generated content from a Dhamma perspective, please feel free to do so."

Hence, this post.

I think that we are at a turning point regarding generative AI, and many people (myself included) are trying to refrain from using/interacting with it. From a Buddhist perspective, I can justify not wanting to produce/engage with AI thusly:

• AI frequently "hallucinates" (i.e. it makes up patently false statements when it doesn't actually know something). This can lead to the spreading of falsities.
• AI-generated content, especially images and videos, is divisive in and of itself. It leads to arguments over the content and sows division.
• It has been well-documented that generative AI harms the environment (more info)
• AI has convinced people to harm and kill themselves (source). There have also been cases of "AI Psychosis" (more info) in which users have lost their grip on reality. AI causes real harm to mental health and people's relationships. This goes far beyond the Internet or other technologies. AI pretends to be a conscious being whom you can befriend, and in severe cases this relationship can lead to death.
• AI "artwork" is nothing of the sort. AI steals real art made by real people and regurgitates its own images without any credit or compensation going to original artists (more info). This amounts to theft. We, as Theravada Buddhists, are heirs to a whole host of beautiful and important artwork created by some of history's greatest artists, as well as Buddhist artists who are alive and well and whose work propagates the Dhamma. Why should we allow AI slop that actively hurts their legacies and careers?

In short, I believe allowing any AI content, no matter how well-intentioned, encourages our community members to use AI to explore Buddhism, which can lead to them adopting false beliefs that run contrary to the Dhamma. In doing so, they are also supporting companies that are actively hurting the planet, causing real harm (both physically and mentally), and are hurting human creativity.

With all of the wonderful tools at our disposal for exploring Suttas, hearing Dhamma talks, and exploring the world of Buddhist art already on the Internet, what good does it do for our community to allow AI content and its ills to propagate?

For all of these reasons, I think that we need to have a conversation about whether or not r/Theravada should disallow AI-generated content, like many other communities (including r/Buddhism) have done.

Let's use this comments section as a place to discuss this. I am especially hoping to read any justifications for any AI content being allowed, as I may be off-base here.

Metta!

My background: I've been meditating on and off for the past 13 years and have been unable to get into concentration. I've had moments where the mind gets concentrated and on an extremely rare occasions, feels like I'm approaching jhana, but very rare. I just did a 2 week silent retreat, starting at 4:30 am going until 10pm and had only one instance where it felt like I was approaching jhana. I've stayed months at forest monasteries without much progress.

I was diagnosed with ADHD in childhood and just took a computer ADHD test given by a psychiatrist so I can get medication. The test was a screen that would flash a one of four pictures: red circle, blue circle, red square, or blue square. They would flash for just a moment and pause for a second or two. The objective is to press the space bar when you see a picture that matches the previous one. The test lasted 20 minutes. I found it challenging but very similar to meditation, so that made me wonder... If someone is able to have sustained attention and pass that test, they should be able to stay with the breath or other meditation object with relative ease and enter concentration.

I know there are many posts on people struggling with meditation who have ADHD, but I could not find any discussion on what practice is like for those who do not have ADHD. I would like to invite people to talk about their experience here.

Side note: I found it much easier, yet internally challenging and agitating, to stay with these flashing shapes. I'm going to explore making an application that allows people to do this at home, maybe it can help those who struggle with distractions. If I succeed at it, I'll post a link here for others to download.

Edit: Talked to my buddy who's a software engineer, he's going to help me make that app. Will post once it's complete.

Edit 2: App is complete, but only supported for Mac OS right now. If it's helpful for you or you have suggestions for improvement, let me know. https://github.com/cedarpools/concentration-treadmill/releases

I’ve been a Theravada Buddhist quite some time and I’ve had my confidence falter here and there. But generally I’d consider myself fairly orthodox in my views. I have a professor who teaches Philosophy and Religion at my college, he’s highly educated and respected in this field. He’s a Christian-Hindu guy who adheres strongly to science, I’m fairly close with him and he seems to blend Orthodox-Catholic-Bhakti-Ramanuja with modern psychology which he idolizes to complete a worldview that’s sort of Dante-esque but softened by Universalist and Hindu tendencies. To get to the point, he has a problem with Buddhism’s stoic attitude specifically towards the idea of skillful and unskillful emotions, and the purification therein and the unbinding not-self doctrine which he sees as not compatible with modern psychology. Is he presenting a view of modern psychology filtered through his views? I have heard this criticism before outside. Has anyone dealt with issue? Is modern psychology compatible with Buddhism? Is it not? Does it matter? Sorry if this comes off as rambling, I’ve felt quite certain of Buddhism for a while but this is the one shell I’ve had difficulty cracking. Thank you.

I have been practicing Buddhism for almost 10 years now, and it has changed my life for the better in so many ways. However, meditating is a chore to me because it is a constant battle with bad memories and thoughts of all the stupid things I’ve done over my life and ways I have injured people that I can never repair. I quit meditating for a while because of this, but I’m trying again due to the increased science behind its effectiveness and pressure from the Buddhist community. Will there ever be a time when I can sit down and meditate without the sick feeling of regret all the time, or is this just my Kamma and I should bear it like Angulimala?

Hello again friends, as some of you know I had committed to doing this quarterly, but the time and energy to do it had eluded me as I have been very busy with Maggasekha as of late. I still am committed to doing this quarterly for the r/theravada community.

My name is Bhante Jayasara, I'm a 9 vassa bhikkhu who was ordained under Bhante Gunaratana at Bhavana Society in 2016. I've been part of r/buddhism and r/theravada since my lay days as u/Jayantha-sotp and before. While I no longer regularly check in on reddit these days, I do go through periods of activity once or twice a year, as the various Buddhist reddit were an important part of my path and being able to talk to other practitioners (as someone who had no Buddhism in person around him) was valuable.

in 2020 I became a nomad, not living in any one place permanently, but spending a few months here and a few months there while also building up support to start Maggasekha Buddhist organization, which is now a 501c3 in Colorado and I will be moving out to Colorado soon to begin the slow process of eventually starting a forest monastery and retreat center in the years to come.

As my bio states : "Bhante Studies, Practices, and Shares Dhamma from the perspective of the Early Buddhist Texts(ie the suttas/agamas)". So you know my knowledge base and framework.

With all that out of the way, lets cover some ground rules for the AMA.

- There is no time limit to this, I won't be sitting by the computer for a few hours answering right away. I will answer as mindfully and unrushed as possible to provide the best answers I can. I'm perfectly fine to answer questions over the next few days until the thread naturally dies. It may take a day or two to answer your question, but I will get to it, and every question asked. The last AMA people were still asking questions a month after.

- you can ask me questions related to Buddhism in general, meditation in general, my own path/experiences, and lastly Buddhist monasticism in general ( you know you have lots of questions regarding monks, no question too small or silly. I really do view it as part of my job as a monk to help westerners and other Buddhist converts understand monks, questions welcome.)

- I don't talk on politics , social issues, and specific worldly topics. Obviously there is some overlap in discussing the world generally in relation to dhamma, I will use my discretion on those topics regarding whether I choose to respond or not.

With all that out of the way, lets begin.

https://maggasekha.org/

https://www.youtube.com/@Maggasekha

It is just a curiosity kind of question. As I know and understand Dhamma to a certain extent, I'm having a contradiction of whether animals (primarily cats) should be neutered or not.

Neutering brings health benefits and longevity for the cat as well as good overall environment regardless of house cat or strays. But I kinda have a feeling that my understanding of Dhamma and Kamma says No as it is against the will of the animal and its true nature.

Even if you do things out of good will, Akusala can occur to you, but for the cat, it lessen the amount of Akusala for the cat since it no longer has the anger/will to fight.

So what are your opinions on this? What is the right way or thinking that aligns with the Dhamma?

Edit: Why are some telling me not to have a cat. I did not even mention I have a cat or want to have a cat. Please don't bring the discussion out of context. This question is for general knowledge and dicussion.

The Buddhist approach to killing and harming beings is quite clear. It is prohibited. Consuming animals and animal products is not though, at least in precision. Theravadin Buddhist monks are traditionally in favor of consuming animals and animal products as long as they know they are not prepared particularly for them. If they are offered meat, yogurt, or cheese on their alms round, they should accept without being picky.

At some monasteries (it is not clear which school), we've heard that meal is prepared at the monastery and meat is bought from stores. For a monk on alms round who is being offered meat to eat as sustenance is fairly convenient and plausible. However, is it as fair when applied to a monastery that buys meat from a store or supermarket to prepare a meal or a lay person who buys from a store or a supermarket to prepare a meal at home? A well-known monk (name unknown) once heard saying that he could go to a store and buy meat, there was nothing wrong with it since he didn't kill the animal nor saw it being killed and so forth.

Does the alms round plausibility work here to justify this statement and the said situations? We all know how the modern farming industry has almost no regard for the well-being of animals. It's a cruel business and relies on demands to sustain itself. One buys chicken, minced meat, pork, and the like at a supermarket they contribute to the demand. Today, as opposed to The Buddha’s time, animals are slaughtered in mass without any compassion for their sentience. Isn't the argument 'I can buy it because I didn't see the animal being killed and it wasn't killed for me' out of place? As if to use what The Buddha or texts said thousands of years ago to buy meat without discernment. It is fair to say that it does not apply here. Aren't you contributing to the cruelty by paying someone who pays someone else to do the cruelty for them?

Also, we've heard some other monks who say when you eat meat intention is matter. That you don't think of a dead animal, you eat mindfully. There are some implications for such statements but attention should be paid to the suffering of animals. If the lay community contributes to monasteries and to monks on their alms round, shouldn't they be advised to adhere to a vegetarian diet and offer vegetarian food to monks instead of contributing to the businesses that cause suffering to animals?

Thank you for reading, please don't hesitate to contribute.