Wise Awareness (​Kumāra Bhikkhu's Blog)

There are some disagreements among Buddhists regarding homosexual acts. Some say such acts are considered sensual misconduct, while some say not. I’m not interested in settling their disagreements, but would like to share my understanding on the matter based on early Buddhist texts. Are homosexual acts considered sensual misconduct? You may be familiar with the concept of “sensual misconduct”, one of the five basic actions that lay Buddhists should train themselves to abstain from. Does it include homosexual acts? Here’s an English translation of the Pāli Suttas’ description of how one abstains from sensual misconduct: Abandoning sensual misconduct, he abstains from sensual misconduct. He does not get sexually involved with those who are protected by their mothers, their fathers, their brothers, their sisters, their relatives, or their Dhamma; those with husbands, those who entail punishments, or even those crowned with flowers by another man. There are two points to take note of: The ...

Anxiety is a condition more common than most of us think, as people with the issue often hide it. While we may say it’s normal, it can be disruptive and make us feel out of control. This guide shows you how to deal with anxiety from various angles. Relieving the tension due to anxiety Anxiety can cause much tension in the body, which can lead to further anxiety. So, it’s important to relieve yourself of the tension, which actually reduces your anxiety too. Notice how your body feels. Breathe. Keep breathing in a relaxed way as you feel your body. If there are anxious thoughts—be they related to current matters or long-gone events—don’t give them any special attention. You may find it useful to remind yourself repeatedly, “Thoughts are just thoughts. Feelings are just feelings.” As you do the above, don’t try to do anything to the tension or the thoughts. Just keep breathing relaxingly as you feel your body. Do this as often as you can throughout the day. When you want to sleep, or ...

I met a young woman at a Buddhist center, which she had been to many times to seek help for spirit disturbance. The members there had chanted for her, but it didn’t help, so they asked if I could chant for her. (I suppose they believed my chanting would be more powerful.) I decided to ask her for specifics about the disturbance, and she said it was like blaming her. I then asked her if she did anything different before this thing started. She said, “I attended a Guanyin  retreat.” “During that retreat, did you do anything that you felt guilty about?” “Yes.” “What was it?” “I flirted with a monk.” “And he…” “He flirted back.” “Then after the retreat you felt very bad about what you did.” “Yes.” “You criticized yourself.” “Yes.” “You did that a lot, until it couldn’t stop.” “Yes.” “So, you tried to push it away.” “Yes.” “But still it happened, except that it felt like it was somebody else doing it.” “Yes.” “So, you understand the problem now?” She nodded. “What you need to do now is ...