Answer by Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena for Should Buddhist teachers get rich?

If a teacher becomes rich by means of his professional or business activities there is no issue. If you are commercialising the Dhamma then this goes against the spirit of the Dhamma. Ideally there should be no fee.

E.g. meditation centres run under http://dhamma.org/ does not charge any fixed fee but but run on donation basis:

In a course like this, one has a wonderful opportunity to develop this p±ram². Whatever one receives here is donated by another person; there are no charges for room and board, and certainly none for the teaching. In turn, one is able to give a donation for the benefit of someone else. The amount one gives will vary according to one’s means. Naturally a wealthy person will wish to give more, but even the smallest donation, given with proper volition, is very valuable in developing this p±ram². Without expecting anything in return, one gives so that others may experience the benefits of Dhamma and may come out of their suffering.

Source: The Discourse Summaries

Forest Dhamma Books make lot of books available for free. The books carry the following message:

THIS BOOK IS A FREE GIFT OF DHAMMA & MAY NOT BE OFFERED FOR SALE. ALL COMMERCIAL RIGHTS RESERVED.

The Dhamma should not be sold like goods in the market place. Permission to reproduce in any way for free distribution, as a gift of Dhamma, is hereby granted and no further permission need be obtained. Reproduction in any way for commercial gain is prohibited.

Also The Three Roots Inc by Piya Tan discusses multiple instances and issues which has arisen due to promoting religion like a business with profit motives.

The Dhamma should be available for everyone for free has how it was taught by the Buddha and subsequently until recently.

Any form of voluntary donation either in material or cash (for lay teachers) is fine as long as it is not solicited or there is a fixed fee.

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Answer by Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena for Near death experience and meditation

When you get a NDE you get an impression of your pending death and impermanence of life. Because of this impression you perhaps may get the benefits of contemplating on death.

mindfulness is established on death as the object,

the mental hindrances are suppressed,

the dhyana-factors appear.

...

And,a monk devoted to this mindfulness of death, is constantly diligent.

He gains the perception of non-delight in all existence.

He abandons longing for life.

He is one who censures the bad.

He is not one who stores up much.

He is free from the taint of avarice.

And the perception of impermanence grows in him.

Source: Maraṇa Sati Kathā by Piya Tan

Nearing the point of death you are get sign of the a Kamma you have performed. Sometimes what you see is a sign of what you did maybe the person involved. This explains seeing dead relatives. Also you will see signs of where you will be reborn. If you like or dislikes a person, or the person owes you something and you are destined to be born near where the person is born then you might again see such people. These are in most cases signs and you are not really seeing the being. For more information on the process nearing the death of a being see the section The mind at the time of death in The Abhidhamma in Practice by N.K.G. Mendis

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Answer by Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena for What exactly is Jhana?

What exactly is the theory of jhana

This is to look at something clearly or closely. [Abhidharmartha Pradipika, vol 1, p 71] It can be something pertaining to the ultimate realities or a conceptual object.

Also see my answer: What to make of Jhanas as explained in the pragmatic dharma movement?

how does it come about and how does it relate to the buddhist practice

Saṅkhitta Dhamma Sutta or The Discourse on the Dharma in Brief mentions you should develop the Jhana factors on the 4 Sathipattana and 4 Brahmavihara.

everyday life?

In daily interaction you create fabrication, but if you keep your focus on the 4 Sathipattana and 4 Brahmavihara with emphasis on arising and passing of feeling (or phenomena which is felt), you can stop or tame the creation of new fabrication hence becoming.

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Tikapatthana in English

I am looking for a proper translation of the Tikapatthana into English which might be available online as a PDF.

Is it possible to point me to such reference.

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Answer by Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena for What is the destination of a buddhist?

What is the destination of a buddhist?

There is no particular destination a Buddhist aims for. The Buddhist goal is to be stress free eradicating the case. This is systematised as the 4 Noble Truths.

In mundane life living is so tough , facing sorrow , troubles and need to struggle for achieve something physical things and we get hurt because craving.

Mundane life is tough because of the presence of unwholesome roots which drive us. Will (chanda) to achieve a goal in the absence of craving hence there is no unwholesome root associated with it. [(Kosambi) Unnābha Sutta, Sangarava Sutta] So you should have the will to discharge duties and attain worldly goals without craving.

... So where to focus ...

You should keep your focus on feelings or sensations.

With contact as condition, there is feeling; with feeling as condition, there is craving. But with the remainderless fading away and ending of that same craving comes the ending of clinging;

Source: (Samuday’atthangama) Loka Sutta

Also from one of Goenka's research papers: Why Vedana and What is Vedana?

Eradicate the latent tendency of craving using pleasant sensations (by equanimous observation of the pleasant sensations understanding their changing nature), eradicate latent tendency of aversion using unpleasant sensations and eradicate the latent tendency of ignorance using neutral sensations.

Another passage from the same paper:

Vedana is also a cetasikacetasika (mental concomitant). When the Buddha says, sabbe dhamma vedana samosaranasabbe dhamma vedana samosarana, it means that the experience of all mental concomitants includes and is inseparable from vedana. Hence according to my understanding of the teaching of the Buddha, not only do kayanupassanakayanupassana and vedananupassanavedananupassana involve the awareness of vedana but vedana also forms an integral part of dhammanupassanadhammanupassana and cittanupassanacittanupassana. A meditator whether practising kayanupassana or vedananupassana or cittanupassana or dhammanupassana, continues to be aware of vedana. He realizes the phenomenon of arising (samudayadhammanupassisamudayadhammanupassi) and the phenomenon of passing away (vayadhammanupassivayadhammanupassi) by maintaining awareness of vedana with the understanding of its impermanent nature. Thus he does not allow tanha to arise in response to vedana: He responds neither with tanha of craving towards a pleasant sensation nor with tanha of aversion towards an unpleasant sensation. A meditator maintains upekkha (equanimity) based on understanding of anicca (impermanence).

Ideally you should pratice the Vipassana to overcome craving and liberated your mind. You can try and take a course at http://www.dhamma.org/ or http://ift.tt/20IaRuY. The level of support one can get in a forum or Q&A site like this is limited. To get rid of your pain you will have to take a formal meditation course.

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Answer by Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena for Unguided retreat

Time table

Best is you have a time table. Wake at about 4 am and be seated by 4.30 am. Schedule breakfast at about 6.30 am and lunch at 11 am. Skip dinner but perhaps you can try to have a light tea at about 5 pm.

Schedule about 1 hour after breakfast and lunch for coires.

Get to bed at about 9.30 pm and meditate in while lying down until you fall asleep.

Meals

Have breakfast at dawn (~ 6.30 am) and lunch before the sun has turned (~ 12 noon). See Kīta,giri Sutta, Latukikopama Sutta for taking food at proper times.

Have a light and if possible vegetarian diet. Vegetarian is not necessary a must but helps keep a hold on restlessness or sleepiness due to food abay.

Study

If you are doing this unguided you have to do the study before hand and outline the meditation you are going to pratice.

You can skip study as this can be a form of intellectual entertainment hence a distraction meditation even if it is the Dhamma.

Silence

Best is to be in total silence with no outside communications, e.g. visitors, TV, newspapers, phone, etc. When you talk this causes verbal fabrication which is something you might want to avoid.

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Answer by Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena for How to bless someone?

The closest equivalent in Buddhism would be to develop the 4 Immeasurables Meditation keeping your friend in mind.

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