Try placing a rubber band between the head of the screw and the screwdriver.

This usually helps increase friction.

You can use a good knife or other very sharp and very hard tool and make small parallel scratches on the screw (whatever is left of it), alternatively one deeper scratch in the middle.

Then use the hack of abby and a flat tool .

I found it most useful to use the inbus (hexagonal screw) bit of my tools to be perfect for this.

Depending on the situation you have at hand a rounded tool may be of more use.

You need to apply a lot of downward force on the tool to do this.

That way you will press the rubber band into the small scratches and when you turn the tool it will start twitching slightly.

This takes some time to produce results but works.

You can monitor the progress if you make the scratches parallel to something nearby.

This assumes the screw will turn at all, so you might need to lubricate it before doing this.

If its rusted in or otherwise totally unturnable, you might have lost.

If the head is not counter sunk, a pair of lock grip pliers (vice grips) can be used to grasp the head of the screw and turn it.

The correct screwdriver should be used, first of all.

Often times the correct screwdriver will grab the screw when it appears stripped.

A sharp screwdriver should also be used, not having rounded edges.

A correct screwdriver generally involves using a phillips instead of a reed-and-prince which has a sharper point, and a #2 screwdriver instead of a #1.

Very seldom is a #1 screw found on a computer.

Screws may be small, but are still #2.

If a #2 even begins to fit the screw head, it is a #2 screw.

The same cannot be said for #1.

In the Air Force I learned the correct way to remove a screw.

Many seemingly stripped screws can be removed this way.

As mentioned, use the correct screwdriver.

Second, apply downward force.

Third, bump the screwdriver and do not twist.

Usually a slight grab can be felt, but the screwdriver rotates off of it.

That slight grab can be exploited.

By using a sharp screwdriver and bumping it, going back and fourth, that slight grab will wear into a shoulder large enough to wind the screw with.

It takes a certain feel to do this which is not hard to acquire.

I want to follow up by saying how to prevent stripping a screw.

Go ahead and twist most of the way in.

When it gets to the last and starts becoming tight, stop twisting and start bumping.

Use small bumps and never large moves.

How about trying to epoxy or super glue a tool to the screw?

Or glue something to what's left of the screw so that you can grip it with pliers or a wrench?

This can be precise work, so you might want to mask off areas you don't want to get adhesive on.

You could use what ever you are going to glue to the screw as a punch through the masking tape to create the mask.

I know this is very late, but I know a great hack for this.

All you need a matchstick.

All you have to do is use the square bottom of the matchstick and put it in the screw.

Now, you can get the screw out by using the match like a normal screwdriver.

there is a tool called an easy-out that you can stick into the chewed-up screwdriver hole of a phillips-type screw head and, grasping the easy-out with a pair of pliers, unscrew the stuck screw.

It may be difficult to find one small enough for your hard drive, but well-equipped hardware stores have them in a variety of sizes.

Don't forget that you can cut a slot into the head of any screw with a worn socket.

A small grinder such as a Dremel Tool, or a fine-tooth hacksaw if you can get at the head of the screw or don't mind defacing the surround especially if it's a washer or bezel that can be replaced.

Also, there are various other shaped driver blades that could fit a worn/stripped Phillips, posi-driver, or screw-lox screw head socket such as a square-head Robertson driver.

Good luck.

Question: As the question states, I am looking to remove a thoroughly stripped screw (the head is stripped) from a hard disk drive. My main issue is that I have no power tools available to remove the screw. How might I be able to remove the screw without drilling it out?

How to remove screws with stripped heads?

There are many different ways to remove a screw with a stripped head. These include placing a rubber band between the driver and the head to increase friction or glueing a tool to the head of the screw. You could also cut a new slot in the screw, potentially using a knife or grip the head of the screw with a pair of pliers. Anther method involves pressing a matchstick into the screw and using it as a normal screwdriver.

Possible solutions include putting a rubber band between the head of the screw and the screwdriver, use a sharp tool to make scratches in the screw head to get purchase on it, use pliers to grab the scew head if it is protruding enough, make sure you have the correct screwdriver then bump it at first rather than turning, use glue to stick the screwdriver to the screw and use an easy-out tool.

Try placing a rubber band between the head of the screw and the screwdriver.

Use a sharp, hard tool to make scratches in the screw then press hard with the screwdriver and turn.

If the screw shaft is sticking out at all use pliers to grab it and then pull out.

Make sure you have the correct screwdriver and then just bump it to loosen and finally turn.

Try sticking the screw to a tool using epoxy or superglue.

Push a matchstick into the end of the screw and turn.

Cut into the head of the screw with a small grinder and remove that way.


Don't overly sharpen them Don't bang them on the desk or drop them on the floor

Try to hold them as straight as possible whilst using the sharpener

You can use carpenter pencils .

They are more rigid and don't usually break at all.

Also, they are sharped using a knife which I found to be more readily available then pencil sharpeners.

Mechanical pencils.

Even though they may break more it's not an issue.

But seriously, from a pure time-efficiency standpoint if you can deal with how the mechanical writes I'd go with that instead of normal pencils.

Maybe I'm just bad at using them though.

x.x

Don't sharpen it as much to start.

You should sharpen it to be useful but not so much that it is particularly pointy.

This will give it more support and have it break less often.

It should look more like the first than the second (source: theinterneteducator.com )

I prefer mechanical pencils, but the quality and grade of the pencil will determine how durable it is.

Pencil lead is a mix of graphite and clay, sometimes with additional materials to hold it together.

Higher quality pencils may have something like "chemically bonded" printed on them, which indicates that there are extra adhesives in the lead to make it stronger.

Pencils also have a grade marked by the letters H (for hard) and B (for black).

The most common grade is HB which gives a good compromise between well defined lines and darkness of the line.

If you choose a B grade, maybe B2 or B3, the pencil will be softer and less likely to break because although it is softer, it is less brittle.

Take care of your pencils.

Dropping them or shaking them around in a pencil case with other pens and pencil can cause fractures in the lead that aren't apparent until you've sharpened them down to that point.

There are many pencil sharpeners available that catch and store the shavings.

If you use one of these, you shouldn't need to move from your desk when you have to sharpen a pencil.

Question: At school, it can be annoying when you have to go up to sharpen your pencil because it has broken. I have tried using it more gently. Any other ideas? What should I do?

How do I prevent pencils from breaking?

Important steps that you can take to avoid breaking pencils include not sharpening them too much and not banging them on the floor. You could also consider using carpenter pencils or mechanical pencils to reduce this problem.

You can reduce breakages by avoiding over sharpening, dropping on floors or banging on desks, or you could switch to carpenter pencils or mechanical pencils.

Avoid sharpening overly, banging on desks and dropping on floors and try to hold straight when sharpening.

Use carpenter pencils - they are more rigid and can be sharpened with a knife.

Mechanical pencils, as long as you have the right quality and grade.


The best alternative I found to licking was using a damp sponge.

Simply tap the sticky part of the envelope on the wet sponge a few times

and there you go.

Lacking a sponge, anything like a washcloth, towel or paper towel will also work.

Another alternative is to use a glue stick, I found glue sticks to be very fast and efficient.

A slower option is to use double sided tape as well, but certainly that's not easier than the other options, but if you hate licking it's an option as well.

Buy envelopes with an adhesive band on the seal that's protected by an easy-to-remove film (“peel and seal”), like I do.

Don't they make them in your country?

You can apply ordinary office sticky tape

: it's as fast as licking the rubber band, but it does look uglier.

If you have to use envelopes with a rubber strip serving as do-it-

yourself glue in, you can transfer saliva to your finger then move your finger over the gum on the envelope.

This is significantly slower than licking though.

You can use water instead of saliva, but it doesn't work as well.

Warm water works better than cold water.

If you have many envelopes to seal, keep a sponge or similar material handy.

lifehacks.stackexchange.com/users/1214/Gilles 'SO- stop being evil'

An alternative to the wet sponge is your finger.

Just dip it into a glas of water.

Intuitive and always applicable.

To answer the comment:Paper can cause cuts at it's rigde.

Place the envelope flat on the table and apply the water.

For a cut you won't have the right angle to the ridge.

Use a cool mist humidifier.

I discovered this by accident one day.

Stuffy nose & allergies

so I brought a humidifier to work.

Just run the glue part of the envelope back & forth across the steam spout & it works like a charm.

I'm only made because it took me 30 years of working in an office to figure this one out!lol.

Modify a stamp sponge.

Elevate the sponge by putting a crown cork below it.

To expand on the "wet sponge / cloth / finger concept": As we are dealing with multiple envelopes, I recommend layering the flaps of the envelopes, slightly staggered, so that the sticky parts of the flap form a coherent area, looking somewhat like '>>>>'.

Then use your preferred method of moistening (I recommend a damp sponge) to wet all the seals in one go and close one envelope after another.

Instead of folding down each flap, I recommend you grab the envelope at the rectangular part, pull it away from the rest of the sticky pile and fold it up towards the flap, so that the front of the envelope is on top again.

It's one smooth movement without the risk of paper cuts (edge of the flap!)

or sticky fingers.

(Source: Helping with business mass mailings as kid.)

Get a selotape dispenser, the large ones you have in an office.

Without a roll of tape on the reel bit, pour some water into the 'res' where the tape would normally sit, then spin the wheel to get it wet and use this to dampen the envelope.

We used to use this in a post room at a university when doing mass mailings and it works really well, as long as the selotape dispenser has the right kind of 'wheel' on it.

Two words : Glue stick.

It will activate the glue already on the flap.

No mess, no paper cuts.

Question: I'm sending out Christmas cards and I have to seal about 100 envelopes. However, I can't stand the taste of the part of the envelope meant to be licked. Last year I used tape to seal each envelope but that took too long.   Is there any easy way I can seal the envelopes quickly without licking it?

How to seal envelopes without licking

An effective way to seal an envelope without licking it is to use a damp sponge or a wet finger. Another good method could be to use a glue stick or a cool mist humidifier. Finally, you could consider buying envelopes that already have an adhesive band on the seal.

The options include using a damp sponge, a glue stick, double sided tape, 'peel and 'seal' envelopes, a wet finger, a cool mist dehumidifier, a modified stamp sponge or a selotape dispenser.

Dip your finger in a glass of water and run the wet finger over the glue.

Run the glue strip over the spout of a cool mist humidifier to moisten.

Use a modified stamp sponge elevated by placing a crown cork beneath it.

Before moistening lay all the open envelopes on top of each other slightly staggered so that they can be done all in one movement.


If it is still full, snakes or the auger will work.

If it drains over time, I highly recommend using baking soda + vinegar.

Throw baking soda into the drain, pouring some hot water over it and wait about ten minutes.

Then follow the soda with vinegar.

After the reaction, toss water down it again.

Repeat where necessary--

it's frequently worked for me, on toilets as well, and is biodegradable so it won't harm ecosystems.

Use a toilet auger - a long bendy metal pipe that you stick in and turn round, made for going round bends.

A plunger may help.

Use lots of water, in order not to just half-dislodge your material to have it recollect at some later, harder-to-reach place.

If the plunger doesn’t help, you may need to take the trap apart and clean it, that’s the primary place for stuff to settle.

Don’t worry, the hardest part is often reaching the trap, at least for the equipment used here in western Europe.

Remember to place a bucket under it before loosening any connections, and test that

it’s

watertight after reassembling.

Nothing of this is really a lifehack, though.

At least with the two answers you got, this question is probably better suited for diy.

SE.

Kitchen drains usually have easily accessible (and hand-removable) siphons.

If using a plunger (should be readily available in every household) doesn't work, the next easiest and cost-effective thing would be to open the two screws on the siphon (the S-shaped thing under the sink).

Pull out what's inside the S-shaped pipe, flush it in the bathroom if you can, and screw it back in place.

Be sure not to apply excessive force since siphons are usually made of quite cheap plastic.

No wrench, the force that you can apply with your bare hands is enough.

If the obstruction is further down, you will need an auger (which you'll have to buy or borrow), but often kitchen sinks are obstructed right in the S-shaped part.

Try a plunger, but be sure to use it properly.

A plunger is not intended to force a blockage down the pipe, but to pull blocked material away from whatever is blocking it.

Put the plunger against the drain opening.

You need to have enough standing water to cover the head of the plunger.

Push the plunger down so all air escapes from under it (you want only noncompressible water between the plunger and the blockage; air acts as a shock absorber).

Now jerk the plunger up quickly.

That might be enough to clear the drain.

If that doesn't work, try again a few times, then try moving the plunger up and down quickly.

Once water starts to drain, put more water down, and you might have to plunge again a few times to get all of the blocked material broken up and past the obstruction.

If the blockage is a clump(s) (like food particles, etc.) use a plunger.

But, if the blockage is not a clump(s) like I described, glue or attach 3 pipe cleaners at the holding area only and swish it around the drain.

(only with blockages that are close to the drain entry) If you have some basic plumbing skills, open the drain and clean it your self.

(Dig out, pipe cleaner, etc.)

You can usually find a Zipit, a sort of small disposable plastic drain snake, at a nearby store.

They have a very simple design, are cheap, and will clear out most of your blocked sink and shower drains very easily.

If the blockage is further down you may need to contact a professional or rent an auger.

I have used the following, done in the order.1)

Plunge out existing water sitting in front of clog.2)

Use a clothes hanger or ZipIt to Try to snag and pull out as well as break up some stuff on the sides of the drain as well potentially the clog.3)

Refill with water flushing it out, then plunge water out so little to no water in front of the clog.4)

Then use a Floor / Curtain Steamer without the floor attachment inserted into the drain with a rag around the drain to trap the steam.

Plug the second sink to such as with a garbage disposal.

(you should see little steam rising out)

Do for 5-10 minutes.5) Flush with water.

If still clogged repeat steps 3-5.

This basically breaks down the clogging agents (if organic) at the point of the clog but also cleans the interior of the pipes a bit reducing risk of another clog.

There is some risk of damage as with any unclogging method, but in this one so far as I am aware is exposing holes / cracks the goo in your drains has been dealing as PVC pipes used in drain plumbing should be able to handle the steam temperature just fine.

For unblocking the drain : 1 Cup baking soda 2 Cups vinegar 1 tea kettle of boiling water For preventing this to happen again : simply stock up on white spirit vinegar, castille soap, baking soda, and a few essential oils, and you will be able to make just about every cleaner you will ever need.

Question:
Is there a way to unblock a totally blocked drain (especially kitchen) without using acids or strong chemicals?

I like to avoid acids and chemicals in general for many reasons, one of them is the environment. The drain system in Indonesia where I spend half of the year is different, and sinks and other drains (except toilets) go to a public river, so I do not want to contribute in any environment destruction.

How to unblock a blocked drain without acids/chemicals?

There are many different ways to unblock a drain without using acids or chemicals. One popular method is simply to use a plunger, and another technique would be to use a toilet auger. Alternatively, you could use either baking soda and vinegar. It's also worth considering whether the drain system has easily accessible and hand-removable siphons for removing blockages.

The options are to unblock using a mixture of baking soda, vinegar and hot water, to use a toilet augur, drain snake or plunger or to remove the siphon (s-bend) and clean that out.

If completely blocked use a snake or auger and if not use baking soda + hot water followed after 10 minutes with vinegar.

Use a plunger and if that fails take the trap apart.

Remove the drain's siphon or s-bend and clean out and if still blocked try an auger.

Try a plunger, ensuring that there is enough water in the sink to cover the plunger's head then push up and down quickly.

If the blockage is clumps use a plunger and otherwise glue or attach 3 pipe cleaners together and swish around.

Use a Zipit displosable plastic drain snake.

Flush out with a mixture of 1 cup baking soda, 2 cups vinegar and 1 kettle of boiling water.


Try mixing sugar/salt with rubber glue.

Coating the bottom of the shoe should do the trick.

The sugar/salt grains texture the glue like sand paper.

The glue...umm...sticks the grains to the shoe...

Just make sure you don't use caster sugar, as the grain size is important.

I sometimes use hair spray which I apply on the sole several times and waiting for 1-2 minutes between each spaying to let the hairspray become dry.

This improves the friction, but unfortunately has only temporary effect.

You should wear in your shoes a bit.

Walking on the smooth surfaces like ice does a little bit towards making the sole of your shoes less slippery as you understand, so you should walk more on the rough surfaces, like asphalt or something stony.

Also you can rub thr soles of your shoes with something abrasive, like emery paper.

Pine resin works well.

A big pine near my house was cut down, and I dissolved some of the sap in a mix of acetone and alcohol (flammable!).

It works well as antislip, and is clear.

Of course, after your shoes pick up dus, it is less effective.

I have a pair of crocs and the rubber soles are extremely slippery on smooth surfaces, especially steel overbridges.

I face even more trouble on wet tile floors.

However, one day by accident, I walked on a road (undergoing maintenance) with molten asphalt and that stuck to my soles real well.

Ended up having some good traction on my shoes.

Maybe if you could get your hands on some molten asphalt it could do the trick for you.

Alternately, you could try some cement (Don't know about this one, just guessing)

Cut a strip of sandpaper and glue it to the sole.

Try different placements for optimal result.

Try drawing lines at the bottom of your shoes using a fork.

That should give you quite good grip and make it less slippery

Depending on your shoes, they can often be transformed with leather patches, or entirely new super grip soles that are designed specifically for the application you have in mind.

Your local, family-run, cleaning, key-cutting, shoe repair shop should be able to recommend something and help you with that.

Support local.

Question: I have a pair of shoes which are very slippery on snow, ice and other smooth surfaces. I sometimes have the problem at home if the floor is wet. How can I make them less slippery or in other words - how to improve the friction of these shoes? I am interested in making them less slippery on ice and on other surfaces too.

How can I make my shoes less slippery?

To make your shoes less slippery, you could try mixing suger/salt with rubber glue. Alternatively, you could apply hairspray or rubbing the soles with something abrasive, like emery paper. You could even consider marking them with scratches with a fork or applying some pine resin. Applying leather patches or sandpaper to the soles of your shoes may also provide extra friction.

The options are to coat the soles with rubber glue containing grains of salt or sugar, apply several coats of hair spray, rub the roles with emery paper, smear pine resin, molten asphalt or wet cement onto the soles, glue strips of sandpaper to the soles or goudge out lines using a fork.

Mix sugar or salt with rubber glue and stick to the sole.

Apply hair spray several times to each sole, waiting 1-2 minutes between each spraying.

Wear the shoes in a bit and rub the soles with something abrasive like emery paper.

Smear some molten asphalt or wet cement on the soles.

Use a fork to goudge lines into the soles.

Buy some leather patches or super grip soles that can be stuck on.


We sucessfully banned ants from our home by using baking powder .

Unlike us ants will explode from bubbles produced in their intestines when eating baking powder.

But this will take enough time for them to carry soda fragments to their mates and their breed which will then effectively kill those as well.

The place we put quite huge piles of baking powder (2-3 spoons) was where their trails came out of the wall.

We repeated the procedure for 2 times until no more ants were visible.

Years later we still don't have any more ants which makes us believe that traces of powder they carried away still serves as an effective biological ant-blocker, provided there is no moist in the regions they carried it to.

You could try: Diatomaceous Earth -

The particles basically get inside of their bodies and cut them up.

Sprinkling this stuff down wherever the ants are sited works and wherever they go.

I have heard that borax works as well.

Essential oils-

Using a strong oil like peppermint, Tea Tree oil, etc around where the ants are sited works.

It suffocates the ants(It may suffocate them, all I know is that it kills them) and works on other bugs.

Treat them with liquid soap containing SLS (Sodium Lauryl Sulfate) -

controversial toxin available in most commercial hand/shower gels and shampoos.

It is toxic to bacteria and animals.

Just spill a lot of some cheap SLS in the areas you don't want them to be and leave it to dry.

They'll avoid it as hell.

We use a homemade version of Terro to kill ants.

It works slowly but kills the entire colony as they take it back.

Commercial Terro is 5.4% borax in a sweet solution.

My homemade Terroid is 25 grams of borax in a 16 ounce bottle of store brand Karo, so it makes a lot.

We also have termites and the borax I use is Timbor

but I think any drugstore boric acid or 20 Mule Team works.

25 grams is a little less than an ounce

but I don't think the amount is critical, in fact, mine doesn't all dissolve.

It helps to warm it to dissolve it.

I just put the bottle into hot water.

Very Important Step 1 : deface label of the Karo

so it can't be confused and write poison on it.

I find it easiest to decant some into a dropper bottle.

For inside use, where I don't want this sticky goo on things, I put it onto an old CD near their trail with drops at the edge

so they find it.

Then if it dries too much for them to eat it

I just wash the CD and dot it again.

Ants don't seem to mind stepping onto a CD (there are some things they don't like, foil, oily surfaces, etc.)

Ants apparently won't cross a line of chalk / powder.

If you use a standard block of chalk for a black board you can draw a nice solid line on the ground and it will stop them completely in their tracks.

You have to make sure that there isn't any gaps in the chalk line as they will find it and go through it

but so long as your line is solid they'll be kept at bay.

You can also use a powder in the place of the chalk which will have the same effect (baking powder tends to work well)

Another option is you can apply double sided sticky tape, or you can get special tape designed for stopping ants and other critters and this will literally stop them in there tracks and they will be stuck there until you decide to do what you will with them

- gives you the nice sense of being God in the world of ants.

On a side note - if spiders are also a problem, if you know where they come in (cracks in the wall or doors) if you place a nice pile of conkers in the way they'll be deterred from coming in.

Works and can look like some decorations if you're into that natural decor type stuff.

I know you said no pesticides, but there is a little box called a bait box that works like a miracle.

I have used these a few times in the past.

The ants have to walk into the box, eat the food inside, and carry it back to their nest.

Once in the nest the food is poisonous to the Queen.

Within a couple of days the ants will be gone, and they will not come back.

These have worked VERY well for me in the past, and I like them because you don't have to spray poison that you could breathe or get on you.

You just put out the little plastic boxes.

Question:
Destroy the Ant

We have some ants ramping up their annual activity here in beautiful Arizona. I want to control them without using any pesticides. In the past I have just destroyed their nests using a hose and basically strip mining them to their demise. I don't want to manually do that this year and if/when they can penetrate the home security system and get into the abode it's a completely ineffective strategy.

How do I dominate this situation without bringing the badness of a chemical company into the solution?

Pest Control - Natural Method of Ant Control - Howto

There are a number of ways to control ants getting into the home, and a popular one is to use baking powder, diatomacecous earth or Borax. It is also possible that ants won't cross a line of chalk. Another creative method is to lay down strips of double-sided sticky tape to trap the ants.

The options are to sprinkle baking powder or Diatomaceous Earth or make your own Terro using 25g of borax in a 16 ounce Karo bottle, lay down a line of chalk or use a plastic bait box.

Use baking powder where the trails come out of the wall.

Try Diatomaceous Earth - sprinkle it wherever the ants are located

Make your own version of Terro using 25 grams of borax in a 16 ounce bottle of Karo.

Lay down a line of chalk powder to stop the ants.

Use a plastic bait box to avoid spraying poisons.


You can immerse the egg in a mug of water so that heat is transferred in more slowly; I've done it when no stove was available.

It's not necessarily a time-saver, though.

BTW, whole potatoes can also explode unless pierced many times, I have found to my regret.

It produces instant mashed potatoes -- all over the oven.

I found simply covering the eggs completely in a mug and adding a tablespoon of salt to the water prevented any explosions.

Ran the microwave on full for ten minutes, took it out and sat it for two minutes.

Transferred to a bowl of cold water for another two minutes and then shelled it.

Perfect hard-boiled egg with no grey ring.

You can use a toothpick to place a small hole in the ends of the egg puncturing the membrane.

This allows pressure to escape.

It will also allow some egg to escape as it expands, but not too much.

Place it in water as mentioned above.

I haven't done this in a few years, but I think 1.5 to 2 minutes is the cook time.

I've been using the Nordic Ware Microwave Egg Boiler for a few years.

Depending on the size of the eggs, you'll need between 6.5 and 8 minutes at 1100 watts.

Once you've settled on a brand and size of eggs, you can get them perfect every time - hard boiled, soft yolk etc.

by tweaking the cooking time between those two values.

Fantastic gadget, 4.5+ stars on Amazon with over 1200 reviews.

Using an Inverter Microwave , I bring a bowl of water to a boil first thenput in the egg(s) and then use 20% power to keep the water at a simmer.

Timing depends on how many eggs and whether you want soft or hard boiled eggs.

If I'm hard boiling a dozen or more eggs

I use a pressure cooker.

Frameshift:

You want to boil an egg easily, so your first instinct is the microwave.

Instead may I recommend an even easier way, the rice cooker!

Put a cup of water in the bottom of the cooker and place as many eggs as you want in the plastic basket that comes with it.

Then press "steam" for 15 minutes.

Your eggs are done!

I've recently discovered rice cooker cooking

and it's made everything so much easier.

The rice cooker maintains boiling water at the perfect temperature so you don't have to stand over the stove watching it to make sure the water doesn't boil over.

Instead, you press a couple buttons and then relax.

I use the steamer basket to cook all sorts of things like frozen fish (no dethawing needed) to frozen veggies, not to mention putting rice and grains in the bottom part and you have an complete meal just like that.

I think anyone who's impressed by the convenience of the microwave, should add a rice cooker to their kitchen.

Here are few ideas: use a microwave safe bowl or cup with just enough water to cover the eggs and boil the water without eggs , then turn the heat off and put the eggs in for 12-15 minutes (soft or hard) using medium power, Consider adding 1/4 teaspoon of vinegar and salt, and cover the dish.

wrap each egg in a piece of aluminium foil (make sure that whole shell is covered) and put it into water - foil prevents the microwaves from penetrating the shell causing exploding eggs and water in the foil should prevent the arcing.

Warning :

Be careful, as too high temperature for too long can even blow open the door of your microwave, so proceed with caution .

Source: Boil an egg in the microwave at Cooking SE

Further read:

Microwave ovens should warn of exploding eggs at New Scientist

What's the right way to hard boil eggs? at Cooking SE Microwaving scrambled eggs at Cooking SE Towards the perfect soft boiled egg by Martin Lersch How to Cook an Egg in the Microwave at Better Homes

Question:
It's quite dangerous to hard-boil an egg in the microwave as it may simply explode and making a big mess. Cleaning the microwave after that kind of accident to avoid a bad smell can be a miracle.

Are there any safe methods of hard-boiling an egg in the microwave?

How to hard-boil an egg in the microwave safely?

There are a few different techniques for hard-boiling an egg in the microwave safely. One simply way is to immerse the egg in a mug of water for ten minutes and then transsfer it to a bowl of cold water for two minutes. You could also use a toothpick to place a small hole in the ends of the egg, thus allowing the air to escape as it cooks. You might want to also consider a Nordic Ware Microwave Egg Boiler.

The options are to put the egg in a mug of water and then put the mug in the microwave, to make small holes in each end of the egg with a toothpick and then place in water in the microwave, to use a special microwave egg boiler or to use a rice cooker.

It will also allow some egg to escape as it expands, but not too much.

You can immerse the egg in a mug of water so that heat is transferred in more slowly; I've done it when no stove was available.

It's not necessarily a time-saver, though.

I found simply covering the eggs completely in a mug and adding a tablespoon of salt to the water prevented any explosions.

Ran the microwave on full for ten minutes, took it out and sat it for two minutes.

Transferred to a bowl of cold water for another two minutes and then shelled it.

Perfect hard-boiled egg with no grey ring.

You can use a toothpick to place a small hole in the ends of the egg puncturing the membrane.

I haven't done this in a few years, but I think 1.5 to 2 minutes is the cook time.

I've been using the Nordic Ware Microwave Egg Boiler for a few years.

Depending on the size of the eggs, you'll need between 6.5 and 8 minutes at 1100 watts.

Fantastic gadget, 4.5+ stars on Amazon with over 1200 reviews.

Using an Inverter Microwave , I bring a bowl of water to a boil first thenput in the egg(s) and then use 20% power to keep the water at a simmer.

Timing depends on how many eggs and whether you want soft or hard boiled eggs.

You want to boil an egg easily, so your first instinct is the microwave.

Instead may I recommend an even easier way, the rice cooker!

Put a cup of water in the bottom of the cooker and place as many eggs as you want in the plastic basket that comes with it.

I've recently discovered rice cooker cooking

and it's made everything so much easier.

The rice cooker maintains boiling water at the perfect temperature so you don't have to stand over the stove watching it to make sure the water doesn't boil over.

Instead, you press a couple buttons and then relax.

I use the steamer basket to cook all sorts of things like frozen fish (no dethawing needed) to frozen veggies, not to mention putting rice and grains in the bottom part and you have an complete meal just like that.

I think anyone who's impressed by the convenience of the microwave, should add a rice cooker to their kitchen.

Put the egg in a mug full of water and then put the mug in the microwave.

Make a small hole in the ends of the egg with a toothpick and then place in water in the microwave.

Use a microwave egg boiling device like the Nordic.

Bring a bowl of water to the boil in an inverter microwave and then add eggs and simmer.

Put the eggs in a rice cooker for 15 minutes.


The only way to absolutely guarantee that your headphones don't get chewed on is to place them in a container that the cats cannot open.

Do not assume that just because the container is difficult to imagine opening by a cat that it will be impossible (or even difficult).

I have seen cats knock things off the counter just to break open a container.

You can find a lot of example videos of cats opening things they shouldn't be able to: Cat opens door with round doorknob

Find a hardened container with multiple catches to prevent the cat from getting to your headphones.

Add foam to keep the headphones from rattling around inside.

Dab hot sauce onto the headphones, not the part that goes in the ear!

You could sew a fabric casing for the cord part of your headphones.

I've had cats that liked to chew on rubber/plastic cords (including electrical cords!), and the best solution I found was to make little fabric casings for the cords.

It can be very thin fabric, because the purpose of the fabric is to change the texture to make it less attractive, not to be an impenetrable barrier.

A thin flannel would be good; comfortable on your face, but icky on the cat's tongue.

Building on the idea of Adam Zuckerman regarding casing of sorts, I would like to draw your attention to earbud cases (as from a google search).

These has loads of variations, but most of them should solve your problem.

Some manufacturers sell the earbuds with decent casings, and it is worth it to look for one of those sets.

Cases comes in multiple variants; closed cases, case where you twist the leads into the case, or open variants where the headphone wires are still somewhat available to the cat.

Note that also ordinary headphones can come with decent casings, and some of these headphones are collapsable before you enclose them in the casing.

I had to change my behavior in order to keep my cats from chewing my headphones.

I made it a point to put my headphones up on a hook that my cats cannot access without my holding them up.

There is not much you can do to change the instinct your cats have for chasing after string-like objects, so you should change your behavior to make the headphones less available.

You could either place them somewhere high up or in a closet.

Unless your cats are ninja cyborgs from the future, I doubt they can open a closet door (or drawer or other aperture of similar use).

Question: How can I prevent my cats from chewing up my headphones? I've gone through two sets of earbuds recently and don't want to keep having to buy new ones regularly.  Solutions that involve buying a particular type of headphones are okay--I need to buy another new pair anyway.

How to stop cats from chewing my headphones?

The only way to guarantee that your headphones won't get chewed is to keep them in a container that the cats cannot open. However, some other effective solutions include sewing a fabric casing around the cord or keeping your headphones high up where the cats cannot reach them. Many manfucturers also sell cases that might solve this problem.

The options are to place them in a cat proof container, sew a case or buy a new case or simply place them out of reach.

Sew a case out of something like flannel.

Buy a case for the earphones - or a new set with a case.

Place the earphones out of reach of the cats.


First, shower with warm water and exfoliate your skin to remove the surface layers of skin keeping dirt and oil in there.

After showering and exfoliating, you can use a pimple extractor device - a little loop of metal you use to gently press down around the blackhead - to help squeeze the black stuff out.

(you can buy them online on Amazon etc easily).

To prevent it in the future, exfoliate daily with loofa or something else a little rough to help keep your pores clear.

The best way to get rid of blackhead on your nose is to give em a good ol' squeeze Use one of two things; - Tweezers - Hair clip

The tweezers are the best option, you can tweeze the head off and remove the juicy under-layer quicker than you can say..

"ahh, that's the spot".

As soon as you've finished, wash your face with lukewarm water and moisturise.

Top tip: Dab some toothpaste on spots or blackheads that are a little bigger than normal..

this dries it out and ensures quicker healing.

You can use mask from products you have at home to exfoliate your skin.

There are different variants: cinnamon and honey egg-white oatmeal and yogurt clay mask (medical clay)

And you have to hydrate your skin to reduce fat production of the pores.

If you don't want to buy anything, I would add to Natalia's method.

Instead of buying an extractor or sorts, you can use the loop in a hairpin.

Just push it in after you wash your face with warm water.

Other method to use both of you thumbs.

Position your thumb nails around the blackhead and squeze and push.

Easiest way is to ask a family member.

My sister does it for me.

I think a cheap and most effective way is to use Biore pore strips.

It's something you buy, but you only need to use it a few times a month, so it will last for a long time.

Some drug store brands pore strips works too, but I found those to be more skin irritating, so I think going with the original Biore brand is the best choice.

The homemade method is natural and wonderful, but it's not necessarily the cheapest method in terms of money and time for a very clean result.

The ingredients you need for a homemade mask are not the cheapest thing out there.

I think it really just comes down to personal preference. :)

Put simply, Witch Hazel on a cotton pad and wipe the area until they disappear.

Also good for cleaning boo-boo's, although it's an astringent, it doesn't sting.

I spend $1.44 at the discount store for 1 pint,

the same thing with the fancy label costs $4-$6.

Jojoba Oil as it is almost identical organically speaking to sebum, which is the natural oil produced by your skin.

As well as being a great natural moisturizer it can also help with acne, Jojoba Oil penetrates into the skin without clogging pores and is suitable for all skin types it contains vitamin E and antioxidants which are great for fighting aging signs and moisturizing the skin.

Studies on jojoba oil show that it has the ability to prevent skin from becoming too oily.

This is due to the fact that putting jojoba oil on our skin can trick our cells into thinking they have produced enough oil.

Remove any surface dirt from your skin, then put just a few drops of jojoba oil into your hand and rub it into your skin when you start to work jojoba oil into the skin, the oil penetrates into the pores.

As jojoba closely resembles your skin's own oil, moisturizing with jojoba oil sends the message to your pores to stop overproducing the sebum that causing the oily skin.

Source : Blackheads

Blackheads are mostly composed of oxidized melanin and they get worse when you scrub or squeeze.

Inexpensive and Natural Treatment For Removing Blackheads Natural extract based cleaners with no chemical ingredients are idealfor blackheads ridden skin.

If there are any existing and underlying skin ailments as it can actually, aggravate any lesion- whether it is acne or blackheads.

Home Remedies include the application of herbs like turmeric, lemonjuice, tea tree oil and baking soda on the affected spots.

However, you should try which of these remedies suit your skin better and do not go overboard in the application of this stuff.

Prevent and Causes Of Blackheads Source

Question: What is the easiest fastest and not too expensive way too remove blackheads on the face? Especially the nose area.

Easiest way to remove blackheads

There are many ways to remove blackheads from the face, but it is generally agreed that washing your face with warm water and exfoliating your skin are good places to start. The easiest way to get rid of blackheads may also be simply to squeeze them or use a pimple extractor device. Alternatively, there are a range of products and oils that could be applied to the face, including Biore pore strips, Witch Hazel and Jojoba oil.

The options are to exfoliate using a loofa and then use a pimple extractor, to squeeze with tweezers or a hair clip, to use a mask to exfoliate and then hydrate, to wash and then squeeze with hairpin loop or thumbs, to use Biore pore strips, to wipe with cotton soaked in witch hazel or to rub in jojoba oil or other natural extract based products. Squeezing may make the blackheads and the skin generally worse.

Shower, exfoliate using a loofa or similar, then use a pimple extractor device. Continue exfoliating daily thereafter.

Use a mask to exfoliate and then hydrate your skin to reduce fat production in the pores.

After washing with warm water use the loop in a hairpin or squeeze with thumbs or ask a family member to squeeze.

Apply witch hazel to a cotton pad and wipe until blackheads disappear.

Clean the skin and the rub a little jojoba oil into it.

Do not scrub or squeeze as this will make them worse - just apply small amounts of natural extract based cleaners with no chemical ingredients.


An increasingly common trick in Britain to deter youngsters from an area is to play them classical music.

This sort of music is seen as highly uncool and they find somewhere else to hang out.

This was discussed at length on the BBC News Website when it first became popular.

The downside in a residential area is that you may annoy the neighbours - or violate noise abatement laws.

It would be worth doing this in concert (sorry!)

with your neighbours rather than unilaterally.

As complaining about kids is not "cool", especially when they are small, although it is morally and legally fair.

Its good to find an alternative, I'm glad you have started to think about this.

Now, what is a cool way to handle those cute faced tiny lovable monsters?

Step 1:

Make friends with them.

You might think this is not worth it on the moment of first thought but trust me playing with kids helps you in many ways Step 2: Explain your problem to them and they will understand now.

The thing is kids don't like to follow orders, especially if it messes with their favorite things (playing cricket with a hard ball in your case).But, if friends ask the same, they "listen".

Simple, problem solved and now you have more friends too.

I have an in ground irrigation system tied to my Alexa.

For a while when a neighbors dog would use my yard

I'd turn on that section of the irrigation system.

They stopped.

Proof that the damage to your car is from the kids, bring the parents an official looking document in which you claim payment for the damages.

You can soften that a bit by telling them that you will not take action yet but will do so when there is further damage to the car or any other of your posessions.

When the parents take you serious they will keep the kids from damaging your things.

This is not a friendly way, so it might be better to just talk rather than to bring it to the point.

A simple shelter covering your car is probably the best answer.

A

(rigid) car cover, plastic shed or quonset (half-cylinder lying on its side) can be very inexpensive and will keep cricket balls (as well as sun, tree sap, and bird droppings) off your car.

Even a tent would work, as long as it has walls at least on the long sides.

We all have been kids and world was great at those years.

Even evil things let us feel cool.

Maybe that is why they find your car as a target.

But I can suggest a responsible behavior instead of finding a solution to get rid of them.

In your situation if I were you I would take tour with them with your car

so your car will became valuable for them too.

Be their friends they will even fight for your car :D

Another solution while you have a voice much more than kids speak with municipal authority to make them a place where they can play safely which was rounded by fence.

It would be amazing if you can do it , wouldn't it ?

Question: I live in India. My neighbor's kids play cricket outside my house and keeps scratching and denting my car with the ball. I have talked with the parents and asked them to use a soft or sponge ball rather than a plastic one. But they do not seem cooperative and their tone is not friendly. How do I effectively deal with kids, preferably without involving legal authorities?

How to deal with kids playing outside my house?

There are a few ways to address this situation. One effective way would be to simply protect your car using a car cover, a plastic shed or even a tent. Alternatively, you could try to simply befriend the children so that they will be more likely to listen to you. Another technique with is seen to be increasinly common is to play them classical music. As a last resort, you may want to try to prove that they have damaged your car and claim payment for the damage from their parents.

The options are to play loud classical music as a deterrent, threaten the parents with an official looking document, get a rigid cover or plastic shed for the car, befriend the children and perhaps give them a ride in the car and explain the problem to them or petition the local authority to make a fenced off area for playing cricket.

Play loud classical music (as long as neighbours do not mind)

Try making friends with the kids and explain your problem to them.

If you cannot reach agreement, draw up an official looking document and threaten the parents that way.

Cover your car with rigid car cover or plastic shed.

Take the kids for a drive in your car and make friends with them or petition the local authority to make a fenced off area for playing cricket.


Many pedals have a rubber pad underneath

that's only attached by one screw, at the front of the pedal.

You can rotate this pad, and it ends up underneath your heel, which prevents the pedal from wandering off.

Example from Roland: If your pedal doesn't have this, you can add it yourself

: take a strip of material (rubber, sturdy cloth) twice as long as the pedal, and attach it to the bottom of the pedal so it sticks out in front

and you can rest your heel on it when using the pedal.

You can get commercial solutions (search for Keyboard Pedal Pad)

that do the same.

Glue the "hook" side of some industrial hook-and-loop (Velcro or generic) to the bottom of the pedal.

It'll be locked in place on carpet of any sort, but even on vinyl as in your photo, wood, or tile, it'll be much less prone to sliding away.

You can carry a strip of the peel-and-stick loop side, to temporarily apply to the floor in case of a floor that still gives trouble.

I use a small section of non-slip drawer liner under my sewing machine peddle.

It works great to keep the peddle in place.

As a bonus, it's not typically adhesive on either side, so it can easily be moved.

It isn't typically extremely expensive and it might already be something you have laying around.

Here is a link to a picture of it.

I hope this is helpful, let me know if you have any questions or need clarification.

You could fashion a "leash" for it by taping, tying or gluing twine or kite

string to it.

At the other end of the "leash", tie a loop that's a little bigger than the leg of the chair / bench you sit on.

Then before you play the keyboard each time, put the loop end around the leg of your bench / chair.

That will keep your pedal from straying too far away.

It may move left or right a little bit, but from my personal experience as a pianist / keyboardist, that movement should be minimal.

BluTack(TM)

maybe your answer, if you are on a vinyl or wooden floor.

Other brands of Tacky putty are available.

Try 'procure' some from the back of posters in schools / offices.

Just place some under your pedal and stick it to the floor.

I wouldn't advise this on carpeted floors mind.

Elastic / Rubber bands could be used, either glue to the base of the pedal (if you have access to hot glue, or just wrap them around the pedal 'base structure' (not over the pedal itself mind) This will then add grip to the base of the pedal.

In this setup, the pedal is attached to one end of a gaming mouse pad (basically an extra large mouse pad) using sticky back velcro.

The pedal won't move away from your foot because your foot also is also on the same gaming pad surface.

The gaming pad has a rubbery bottom, but that also won't move because the bench anchors the other end of the gaming pad and your weight keeps the whole thing in place.

It really works!

Some Amazon links (affiliate): FORITO Gaming Mouse

Pad VELCRO Brand - Extreme Outdoor - 4

" x 2" Strips

My keyboard is standing on a carpet which solves everything, just like it does for drums.

Another thing I used that did the job was moisturizing a dishcloth and putting it under the pedal.

Make sure that it is not all soaked, but just a little bit moist and it will stay in his place.

That way you don`t have to glue and can always place it on a different place if you want.

Question: I recently procured a musical keyboard, with a pedal that attaches to the keyboard via a wire. It looks like this:   The problem is, it runs away every time I try to play the keyboard. I step on it, and it moves farther away. I raise my foot, put it down again, and it scoots farther away.  How do I make sure that this doesn't happen, without putting something behind it that will mess up the cord?

How do I keep my keyboard pedal from running away?

A very simple way to stop the keyboard pedal moving is to simply put the keyboard and the pedal on a carpet. However, if that isn't possible, you could place the pedal on a non-slip liner or a piece of material, such as a mouse pad, upon which the heel of your foot can rest too. In fact, some pedals have a rubber pad underneath which you can rotate so your heel sits on the pedal to prevent it from wandering.

The options are to use a rubber pad for the pedal (check to see if there is one already attached), glue a bit of velcro or some non-slip drawer liner to it or put a large mouse pad or a damp dish cloth under it to keep it in place.

Many pedals have a rubber pad underneath

You can rotate this pad, and it ends up underneath your heel, which prevents the pedal from wandering off.

Example from Roland: If your pedal doesn't have this, you can add it yourself

: take a strip of material (rubber, sturdy cloth) twice as long as the pedal, and attach it to the bottom of the pedal so it sticks out in front

You can get commercial solutions (search for Keyboard Pedal Pad)

Glue the "hook" side of some industrial hook-and-loop (Velcro or generic) to the bottom of the pedal.

It'll be locked in place on carpet of any sort, but even on vinyl as in your photo, wood, or tile, it'll be much less prone to sliding away.

You can carry a strip of the peel-and-stick loop side, to temporarily apply to the floor in case of a floor that still gives trouble.

I use a small section of non-slip drawer liner under my sewing machine peddle.

It works great to keep the peddle in place.

As a bonus, it's not typically adhesive on either side, so it can easily be moved.

It isn't typically extremely expensive and it might already be something you have laying around.

I hope this is helpful, let me know if you have any questions or need clarification.

In this setup, the pedal is attached to one end of a gaming mouse pad (basically an extra large mouse pad) using sticky back velcro.

The pedal won't move away from your foot because your foot also is also on the same gaming pad surface.

The gaming pad has a rubbery bottom, but that also won't move because the bench anchors the other end of the gaming pad and your weight keeps the whole thing in place.

My keyboard is standing on a carpet which solves everything, just like it does for drums.

Another thing I used that did the job was moisturizing a dishcloth and putting it under the pedal.

Make sure that it is not all soaked, but just a little bit moist and it will stay in his place.

That way you don`t have to glue and can always place it on a different place if you want.

Check if there is a rubber pad for the pedal and if not buy one or make one.

Glue a piece of velcro to the bottom of the pedal.

Attach a bit of non-slip drawer liner under the pedal.

Moisten a dish cloth and place it under the pedal.


Yes you can take refuge in the triple gem (the Buddha, the Dhamma, the Sangha) alone.

Here are 2 links for you.

The first link describes how you take refuge in the triple gem.

The second link describes how to take the five precepts .

They are normally taken after taking refuge in the triple gem.

May you be well and happy and free from mental and physical suffering.

Lanka

You mean taking the three refuges in the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refuge_%28Buddhism%29 )?

Or do you mean taking the precepts ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Precepts )?

In any way, you can take them by yourself.

You need to clarify your motivations.

If you believe the teachings of Buddhism to be true, then you are a Buddhist when you practice Buddhism, and no ceremony in the world will change that.

On the other hand, if just want to label yourself as a Buddhist to others, then the ceremony (and any other paper-work) is the most important thing you can do.

One aspect of taking refuge is your commitment to develop the qualities of the triple gem in you.

Yes you can do it on your own without anyone else involved.

You don't need an external entity to call you Buddhist or declare that you are a Buddhist, it all depends on your cultivation and practice.

(Edited from the Wikipedia link to make it complete) Having taken refuge in the Buddha a Buddhist should not go for refuge to other deities or teachers salvation and enlightenment.

(You are making a commitment to practice the Buddha's path with faith that this reaches the final goal of enlightenment and salvation and setting aside other practice hoping that it will take you there

so you are given fair trial to the technique.

Setting aside other practices so you have faith in what practice gave you the results. )

You should understand and try to develop the qualities of the Buddha in you.

Having taken refuge in the Dharma a Buddhist should do no harm to other sentient beings.

Also set aside other practices, teachings, rights and rituals aimed at achieving enlightenment.

Also develop the qualities of the Dhamma in you.

Having taken refuge in the Sangha a Buddhist should not rely on heretics (teachers and practitioners of other forms of rights and rituals aimed at achieving enlightenment and salvation) as means to achieve enlightenment.

Also develop the qualities of the Sangha in you.

buddhism.stackexchange.com/users/295/Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena

What's the old adage, "We don't become Buddhist.

We just realize we already were Buddhist".

Becoming Buddhist can be done alone by taking the 5 precepts and being earnest to follow the path; however, the path is hard.

Thus, saying you're a Buddhist is really the easy part.

Remaining on the Buddhist path is the hard part.

At a minimum, you have to live compassionately and align your thoughts with your actions.

That's pretty hard stuff

and why the Buddha made the Sangha one of the three gems that help us with our practice.

The other reason Sangha is important is that Buddhism is less about knowledge (although that's there) and more about wisdom.

Wisdom allows us to gently work in difficult situations and be truly compassionate while others are filled with passions.

The wise application of what you know generally comes by interacting with a teacher and other people.

Other followers can catch you when you fall and provide an ear when you feel weak.

That's difficult to do alone.

Question: I see myself as a Buddhist and I would like to take refuge. Can I do it alone ? Will I be considered a real Buddhist ? Please excuse my  mistakes, English is not my first language.

Will I be considered a real Buddhist if I take refuge alone?

Yes you can take refuge in the triple gem (the Buddha, the Dhamma, the Sangha) alone.  Becoming Buddhist can be done alone by taking the 5 precepts and being earnest to follow the path; however, the path is hard. You don't need an external entity to call you Buddhist or declare that you are a Buddhist, it all depends on your cultivation and practice.

You can become a Buddhist alone by taking the 5 precepts and being earnest to follow the path. Also, refuge can be taken alone without anyone else involved. No external entity is needed to call you a Buddhist or declare that you are a Buddhist - it all depends on your cultivation and practice.


You may see these two books: Buddha by Karen Armstrong, The Life of Buddha according to the Pali Canon by Bhikkhu Nanamoli.

A book titled In the Buddha's words is "An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon" byBhikkhu Bodhi.

You can find it online as a PDF.

Its second chapter (only 25 pages) is titled "The Bringer of Light" and is a biography: it has section titles like, "The Buddha's Conception and Birth", "The Decision to Teach", and

"The First Discourse".

Its advantage is that it's quoting suttas, so I guess that's "widely read" and reportedly autobiography.

If you can read old book with very details, you want might to consider ' The Great Chronicle Of Buddha ' by Mingun Sayadaw .

The biography of Gautama Buddha starts at volume two, part one.

There are many books on this topic, my favorite one is "Gotama Buddha: A Biography Based on the Most Reliable Texts" by Hajime Nakamura.

It is based on a very thorough, I would even say fanatical, research into the primary sources (mostly Pali Canon) -

and I found it by far the most detailed (two volumes!)

and very well specified with references.

You can read AccessToInsight's " A Sketch of The Buddha's Life: Readings from the Pali Canon ".

The same website also has another shorter biography of the Buddha entitled " The Buddha and His Dhamma " by Bhikkhu Bodhi .

From a Theravada perspective, the life of the Buddha is given in the Vinaya and Sutta Pitaka.

These texts are in an unknown language.

The name that corresponds to 'the Buddha' in the canon is Sammasambuddho.

A Bodhisatto becomes a Sammasambuddho as a consequence of achieving Sammasambodhi.

The texts cover the life of Bodhisatto from birth to Sammasambodhi.

Every single moment from Sammasambodhi to Parinibbana is accounted for in the texts.

The most comprehensive I have come across in English is: Maha Buddhavamsa

The Great Chronicle of The Buddhas by Tipitakadhara Mingun Sayadaw Also comprehensive but shorter books: Buddha and this Teaching by Venerable Nārada Mahāthera

Thus We Heard:Recollections of the Life of the Buddha by Bhante Walpola Piyananda and Stephen Long

buddhism.stackexchange.com/users/295/Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena

Question: Which biography of the Buddha is written in (or translated into) English, and is the most widely read (from a Theravada perspective)?

Looking for a book that covers the biography of the Buddha's life

There are many books in English on the life of the Buddha. Thes include The Great Chronicle of Buddha by Mingun Sayadaw, Maha Buddhavamsa, Buddha  by Karen Armstrong and  The Life of Buddha according to the Pali Canon  by Bhikkhu Nanamoli  From a Theravada perspective, the life of the Buddha is given in the Vinaya and Sutta Pitaka.

Recommendations include: Buddha,  by Karen Armstrong;  The Life of Buddha according to the Pali Canon,  by Bhikkhu Nanamoli; In the Buddha's words,  An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon, by Bhikkhu Bodhi;  The Great Chronicle Of Buddha, by  Mingun Sayadaw; Gotama Buddha: A Biography Based on the Most Reliable Texts, by Hajime Nakamura; A Sketch of The Buddha's Life: Readings from the Pali Canon, from AccesstoInsight; Maha Buddhavamsa; The Great Chronicle of The Buddhas,  by Tipitakadhara Mingun Sayadaw; Buddha and this Teaching,  by Nārada Mahāthera ; and Thus We Heard: Recollections of the Life of the Buddha  by Bhante Walpola Piyananda and Stephen Long . From a Theravada perspective, the life of the Buddha is given in the Vinaya and Sutta Pitaka.


My question is fairly simple, i.e., do all beings in this world "get reborn" through karma, or are there ascended beings in this world, living as human beings, free of all suffering?

It is correct, that beings get reborned due to their kamma.

Kamma means action, but not just any action.

The type we are talking about here is volitional action , i.e. actions where intentionality is present.

This type of action is kamically potent.

Kamma is created by body, speech and mind .

It originates from the Mind and is based in either wholesome or unwholesome roots.

Volitional actions have consequences, we call that vipakka which means "ripening" or phala (fruits).

The ripening need not to come right away, i.e. in this life.

It can also come in the next life or operate across the succession of lifetimes.

If you are interested in reading more about kamma and rebirth, references by Ven.

Bhikkhu Bodhi, can be found here .

There are beings in this world that are free some suffering, i.e. Arahants and possibly Pacceka Buddhas (silent Buddhas).

These Buddhas are self-enlightened and arise between the time of two fully enlightened Buddhas, e.g. our Buddha, Gautama and the next Buddha to be, Maitreya .

If you would like to read more about Arahants, Pacceka Buddhas and Buddhas , Ven.

Yuttadhammo has written about all of them in this answer .

The predominant description of Nirvana in the Pali scriptures is experienced in the here-&-now.

For example: Here a bhikkhu is an arahant, one whose taints are destroyed, the holy life fulfilled, who has done what had to be done, laid down theburden, attained the goal, destroyed the fetters of being, completelyreleased through final knowledge.

However, his five sense facultiesremain unimpaired, by which he still experiences what is agreeable anddisagreeable and feels pleasure and pain.

It is the extinction ofattachment, hate and delusion in him that is called theNibbāna-element... Iti 44

The Sambhogakāya or enjoyment body is part of the Trikaya .

It is used by enlightened beings to try and help and guide those out of Samsara.

It is only found in the Mahayana and Vajrayana Tibetan traditions.

These beings can come and go from our world as they please, and reside in their own pure lands.

Some practices have the stated goal of being reborn in a particular Buddha's or Bodhisattva's pure land, in order to receive teachings directly from them for a lifetime.

There are stories of Bodhisattvas that chose to be reborn in the human realm rather than a pure land, and live entire lives (suffering and all) in our world.

There are also Bodhisattvas that choose to be reborn in the hell realms in order to help beings there.

It depends on how you interpret Samsara/Nirvana.

If you give it a psychological interpretation then yes, one can live in Nirvana and be in this world at the same time because suffering is mental and thus Samsara/Nirvana are in our heads, not "out there".

Now if you're talking about what happens after one who enters Nirvana then dies, then that's another matter entirely.

For that, perhaps read up on Nirvana with and without Remainder .

Can a human being reside both in this world and Nirvana at the same time?

Suffering is a way of seeing things.

In a sense we are all already inNirvana but not seeing it

so we are still suffering, so very definitely yes.

LUke 17:21

You won't be able to say, 'Here it is!'

or 'It's over there!'

For the Kingdom of God is already among you."

We just need to see it.

It is so close !

That said I have not met someone who could see Nirvanha for any appreciable length of time.

Question: I've heard Samsara as the term to describe a world with suffering. And it's my simple understanding that Nirvana is the absence of suffering. Correct me if I'm mistaken.  My question is fairly simple, i.e., do all beings in this world "get reborn" through karma, or are there ascended beings in this world, living as human beings, free of all suffering?

Can a human being reside both in this world and Nirvana at the same time?

There are beings in this world that are free some suffering, i.e. Arahants and possibly Pacceka Buddhas (silent Buddhas).

There are beings in this world that are free from suffering, i.e. Arahants and possibly Pacceka Buddhas (silent Buddhas).


This is going to be one of those Zen answers that tend to irritate people.

When I asked my teacher this question, he said something like: Mission, hmm

... You want to be told what to do?

Why?

This is not meant as teasing, it's a sincere invitation to sit and contemplate your personal answer to the above.

In Buddhism there are different levels of motivation, on the "lower" levels of motivation are the range of goals to escape suffering for oneself only.

In "higher" scopes of motivation there is the goal to not only escape suffering, but to help others escape as well.

The "highest" scope would be a goal to help all beings escape suffering ( Bodhichitta )

I put the words lower, higher, and highest in parenthesis as they are what I believe to be part of a false critique the mahayana/vajrayana holds of the other schools.

In reality the other schools are a prereq to even attempting Mahayana practices in most cases.

I don't like or agree with the critique

but it helps to explain.

The Bodhisattva vows and the goal of the higher schools could be considered a mission.

But is not a requirement in Buddhism.

As of my understanding, If you are practicing Buddhism, yes your goal should be ending the 'Sansara'.

Buddhism describes Sansara is a very painful journey which we are roaming without knowing that.

Therefore ending Sansara is a fair statement in that sense.

I don't know any Sutta or speech which load Buddha preaches about anything else but ending Sansara

and it's brutality.

For analogy, in war time, the ultimate mission of the military is to win the war.

But to achieve that mission, many sub-missions would also need to be completed successfully: winning battles on various fronts: intelligence, logistics, politic, economic, etc.

Similarly for Buddhism, to successfully defeat Mara's army and put an end to Samsara, there're many "sub-missions" to be done.

A lot of these like observing the precepts, practicing loving-kindness, generosity, etc.

are also common missions across religions.

Ven.

Bodhi in his "In the Buddha's Words" did a good job in organizing the Buddha's teaching into systematic and gradual Dhamma "missions":

Happiness visible in this present life, the way to a fortunate rebirth, mastering the mind and the Path to Liberation, attaining the Light of Wisdom, and ultimately, Final Liberation.

I won't mention saving others at all (i.e. the Bodhisattva ideal ), but instead take a look at for example the background story to verse 5 of the Dhammapada .

You wrote, "everyone has a different mission, a specific reason to be here" and maybe this story is a Buddhist version of that: i.e. these specific women had a personal feud, which continued through rebirths, until eventually they learned to stop feuding.

You could phrase that as saying that their "specific reason to be here" was to learn that "hatred could only cause more hatred, and that it could only cease through friendship, understanding and goodwill".

At the end of the discourse, the ogress was established in Sotapatti Fruition and the long-standing feud came to an end.

Simply put, your mission is to be absolutely happy, happiness that does not depend on circumstances but comes forth through your own Buddha nature manifesting.

At the same time, enabling others to do the same.

In this Saha world which is full of suffering and negativity, in order to do that one needs to "demonstrate" to others how.

This is where our desires and social roles come into play.

To create value as a family member, doctor, teacher (pick your profession), to be able to create value in other ways in society centered on Buddhist practice, etc is the "role" one plays to display the immense power of Buddhism and lead others to absolute happiness.

Buddhism and daily life are one and the same.

To say that our mission as Buddhists is to escape Samsara (this world) or in other words to escape from the cycle of birth and death (wrongly interpreted as nirvana) is to be selfish.

That is not the way a Buddha or a Bodhisattva thinks.

Shakyamuni Buddha says in the Expedient Means chapter of the Lotus Sutra - "At all times, I think to myself: how can I cause living beings to gain entry into the unsurpassed way and quickly acquire the body of a Buddha?"

Note that Lord Buddha says that everyone can become a Buddha, and he says that at all times he exerts himself to enable others to become like him.

In short, to enable ourselves to reveal our Buddha nature and helping others do the same is our true mission as Buddhists.

Your mission is to be happy.

The long term goal associated with this mission is attaining Nibbana (permanent happiness).

It might take multiple births, maybe even aeons to achieve this.

The medium term goal would be to try to achieve: at least stream entry for Theravada and strong cultivation of Bodhicitta for Mahayana.

The short term goal would be to try to achieve and maintain happiness in this life and future lives (which includes avoiding unfortunate rebirths).

This short term goal is described in the Ittha Sutta : Long life, beauty, status, honor, heaven, high birth: To those who delight in aspiring for these things in great measure, continuously, the wise praise heedfulness in making merit.

The wise person, heedful , acquires a two-fold welfare: welfare in this life & welfare in the next.

By breaking through to his welfare he's called prudent, wise.

For lay followers, there is plenty of advice on achieving the short to medium term goals in the Gihi Sutta (or Discourse to the Householder) ,

Sigalovada Sutta , Dighajanu Sutta and Anana Sutta .

The minimum training rules imposed on lay followers are the five precepts .

For those in a hurry to Nibbana, there are the more advanced training paths of anagarika (sort of a pre-monk or pre-nun), novice monk or nun, and fully ordained monk or nun.

Question: Many religions claim we came to this earth on a mission, everyone has a different mission, a specific reason to be here.  In Buddhism I couldn't find anything like that, the "mission" would be the same for every one: Become an Arahant and scape samsara. There is nothing we should achieve here, except from that. Is that a fair statement?  Does anyone know a sutta, speech or book related to Buddhism that states otherwise? That we do have a specific mission on this planet?

Mission on earth (In Buddhism)

Happiness is the goal in Buddhism. Simply put, your mission is to be absolutely happy, happiness that does not depend on circumstances but comes forth through your own Buddha nature manifesting. The short term goal would be to try to achieve and maintain happiness in this life and future lives (which includes avoiding unfortunate rebirths).  The medium term goal would be to try to achieve: at least stream entry for Theravada and strong cultivation of Bodhicitta for Mahayana.  The long term goal associated with this mission is attaining Nibbana (permanent happiness).

Your mission is to be happy and to end the "sansara".  The long term goal associated with this mission is attaining Nibbana (permanent happiness). The medium term goal would be to try to achieve at least stream entry for Theravada and strong cultivation of Bodhicitta for Mahayana.  The short term goal would be to try to achieve and maintain happiness in this life and future lives (which includes avoiding unfortunate rebirths).  This short term goal is described in the  Ittha Sutta:   Long life, beauty, status, honour, heaven, high birth: To those who  delight in aspiring for these things in great measure, continuously,  the wise praise  heedfulness  in making merit.  You  should aim to achieve happiness that does not depend on circumstances but comes forth through your own Buddha nature. We should enable ourselves to reveal our Buddha nature and help others to do the same. Happiness should be visible in this present life, the way to a fortunate rebirth, mastering the mind and the Path to Liberation, attaining the Light of Wisdom, and ultimately, Final Liberation.

A Buddhist's mission is to end the "sansara".

Happiness visible in this present life, the way to a fortunate rebirth, mastering the mind and the Path to Liberation, attaining the Light of Wisdom, and ultimately, Final Liberation.

Your mission is to be absolutely happy, happiness that does not depend on circumstances but comes forth through your own Buddha nature. We should enable ourselves to reveal our Buddha nature and help others to do the same.

Your mission is to be happy.  The long term goal associated with this mission is attaining Nibbana (permanent happiness). The medium term goal would be to try to achieve at least stream entry for Theravada and strong cultivation of Bodhicitta for Mahayana.  The short term goal would be to try to achieve and maintain happiness in this life and future lives (which includes avoiding unfortunate rebirths).  This short term goal is described in the  Ittha Sutta:   Long life, beauty, status, honour, heaven, high birth: To those who  delight in aspiring for these things in great measure, continuously,  the wise praise  heedfulness  in making merit.


Please refer these links.

You can google for these links.

Please do some background checks, before you go there.

False teachers can be exists like infamous 'Pitiduwe Siri Damma'.

I've heard Mithrigala Nissarana Vanaya is a good place.

I don't know if they do long retreats but most monasteries will accommodate the sincere aspirants.

In Burma, I've personally hoped to someday spend a long retreat at Panditarama (Vipassana) and/or Pa Auk (Samatha).

In Thailand I've considered Wat Chom Tong near Chiang Mai.

There's also the Panditarama center in Nepal .

The Goenka centers are located around the world, as well as in the above countries, but they are aplenty in India, including at Bodh Gaya .

They do 45-60 day retreats, but one needs to work up to it over a few years since they require one to have graduated several preparatory retreats.

The above are all Theravada retreats.

If one is interested in the Mahayana tradition I would unhesitatingly recommend Plum Village in France.

Rathmalkanda Meditation Center Meditation Techniques Vipassana(Mahasi Sayadaw) Samatha(Anapanasati/ Kasina)

I stayed there for a short period about 8 years ago.

You have to call the number in the website and book in advance.

Mostly foreigners come to meditate there.

Its free of charge but donations are accepted.

Interactions with the locals are minimal.

So you wouldn't face any cultural difficulties.

The food is quite good.

It is situated at a cold mountain area.

So you neither need A/C nor have to worry about mosquitoes and snakes.

Rooms are clean, spacious and have electricity.

The beds are comfortable with warm blankets.

There are several mats lying on the floor as well.

The bathrooms are western style with hot showers.

Attire : Anything that is decent.

It doesn't have to be white.

Rules : Keep quiet and keep clean.

Sila :

Eight Precepts (you will be given refreshments in the evening.

You can bring a snack to eat at nights if you find it hard to keep to the 6th precept)

Usually I got meditation instructions after the breakfast or lunch.

In the evening you can meet venerable Madawala Upali(the head monk) to have a Dhamma discussion.

He speaks English well.

If you are into Abhidhamma or a fan of modern science, you will enjoy the talks as he was a former science teacher and a visiting lecturer of Buddhist philosophy at the Kelaniya University Course duration : 2 weeks.

But you can stay longer or leave before.

Sri Lanka, Thailand and Burma are the main three Theravada Countries.

In Sri Lanka: Venerable Katukurunde Nananada Thero's Monastery ( http://www.seeingthroughthenet.net ), Mitirigala Nissarana Vanaya (Burmese Panditarama tradition) are for serious practitioners.

buddhism.stackexchange.com/users/11115/A Sri Lankan Yogi

Mitirigala Nissarana Vanaya Teacher-

Ven.

Udairiyagama Dhammajiva Maha Thero (U DhammajivaSayadaw), Excellent knowledge in Dhamma, Pali, Burmese and English, Specialty in Mindfulness and emphasizes the value of mindfulness Meditation Technique - Satipatthana meditation, Burmese Mahasi/Panditarama Technique (Vipassana) and SriLankan Nanarama Method (Vipassana with Samatha) Retreats - 3 days, 7 days, 10 days, 20 days and extensive periods areallowed for serious practitioners and for the meditators who areexpecting the ordaination Location - Mitirigala,Kirindivela, Sri Lanka More Information - nissarana.lk (Official Website) Sanghopasthana Suva Sevana Teacher-

Ven.

Katukurunde Nyanananda Maha Thero (Bhikkhu Nanananda)[A famous book author and a meditation master], Excellent knowledge in Dhamma, Pali and English, Advises not to be in a hurry but to practice Samatha also for aiding Vipassana, Slowly-Mindfully-Carefully.

Appreciates dedication for practicing.

Meditation Technique - Both Samatha and Vipassana, Metta Meditationand probably Sri Lankan Nanarama Method (Vipassana with Samatha) Retreats -

Any time is possible with prior notice.

No allocated dates.

special consideration for dedicated meditators and dedicated practitioners who are expecting the ordaination.

Location - Kirillawala Watta, Dammulla, Karandana, Sri Lanka

More Information - http://www.seeingthroughthenet.net

(OfficialWebsite)

These are two prominent places in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka offers 1 year residence visa easily if you have a recommendation beforehand.

Normally in Sri Lanka, temporary ordination is discouraged but permanent ordination is possible at anytime.

Additionally there are more meditation centers which are famous in different aspects.

NaUyana Aranya in Melsiripura (Burmese Pa-auk system), Kanduboda M.C. (Burmese Mahasi System),

Goenka centers in Kandy, Anuradhapura and Kosgama (Burmese Sayagi U Ba Kin system)

Question: Could anyone provide links and/or info about Buddhist monasteries in Sri Lanka that offer extended meditation retreats?  For those who have taken part in such retreats, how was the experience? Would it be challenging in any way for me, an American, who has never been to Asia before, to travel there/adapt to the culture?  Thank you

Any recommended monasteries in Sri Lanka that offer extended meditation retreats?

A number of monasteries are recommended in Sri Lanka for a retreat. Moreover, retreats are also possible in Thailand, Nepal and Burma. More information is available on  http://nauyana.org/  and http://www.seeingthroughthenet.net. Moreover, there is a Buddhist monastery in France, Plum Village.

Recommended  venues include: Mithrigala Nissarana Vanaya; the  Panditarama center in Nepal; Goenka centers all around the world as well as in the above countries, but they are aplenty in India, including at  Bodh Gaya; Plum Village  in France for the Mahayana tradition; Rathmalkanda Meditation Center - Vipassana(Mahasi Sayadaw),  Samatha(Anapanasati/ Kasina); NaUyana Aranya in Melsiripura (Burmese Pa-auk system), Kanduboda M.C. (Burmese Mahasi System); Goenka centers in Kandy, Anuradhapura and Kosgama (Burmese Sayagi U Ba Kin system). In Sri Lanka: Venerable Katukurunde Nananada Thero's Monastery http://www.seeingthroughthenet.net ), and Mitirigala Nissarana Vanaya (Burmese Panditarama tradition) are for serious practitioners. Sri Lanka, Thailand and Burma are the main three Theravada Countries. A 1 year residence visa is easily available in Sri Lanka if you have a recommendation beforehand. Normally in Sri Lanka, temporary ordination is discouraged but permanent ordination is possible at any time. Suggested links include:  http://nauyana.org; http://www.sadahamarana.org/?page_id=48 ; http://www.seeingthroughthenet.net


I recommend the Digital Pali Reader (a browser extension for Firefox and Pale Moon ).

Wisdom Library is one of the most reliable.

E.g. Samma Samadhi .

Also Access To Insight has a glossary.

buddhism.stackexchange.com/users/295/Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena

For Sanskrit I use http://spokensanskrit.de/ and for Pali http://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/pali/

I've tried the PTS Pali-English dictionary (for Pali).

There's a trick to using it though.

Enable Search entry words only (not definitions)

Type in the word you're looking for e.g. Samadhi When you search

it may not find the result.

So: Also select Words starting with (Example: bud) Type in fewer (just the first few) letters of the word you're looking for e.g. Sama

This may display several results --

hopefully you can find the word you're looking for on this list (maybe Samatha in this case).

This searching for a prefix (instead of for the full word) if often necessary, because Pali words have declensions and conjugations when they're used in sentences, which alters their suffixes.

I think that samadhi versus samatha (used in the example above) is a difference between Sanskrit and Pali.

The fact remains, however, that when looking for Pali words in the PTS dictionary

it's often necessary to search for the prefix.

Another reason why that's so is, I think, that Pali words are joined together (like in German).

Look at this answer for example (which uses the Critical Pali Dictionary instead of the PTS dictionary), which shows for example various words created from ārāma .

I note that ārāma isn't in the PTS dictionary however arañña is — which is another reason why you may need to look for prefixes (I found it by searching the PTS dictionary for ara after a search for aram found no results), i.e. that the Latinesque alphabet spelling might not be standardized.

Beware that the PTS dictionary requires of you a semi-exact spelling when you do a lookup, for example to find Kālika

you must search for Kālika (and searching for Kalika won't find it).

There's also this Glossology .

It only lists dhamma-related words (so it's not a full dictionary), but its entries are a bit fuller than the dictionaries'.

Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism is another source.

I found this one, which seems to aggregate answers from several different dictionaries.

Still a LOT of words missing from the Dhammapada (which I'm working on adapting) but a very useful resource for trying to pick apart Pali texts: http://dictionary.sutta.org/

For Pali , I use The Pali Text Society's Pali-English dictionary .

Here are the options I choose for best results (in general) i.e. Search entry words only and Words starting with (as mentioned by ChrisW in his answer) For Sanskrit , I use Sanskrit Dictionary and Spoken Sanskrit .

I will even use Wiktionary e.g. for etymological information.

In fact, I tend to look up a Pali word, explore its Sanskrit ancestor/relative in the Sanskrit Dictionary and then check etymology in Wiktionary.

Question: I believe that there many words translate from Buddha Sutra and I want to ask is there any website can translate the words meaning in English? Example Samman Samadhi

Are there any websites that contain Buddhist dictionaries?

Numerous Pali online references exist including  http://www.international.ucla.edu/institute/article/149341, PTS Pali-English dictionary  (for Pali), Wisdom Library and http://spokensanskrit.de/  and for Pali  http://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/pali/.

Suggested websites and resources include the following: the Digital Pali Reader  (a browser extension for Firefox and  Pale Moon); PTS Pali-English dictionary; Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism; http://www.international.ucla.edu/institute/article/149341; Wisdom Library; http://dictionary.sutta.org/; The Pali Text Society's Pali-English dictionary;  the Access To Insight glossary;  http://spokensanskrit.de/ for Sanskrit and  http://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/pali/ for Pali.


From Milindapanha : The king said, “Is there anyone who is not reborn after death?”

“Yes there is.

The one who has no defilements is not reborn after death; the one who has defilements is reborn.”

“Will you be reborn?”

“ If I die with attachment in my mind, yes; but if not, no. ”

He who is reborn, Nàgasena, is he the same person or another?”

“Neither the same nor another. ...

“Is the man who will not be reborn aware of the fact?”

“Yes, O king.”

“How does he know it?”

“ By the cessation of all that is cause or condition of rebirth.

As a farmer who does not plough or sow or reap would know that his granary is not getting filled up. ” ...

What is it, Nàgasena, that is reborn?”

“Mind and matter ( namarupa ).”

“Is it this very mind and matter that is reborn?”

“No, it is not, but by this mind and matter deeds are done and because of those deeds another mind and matter is reborn; but that mind and matter is not thereby released from the results of its previous deeds. ...

“Does he who will not be reborn feel any painful feeling?”

“He may feel physical pain, O king, but not mental pain.”

“If he feels painful feelings then why doesn’t he just die and attain the extinction of grasping, and put an end to suffering?”

“The arahant has no fondness for or aversion to life... ...

“Will you, Nàgasena, be reborn?”

“What is the use of asking that question again?

Have

I not already told you that if I die with attachment in my mind I shall be reborn, if not I shall not.” ... “Would he who is about to be reborn know it?”

“Yes he would, just as a farmer who puts seed into the ground, seeing it rain well, would know that a crop will be produced. ”

So, do you feel that you still have attachments, mental or emotional?

That's how you know.

As soon as you become an Arahant.

In other words, when you attain the undying.

In the training that I've received (Soto Zen), both rebirth and being free from it are considered completely metaphorical.

As such, it's something that changes about your experience of your current life, when you break yourself of the cyclical behavior of clinging to your thoughts as though they are real.

As soon as you become an Arahant.

In other words, when you fully realize the Three marks of existence.

Emptiness(Sunya).

No personal viewpoint.

Nature of without cravings.

Elimination of the 3 roots of carving.

By following the Buddha's Path, liberation from birth is realized when your past lives are experienced, known, seen, looked into and the answer to the question "Why was I born?" is answered.

Only then, the cause of birth is known, its cessation is known and birth is: removed, removed.

Question: By following the Buddha's Path, when will I realize that I am free from rebirth and suffering? Is there any indication or sign ? Does one knows it at one's death bed?

When do I realize that I am free from rebirth?

You will be free from rebirth as soon as you become an Arahant or by following the Buddha's Path, liberation from birth is realized when your past lives are experienced, known, seen, looked into and the answer to the question "Why was I born?" is answered.

By following the Buddha's Path, liberation from birth is realized when your past lives are experienced, known, seen, looked into and the answer to the question "Why was I born?" is answered. Freedom from rebirth is achieved as soon as you become an Arahant.


The Sankha Sutta is one of the best sutta's I know of that provides instructions on how to transcend and overcome the effects of past unskillful kamma.

This is how there comes to be the abandoning of that evil deed.

This is how there comes to be the transcending of that evil deed. ...

when the awareness-release through equanimity is thus developed, thus pursued, any deed done to a limited extent no longer remains there, no longer stays there."

Depends on the tradition, but there are some well described ways, some purification ways.

For example, in vajrayana buddhism or tantra you could do the Vajrasattva practice for karma purification purposes.

Of the 6 fundamental things about karma that Buddha said we should know, the 6th one is the cessation of karma.

The Nibbedhika Sutta (AN 6.63) says, And what is the cessation of kamma?

From the cessation of contact is the cessation of kamma; and just this noble eightfold path — right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration — is the path of practice leading to the cessation of kamma"

There are few ways you can do this: Increase counteracting or store of good Karma (see: Loṇa,phala Sutta ) Develop habitual good karma as these tend to counteract occasional somewhat grave bad karma ( Maha Kamma,vibhaṅga Sutta ) Karma is extinguished when felt 1 , hence experiencing the past Karma effective now

you reduce the store of past karma.

This is not by self mortification but not letting past

Karma surfacing gaining strength to give more adverse results later

, i.e., experience it when the seed of karma gives its 1st sproute than waiting for a forest to grow.

In order to do this whenever you experience pleasant, neutral or unpleasant you should be fully aware of the feeling without craving or aversion knowing its arising and passing nature or impermanent nature if you cannot see arising and passing of phenomena.

( Pahāna Sutta , Avijja Pahana Sutta 2 ) 1 Loṇa,phala Sutta ‘Whatever experienceable karma [that do entail a consequence] that a person does, he would experience the result of that karma [that is, whatever fruits he reaps, they would accord with his karma] 2 Karmas which cause calamities in like has a snowballing effect.

It surfaces as a minor experience (e.g. repentant memory) to which you react to reinforce it, each time surfacing with larger and stronger effect.

buddhism.stackexchange.com/users/295/Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena

There the medicine: The Healing Power of the Precepts

And here are nice stories around this issue: The Healing of the Bull: A Story Prisoners of Karma:

A Story by Suvimalee Karunaratna

I hope you feel no bitterness towards anyone.

this is one of the principles of Buddhism.

everything has a reason.

If there is sorrow that you have to experience, then there is a root cause for it too.

It is not the fault of the boys you used to know...

It is not the fault of the husband, or the relatives....

The pain within you is the result of a pain you have given others in some previous birth.

I hope you understand what I'm saying.

How you react to the pain is VERY IMPORTANT.

You can understand the dhamma behind the pain.... or you could start blaming everyone else...

If you choose to blame everyone else..... then the cycle of Hate,Blame, Suffering continues.... If you chose to UNDERSTAND THE DHAMMA behi nd the suffering....

then you can use the four noble truth principle and ARYA MAITHREE to end this suffering.

If you understand the root cause to be "suffering you caused others in the past"....

then apply ARYA MAITHREE towards all beings you may have associated in the past....

now that you understand the DHAMMA and you are a follower of BUDDHA in this life it would be possible for you to get compassion for any wrongful deeds that you may have caused in the past for others.... Theruwan Saranayi..

Question: As we all agree none of us have a white past, we've all have done some bad thing in our past before coming to the path and in previous lives.  So how should we use the good karma we generate today toreduce the impact of bad karma from previous lives and from our past?  I've heard that this is possible.

Reducing the power of a bad karma

The Sankha Sutta is one of the best sutta's I know of that provides instructions on how to transcend and overcome the effects of past unskillful kamma. For example, in vajrayana buddhism or tantra you could do the Vajrasattva practice for karma purification purposes. There are few ways you can do this:   Increase counteracting or store of good Karma (see:  Loṇa,phala Sutta )  Develop habitual good karma as these tend to counteract occasional somewhat grave bad karma ( Maha Kamma,vibhaṅga Sutta )  Karma is extinguished when felt 1 , hence experiencing the past Karma effective now.

The Sankha Sutta provides instructions on how to transcend and overcome the effects of past kamma.   In Vajrayana Buddhism or tantra you could do the Vajrasattva practice for karma purification purposes. The noble eightfold path — right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration — is the path of practice leading to the cessation of kamma. Increase your store of good Karma.  Develop habitual good karma as this tends to counteract occasional serious bad karma. Whatever karma  that a person gives, he would experience the result of that karma (i.e. he reaps the fruit of his karma.  2  negative Karmas could have a snowballing effect. The best medicine is The Healing Power of the Precepts .

The medicine is The Healing Power of the Precepts .