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Buddhists/Where?
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Question
Is Buddha physically "alive?" And if he is, WHERE exactly is he, right now?
Hi Jimmie,
Physically alive? No, certainly not in any ordinary sense. So your second question has no meaningful answer.
In fact is is an important teaching of Buddhism that the question of whether the Buddha continues after death or not (and a number of other related points) are not worth pursuing. Perhaps there is an answer - but people will not agree what it is, and nobody can prove it either way.
Buddhism is a varied collection of traditions, but I think all branches would say more or less the same.
All the best
AW
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Answers by Expert:
Alex Wilding
Expertise
I have practiced and studied Tibetan Buddhism in the Kagyu and Nyingma traditions since the early 1970s, and have a good knowledge of theory, history and of the struggles of trying to practice the teachings, including meditation, while leading a normal, modern life. I am also available to provide background information for journalists.
Experience
I have been a practitioner since the early 1970s; have run a small Buddhist centre in the English Midlands and was vice-president of Kagyu Benchen Ling e.V. in Germany, for whom I managed three large Buddhist summer-camps. More importantly, I maintain a habit of personal practice.
I am the "owner" of the Kagyu list at Yahoo.
Education/Credentials
My first degree was an M.A. from Oxford. I later obtained a Master of Philosophy degree for a research thesis in "Initiation in Tibetan Buddhism" from Leicester University. I also have engineering and educational qualifications.
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