'If it can be shown that an incorporeal and reasonable being has life in itself independently of the body and that it is worse off in the body than out of it; then beyond a doubt bodies are only of secondary importance and arise from time to time to meet the varying conditions of reasonable creatures. Those who require bodies are clothed with them, and contrariwise, when fallen souls have lifted themselves up to better things, their bodies are once more annihilated. They are thus ever vanishing and ever reappearing.' — Origen, De Principiis
In Buddhism, transmigration of the consciousness-stream is taught as fact.
Since a consciousness is reborn in the Six Realms of Desire, most Buddhists either consciously choose to be reborn to aid other consciousnesses in achieving Nirvana or believe the only reason for transmigration in the Six Realms is due to one's karma e.g. good karma results in getting closer to Nirvana while evil karma results in rebirth in the Six Realms.
Indeed, we are born in human form to work off evil karma through transmigration of the consciousness-stream. Thus Nirvana is the end result of many lifetimes of good karma, for transmigration of the consciousness is no more. Good karma is the result of good actions arising from following the Buddhist precepts — protecting the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, protecting your parents, protecting yourself by avoiding harm to self (no cursing, no unhealthy sexuality, no intoxicants).
Origen does not have it right, because he calls the consciousness "soul", implying a permanent thing that exists after death, throughout eons of transmigrations. Actually, a consciousness is not a soul, but lasts for a finite number of reincarnations until it achieves Nirvana.
Therefore the spiritual destiny of a Buddhist is to be eventually reborn as a Buddha.
Reference:
Rebirth: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebirth_(Buddhism)
Apocatastasis: http://orthodoxwiki.org/Apocatastasis
Showing posts with label rebirth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rebirth. Show all posts
20140202
Forgiveness the Economy of the Heart
Forgiveness is the economy of the heart... Forgiveness saves the expense of anger, the cost of hatred, the waste of spirits. — Hannah More
Moderation is encouraged by forgiveness. When for anger is spent, hatred is cast away, and the spirit is redeemed.
Just as gold is refined by fire, so too do we pass through the hells of life to transcend and encounter briefly the momentary joy due to the power of love, namely loving-kindness which is the wellspring of human compassion.
Due to the working of the Primal Vow, which is enabled through the power of love, it is said in Pure Land Buddhism that the Buddhist is truly assured of rebirth in the Pure Land of Bliss.
With this mantra am I reborn there: Namu Amida Butsu.
Original posted: January 7, 2006 8:56 PM
Reference:
Primal Vow: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primal_Vow
Moderation is encouraged by forgiveness. When for anger is spent, hatred is cast away, and the spirit is redeemed.
Just as gold is refined by fire, so too do we pass through the hells of life to transcend and encounter briefly the momentary joy due to the power of love, namely loving-kindness which is the wellspring of human compassion.
Due to the working of the Primal Vow, which is enabled through the power of love, it is said in Pure Land Buddhism that the Buddhist is truly assured of rebirth in the Pure Land of Bliss.
With this mantra am I reborn there: Namu Amida Butsu.
Original posted: January 7, 2006 8:56 PM
Reference:
Primal Vow: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primal_Vow
20130513
Pure Mind and Ten Virtues
From birth to death, a person exists. Yet throughout his life he soon falls asleep to the call of Buddha Nature.
From lifetime to lifetime, for countless millennia, this person then becomes caught in the cycle of rebirth, reborn as Hell being, hungry ghost, animal, human, demon or god.
This is the fate of the sleepers who never awaken to Buddha Nature.
However, the Buddha has shown that with diligent effort through countless lifetimes,
it is possible to let go of desire so that rebirth in the six realms of desire
becomes unnecessary.
All it takes is mindful contemplation to settle the mind and achieve the calm mind conducive to the arising of Bodhi Mind. From that point, one merely observes his mind to discover the ends to escape the cycle of rebirth.
Both contemplation and observation of the mind is known as samatha-vipasyana meditation, and is the skillful means to break that cycle.
What are those ends? Samadhi (single-minded focus) which is of the eightfold path (pure concentration) that leads to the Pure Mind.
This Pure Mind is the end result of practicing the Ten Virtues
Ten Virtues: http://ddmba.org/pages/about-us/guiding-principles/ten-virtues.php
From lifetime to lifetime, for countless millennia, this person then becomes caught in the cycle of rebirth, reborn as Hell being, hungry ghost, animal, human, demon or god.
This is the fate of the sleepers who never awaken to Buddha Nature.
However, the Buddha has shown that with diligent effort through countless lifetimes,
it is possible to let go of desire so that rebirth in the six realms of desire
becomes unnecessary.
All it takes is mindful contemplation to settle the mind and achieve the calm mind conducive to the arising of Bodhi Mind. From that point, one merely observes his mind to discover the ends to escape the cycle of rebirth.
Both contemplation and observation of the mind is known as samatha-vipasyana meditation, and is the skillful means to break that cycle.
What are those ends? Samadhi (single-minded focus) which is of the eightfold path (pure concentration) that leads to the Pure Mind.
This Pure Mind is the end result of practicing the Ten Virtues
Ten Virtues: http://ddmba.org/pages/about-us/guiding-principles/ten-virtues.php
20130310
Buddha Recitation as Mind Tool
With each breath I take, I let go of attachment, and cease constructing in my mind all conceptions detrimental to understanding the nature of reality as it is.
Thus, "I, me, mine" are pronouns that describe the person writing these words, yet this person is not attached to such words. For "I, me, mine" are empty of inherent permanent reality.
Then, being the practice to prepare the mind, Buddha Recitation is also empty of permanent reality.
Also, the desire to be reborn in the Pure Land of Bliss is impermanent.
Thus the desire for rebirth inspires me to practice Buddha Recitation, a mindful practice.
Being a mindful practice, it settles my mind and helps me to prepare for meditation.
Thus Buddha Recitation ceases to be a pervasive mental construction, and becomes one of many tools in the Buddhist's tool kit to free the mind.
For it helps me to develop the Pure Mind that is pacified by the pure heart of compassion. This compassion is reflected in the idea that when I call out to Amida, it is actually him calling to me. Realizing this, I will continue to maintain the practice of Buddha Recitation before meditation.
Buddha Recitation helps me to remember the Buddha. As Buddha Remembrance is essential to my meditation, I practice daily.
As well, having realized the importance of always maintaining happy thoughts through understanding the essence of Master Hui-Neng's advice on the topic, I endeavour to remain in the present moment.
For all of this I am grateful to Amida Buddha.
Thus, "I, me, mine" are pronouns that describe the person writing these words, yet this person is not attached to such words. For "I, me, mine" are empty of inherent permanent reality.
Then, being the practice to prepare the mind, Buddha Recitation is also empty of permanent reality.
Also, the desire to be reborn in the Pure Land of Bliss is impermanent.
Thus the desire for rebirth inspires me to practice Buddha Recitation, a mindful practice.
Being a mindful practice, it settles my mind and helps me to prepare for meditation.
Thus Buddha Recitation ceases to be a pervasive mental construction, and becomes one of many tools in the Buddhist's tool kit to free the mind.
For it helps me to develop the Pure Mind that is pacified by the pure heart of compassion. This compassion is reflected in the idea that when I call out to Amida, it is actually him calling to me. Realizing this, I will continue to maintain the practice of Buddha Recitation before meditation.
Buddha Recitation helps me to remember the Buddha. As Buddha Remembrance is essential to my meditation, I practice daily.
As well, having realized the importance of always maintaining happy thoughts through understanding the essence of Master Hui-Neng's advice on the topic, I endeavour to remain in the present moment.
For all of this I am grateful to Amida Buddha.
20130217
A Reflection on the First Noble Truth
I sincerely hope and wish everyone o Google Plus the very best life in the Chinese New Year of Snake.
Speaking of snakes, when I was a young boy, I had no fear of garter snakes. Out in the fields at my uncle's place I would hunt them, grab one and examine it. Then after my curiosity was satiated, I would let the snake go.
Today, there are less snakes than in my childhood days, thanks to farmland being turned into property to build housing. Just for the sake of profit, mankind is destroying habitat for snakes, birds and other living beings.
Humanity justifies its voracious appetite for land by saying "Where am I to live?" Even when new apartments and condominiums are built, we have people in little boxes who, after securing their residence, complain, "My enjoyment of my home is ruined by those pigeons' excrement on my windows!"
Thus, the First Noble Truth is confirmed: "All life is filled with suffering."
Yet the life of a Buddhist, who suffers like everyone else, is one of joy!
What is the reason for joy? Even though the Buddhist suffers like you or I, she realizes that by just uttering ten recitations of the Buddha's name daily, she is assured of rebirth in the Wester Pure Land due to the working of the Primal Vow.
Even evil people and those fools who insult the Buddha will be assured rebirth once they repent of their trespasses, and practice Buddhism.
To the atheists and humanists who abhor religion, all of what I have said sounds like a wretched existence.
"How could you act that way, so full of joy, even though you suffer due to your emotional consciousness' subtle effect on your mind?"
For me, it is easy: I practice Buddha Recitation ten times a day. Each time I could recite the Buddha's name once. However, it is much more expedient to recite ten times in one go, so as not to waste the benefit of good karma.
Though, I think of Nembutsu practice as creating good karma, and burning away of evil karma.
Just by saying the Name-that-calls while fervently believing it is Amida Buddha calling to me, evil karma is burned away with every utterance of the Nembutsu.
Since I have dedicated my life to Amida Buddha with my vow to help all sentient being, it cannot hurt to meditate on friends, enemies, and loved ones, imagining burning away their evil karma, even though they cannot believe in such things.
True, this is like doing a good dead without thinking of reward. For it is true that a Buddhist wouldn't try to engage atheists and humanists, because of the risk of having a row over the Pure Land sect, which would remind the more spiritually ignorant of these intelligent people that their aptitude in science fuels their ignorance of spirituality.
When I feel tired, and a feeling of awfulness shivers over me, I sit and breathe while uttering ten times the name of the Buddha. Then I go on in my meditation to calm myself down.
When I contemplate the prison system, I consider the criminals languishing there, "How could you sit in jail, and not even think of the harm you cause others?"
For the diet of prison inmates is bland and rarely varied, lacking fresh fruit and adequate nutrients. Often prison warden lie to the prison system inspectors. It makes me wonder if all prisons are good for are to manufacture tomorrow's harden criminals.
As a Buddhist, I cannot view a prison as a good thing, due to the lack of Buddhist preachers helping the few prisoners who either were born Buddhists as Asians or had given up on monotheism in its main three flavors, Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Of these three faiths, only Christianity is open to all comers. The other two are like mirror images of each other.
It would be satisfying to see the statistics on prison inmates who are Buddhists, as it's all about just sitting and meditating. Anyone can practice that without the usual hubris of Buddhism. Though the main tenets of Buddhism could be taught.
May all people in prison be happy.
May they stop using violence, and cross over.
May all people in the world be happy.
May the children of the world be happy and free from abuse and neglect.
May world leaders be enlightened, and always proselyte for Peace.
Namo Omito Fu.
Speaking of snakes, when I was a young boy, I had no fear of garter snakes. Out in the fields at my uncle's place I would hunt them, grab one and examine it. Then after my curiosity was satiated, I would let the snake go.
Today, there are less snakes than in my childhood days, thanks to farmland being turned into property to build housing. Just for the sake of profit, mankind is destroying habitat for snakes, birds and other living beings.
Humanity justifies its voracious appetite for land by saying "Where am I to live?" Even when new apartments and condominiums are built, we have people in little boxes who, after securing their residence, complain, "My enjoyment of my home is ruined by those pigeons' excrement on my windows!"
Thus, the First Noble Truth is confirmed: "All life is filled with suffering."
Yet the life of a Buddhist, who suffers like everyone else, is one of joy!
What is the reason for joy? Even though the Buddhist suffers like you or I, she realizes that by just uttering ten recitations of the Buddha's name daily, she is assured of rebirth in the Wester Pure Land due to the working of the Primal Vow.
Even evil people and those fools who insult the Buddha will be assured rebirth once they repent of their trespasses, and practice Buddhism.
To the atheists and humanists who abhor religion, all of what I have said sounds like a wretched existence.
"How could you act that way, so full of joy, even though you suffer due to your emotional consciousness' subtle effect on your mind?"
For me, it is easy: I practice Buddha Recitation ten times a day. Each time I could recite the Buddha's name once. However, it is much more expedient to recite ten times in one go, so as not to waste the benefit of good karma.
Though, I think of Nembutsu practice as creating good karma, and burning away of evil karma.
Just by saying the Name-that-calls while fervently believing it is Amida Buddha calling to me, evil karma is burned away with every utterance of the Nembutsu.
Since I have dedicated my life to Amida Buddha with my vow to help all sentient being, it cannot hurt to meditate on friends, enemies, and loved ones, imagining burning away their evil karma, even though they cannot believe in such things.
True, this is like doing a good dead without thinking of reward. For it is true that a Buddhist wouldn't try to engage atheists and humanists, because of the risk of having a row over the Pure Land sect, which would remind the more spiritually ignorant of these intelligent people that their aptitude in science fuels their ignorance of spirituality.
When I feel tired, and a feeling of awfulness shivers over me, I sit and breathe while uttering ten times the name of the Buddha. Then I go on in my meditation to calm myself down.
When I contemplate the prison system, I consider the criminals languishing there, "How could you sit in jail, and not even think of the harm you cause others?"
For the diet of prison inmates is bland and rarely varied, lacking fresh fruit and adequate nutrients. Often prison warden lie to the prison system inspectors. It makes me wonder if all prisons are good for are to manufacture tomorrow's harden criminals.
As a Buddhist, I cannot view a prison as a good thing, due to the lack of Buddhist preachers helping the few prisoners who either were born Buddhists as Asians or had given up on monotheism in its main three flavors, Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Of these three faiths, only Christianity is open to all comers. The other two are like mirror images of each other.
It would be satisfying to see the statistics on prison inmates who are Buddhists, as it's all about just sitting and meditating. Anyone can practice that without the usual hubris of Buddhism. Though the main tenets of Buddhism could be taught.
May all people in prison be happy.
May they stop using violence, and cross over.
May all people in the world be happy.
May the children of the world be happy and free from abuse and neglect.
May world leaders be enlightened, and always proselyte for Peace.
Namo Omito Fu.
The Cure for Suffering
What is ego but the self pretending it is the little god of the universe?
Yes, I know: everyone's been taught that the ideal ego is the healthy ego which is free from want and is satisfied with just enough of everything.
This is fine in an ideal world, but this world consists of suffering.
This at first sounds depressing but there is character to be built because of suffering.
For suffering with patience and love surely protects us from the ravages of anger.
I do not mean suffering is a noble sacrifice where one suffers needlessly. Even though a man may suffer great anxiety, that anxiety could be "cured" through meditation after just assuring that oneself will be reborn in the Pure Land.
It is said that to say the name of the Buddha, one will surely be reborn as Buddha.
All it takes is to utter the Six Symbols.
Namu Amida Bu (Homage to Boundless Light)
Yes, I know: everyone's been taught that the ideal ego is the healthy ego which is free from want and is satisfied with just enough of everything.
This is fine in an ideal world, but this world consists of suffering.
This at first sounds depressing but there is character to be built because of suffering.
For suffering with patience and love surely protects us from the ravages of anger.
I do not mean suffering is a noble sacrifice where one suffers needlessly. Even though a man may suffer great anxiety, that anxiety could be "cured" through meditation after just assuring that oneself will be reborn in the Pure Land.
It is said that to say the name of the Buddha, one will surely be reborn as Buddha.
All it takes is to utter the Six Symbols.
Namu Amida Bu (Homage to Boundless Light)
20121102
Jodo Shinshu and the Afterlife
"Those patients who have not been able to vocalize or come to terms with their conceptions of the afterlife are consistently glummer, grimmer, and gloomier than those who speak with conviction about looking forward to meeting the Buddha Amida, their relatives, or other saints in the world to come." — Carl Becker, "Aging, Dying, and Bereavement in Contemporary Japan"
For some time I have held a repressed belief that "I" will be reborn in the Pure Land to receive further instruction in preparation of rebirth in the human realm. That "I" is not the ego, since it fears death; rather, it is the Buddha-essence which is incarnated in my present form.
I too look forward to meeting with Amida Buddha, my father and relatives who died before me, or even Shinran, the founder of Jodo Shinshu!
However, that Buddha-essence could provide the answer to the Zen koan "What is the face you had before you were born?".
Since I am not an advanced student of meditation, it is impossible for me to answer this question as I have yet to encounter the Buddha-essence which has incarnated within my body.
As well, Jodo Shinshu provides no training in this respect since it was founded mainly to help settle the mind of the Buddhist practitioner regarding the afterlife. Once settled, the mind is able to accept death and not fear it. Without such a fear, all anxiety about death is forgotten. Being freed of this anxiety, the practitioner is able to carry on with life in a manner that is positive, happy and full of joy.
Thus is it possible for me to view death, not as the end of life, but as the gateway to the Pure Land.
Having said this, I feel that a separate blog entry is necessary for me to discuss Buddha-essence with respect to the koan I mentioned.
Reference:
Carl Becker: http://nirc.nanzan-u.ac.jp/publications/EJPhilosophy/PDF/EJP4-Becker.pdf
For some time I have held a repressed belief that "I" will be reborn in the Pure Land to receive further instruction in preparation of rebirth in the human realm. That "I" is not the ego, since it fears death; rather, it is the Buddha-essence which is incarnated in my present form.
I too look forward to meeting with Amida Buddha, my father and relatives who died before me, or even Shinran, the founder of Jodo Shinshu!
However, that Buddha-essence could provide the answer to the Zen koan "What is the face you had before you were born?".
Since I am not an advanced student of meditation, it is impossible for me to answer this question as I have yet to encounter the Buddha-essence which has incarnated within my body.
As well, Jodo Shinshu provides no training in this respect since it was founded mainly to help settle the mind of the Buddhist practitioner regarding the afterlife. Once settled, the mind is able to accept death and not fear it. Without such a fear, all anxiety about death is forgotten. Being freed of this anxiety, the practitioner is able to carry on with life in a manner that is positive, happy and full of joy.
Thus is it possible for me to view death, not as the end of life, but as the gateway to the Pure Land.
Having said this, I feel that a separate blog entry is necessary for me to discuss Buddha-essence with respect to the koan I mentioned.
Reference:
Carl Becker: http://nirc.nanzan-u.ac.jp/publications/EJPhilosophy/PDF/EJP4-Becker.pdf
20121101
Belief in Buddha Nature Root of Transmigration
Sometimes I get asked, "Do Buddhists believe in an immortal soul?" by Christians.
As a Buddhist, "immortal soul" is like blasphemy. This is different from an afterlife in heaven eternally with Jesus. The eternal life Paul wrote of does not suggest an immortal soul. Rather, it appears to be a guarantee of living with Jesus in heaven eternally in the afterlife.
Except for the "eternal life" part, that afterlife is painted with similar elements in the Pure Land tradition.
Additionally, most Christians and all atheists find the tradition of Pure Land hard to swallow, because for Christians, the Pure Land is a benign Purgatory where every "soul" (a spark of Buddha Nature actually) is there to receive instructions before being reborn in the human realm. As for atheists, they cannot stomach religion, despite its influence on the body politic both now and in the past.
Yet the Buddhist heavens extend beyond a Buddha's Pure Land. In layman's terms, Pure Land refers to the state of mind a practitioner aspire towards, be it love, happiness, compassion, justified wrath, etc. Ergo, the Buddhas of Mahayana bring life to a Buddhist's emotions and feelings, and to the mind itself.
As I have written before on my blog, the word for God for most Buddhists is the Absolute. Some commentators mistake Heaven for it. Yet the Absolute too is a temporary thing. Most Buddhists believe that even their Buddhas have a finite lifespan, even in their respective Buddha worlds / Pure Land.
Indeed, the Buddhist afterlife extends from heaven down to hell. Our human realm (reality) is just one of those after-lives. This belief does not suggest the soul is immortal since that violates the non-self ideal i.e. self is impermanent with limited life span. A reborn "soul" evolves through successive life times. Ergo the original essence is but a part of the Buddha i.e. Buddha-essence. Thus, Buddha-essence replaces the soul for most Buddhists.
Buddha-essence is the sacred nature that is the inspiration for sentient beings becoming Buddhas. This is why Sokka Gokai call its members bodhisattvas, which means more than "angel". It also means "a person aspiring to be a Buddha".
Yet Buddha-essence has less to do with a soul and more to do with the nature of human consciousness and the means of spiritual awakening, i.e. becoming aware that one's purpose in life is to be of service to others.
To sum up, Buddhists do not believe in an immortal soul. They may have a belief in the Buddha-essence which is the fruit of the karma of the Buddha, freely given to all sentient beings at birth. Indeed, it is not the soul that transmigrates in a new incarnation, it is the karma that bears fruit in a new birth.
For all the actions of an infant's parents and their parents before them bear fruit in that child. As a Japanese person, this is important to me as my ancestors before me worshipped their ancestors, not due to pagan ideals, but out of respect to them. Thus ancestor worship is the ideal of respect for the dead.
Hopefully the gentle reader now knows that I do not believe in an immortal soul but in the Buddha-essence that incarnates first in a Pure Land and then returns to this human realm, despite being given the choice of the many heavens of Buddhist cosmology.
For Buddhists soon wish to be reborn in the human realm because it is the home of human suffering. Indeed, on this shiny blue planent is where we find the face before we, as bodhisattvas, were born.
As a Buddhist, "immortal soul" is like blasphemy. This is different from an afterlife in heaven eternally with Jesus. The eternal life Paul wrote of does not suggest an immortal soul. Rather, it appears to be a guarantee of living with Jesus in heaven eternally in the afterlife.
Except for the "eternal life" part, that afterlife is painted with similar elements in the Pure Land tradition.
Additionally, most Christians and all atheists find the tradition of Pure Land hard to swallow, because for Christians, the Pure Land is a benign Purgatory where every "soul" (a spark of Buddha Nature actually) is there to receive instructions before being reborn in the human realm. As for atheists, they cannot stomach religion, despite its influence on the body politic both now and in the past.
Yet the Buddhist heavens extend beyond a Buddha's Pure Land. In layman's terms, Pure Land refers to the state of mind a practitioner aspire towards, be it love, happiness, compassion, justified wrath, etc. Ergo, the Buddhas of Mahayana bring life to a Buddhist's emotions and feelings, and to the mind itself.
As I have written before on my blog, the word for God for most Buddhists is the Absolute. Some commentators mistake Heaven for it. Yet the Absolute too is a temporary thing. Most Buddhists believe that even their Buddhas have a finite lifespan, even in their respective Buddha worlds / Pure Land.
Indeed, the Buddhist afterlife extends from heaven down to hell. Our human realm (reality) is just one of those after-lives. This belief does not suggest the soul is immortal since that violates the non-self ideal i.e. self is impermanent with limited life span. A reborn "soul" evolves through successive life times. Ergo the original essence is but a part of the Buddha i.e. Buddha-essence. Thus, Buddha-essence replaces the soul for most Buddhists.
Buddha-essence is the sacred nature that is the inspiration for sentient beings becoming Buddhas. This is why Sokka Gokai call its members bodhisattvas, which means more than "angel". It also means "a person aspiring to be a Buddha".
Yet Buddha-essence has less to do with a soul and more to do with the nature of human consciousness and the means of spiritual awakening, i.e. becoming aware that one's purpose in life is to be of service to others.
To sum up, Buddhists do not believe in an immortal soul. They may have a belief in the Buddha-essence which is the fruit of the karma of the Buddha, freely given to all sentient beings at birth. Indeed, it is not the soul that transmigrates in a new incarnation, it is the karma that bears fruit in a new birth.
For all the actions of an infant's parents and their parents before them bear fruit in that child. As a Japanese person, this is important to me as my ancestors before me worshipped their ancestors, not due to pagan ideals, but out of respect to them. Thus ancestor worship is the ideal of respect for the dead.
Hopefully the gentle reader now knows that I do not believe in an immortal soul but in the Buddha-essence that incarnates first in a Pure Land and then returns to this human realm, despite being given the choice of the many heavens of Buddhist cosmology.
For Buddhists soon wish to be reborn in the human realm because it is the home of human suffering. Indeed, on this shiny blue planent is where we find the face before we, as bodhisattvas, were born.
20050704
Hyperbole in Vasistha's Yoga
One may revolve on the wheel of birth and death for a thousand lifetimes: this will not cease till one has fully mastered the mind and till that mind has come to a state of supreme peace and equanimity. - The Story of Prahlada, Vasistha's Yoga, V:43
This quote is from the last two paragraphs of Verse 43 of Chapter 5 in Vasistha's Yoga, which is the metaphorical Story of Prahlada.
The literal meaning of the above sentence implies the concept of reincarnation. Yet it is hyperbole because it does not mean that a person is fated to "revolve on the wheel of birth and death (Samsara) for a thousand lifetimes".
Rather, it implies that a person may feel like as though she is repeating the same pattern of behavior, and that "this will not cease" until she "has fully mastered the mind" through "contemplating the changeless consciousness which is infinite", ibid.
This mastery of the mind where "the mind has come to a state of supreme peace and equanimity" is achieved by abandoning one's illusions about objective phenomena as clearly stated in the rest of the quote:
...Abandon all illusory appearances of objective phenomena, whether they appear within you or outside you. Contemplate the sole reality of consciousness for the cessation of repeated birth, Taste the pure consciousness (which is, in truth, the essence of all that exists) by resolutely renouncing objectivity of consciousness, (all the concepts and percepts) and contemplating the changeless consciousness which is infinite. You will surely cross this river of world-appearance and rebirth. - ibid.
Hence, the purpose of hyperbole here is to inspire and thus motivate the disciple to apply the physical exercises in yoga to achieve "a state of supreme peace and equanimity".
This quote is from the last two paragraphs of Verse 43 of Chapter 5 in Vasistha's Yoga, which is the metaphorical Story of Prahlada.
The literal meaning of the above sentence implies the concept of reincarnation. Yet it is hyperbole because it does not mean that a person is fated to "revolve on the wheel of birth and death (Samsara) for a thousand lifetimes".
Rather, it implies that a person may feel like as though she is repeating the same pattern of behavior, and that "this will not cease" until she "has fully mastered the mind" through "contemplating the changeless consciousness which is infinite", ibid.
This mastery of the mind where "the mind has come to a state of supreme peace and equanimity" is achieved by abandoning one's illusions about objective phenomena as clearly stated in the rest of the quote:
...Abandon all illusory appearances of objective phenomena, whether they appear within you or outside you. Contemplate the sole reality of consciousness for the cessation of repeated birth, Taste the pure consciousness (which is, in truth, the essence of all that exists) by resolutely renouncing objectivity of consciousness, (all the concepts and percepts) and contemplating the changeless consciousness which is infinite. You will surely cross this river of world-appearance and rebirth. - ibid.
Hence, the purpose of hyperbole here is to inspire and thus motivate the disciple to apply the physical exercises in yoga to achieve "a state of supreme peace and equanimity".
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