In essence, the consciousness-stream is an evolving consciousness which on death, becomes one of the causes that contribute to the arising of a new aggregation.
Death is known as dissolution of the aggregates.
At the death of the previous personality, a new personality is born, like the flame of a dying candle used to light the flame of another. The new person's consciousness is neither identical to nor entirely different from that of the deceased but the two form a causal continuum or stream.
Transmigration is due to karma or volitional action and its basic cause is the abiding of consciousness in spiritual ignorance. When ignorance is uprooted, rebirth ends.
However, this consciousness-stream is not a soul and has no permanent existence apart from the body.
Since transmigration is due to karma (action), the stream is actually of a temporary spiritual nature. It is not the primary reason for meditation. Hence not all schools of Buddhism promote reincarnation.
As for spiritual ignorance, this consists of ignorance of the first Buddhist truth that life is full of suffering. Denial of this basic truth is what leads to ignorance. Acceptance of this truth leads to the second truth, that suffering is due to ignorant craving. Knowing that ignorant craving leads to suffering results in realization of the third truth, that suffering can be ended. In the fourth truth are the Eightfold Path in ending suffering. These truths are known as the Four Noble Truths.
In the Eightfold Path are the following divided into three parts, consisting of Wisdom (right view and right intention), and Ethical conduct (right speech, right action, right livelihood) and Concentration (right effort, right mindfulness, tight concentration).
Meditation is said to aid in ending spiritual ignorance.
Reference:
Reincarnation: Buddhism: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reincarnation#Buddhism
Four Noble Truths: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Noble_Truths
Eightfold Path: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eightfold_Path
Showing posts with label transmigration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label transmigration. Show all posts
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)