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Another question... Second Noble Truth
I was reading an e-book and someone had asked a questions about the Second Noble Truth and how physical suffering is caused from craving. Part of the answer to the question was... "craving leads to physical suffering because it causes us to be reborn."
I don't know if the wording should have come out different or if this means something more than what I can understand. Does anyone understand this and if so will you help me comprehend it.
And if craving causes physical suffering which in turn creates a rebirth, what else causes rebirth??
I don't know if the wording should have come out different or if this means something more than what I can understand. Does anyone understand this and if so will you help me comprehend it.
And if craving causes physical suffering which in turn creates a rebirth, what else causes rebirth??
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Comments
You have it right for the most part.
Physical pain in a body is inevitable simply because a body's nature is to age and die. The body is conditioned, and all conditioned things are subject to decay when their supporting conditions cease. Now, how does the body arise in the first place? It arises through birth. What conditions this birth? Tanha (craving) is the root cause that conditions this birth. What conditions this craving? Avijja (ignorance) is the root cause that conditions this craving. Basically, everthing is a cause which produces an effect. Pain [as it is merely a sensation in the body] is therefore caused by birth due to the past kamma (volitional action) that was performed out of craving, which originally arouse out of ignorance. Ignorance is often seen as the master link in this chain of causation known as paticca-samuppada (dependent co-arising). For more, see Paticca-Samuppada: Dependent Origination. This should give you a more detailed break down of the chain of causation, and as a result, the process of rebirth.
I hope that my short explanation helps.
Jason
Because in a specific life, we are caught in the circle of suffering and impermanence (Samsara) we therefore do not reach a state of Enlightenment.... So when we die, we "suffer" and are reborn into a circle of Samsaric existence - Suffering and Impermanence.... and the beat goes on....
But as has been discussed elsewhere - and assuming you can get your head around the complexity of karma/Vittaka and re-birth - to ponder, lament, worry, consider, regret and fret over what has been, is useless, to the extent that it is rare to find an unenlightened being who has a cinematographic account of what went on before.... (As the Koan states: "What did your face look like before your parents were born?")
The important is (1) to value the rebirth, into this life, and realise how precious and wonderful such a state is - because you know, that in this life, you have set foot on the path, and providing you keep studying "Things - can only get better!" and (2) you can willfully accumulate good karma through your thoughts words and deeds, and by good thoughts, words and deeds, negate previously accumulated negative karma!
So not only is knowing about it, is a good revelation, but knowing you can DO something about it is Champion! Quality stuff!
Life blossoms and is most enjoyable! :bigclap: