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Anatta Vs Rebirth
If, like me, you've come across the seemingly paradoxical debate of anatta and rebirth (if there is no self, then what exactly is reborn?) then you might find this discussion between Buddha and Kutadanta interesting:
http://members.optushome.com.au/davidquinn000/Buddhist Writings/Kutadanta.htm
http://members.optushome.com.au/davidquinn000/Buddhist Writings/Kutadanta.htm
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as long as you still know your 'self' as yourself,
you will be reborn.
when you realise anatta, then there is no more rebirth.
Until We Come to No Old Age and Death and
No Ending of Old Age and Death."
-Heart Sutra
Do you have a Pali Canon reference if this is from a sutta, please ? " The Gospel of Buddha" was apparently written in 1894 by Paul Carus and was modeled on the New Testament.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gospel_of_Buddha
with kind wishes
D.
http://das-buddhistische-haus.de/pages/images/stories/dokumente-englisch/Ajahn-Buddhadasa/Ajahn_Buddhadasa--Anatta_and_Rebirth.pdf
I don't have a reference I'm afraid, I was just googling and found that article and enjoyed the content.
Yeah Christianity was still very strong back then so it makes sense that someone would try to make Buddhas teachings more palatable to that audience.
Karma and rebirth still perplex me with regards to Anatta, I think its because there is no apparent physical mechanism for transferring personal Karma or thought patterns from one person to another. To me Anatta makes more sense without karma or rebirth.
This is a quote from the Buddhadasa link I recommended in my previous post:
"Whether or not there is rebirth is not the fundamental question, because once one is born here and now, there is dukkha like this and it must be quenched like this. Even if you are born again, dukkha is like this and must be quenched in the same way.
Why bother talking about birth or no birth? Talk only about how dukkha arises and how dukkha is quenched. Just this is already enough. For this reason the Buddha taught anattā. Once anattā is fully realized, there is no dukkha."
a flower is born from a seed and eventually it dies.
but then it sprouts again because the conditions were ripe.|
the flower is just the manifestation of various conditions coming together. without each condition the flower cannot exist.
just like how we ourselves are the various skandhas. they are all just parts coming together to create this whole experience of being a human. all of it lacks any true permanence or essence. that is what emptiness or no self is pointing to.
now that doesn't deny that there is ego or that there is a personality structure. or that there is a flower here. the flower is here and it is apparent. but like all things it will fade and eventually come back.
in the heart sutra it says that there is no birth, old age, sickness and death. and also no end to birth, old age, sickness and death.
anatta and rebirth touch the basis for all compassion and wisdom.
the five skandhas are constantly being reborn in every moment of time/space. yet there is nothing to cling to because they are all totally depedent on each other. not only that they lack any essence.
thus it see clearly into this reality is to see the nature of all phenomena. all is empty, thus all is clear.
something to ponder.
how do we do that? be nice to people, be compassionate. focus on other people. be patient. work on our delusion, anger, fear, jealousy. wisen up about reality and mind.
now you've created the seeds for happiness. those seeds will birth when the conditions are ripe. the more seeds you plant the more chances of them sprouting. it is a game of probability.
still shit happens and this happiness in conditioned.
buddhism points to a happiness beyond this and that. it is just contentment with what is. an unconditonal happiness.
just because you're content doesn't mean you stop sowing seeds. we create great causes to save the other beings from their suffering.
a bodhisattva relies on the heart sutra and realizes for themselves that all is empty. thus there is no end to rebirth or samsara. becoming is constant as change is constant.
but all of the change and all of the becoming. if not cling to then not a problem. if emptiness is seen through then all are just objects coming and going.
see the fun part of it. there is only change. so what? lol use the change to help all beings!
There are some great metaphors to try to explain away the problem -waves, candle-flames, clouds - but I think is question remains.
Why make concessions in this life for a future life which will not exist as this life seems to?
Personally, when this question is shown to be undharmic, that's when you can see the real-urgency of Dharma - this life right now.
all of this is done in the immediate though.