Welcome home! Please contact lincoln@icrontic.com if you have any difficulty logging in or using the site. New registrations must be manually approved which may take several days. Can't log in? Try clearing your browser's cookies.
Reincarnation Without Soul Transmigration?
Transmetaphysical
Veteran
How is this possible!! I've been struggling with this for quite some time. There is no soul, there is no self, there is no transmigration of a soul. So what part of us reincarnates? How did Buddha remember all of his past lives?
I've tried reconciling this through the law of conservation of matter and energy, but that just means the matter isn't destroyed. It doesn't mean your molecules will transform or incarnate into another lifeform.
Thich Nhat Hanh, when explaining that nothing dies, used the analogy of a cloud. The cloud may disappear and look like it is gone, but it never truly went away because the cloud is in every rain drop. This analogy makes sense to me, but doesn't seem to account for reincarnation.
Please lend me some guidance!
.
I've tried reconciling this through the law of conservation of matter and energy, but that just means the matter isn't destroyed. It doesn't mean your molecules will transform or incarnate into another lifeform.
Thich Nhat Hanh, when explaining that nothing dies, used the analogy of a cloud. The cloud may disappear and look like it is gone, but it never truly went away because the cloud is in every rain drop. This analogy makes sense to me, but doesn't seem to account for reincarnation.
Please lend me some guidance!
.
0
Comments
'Reincarnation' rather than 'rebirth' is also a term used by Tibetan Buddhists but not other traditions.
.
.
.
As I mentioned in my previous post, 'reincarnation' is exclusive to Tibetan Buddhist beliefs.
Additionally, any answers you get could only be speculative because nobody knows for sure.
.
"Strictly speaking, reincarnation means the assumption of another body by a permanent, eternal self (the Hindu notion of atman or the Christian notion of soul). Most Buddhists do not believe in a permanent self (anatman or anatta, without enduring self) but believe human consciousness (the "I" or self) dissolves at death and that only a subtle mindstream remains. The mindstream carries with it karmic imprints from prior lives (but not memories and emotions associated with prior lives, unless the person is a highly developed spiritual practitioner, in which case reincarnation is possible) and it is this subtle mindstream that conjoins with a new life-form after death. Thus, rebirth does not mean an identifiable human being assuming a new human body. Moreover, in Buddhism, rebirth is not always accomplished in human form. Depending on karmic circumstances, a human being can be reborn as an animal or as a being in any of the upper or lower realms."
.
The use of this term is debateable. Likewise, whether he remembered past lives is debateable and if you've read past discussions you would see this.
I would suggest looking at this life rather than supposed next or past lives. Is ther a soul, a self, some underlying continuum within this life? Does there have to be? I would suggest this article: http://www.what-buddha-taught.net/Books7/Buddhadasa_Bhikkhu_Anatta_and_Rebirth.pdf
remember the buddha's teachings were on dukkha and to understand you have to look within the moment not outside it.
That wasn't the aim of my question. I don't believe anything will happen to me when I die. This is the only life I will get. The aim of my question was to solve the blatant contradiction of Buddhist philosophy. No self/no soul seems directly contradictory to reincarnation/rebirth.
I was drawn to Buddhism primarily for its philosophy on the nature of reality and existence as opposed to its cure for suffering.
.
I think that it is a semantic issue. Our consciousness is not the true self, but rather our ego-self that sees us as separate isolated beings. This is likely what the quote was referring to. I doubt it was saying our consciousness is our true self.
.
There is no rebirth/reincarnation mentioned in the essence of the Buddha's teachings. So you are trying to solve a contradiction that doesn't exist. Also, this type of questioning means that you have not gone through the previous threads on this subject as these points are already discussed
Thank you, I will take a look.