Buddhism: A matter of life and death and life

In Australia, the lifestyle and practice of Buddhism has grown considerably over the last few decades with large numbers of people turning to this holistic blend of philosophy, psychology, and spirituality. Although some may feel that Buddhism is ultimately an Eastern worldview with a sense of mysticism that is nearly impenetrable for a non-Buddhist, this is not necessarily so.

An exploration of Buddhism is both worthwhile and possible, for it is no longer foreign to the West, but is becoming integrated with it. Many consider its qualities such as non-violence, lack of dogma, tolerance of differences, and compassion, admirable. 

Moreover, its views on rebirth and the afterlife determine what is regarded as important in this present life. It’s not bewildering, daunting, or arcane, just practical common-sense.

Master Hsing Yun, in discussing this very important but difficult to affirm topic, points out that when we talk about rebirth, some people laugh at the idea. They consider such belief passé, and obsolete in this technologically advanced modern age. Others may think that the question of rebirth belongs strictly in the arena of religion. After all, the issue of what happens after death seems remote from ordinary everyday living.

Without future lives, existence would be short, and without meaning…the outlook of life would be forlorn and uncertain. When we are going through tough times, we often encourage ourselves by saying, “everything is going to be alright. Just wait and see how I will be doing in ten years.”

With rebirth, human existence has manoeuvring room. With rebirth, unfulfilled wishes can materialise one day. With rebirth, there will always be the next train of life for us to board.

All phenomena in this world, cannot escape the workings of the ‘wheel of rebirth’. The normal life processes of being born and dying are examples of rebirths. Changes in nature are also manifestations of rebirths, such as the change of the four seasons.

There is the time cycle of past, present, and future. There is the cycle of day and night. These are temporal types of rebirths, whereas the change of directions, and movement from one place to another are spatial types.

In short, everything around us is the result of rebirth. The wind blows, and gathers the clouds. Clouds turn into rain, which falls to the ground. That rain evaporates back into the sky, and becomes clouds again. This continuous process of the water cycle is a form of rebirth. Rebirth is not only found in changes in the universe, but is also evident in the many changes which one experiences during one’s lifetime, from birth to death.

According to scientific research, every cell in our body is renewed every seven years. The cellular structure, perception, and cognition of all living creatures, from simple organisms to advanced humans, is constantly moving, changing, living, and dying.

Rebirth is also at work in family relationships. At one time, we are the children of our parents, and yet in another time we become the parents of children. The changes in our economic welfare, and the ups and downs of our emotions, are also examples of rebirth. According to Buddhist teachings, we humans are constantly going through cycles of rebirth, and everything in life is subject to change.

It is just that we refer to the slow and gradual changes as “forming and ceasing”, or “changing and transforming”, and we reserve the term “the cycle of rebirth” to those changes that are rapid and sudden. These cycles are the direct consequences of karma.

Karma is the force that is created as a result of our actions and thoughts. The force of karma is what perpetuates the cycle of cause-and-effect, giving rise to the endless, and beginningless flow of life, in which different variations of life forms are manifested.

Rebirth is not just a religious theory. It is not an escape, or a psychological comfort when the unforgiving moment of death befalls us. It is a precise science that explains our existence from the past into the future.

What value does rebirth bring to our lives? What meaning does rebirth add to our existence?

With rebirth, our existence has continuity…life is no longer limited to a short span of a hundred years or so. With rebirth, life is unlimited in hope and possibilities. Within the cycle of rebirth, death is the beginning of another existence. Living and dying, dying and living, existence continues uninterrupted while possibilities are unbounded.

This can be compared to a flaming torch. When one stick of wood is exhausted, it is replaced with another. Each stick may have slightly different components, yet the flame continues to burn.

Birth, ageing, sickness, and death are the most impartial jury. Cause and effect, as well as the cycle of rebirth, are not controlled by some god-creator. Our circumstances, be they good or bad, are determined by one’s past deeds or karma. Our stored karma interacts with ripened conditions, and manifests in varying types of either painful or blessed effects. Therefore, rebirth liberates us from the hands of a divine power, for it is our own karma that controls rebirth.

Happiness and fortune are the products of our own doing…misery and tragedy are also of our own creation.

A creator cannot protect us from the consequences of our own crimes. Gods cannot take away our merits, either. With rebirth, there is no such thing as luck. We are the creators of our own future.

But even if we stubbornly refuse to believe in rebirth, we can still see its cycle all around us. Some people find anguish at the thought of being reborn again; to them, it is best if death is the final chapter of their lives. Buddhism does not believe that death is the finalé, but is, in fact, the beginning of another life.

One may ask: if rebirth really exists, how come I cannot recall anything in my past life?  Buddhism teaches that people lose all memory of previous life because of the “confusion of rebirth”, and that after death, one passes through the stage of “intermediate being”.

This intermediate being lives and dies in seven-day increments. After it dies, it can be reborn again. It can, at most, live for seven, seven-day periods, or a total of forty-nine days. Some may live only for two or three seven-day periods. Irrespective of the number of periods, at the end of this stage it will be reborn, and it is because of this intermediary state that we forget our previous lives, not even recalling what realms we lived in previously.

One of the fundamental teachings of Buddhism is that “all dharmas (teachings and doctrines) do not have a substantial self”, that they are selfless. If this is the case, how can there be rebirth? Are these dharmas not in conflict with each other?

Selflessness does not mean that there is no life. It means that our physical bodies are the illusive combination of the five aggregates – form, feeling, perception, mental formation, and consciousness, as well as the four great elements – earth, water, fire, and wind. This combination exists, as long as the right causes and conditions are present. Thus, our physical bodies do not have a single substantial self, and this is what is meant by “selflessness”. The idea of rebirth is not in conflict with the concept of selflessness.

If it is not the physical body that is reborn, then what is this “compelling force” at the core of rebirth? Buddhism sees rebirth not as transmigration of a conscious identity, not of a soul, nor a permanent entity transmigrating from one life to another, but as a repeated occurrence in the process of existence. Rebirth can be compared to a clock that as it passes midnight, heralds in a totally new day.

Almost all religions accept the idea of rebirth, yet what do they say is its final goal?

Taoists seek everlasting life and permanent youth. Christians believe that the final goal is to enter into heaven to be with God, and achieve eternal salvation. Most religions espouse everlasting life.

This is in contrast to the Buddhist tradition that teaches that the ultimate goal is to realise Nirvana, the state of birthlessness, an ultimately serene, everlasting, joyous pure living!

Some people find the tenets regarding rebirth, and cause and effect, superstitious and ludicrous. Actually, all of the Buddha’s teachings are nothing more than marvellous methods for liberating ourselves from the shackles of rebirth. Since the ultimate goal of Buddhism is to transcend rebirth, it is indeed a sensible and credible practice that can shatter rebirth.

But if we want to transcend rebirth, we must first know the reason for its existing. That reason is our clinging…our desires and greed. The circumstance of our rebirth is determined by the nature of our karma. Since the karmic forces of each of us varies in terms of whether they are wholesome, or unwholesome; whether they are severe or mild, the respective effects and results are all different.

Understanding rebirth, transcending rebirth, the next step is not to be afraid of rebirth. Death is like the disintegration of a dilapidated house – we just have to move into another comfortable and sturdy home. Death is also like the fraying of worn clothing – we just have to change into beautiful and new attire.

Master Hsing Yun’s hope is that you might understand some of the benefits of facing life and the future with confidence, and radiance. My own view is that to believe in the indestructibility of life is to remove many of our inbuilt fears about death.

So try to understand a little of Buddhism’s philosophy, get on with your life, enjoy every moment of it, and stay positive! Peace and happiness to all.