What Happens After Death, Buddhism Reincarnation, Our True Nature & Enlightenment (No Self Part 2)
The Buddha talked about a continuum of consciousness, so was he talking about souls? It’s a common misconception that Buddhism teaches about reincarnation, when it is actually teaching about rebirth. In this video I explain the Buddha’s position on the soul theory as well as the difference between rebirth and reincarnation. Within the Buddhist teachings there are several analogies to explain how consciousness continues moment to moment and what happens after death. I draw on these analogies to illustrate just how this continuity takes place and how consciousness is affected after death.
Also, being the inquisitive creatures that we are, it’s not surprising that we ask, ‘well, what am I, what is my true nature and what will I be if I’m enlightened?’ In this video, I explore the main reason why the Buddha didn’t specify our ‘true nature’ and I share some sutras where the Buddha does describe the beauty and freedom experienced by one who is enlightened.
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Suttas used in this video:
“Ananda Sutta: To Ananda” (SN 44.10), translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Access to Insight (Legacy Edition), 30 November 2013, http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn44/sn44.010.than.html.
“Fundamentals of Buddhism: Four Lectures”, by Nyanatiloka Mahathera. Access to Insight (Legacy Edition), 1 December 2013, http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/nyanatiloka/wheel394.html.
“Sariputta-Kotthita Sutta: Sariputta and Kotthita (4)” (SN 44.6), translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Access to Insight (Legacy Edition), 1 July 2010, http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn44/sn44.006.than.html.
“The Five Aggregates: A Study Guide”, by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Access to Insight (Legacy Edition), 30 November 2013, http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/study/khandha.html.
“Potthapada Sutta: About Potthapada” (DN 9), translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Access to Insight (Legacy Edition), 30 November 2013, http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.09.0.than.html.
6 Responses to “What Happens After Death, Buddhism Reincarnation, Our True Nature & Enlightenment (No Self Part 2)”
Is the consciiousness of some people permanent and of other people impermanent? Or is everybody´s consciousness the same?
I have a question about people who had near death experience, they said that in the afterlife, their recognized other souls who were their family members on the previous life, therefore they brought their conciousness in the other dimensions.
And how will you explain people who were reincarnated knows exactly and remember their past life.
Excellent lecture, the analogy with the beads is very good but still it does not explain how your past karma is being transfered without a permanent entity like soul. If there is no soul and if there is no continuity, there is no way karma can be transfered from one birth to next. However, Buddhists believe in karma being transfered from one birth to next but not in a permanent soul as a vehicle to transfer.
Can there be rebirth without transmigration ( of soul)? Even the lamp analogy does not help me. Buddhist texts operate on two levels of description: the conventional truth and the ultimate truth. The contradiction disappears when you realise that anatta (the non-existence of self) is an ultimate truth, while the rebirth is a conventional truth. In other words, Buddhists believe that people linked by a chain of rebirths may be said to be “the same”, by the same convention as when a 40-year-old person is said to be “the same” as an 20-years-old person he evolved from. This convention has nothing to do with the fact that there is no indivisible and constant “I”, that is according to Buddhism. The 40 year old person knows that he was the same 20 year old person can be easily explained by a constant and everlasting “atman”. Athman is the constant witness . Your body and mind constantly change but not the “atman” . If you do not believe in “atman” or soul, it is hard to explain the transfer of karma and rebirth, you have to deny rebirth also .
Thank You! So very wise and helpful!
Namobuddhaya