Friday, December 30, 2016

Continuity of Life


There are three main concepts that hold away regarding the ultimate origin of beings. Two of them are religious concepts and the other is a scientific concept. Some scientists believe that all beings originated or evolved from matter. Many religious leaders attribute the ultimate origin of man to God and are of opinion that God created man. But Buddha rejected both these concepts.

The Visuddhi Magga or Path of Purification mention “Na hetha – Devo và Brahmà và Saüsàrassathi kàrako Suddhadhammà pavattanti Hetusambhàrapaccayati”

There is no God or Brahma who is the creator of this world. Empathy phenomena rolls on, all subject to causality.

Whatever other religions and science may teach with regard to the ultimate origin of human beings, Buddhism pertinently says “Anamataggo yaü Bhikkhave Sansàra pubbàkoti na pannàyati avijjànivaranànaü sattàü tanhà saüyojanànaü sandhàvataü” ( Anamatagga Sutta)

Inconceivable is the beginning monks, of this faring on. The earliest point beginning is not revealed of this running on, the faring on, of beings located in ignorance, tied to craving.

What is the Buddha’s concept? The Buddha’s concept is Beings are subjected to endless round of Birth. That all beings are result of a Karmic process determined by past/ present actions, which is the cause for effects of rebirth.

In this manner, action and re-action cause and effect death and rebirth, prevail and continue to prevail. It is like the tree producing the fruit and the fruit in turn producing the tree and continues to prevail as an unbroken process. We can only see it happening in the present context. But we cannot trace back to the beginning of this process nor can we visualize the end before the attainment. However much we try we would never find the first mango tree nor can we find the last mango tree but we can see how a tree produces the fruit and how the fruit produces another tree.

The fully matured fruit separation from the tree is like the death. Its contact with the earth is birth. There is no interval as such between the tree and the fruit and the fruit and tree. It continues to grow. Thus from the day the fruit was born by the tree and up to the producing of another tree, similarly within the human mind there is energy to produce another being, human being may die but the energy to be reborn does not die completely. It grows gradually. But it faces to the momentary decay and death, as (uppàda, tithi, bhanga) genetic, static and dissolving. This energy is craving and ignorance and the resultant Karmas or action, which will continue to accumulate till one gets rid of all defilements with the rise of wisdom and the resultant cessation of craving and kamma which will put an end to rebirth ultimately reach Nibbàna.

In the Kosala Sanyutha, The Buddha has mentioned, whatever kamma that we accumulate in this life are being carried over to the next.

Eso nidhã sunihito Ajeyya anugàmiko Pahàya gamanãyesu Etaü àdàya gacchati. (Nidhi Kandha Sutta)

Whatever good or bad kammas that you have accumulated, are like a treasure, cannot be taken away by another. It follows you and is being carried by you to the next life.


May all beings be well and happy & attain the fruits of Nibbana.

Suranda Weediyage
BA, Tripitakachariya, Dip in Pali/ Buddhism (Pali & Buddhist University of Sri Lanka), HNDBF,
surandalk@gmail.com
http://www.thebuddhadhamma.wordpress.com

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