I love the way he researches stuff for us and condenses it so we can understand in a layman way. My experience in 2018 was pretty much the same. There’s absolutely no way to disprove anything he’s said in this article. But do we REALLY want our consciousness to continue? I guess we have no choice in the matter if it does, or do we? Hard to imagine from this extremely limited NPC perspective.
For several years I have been attempting to put this into words and laughingly, failed. I had begun to think it was impossible. I even wrote a book that pointed to this, that showed the many ways reality is not what we think but hadn't yet been able to point to what it is. I'm sitting here smiling. Thanks for putting my experience into words.
If it’s any consolation, the Buddhists themselves have never been able to agree on this one lol.
“The rebirth doctrine has been a subject of scholarly studies within Buddhism since ancient times, particularly in reconciling the rebirth doctrine with its anti-essentialist anatman (not-self) doctrine.[4][3][16] The various Buddhist traditions throughout history have disagreed on what it is in a person that is reborn, as well as how quickly the rebirth occurs after each death.[4][15]
Some Buddhist traditions assert that vijñana (consciousness), though constantly changing, exists as a continuum or stream (santana) and is what undergoes rebirth.[4][17][18] Some traditions like Theravada assert that rebirth occurs immediately and that no "thing" (not even consciousness) moves across lives to be reborn (though there is a causal link, like when a seal is imprinted on wax). Other Buddhist traditions such as Tibetan Buddhism posit an interim existence (bardo) between death and rebirth, which may last as long as 49 days. This belief drives Tibetan funerary rituals.[4][19] A now defunct Buddhist tradition called Pudgalavada asserted there was an inexpressible personal entity (pudgala) which migrates from one life to another.[4]”
“Ancient Buddhists as well as some moderns cite the reports of the Buddha and his disciples of having gained direct knowledge into their own past lives as well as those of other beings through a kind of parapsychological ability or extrasensory perception (termed abhiñña).”
“Rebirth was a key teaching of early Buddhism along with the doctrine of karma (which it shared with early Indian religions like Jainism).[6][7][8] In Early Buddhist Sources, the Buddha claims to have knowledge of his many past lives.[9] Rebirth and other concepts of the afterlife have been interpreted in different ways by different Buddhist traditions.[6][10][11]“
Thank you Shiv for your magnificent grounded discussion of metaphorical metaphysics. Wow!
Fascinating. Thanks.
Great read!
Thanks Simon
Dinosaurs: emergent phenomena, or there for shits and giggles?
I would say the first, but the Trex has always made me wonder ;)
I love the way he researches stuff for us and condenses it so we can understand in a layman way. My experience in 2018 was pretty much the same. There’s absolutely no way to disprove anything he’s said in this article. But do we REALLY want our consciousness to continue? I guess we have no choice in the matter if it does, or do we? Hard to imagine from this extremely limited NPC perspective.
For several years I have been attempting to put this into words and laughingly, failed. I had begun to think it was impossible. I even wrote a book that pointed to this, that showed the many ways reality is not what we think but hadn't yet been able to point to what it is. I'm sitting here smiling. Thanks for putting my experience into words.
On what basis does Buddhism assert the existence of reincarnation, then, if not on an atman? I have always been quite confused about this.
If it’s any consolation, the Buddhists themselves have never been able to agree on this one lol.
“The rebirth doctrine has been a subject of scholarly studies within Buddhism since ancient times, particularly in reconciling the rebirth doctrine with its anti-essentialist anatman (not-self) doctrine.[4][3][16] The various Buddhist traditions throughout history have disagreed on what it is in a person that is reborn, as well as how quickly the rebirth occurs after each death.[4][15]
Some Buddhist traditions assert that vijñana (consciousness), though constantly changing, exists as a continuum or stream (santana) and is what undergoes rebirth.[4][17][18] Some traditions like Theravada assert that rebirth occurs immediately and that no "thing" (not even consciousness) moves across lives to be reborn (though there is a causal link, like when a seal is imprinted on wax). Other Buddhist traditions such as Tibetan Buddhism posit an interim existence (bardo) between death and rebirth, which may last as long as 49 days. This belief drives Tibetan funerary rituals.[4][19] A now defunct Buddhist tradition called Pudgalavada asserted there was an inexpressible personal entity (pudgala) which migrates from one life to another.[4]”
“Ancient Buddhists as well as some moderns cite the reports of the Buddha and his disciples of having gained direct knowledge into their own past lives as well as those of other beings through a kind of parapsychological ability or extrasensory perception (termed abhiñña).”
“Rebirth was a key teaching of early Buddhism along with the doctrine of karma (which it shared with early Indian religions like Jainism).[6][7][8] In Early Buddhist Sources, the Buddha claims to have knowledge of his many past lives.[9] Rebirth and other concepts of the afterlife have been interpreted in different ways by different Buddhist traditions.[6][10][11]“