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REINCARNATION
A. Introduction
What happens after death? That is the question that religious leaders endeavor to explain to all
followers. Where will you go after death? Why birth, and rebirth? Is there an afterlife? Etc... These
are the questions people often ask when faced with death. As for Buddhism, to answer these
questions, the Buddha taught his disciples about Reincarnation. Reincarnation is not a doctrine, but it
is a truism for people, especially those who seek to alleviate the fear and suffering in birth and death.
The texts of both South and North Tripitaka, (1) refer to the issue of reincarnation, as a phenomenon
of life flows in sequence. Especially in Bon Sinh (Khuddaka-nikàya), there are recorded stories of
the Buddha's incarnation, as verified by the life reincarnation of the great Bodhisattvas.
B. Contents
I. Definition:
Reincarnation (Sanskrit word is Samsara) means the rebirth, transition, and the continuous
progress of life; and the reincarnated repetition, often indicated by the wheel (cakka) and is
called the wheel of samsara (samsaracakka):
We can visualize the wheel, on which there is no beginning and no end. Birth and death, death
and birth; sentient beings keep on deposit in the rotation until attaining liberation or
Enlightenment.
II. The contents of reincarnation:
After Enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, Buddha saw the stream of life is a long chain of life
and death and spoke to the cycle and was recorded in the sutra as follows:
In our endless life and death
I go forever without stopping
From the womb to the fetus by
Chase home owner
(In cycle of incarnation)
Landlord! I caught you
You shall not rebuild your home
The beam was broken
Roof, frames have collapsed
Soul leave body destruct
All had complete eradication
(Attain liberation to escape incarnation)
(Dharmapada - 153-154)
1. Reincarnation - rebirth:
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From the above sutra, we clearly see that the Buddha illustrated the truth of reincarnation in a particular
way through the images of one fetus to another. Rebirth (reincarnation) is again a new life that is either
higher, lower or the same out of the six paths: heaven, humans, asura, hell, hungry demons, and animals.
Death brings an end to one life cycle, but even death is a temporary state of being because one will
reincarnate into another life path.
Usually, when it comes to reincarnation or rebirth in Buddhism, one often refers to two basic concepts
of life and death: The cycle of life and death of each Ksana(2) and the cycle of life and death of a life
-
With regards to the cycles of life and death of each moment, or each Ksana, because it happens
very quickly as the birth and loss of a blink (electric shutters), we understand this as a birth and
death of a concept. Buddhist terminology calls this "concept conception - birth and death.”
Thus, the cycle of life and death of each Ksana is usually discussed on a higher dimension, as in
meditation, or the realm of the mind, etc. ..
-
With regards to the life and death cycle of life, because we can actualize the four stages of life:
birth, aging, illness, and death (also known as birth (creation), survival at (stay still), change
(destructive) and decay (killing) of a living), this cycle becomes the central theme of
reincarnation.
In view of Buddhism, all sentient beings are governed by the law of impermanence. For humans,
impermanence is the expression of birth, old age, sickness and death of every life; each life is pronged
by birth and death. However, birth and death are only the start and completion of a cycle, thus, when the
body is destroyed, what will continue to regenerate to start a new life? This is a key to understanding of
reincarnation.
In the Trung Bo sutra (Majjhima Nikaya - 135), the Buddha taught, "Human being is the owner of
karma, the heir of karma, is the relative of karma; karma is fetal organs with which a human is born."
From the above teaching, we find that karma is exists alongside the physical body. When one dies, the
physical damage is destroyed, while karma continues to roll away the lines of its deep moral (or good
karma or bad karma). But karma is not the immortal soul to connect the life, because it is not-self (will
be learned in the No-Soul). However, the karma is the foundation, the central point, throughout the cycle
of Reincarnation. So, what is karma?
Karma is volitional action, or action arising from one’s mind; and through actions of body, speech and
mind, karma is formed. Speaking of the karma is talking about good and evil in relation to causation,
and in relation to that, the main motivation to create karma is greed, hatred and delusion (bad karma)
and vice versa is no greed, no hatred, and no delusion (good karma). (This will be discussed more fully
in all of Cause and Effect - Karma)
From here, we clearly see that we ourselves are creators of karma. A human being is the arbiter of
his/her own karma. Naturally, that human is the only one who can release all of his/her own karma to
escape the cycle of Rebirth or Reincarnation.
2. Karma and Rebirth:
In Buddhism, karma can be categorized into many types. Fundamentally, the instruments of karma
include:
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1. the physical body;
2. that which is verbalized by the mouth;
3. and the mind’s thoughts.
In terms of its nature, karma is classified into four categories as follows:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Weighty karma: critical karma such as killing his parents, murder, etc.
Habitual karma: formed by habits
Stored up karma: caused by accumulation of everyday life
Death-proximate karma: formed before dying
During the revolving cycle of birth and death, from one life to another life, karma always plays a major
role. However, in the rebirth (reincarnation), death-proximate karma is the most important condition
directly affects the reincarnation. Death-proximate karma is a result of aggregation during the life of a
human life; meanwhile, it is also the most powerful activity of consciousness to promote human
consciousness before, during or after his death in seeking for a better life path or even Enlightenment.
Usually when alive, people do good or evil. The actions (of body, mouth, and mind) that are stored in
Alaya as the seeds are sown and lie in the ground until the dying or dead, the body and functionalities
are no longer active. Then, only the mind works. However, the mind is not at that state of consciousness
in the mindfulness, self-control, flexibility, and etc. Instead, the mind falls into unconsciousness, coma,
or panic because it is figuratively frightened to death. Then, all human artifacts, or good or evil (also
known as karma or bad karma), from the past (when alive) will form the karmic consciousness,
including the idea of a powerful force that inspires the human consciousness to find the realm of rebirth.
It should be noted that the practices, habits, especially the romantic attachments-ideas grasped and held
when alive -will impact significantly on the death-proximate karma. Therefore, if one has lived
peacefully, then one shall die peacefully. Life is suffering because of greed, hatred, and delusions. Ergo,
death is suffering because of greed, hatred, and delusions. Like being awake or in deep sleep, life and
death are parts of the process of living. So to rescue oneself right here and now, live in serene
detachment, removing all greed and attachment. Sages have taught: "The world as a boat, go on it but do
not carry ..."
From a few details, we see that life and death of human beings have peace or not depending on the
individual's mind. After life ends - death occurs; the body will dissolve, but karmic consciousness (the
soul) will continue into the new life in the six realms: heavens, humans, asura, hell, hungry ghosts, and
animals, depending on good or bad karma.
3. Karmic consciousness - Birth and rebirth:
According to Trung Bo sutra (set I), the creation of human life always meet three conditions:
a. Conception (Parents have intercourse);
b. Fertilization (The mother is pregnant); and
c. Karmic consciousness must be present. Otherwise, the fetus can not survive.
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Karmic consciousness is also known as warm fragrance, or as Gandhabha. When conditions are enough
and roused by karma, Gandhabha enters into the mother’s fetus. At that time, Gandhabha seems like “a
new, beginning thought about a new life. Until death, that karmic consciousness is triggered to seek
reincarnation, the so-called "rebirth leading karma." In fact, both the birth and rebirth are based on the
operation of karmic consciousness. And from birth to rebirth (after death), during the process, the life of
an organism can be formed over the structure of the 12 Hetupratyayas (primary and secondary
causes):Avidyà (ignorance) conditions Samskàras (action), Samskàras conditions Vijnàna
(consciousness), Vijnàna conditions Nàma-rùpa (name-form), Nàma-rùpa conditions Sadàyatana (six
entrances of both the organ and sensation), Sadàyatana conditions Sparsa (contact), Sparsa conditions
Jìvita (life), Jìvita conditions Kàma (affection), Kàma conditions Upàdàna (grasp), Upàdàna conditions
Bhàva (possession), Bhàva conditions Jàti (life), Jàti conditions Jarà (old age), death, grief, lamentation,
suffering, afflictions…(The meaning of 12 Hetupratyayas will be introduced later). Thus, 12 main
Hetupratyayas are the existence of human beings. And in the 12 Hetupratyayas, Avidyà, Samskàras,
Vijnàna and Nàma-rùpa are elements of the rebirth leading karma.
4. The concept of death and intermediate state:
Nikàya refers to death as follows: first is dead body color cessation, second is life-span up, and the
karma is over. Besides, there are cases of sudden death (died suddenly, not yet time to die). Overall,
death is seen as the body color (body) had cessation.
Another problem is that of the intermediate state. According to some doctrines of the Eastern
mountainous land, Sammatìya (Buddhist sect) of Sarvàstivàda (The school of reality of all phenomena),
after death and before rebirth, is the intermediate body (transition). The timing of this body is the
preparation of this rebirth; it lasted no more than 49 days (according to Thiet Dat Da Ma). Perhaps by
this account, there is a practice of daily prayers and traditional weekly chants for seven weeks (7 x 7 =
49 days).
However, according to Nikaya and Agama, the word "destructive mind" to "gandhabhic mind" occurs
only within one or two moments (Ksana), so there is no need to have an intermediate body (transitional
stage).
In fact, the intermediate is also a subtle body (body net identity), a realm in every galaxy world and of
course it is also impermanent, abnormal, and reincarnation of birth and death. So, there is no
contradiction between the "destructive mind" and "gandhabhic mind" in Nikaya with or without the
intermediate point of view of intermediate body. Hence, during 49 days of a body - mind, certainly
there is nothing unreasonable when on the earth, we have beings whose longest life is only a few days,
as a life of mosquito, etc...
5. To have a peaceful death:
A peaceful death is a key concern for most human beings. As mentioned, life and death are as well as
awake and sleeping. We should not worry too much about death, because everyone dies. But what
matters more is to live a life righteously so that one can die at peace. Therefore, Buddhists need to keep
a clean living; do not do anything to cause suffering for ourselves and for others. Most importantly, we
are always aware that life is impermanent, "Earth is the bridge, go through it but do not build houses on
it." Until the mind is pure, peaceful, with no regrets, and no longer clinging to anything such as fortune,
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career, beautiful wife, lovely children, etc. Then, death is like crossing a river on a boat, free of all
suffering, in blissful peace. Buddha teaches:
"Put down the past, present and future
To the other side of life
Mean to liberate all
Do not cling to birth, age, sickness, death."
C. Conclusion
To learn about Reincarnation is to live calmly and peacefully. We are not trying to find reincarnation
because reincarnation is flowing in the body of every human being, as the blood flow. The most
suffering of the human life is craving for and holding onto objects. One is obsessed with what is
"mine" and "what I like, and what I love." You can practice detachment from the psychological
desire and hold it, but if in the future when to the death comes to you. You should immediately put
down all belongings, all detachments. You should find purity of peace, mindful awareness because
these are essential conditions for rebirth into a better life and higher. And to do that now and here,
you practice thinking about impermanence - selflessness.
"Should I leave behind everything?
The rock mountain slides, the river gets alluvium
Wandering from the reincarnation
Early ignorance makes far away from home..."
(Vũ Hoàng Chương)
(1) Three Collections of the Buddhist Canon. Three baskets: Basket of sutra, basket of discipline,
basket of philosophical treatises.
(2) Ksana (S). An indefinite space of time, a moment, an instant; the shortest measure of time, as
kalpa is the longest.
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