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Samsara – K&U
Cycle of rebirth Six Realms
Gods, Asuras, Humans
Animals, Hungry ghosts
Hell beings
Three Root Poisons
Twelve Links
greed/desire hatred/anger ignorance
1.ignorance – blind man
2.kammic formations- man
Making clay pots
3. consciousness- monkey with
fruit going from tree to tree
4.name& form – man in
boat. 5. six senses- empty house
6.contact -man & woman in
Embrace 7. feeling-man
with arrow in his eye 8.craving –
drinking wine 9.grasping
monkey clinging to
tree grabbing fruit 10.becoming
pregnant woman
11.rebirth – woman giving birth
12. old age &death – old man
carrying corpse
http://www.bodhicitta.net/Wheel%20of%20Life.htm
http://0.tqn.com/d/buddhism/1/0/M/1/-/-/A6hellrealm.jpg
http://www.zhaxizhuoma.net/IMAGES/INDIA/wheelLifeWHITE700.jpg
These are planes of existence in samsara or states of mind for Buddhists. Sometimes given as below in
some Mahayana traditions . Both traditions accept the six realms
10 Realms of Being
Gods, Asuras, Humans
Animals Hungry ghosts
Six lower realms or realms of desire
Four higher (noble) realms
Hell
Learning
Hunger
Realization
Animality
Bodhisattva
Arrogance
Buddha
Humanity
Heaven
All of the above shows how samsara works and why samsara is suffering.
Theravada and Mahayana – different attitudes towards samsara
For Theravada Buddhists – main aim is to escape it – for Mahayana they may delay liberation to help
sentient beings and stay in samsara ( bodhisattva)
What are the Three Poisons? K&U
Greed or desire ( tanha) – for happiness in an impermanent world, for a self etc – not possible . The pig or
rooster- shown in the Tibetan depiction of the wheel of life in a circle with the other animals – all biting the
tail of the one in front – showing the vicious cycle affect.
Hatred or anger – often coming from desire and hatred ( the snake)
Ignorance –(avijja) or delusion - of how things truly are ( the rooster or pig)
What are their effects on the human condition? A&E
All of the three poisons together power the cycle of samsara as depicted by the three animals in the wheel
of life.
Greed
• Attached to the material world
• Desire (tanha) for things that we cannot have
• Attached to impermanent things
• Non acceptance of anicca and anatta
• Bad kamma
• Binds us to samsara
• Cannot achieve Nibbana
Hatred
• Avoiding things we do not like
• Wrong thoughts
• Bad kamma
• Binds us to samsara
• Cannot achieve Nibbana
Ignorance
• Unaware of anatta and anicca
• Delusion
• Non acceptance of Buddhist Way
• Can’t see our true nature
• Restlessness and confusion
• Binds us to samsara
• Cannot achieve Nibbana
What is Samsara? (Make at least 6 points) K&U
Cycle of birth, life, death, rebirth that all sentient beings are on. Wheel of suffering (part of the 2nd Noble
Truth- causes of suffering) kamma affects samsara – law of cause and effect. Beings cycle the wheel
according to their own actions or kamma which takes them into particular lives or realms etc)
What is being reborn? Anatta – no self – consciousness / energy / power not a soul.
If anatta is the idea of no self or no soul and samsara is rebirth, what moves from
life to life to be reborn?
• There is continuity from life to life but no idea of separate “self” because there is
no “self”.
• There is a causal connection between samsaric lifetimes- ie dependent origination
– twelve links.
• Karmic influence or energy links from life to life.
• If we don’t accept anatta, we will remain self obsessed, so our actions will be
selfish, leading to rebirth.
• E.g. a candle flame lights the next candle and causes it to burn, but does not
become the new flame.
Important to know the connection between samsara and anatta.
Differences between Theravada and Mahayana.
Could mention the Tibetan wheel of life – in the mouth of Yama etc) etc etc
(Theravada – or Way of the Elders. Seen by its followers as the original teachings of the Buddha. Mostly in
Pali. Seen by Mahayana as either the foundation of the Buddha’s Teachings or sometimes known as the
Lesser Vehicle.
Mahayana – The Great Vehicle. Came later. Seen as pinnacle of the Buddha’s Teachings by some and as
not original by others
http://www.religionfacts.com/buddhism/fastfacts/differences_theravada_mahayana.htm
http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/snapshot02.htm
http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhistworld/schools1.htm