Re: Anatta and Rebirth
Originally Posted by
ale84
I've been reading about buddhism and I've found some aspects really hard to understand.
According to the doctrine of anatta, ¿is there something inside us that survives physical death? or ¿is death the complete annihilation of the being?
About rebirth ¿Is it the consciousness or vital force of a dead person taking birth into a new body? or ¿are just the karmas of a dead person born in a new body without any stream of consciousness or vital force from the mentioned deceased?
Greetings,
From a Theravada Buddhist perspective, yes, there are many "things" (or "dhammas") that survive physical death -- like the atoms in the body, the elements of the mind, and the continuity of the actions we performed. Nothing is annihilated, and nothing is created -- all of matter (and all of mind) undergoes transformation.
There is some "thing" that is not identical to the atoms or the mind, but that some "thing" is not a "thing" (and a "vital force" would be a "thing"); rather, it is simply awareness, which is (truly) located nowhere. When awareness becomes associated with a particular body and mind, then "rebirth" has taken place. When awareness is free from all associations, that is the end of rebirth.
"Everybody wants to see God but nobody wants to do any sadhana." -- Swami Sivananda
"You can advance only through karma yoga; by karma yoga you may benefit others also....Only hard work can make a person powerful and energetic." -- Haidakhan Babaji
"Do everything you do as Śivathondu." -- Yogaswami
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