Tulku

[Seiryu]

I found this interesting.
I know we all heard of the Tibetan traditions of teacher being reborn again and again to teach, so seeing how it is being reacted to by the is really interesting.

[Jundo]

Hi Seiryu,

I don't believe in such things, but anything is possible I suppose. These fellows seem rather skeptical as well. But, rather as one man said, if we each can do something good in this world, then we can all be "Tulkus".

Gassho, J

[Risho]

I just happened to read something directly related to reincarnation in a book by Steve Hagen called Buddhism is not what you think. I don't believe in reincarnation either and, according to Steve Hagen, that's not what the Buddha was even positing. That kind of surprised me because I just assumed he had.

From p.42, "What the Buddha taught was rebirth, not reincarnation. Though they are often confused, they are not the same at all." He backs this up with comparing reincarnation to no-self. If you come back after death, then some part of you persists, which may be what our psychology uses as a coping mechanism, but directly contradicts the idea of no-self. Buddha didn't believe in the eternalist view of some soul that persists, or the materialist view. My view is that I do believe in a soul, a spark, consciousness... but that's as far as I can go. Anything else goes into the realm of speculation, but it's still very interesting. Speculation is fun and I guess it just happens to be what makes us human... we try to fill in the gaps of what we can perceive to create a consistent experience.

What makes this interesting is that even though we have no-self... there is something. I mean of course I'm not the exact the same person I was 5 minutes ago, but that doesn't mean I'm all that different. I'm not you either, but what am I? I don't know... I'm really just the idea of who I am based on the collection of memories, experiences and feelings.. that in a way is an illusion. So yes of course I'm alive and exist, but all the things I and others attribute to my self are perception but necessarily real. I guess sometimes I feel like the Buddhist argument comes off as that everything changes therefore it doesn't really exist... and I think I'm getting that wrong. I think that's my habitual latching onto the one side of the coin; the nihilistic view... not the middle path. I think it's more like everything changes therefore it doesn't exist as a static "thing" that we fix it in our minds... but it's still here with us. And more interestingly, how we perceive things really is created by the chemical, biological and electrical responses in our brains (the Holodeck like Jundo likes to say).. It's really, really fascinating stuff.

As I said, I don't believe in reincarnation, but that has nothing to do with arguing what Buddha said vs. some belief system. It simply has to with me being raised in a Judeo-Christian culture, so even no matter how cool that would sound to me, my heart wouldn't be into it. I'm also just very scientific in thought; I do have my superstitions. Don't laugh, but I wouldn't let a ouija board into my house... hahahh In some respects I'm logical, in others I'm a product of a cultural belief system, as was the Buddha.

Sorry for the rambling, but I find this topic very, very interesting.

Gassho,

Risho

[Seiryu]

Hi Seiryu,

I don't believe in such things, but anything is possible I suppose. These fellows seem rather skeptical as well. But, rather as one man said, if we each can do something good in this world, then we can all be "Tulkus".

I don't believe in these things as well, and I think such things can be a double edge sword.

I just find it interesting when these traditions are brought over to different cultures.

[Seiryu]

I just happened to read something directly related to reincarnation in a book by Steve Hagen called Buddhism is not what you think. I don't believe in reincarnation either and, according to Steve Hagen, that's not what the Buddha was even positing. That kind of surprised me because I just assumed he had.

From p.42, "What the Buddha taught was rebirth, not reincarnation. Though they are often confused, they are not the same at all."

this topic always brings to mind one section of Dogen's Genjo Koan...

Firewood becomes ash, and it does not become firewood again. Yet, do not suppose that the ash is future and the firewood past. You should understand that firewood abides in the phenomenal expression of firewood, which fully includes past and future and is independent of past and future. Ash abides in the phenomenal expression of ash, which fully includes future and past. Just as firewood does not become firewood again after it is ash, you do not return to birth after death.

Rebirth and reincarnation. Not the same thing at all.....