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#1
01-31-2008, 05:50 PM
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Question about reincarnation...
I've just started reading a book on Buddhism and have a question on reincarnation.
EX: When the ice age hit, or the earth was hit by a meteor, etc. lets say there were 2 million beings on earth , but now, we have way more, 20 billion lets say (random estimations). Is there a set number of spirits? Are more created as needed? Or is there always an equal number of spirits, and in relation, an equal number of beings on earth/the universe? Meaning nothing ever really grows or multiplies, but lies in balance between spirit beings and living beings. Hope that makes sense...
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~Rational Soulution 
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#2
02-01-2008, 01:21 AM
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My guess - (And this is going from my beliefs) is that there are limitless amount of souls. I wuess buddhism is much the same.
__________________
If I do not
go within I go without Death is the road to awe
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#3
02-03-2008, 05:08 AM
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First, the Buddha taught rebirth, which differs from reincarnation in several ways. There is no fixed "soul" in Buddhism. Individuals are not reincarnated as individuals; thus to say that I used to be so-and-so in a previous life is not a direct relationsip, but an indirect one.
Secondly, why would you limit reincarnation or rebirth to just this one single tiny world, in all the worlds of all the galaxies of this universe and all the other universes too?
__________________
"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts." Bertrand Russell Namaste, Engyo
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#4
02-03-2008, 10:14 AM
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There is a single Universal Conciousness. It can be subdivided extensively.
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#5
02-11-2008, 10:38 AM
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Are there a fixed number of people in a dream always?
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#6
02-11-2008, 12:44 PM
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Is there a fixed number of sparks a fire can generate; a fixed number of raindrops that oceanic evaporation can generate?
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#7
02-11-2008, 06:26 PM
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Thats one of the things I still haven't been able to grasp in Buddhism. If I don't have a soul, then why am I punished for what my not-self did?
If I attain nirvana... is that the same as soul annihilation? If not, what enters nirvana? The Buddha nature? How is this different from a soul?
__________________
There is nothing to find. I am alone.
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#8
02-12-2008, 07:01 AM
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There is only consciousness - nothing else. You, I, everyone, everything do not really have a separate existence. The single droplet thinks it is separate and individual, but when it reenters the ocean, where has it gone? When another droplet appears, is it the same droplet? or a different droplet?
In reality, there is no individuality, only consciousness, therefore there is no such thing as a separate soul, therefore there is also no such thing as karma, reincarnation or even rebirth, only the seeming continuation of this misconception. Once it is seem for what it truly is, then that is nirvana/moksha. This is not 'attained' since it is the only thing that truly exists and there is nothing to 'attain' it. that said, whilst we are part of this seemingly very real world, we should do our best to live by the rules that apply to it, we must play our part, like characters in our dreams, if htey behave badly them it can cause distress - until we wake up and then know it is a dream, only a dream.
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#9
02-12-2008, 05:00 PM
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Quote:
First off, it's not punishment. It's a natural reaction, just like Newton's Second Law - governed entirely by the actions/choices of a living being. It isn't good or bad, it's completely neutral. The judgement is in how we interpret what happens to us - and by whether we enjoy or appreciate the results, we judge the original cause. Secondly, what does a soul have to do with the actions/choices of a living being? Many Buddhists would point out that attainment of nirvana will extinguish the "I"....... and since Buddhists don't postulate a soul as Christianity does, how can something that doesn't exist be annihilated? My tradition/school has perfect enlightenment as its goal, rather than nirvana. Total awakening/awareness, rather than cessation. Since this particular ego "I" have for this lifetime is a temporary construct, just like this body, "I" don't fear it's loss. I don't know if this will be helpful or more confusing, but there it is.
__________________
"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts." Bertrand Russell Namaste, Engyo
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#10
02-12-2008, 05:27 PM
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