Pratityasamutpada, karma and rebirth.

In Buddhism the idea of life and death can be explained using the cycle of samsara (the weel of existence), the idea of life and death is not linear, a person lives their life and when they die there is no sence of finality.

life changes form and with a death brings a new life, hence the idea of a wheel turning. 

The idea of a person re living their life in a cyclic existence is calle 'Punabhava' which is referred to as rebirth, the only time someone can escape this cycle is if a person has followed the 8 fold path to become an arhat, who is known as a noble being. 

Re-birth otherwise known as 'Punabhava' literally means rebecoming. This concept should not be comfused with reincarnation which requires a perosn to have a soul, a person is simply a physical matter with thoughts and feelings, there is no essence of a permanent identity.

ILLUSTRATION:

• When a child grows up and changes into being an adult is the child really the same person?
  
• To imagine a candle burning it runs down but the light is continuos from one stage to the next.

With all these points it can be argued that the person or the light is completely different at any stage, there is always an element of continuity, this is like re-birth.

There are 6 different realms of Re-birth:

• Devas which is a heavenly realm - realm of ignorance 
• Asuras which is the relam of jealous gods
• Manushyas an earthly realm
• Tiryakas an animal realm
• Pretas a hungry ghosts' realm
• Narakas the realm of hell

Samsara desribes the arising of mental and physical phenomena due to causes and conditions, this is known as 'PRATITYASAMUTPADA' meaning conditions arising or interconnectedness. This makes samsara one continuos process, re-birth is just one of these and is no different from a person changing as they grow. 

• Everything is either a cause or effect of which there are 12 causes and conditions referred to as 'LINKS': 
  • Ignorance
  • mental formations
  • consciousness
  • mind and matter
  • six senses
  • contact
  • feeling
  • craving
  • clinging
  • becoming 
  • birth
  • decay and death

The buddhist notion of karma is the activity that humans carry out in the cylce of existence. As everything in life is connected in some way, activites have consequences. 

• Karma is one thing that prevent you from escaping the cycle of samsara, every action has karma related consequences. KARMA IS A NATURAL LAW OF GRAVITY
• 2 scriptures from the Dhammapada are important 
• The Dhammapada is a collection of verses that is often seen as a filtered version of the Buddha's teachings from the Pali canon scriptures.
  • Verse 1 and 2 from 'The Pairs' link, they are to do with wholesome and unwholesomeness, showing that the mind can sometimes be in charge so we should worry about what we say to others as they may perceive the meaning differently to us. The second verse shows how when you speak happily and happiness over others and have a positive mindset then it spreads positivity to other people.
• There is also the notion of karma with reference to evil in the Dhammapada.
  • verse 124 shows that a persondoesnt have to do an evil act to have an evil mind. 'Poison' doesnt have to be seen physically but can be represented mentally aswell.
  • verse 127 shows that Karma cannot be escaped as it is everywhere not just in one place.

'Karma constitutes both good and evil'- Thera

A lotus flower seeds at the same time as it blooms representing the symbol of cause and effect. We are creating our own future each of our actions effects our future. Buddhists believe that karma is accumulated, karma can be built up over a period of a lifetime not that we are just living out the results of our last mistake or last crime we commited.

GHD: referred to as fires or poisons they are defilements which prevent a person progressing on the path of enlightenment.

Parable of ghe poisoned arrow!

• The parable links to the 'Pairs' chapter as it highlights the importance of significant issues and non significant issues, forexample when you are dying there is no point in questioning why you are dying, as there is no significance in the why, there is no point in building up hate in a uneccessary time you should just concentrate on getting better.
  • you just need to reduce the 3 poisons
• This point incourages people not to hold grudges against other people focus on the important things and move on dont focus on the irrelavance in an action.

REMOVE YOUR SUFFERING AND LOOK BEYOND IT FOR ANSWERS THAT ARE USEFUL.

THE THREE POISONS CRAVE DUKKHA

FIND THE ANSWERS IN YOURSELF, BY REMOVING THE CAUSE REMOVES THE QUESTIONS YOU HAVE AS YOU CAN OVERCOME AND GO BEYOND YOUR CRAVING.