Is Belief in Rebirth Necessary?

[@cliffmilbrun2803]

That's how I started seeing things. what I at first took in as faith has became imperturbable truths but even before while I started keeping the virtue my whole life had became much more livable and so much trouble I caused my self ended. And that's just with knowing wholesome is whole some and unwholsome is unwholsome and restraining to extant I don't break the first 5 precept and occasionally adding the other 3. Pure facts pure evidence right here right now. I may have also made many happy by proxy just through that alone...

[@benjamino.7475]

thank you for the comparison with pascal‘s wager, this helped my understanding. Sadhu

[@frederickkrewson638]

I totally agree and respect the Buddha's words. I think the way I come at this situation...is that "I don't base my actions on the premise/expectation that I am striving and working to improve my situation and possible rewards in a possible (unproven and unknowable) future life. I base my actions in this life, in order to follow the Buddha's teachings and be virtuous. I agree that it's a wondrously lucky and fantastic throw - if my actions in this life do end up leading to more rewards in a possible future life. That would indeed be good luck.

[@j.m.kocsis2557]

Thank you Venerable Sir.

[@cariyaputta]

People often underestimate the background calculations that happen in the mind, this is why having right view is so crucial, it underlines one's thought and behaviors. In dire circumstances it will shows it true face, that's why seemingly good people end up doing horrible and incomprehensible evil actions. If one has a believe that one action will have consequences and the stream of causation will not end at dead then their thought and behaviors will surely be re-calibrated. On the other hand, one with nihilistic views in die circumstances won't have this background calculations to hold them back and thus become unhinged.

[@9tiesimonsomething]

Sadhu, sadhu! Uplifting as ever and cool as a summers breeze. Thank you!

[@NoobTube4148]

So sad you left Sri Lanka, now I have to visit Serbia to come visit the hermitage. 🙂

[@tanned06]

I've never had doubt of believing there is rebirth since the recycling of things/energy can be observed in almost every natural phenomena - down to direct observation in everyday life and seasonal changes to what modern science has to tell us. Plus for those who are so eager to find this out, and you are not lacking in determination and effort, there are still ways in Buddhism and meditation tradition which teach us to cultivate deep jhāna/samādhi as to exploring this unusual knowledge. Come and see it for yourself.

[@BezimiennyMag]

100%

[@flowersarelovesome]

Virtue can relieve you of the burden of many internal contradictions here and now. It can also allow you to grasp the profundity of Lord Buddha's teaching. For example, it's only on the basis of restraint that you can begin to see "pleasure as pain, pain as a dart and the feeling that is neither pleasurable nor painful as impermanent". Then you could understand what he meant by seeing "renunciation as rest".

[@atozdhamma4248]

If you believe your existence you have to believe or not believe these concepts. If you found the right view from Dhamma and capable to experience it right now, nothing to believe. You are relieved.

[@yasodharapathiratne256]

🙏🙏🙏

[@marka2188]

As an intelligent preacher what you say makes sense. Even sabbasava Sutta (MN2) clearly says if anyone attaches to thoughts about next life (there is no next life or there is a next life) then he is a fool. Try to figure out who you are, which is clearly (may be not so clearly) described in first two Suttas by Buddha.

[@cariyaputta]

The problem is that in MN 2 there's no place where the Buddha said like you've mentioned, i.e. a fool. The point of the sutta is about how attend improperly to questions can cause the arisen of wrong views. It's not about you don't need to believe anything nor hold any view. "This is how they attend improperly: ‘Did I exist in the past? Did I not exist in the past? What was I in the past? How was I in the past? After being what, what did I become in the past? Will I exist in the future? Will I not exist in the future? What will I be in the future? How will I be in the future? After being what, what will I become in the future?’ Or they are undecided about the present thus: ‘Am I? Am I not? What am I? How am I? This sentient being-where did it come from? And where will it go?’ When they attend improperly in this way, one of the following six views arises in them and is taken as a genuine fact. The view: ‘My self exists in an absolute sense.’ The view: ‘My self does not exist in an absolute sense.’ The view: ‘I perceive the self with the self.’ The view: ‘I perceive what is not-self with the self.’ The view: ‘I perceive the self with what is not-self.’ Or they have such a view: ‘This self of mine is he who speaks and feels and experiences the results of good and bad deeds in all the different realms. This self is permanent, everlasting, eternal, and imperishable, and will last forever and ever.’ This is called a misconception, the thicket of views, the desert of views, the trick of views, the evasiveness of views, the fetter of views. An uneducated ordinary person who is fettered by views is not freed from rebirth, old age, and death, from sorrow, lamentation, pain, sadness, and distress. They’re not freed from suffering, I say."

[@cliffmilbrun2803]

Thanks alot for that sutta.

[@marka2188]

@@cariyaputta please substitute the word ‘a fool’ with ‘an uneducated ordinary person’. Note that the word uneducated has nothing to do with the level of formal education.

[@exitsamsara]

👁️🙏👁️

[@mmehrchi2253]

☀️🙏🏽

[@frederickkrewson638]

I disagree with your "reasoning" that it's a good idea to act in a certain way..."just in case there is rebirth" and you are directed to act in a certain way in order to gain those advantages in the next life. Something is eaither true or non true. Also - if the Buddha has asked you to follow a certain code of life - then you should do that ( for the reasons he gave you ). Not..."just in case you might be able to gain some possible advanadvantage ( MAYBE) - in the future."

[@HillsideHermitage]

It was the Buddha's "reasoning", given in MN 60 to those that do not necessarily take him as an absolute teacher, but do want to lead a wholesome life: "...About this a wise man considers thus: ‘If there is another world, then on the dissolution of the body, after death, this good person will reappear in a happy destination, even in the heavenly world. Now whether or not the word of those good recluses and brahmins is true, let me assume that if there is no other world: still this good person is here and now praised by the wise as a virtuous person, one with right view who holds the doctrine of affirmation. And on the other hand, if there is another world, then this good person has made a lucky throw on both counts: since he is praised by the wise here and now, and since on the dissolution of the body, after death, he will reappear in a happy destination, even in the heavenly world. He has rightly accepted and undertaken this incontrovertible teaching in such a way that it extends to both sides and excludes the unwholesome alternative."

[@lamithchathurangadesilva5880]

Buddhism now in Asian countries was not practiced correctly may be due to lack of intelligence among monks or they are not talented to acquire the true meaning of Buddhist teachings we don't see any Arahat, Anagami, Sakudagami or Sowan monks in our countries. But Sri Lanka have protected Buddhist teachings for future generations. Try to get most out of them for the well being of the man kind before too late.

[@saraw525]

As a Sri Lankan, I apologize for this person's highly offensive statement above.

[@hariharry391]

🙏