On Reincarnation…

Earlier, there was a wonderful piece published on a Buddhist discussion board, about reincarnation, and I felt that the subject was worth commenting on, but did not want to post a painfully long response, which was better reserved for a separate post. So here it is...

Reincarnation is one of those things that is somewhat of a paradox. It is further complicated by the fact that it is also not exclusively a Buddhist concept, as it is shared among many of the Indo-Asian cultures. Therefore, there are certain concepts around reincarnation that would surely fall under the category of "religious beliefs", and those I personally reject, since I prefer to follow a path based on reasoning and rational thought, rather than religious superstition.

In the Kalama Sutta, Buddha Sakyamuni is reputed to have said:

“If there is a world after death... if there is the fruit of actions rightly & wrongly done, then this is the basis by which, with the decomposition of the body after death, I will reappear in a good destination, the heavenly world. But if there is no world after death, if there is no fruit of actions rightly & wrongly done, then here in the present life I look after myself with ease — free from hostility, free from ill will, free from trouble.”

This is an example in which Buddha frames his teaching in the context of the beliefs of the people to whom he is speaking. Apparently, these listeners believed in a "heavenly world" or "other side"... not reincarnation. And so his teaching was framed in a way that neither agreed with, not denied their religious superstitions. In other texts, his teaching was framed in the more popular concept (including the superstitions surrounding it) of reincarnation.

These concepts can be tricky in the West, because we (almost as much as the Southeast Asian Theravadans) tend to "make" Buddhism into a religion, because we imagine a void, when we walk away from our personal religious traditions. I've been fortunate not to experience such a void, because I view the spiritual and religious traditions of my personal history to be an integrated part of who I am today.

When I was in the Franciscans, I was often teased about being the most Benedictine Franciscan in the bunch. (For non-Catholics, this was their way of teasing me about embracing seemingly disparate traditions, since a Franciscan is a mendicant -- that is, a beggar, living in the world -- while my spirituality was deeply inspired by the more monastic paths of the Camaldolese [Benedictine hermits] and Carmelite monastics.)

Today, I am "part" of neither group. And according to some of my detractors, I am somehow magically no longer in the unbroken succession of the apostles. One troubled young man even wrote me last night to tell me how "offensive" my piece was on the Pathways to Wisdom.

So we have this tradition of believing in reincarnation... or not. For some of us, reincarnation is a reference to the non-dualistic nature of the numenal world.

From a scientific perspective, we know that the universe is held in place by gravitational pull. Another word for "gravitation" is "attraction". Isn't it interesting that in the present day, there is so much buzz about the "law of attraction" -- an ancient principle, which has been the foundation of the New Thought tradition, and at the core of Buddhism and esoteric Catholicism and Judaism for generations? What is another word for "attraction"? Love. Right?

Buddha called love the "Eternal Principle". In the Persian mythos, we read about the quvat-i-jazibah -- the Primal Force of Attraction from which the universe was created. All of this coincides with our scientific understanding of gravity and the Big Bang Theory.

This is also how the mythos surrounding Rabbi Jesus as the "Son" (Sun) of God came to be, through the manipulation of Emperor Constantine, who worshipped the Sun God (Sol Invictus), and modified his superstitions to fit into the Christian narrative.

So for those who embrace a non-dualistic philosophy, such as the Buddhists, Advaita adherents in Hinduism, Religious Scientists in the West, and such visionary Catholic monastics as Thomas Merton, Swami Abishektananda and Anthony de Mello, there is not "us" or "me" -- these are simply the labels we place on transient phenomena -- there is only Love (or God, or energy, or Emptiness, etc.). And therefore, "you" and "I" are part of the same "stuff" that has been born thousands of lifetimes before, and will be part of the same "stuff" that exists in future lifetimes.

I don't personally invest any time or energy contemplating the idea of reincarnation, because it doesn't matter. The only thing that is "reincarnated", in my opinion, are our habits and thoughts. The personality dies when we die. Reincarnation, it seems to me, was the ancients' way to further their explanation of the effects of karma. Ultimately, it was a primitive attempt. And like most primitive ideas, it was corrupted by superstition, legend, and fear.

I have no ego-need to imagine that I will be reincarnated. If, when I die, that's it for Dharmacharya Gurudas Sunyatananda, that's fine. On the other hand, if reincarnation is real, then it is my desire, like that of Theresa Lisieux and other Bodhisattvas, to return to this world over-and-over until suffering exists no more. In Theresa's words, she wanted to "spend her heaven doing good on earth". For me, the ideal is captured in the words of the Rule of Life for the Contemplative Monks of the Eightfold Path, which I read and offer each day as I awaken:

THE BRIEF RULE

Sit in your cell as in paradise;

put the whole world behind you and forget it;

like a skilled angler on the lookout for a catch

keep a careful eye on your thoughts.

The path you follow is the Dharma of Compassion --

never abandon that path.

If you've come with a novice's enthusiasm and can't

accomplish what you want, take every chance you can find

to chant the sacred Mantra of Chenrezi:

OM MANI PADME HUM

in your heart; if your mind wanders as you chant

don't give up but hurry back and try again.

Above all realise that above all else, you are

in the presence of Divine Perfection;

you hold your heart there in wonder

as if before your sovereign.

You are that Sovereign, for it is written,

"The sovereign domain of the Enlightened One

is within you."

Empty yourself completely;

sit waiting, content with the gift of Silence,

like a little chick tasting and eating nothing

but what its mother brings.

With all your heart,

as the sun rises and sets each day:

Vow to do all you can to end the suffering of all beings;

Vow to uproot endless blind passions and attachments;

Vow to penetrate the Dharma Gates beyond measure;

Vow to realise your birthright as an Awakened and Anointed One

for the good of all sentient beings, and as a caretaker of all Creation.
Namasté!
-- dharmacharya gurudas sunyatananda
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