DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - "the consciousness that is generated from previous lives"

**StethyEntinic** · 09-24-2011, 09:12 PM

I don't see where the Buddha objects to "the whole shebang", as you put it. What he objects to is Sati's rejection of conditionality.

Haven’t I taught, in various ways that consciousness is dependently arisen? Without a cause, there is no arising of consciousness. Yet you, foolish man, on account of your wrong view, you misrepresent me..

By contrast, Sati believed that:

this consciousness transmigrates through existences, not anything else

The disagreement here isn't about rebirth per se. In Sati's view consciousness is some sort of independent entity which goes floating along from life to life, body to body. But in the Buddha's teaching, it arises (and re-arises, on and on until the cycle is broken) as part of dependent origination.

the causal relationship between the young me and the older me does not provide or support a claim of any sort of mechanism of continuity from one life to another. I agree, but that's a different issue. The question here isn't "is rebirth plausible?" but "is it consistent with MN 38"?

My point is that "generation of consciousness over many lives" follows exactly the same principle as "generation of consciousness over one life" and that both are in line with the Buddha's teaching.

09-24-2011, 09:12 PM	#11
StethyEntinic Join Date Nov 2005 Posts 407 Senior Member	I don't see where the Buddha objects to "the whole shebang", as you put it. What he objects to is Sati's rejection of conditionality. Haven’t I taught, in various ways that consciousness is dependently arisen? Without a cause, there is no arising of consciousness. Yet you, foolish man, on account of your wrong view, you misrepresent me.. By contrast, Sati believed that: this consciousness transmigrates through existences, not anything else The disagreement here isn't about rebirth per se. In Sati's view consciousness is some sort of independent entity which goes floating along from life to life, body to body. But in the Buddha's teaching, it arises (and re-arises, on and on until the cycle is broken) as part of dependent origination. the causal relationship between the young me and the older me does not provide or support a claim of any sort of mechanism of continuity from one life to another. I agree, but that's a different issue. The question here isn't "is rebirth plausible?" but "is it consistent with MN 38"? My point is that "generation of consciousness over many lives" follows exactly the same principle as "generation of consciousness over one life" and that both are in line with the Buddha's teaching.
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