DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post - 4 Questions for Matthieu Ricard, Tibetan monk

**effebrala** · 04-14-2011, 08:39 PM

As long as one thinks in terms of entities rather than function and continuity of experience, it’s impossible to understand the Buddhist concept of rebirth.

I don't think of the self as an entity, but indeed as a process. In terms of "function and continuity of experience"- what is experiencing the continuity of experience?

In order to experience, there needs to be an awareness of that experience. Thus, obviously, you need consciousness.

So, experience and consciousness are inextricably linked. Without consciousness, there is no experience. So, experience is something that happens to consciousness. It could be thought of as a happening within a happening.

So, either experience happens to something that is conscious, or it happens to consciousness itself. It would have to be one or the other. Since Tibetan Buddhism rejects something (i.e., an entity) that is conscious then experience, from that perspective, must be happening to consciousness itself.

Therefore, consciousness itself, is the self.

04-14-2011, 08:39 PM	#4
effebrala Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 594 Senior Member	As long as one thinks in terms of entities rather than function and continuity of experience, it’s impossible to understand the Buddhist concept of rebirth. I don't think of the self as an entity, but indeed as a process. In terms of "function and continuity of experience"- what is experiencing the continuity of experience? In order to experience, there needs to be an awareness of that experience. Thus, obviously, you need consciousness. So, experience and consciousness are inextricably linked. Without consciousness, there is no experience. So, experience is something that happens to consciousness. It could be thought of as a happening within a happening. So, either experience happens to something that is conscious, or it happens to consciousness itself. It would have to be one or the other. Since Tibetan Buddhism rejects something (i.e., an entity) that is conscious then experience, from that perspective, must be happening to consciousness itself. Therefore, consciousness itself, is the self.
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