Question about Death and Nirvana!

[mile83]

Hello everybody, I'm new on this forum, been very interested in the Theravada branch of buddhism for the past couple of months, before I was mainly studying Advaita Vedanta.

Anyways I have a question, since I'm a complete beginner when it comes to Buddhism, but I've always wondered what happens to me when I die? I mean, I understand that there is no soul or self according to Buddhism! Let's assume I won't reach Nirvana in this lifetime but in the next! The next rebirth would not be me, since self is not persisting or existing, my next rebirth reaches Nirvana, but what happens in my current lifetime after I die??? In my next lifetime I won't be the same person, which means when I die it's game over for 'me', no?I don't quite understand, in Advaita for example, it is assumed that I have a soul which transmigrates but you all know that probably lol .

Sorry for my bad English btw . I hope you can help me finding an answer to my question(s). Thanks alot !

[cooran]

Hello mile83,

These threads may be a start in the journey to understand Anatta -

Understanding Anatta
viewtopic.php?f=24&t=12762
Pali explanation of Anatta
viewtopic.php?f=23&t=12361

with metta
Chris

[mile83]

Thank you very much

[mile83]

I mean what I've understood so far is that only my karmic tendencies 'survive' is that correct? But my next rebirth will not be the same person!

[santa100]

"I am the owner of my kamma, heir to my kamma, born of my kamma, related through my kamma, and have my kamma as my arbitrator. Whatever I do, for good or for evil, to that will I fall heir." ~~ AN 5.57 ~~

There're roughly 300 millions cells on our body that die and being replaced every single minute. So, technically speaking, the "you" now is not the same "you" a minute later! It's just an illusion that our mind is being tricked, sort of like a Hawaiian fire dancers twisting a stick with fire at the two ends really fast to create the illusion of a fixed and constant circle of fire..just like that, the ultimate truth is that there's no "I", "mine", or "myself" to be found in this body..

[mile83]

Thank you very much @ all .

But it doesn't go like this, I die, I close my eyes, take my last breath and suddenly I open up my eyes again as a new person, a new-born?? Sorry for the stupid question, I'm kinda slow sometimes . I mean what I understood from the links posted here is that only karmic tendencies go on and not a person or soul or consciousness, is that right??

Thank you all again

[cooran]

Hello mile83,

Hope this is of some use:

Rebirth without a transmigrating soul
http://www.beyondthenet.net/dhamma/rebirthTrans.htm
and the rest of this teaching is worth studying, at Rebirth by Bhikkhu Bodhi:
http://www.beyondthenet.net/dhamma/rebirth.htm

Transmigration of aggregates through rebirth?
viewtopic.php?f=13&t=12235

Becoming Human: It’s is easier than you think
http://dharmafarer.org/wordpress/wp-con ... 090812.pdf

with metta
Chris

[mile83]

Thank you Cooran