What would you do if there is no rebirth ?

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sentinel
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What would you do if there is no rebirth ?

Post by sentinel »

Believing in rebirth for most buddhist seems fitting . But , I can't get it when buddhist does not accept the concept of rebirth .
What then would you do if there really is no rebirth ? If there is only one life time . Enjoying your life as much ? Can't be bothered ? Practice dhamma irrespective of one life time or many life time ? What is your view ?
Does believing in rebirth is part of mundane right view ?
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Zom
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Re: What would you do if there is no rebirth ?

Post by Zom »

What then would you do if there really is no rebirth ? If there is only one life time . Enjoying your life as much ? Can't be bothered ? Practice dhamma irrespective of one life time or many life time ?
I think this is obvious - get as much worldly happiness as possible, and less dukkha as possible. Dhamma will be applied only to an extent of relieving dukkha "here and now".

PS: Ven. Brahmali said he would disrobe.
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Sam Vara
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Re: What would you do if there is no rebirth ?

Post by Sam Vara »

I'd stay dead.
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Re: What would you do if there is no rebirth ?

Post by Bundokji »

The question should be: is believing in rebirth the only reason that makes the teachings of the Buddha worth following?

How about leaving the world without regrets? or leaving the world as someone who understood, or as someone who is fulfilled?

If we happen to be in the world as knowing entities, and if there is an ultimate aim to our existence, then this aim has to take the form of knowledge, a knowledge that is an end in itself rather than a mean.

I know the above might sound like gibberish to many, but i personally pity those who follow the Buddha only to escape rebirth.
And the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus, saying: "Behold now, bhikkhus, I exhort you: All compounded things are subject to vanish. Strive with earnestness!"

This was the last word of the Tathagata.
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Re: What would you do if there is no rebirth ?

Post by User1249x »

i'd certainly kill myself
Last edited by User1249x on Sat Nov 17, 2018 4:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
chownah
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Re: What would you do if there is no rebirth ?

Post by chownah »

How I live my life has nothing to do with rebirth. I have no idea if there is rebirth or not. What the buddha taught helps make life better regardless. Not knowing if there is rebirth or not is great!....it will make dieing more interesting.....I guess....don't know for sure.....
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Re: What would you do if there is no rebirth ?

Post by uojm »

This question (knowingly or not) implies (some form of) eternalism vs nihilism and is based on wrong view. It comes from assuming (the possibility of) ‘not depended existence’. With things being not-self (no speculation needed here) they are thus dependently-arisen hence suffering. It might be best not to fall into this way of thinking.
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Re: What would you do if there is no rebirth ?

Post by DNS »

The suttas are permeated throughout with discussion of rebirth and what leads to the end of rebirth.

"He recalls to mind his various temporary states in days gone by; one birth, or two or three or four or five births, 10 or 20, 30 or 50, a 100 or a 1,000 or a 100,000 births, through many cycles of cosmic contraction and cosmic expansion . . .

. . . he recollects his numerous past lives: that is, (he recollects) one birth, two, three, four, or five births; ten, twenty, thirty, forty, or fifty births; a hundred, a thousand, or a hundred thousand births; many hundreds of births, many thousands of births, many hundreds of thousands of births. (He recalls:) 'Then I had such a name, belonged to such a clan, had such an appearance; such was my food, such my experience of pleasure and pain, such my span of life. Passing away thence, I re-arose there. There too I had such a name, belonged to such a clan, had such an appearance; such was my food, such my experience of pleasure and pain, such my span of life. Passing away thence, I re-arose here.' Thus he recollects his numerous past lives in their modes and their details
." Digha Nikaya 1

With the purified divine eye that surpasses [the vision] of humans I saw beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and superior, of beautiful and ugly appearance, fortunate and unfortunate, and I understood how beings fare in accordance with their deeds.
MN 4

see also: https://www.buddhismuskunde.uni-hamburg ... dhabba.pdf

Surprisingly, there are quite a few Buddhists who don't accept rebirth. And then there are a sizable number of Buddhists who don't necessarily reject it, but put it aside for now, remaining agnostic about it.
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Re: What would you do if there is no rebirth ?

Post by Disciple »

I would continue to live like I am right now. Not much would change.
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Re: What would you do if there is no rebirth ?

Post by Zom »

If we happen to be in the world as knowing entities, and if there is an ultimate aim to our existence, then this aim has to take the form of knowledge, a knowledge that is an end in itself rather than a mean.

I know the above might sound like gibberish to many, but i personally pity those who follow the Buddha only to escape rebirth.
But that was the main Buddha's goal - to end rebirth .)

As for "knowledge" - there is absolutely no sense in any kind of knowledge if it can't be used somehow in this very life.
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Re: What would you do if there is no rebirth ?

Post by cappuccino »

Bundokji wrote: Sat Nov 17, 2018 3:09 pm but i personally pity those who follow the Buddha only to escape rebirth.
why, really why, is your "avatar" a picture of cows?

I always thought, never mind your reason, I would say it relates to rebirth
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Re: What would you do if there is no rebirth ?

Post by cappuccino »

more to the point, disbelief in rebirth and karma, will lead to animal rebirth

at the very least, and not possibly otherwise
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Re: What would you do if there is no rebirth ?

Post by JamesTheGiant »

I'd become a professional criminal. I'd party and steal and rob a bank and use the money to buy lots of drugs. Basically Oceans 11, including the smart suits.
cappuccino wrote: Sat Nov 17, 2018 6:09 pm why, really why, is your "avatar" a picture of cows?
They are sheep, and there's one black sheep in there. The black sheep is commonly known as the different one, the one who does things differently from those around him. The one who walks the Eightfold Path while all around him are worldlings?
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cappuccino
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Re: What would you do if there is no rebirth ?

Post by cappuccino »

OK, there's a lot of animal avatars

I suppose I accept the metaphor
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Re: What would you do if there is no rebirth ?

Post by santa100 »

James Tan wrote:What then would you do if there really is no rebirth ?
Guess it'd vary depending on the individual. To some, it'd literally mean indulging in all kinds of sensual pleasures like there's no tomorrow. It's also possible for some other to do something meaningful before the show is over. However, one obvious thing with rebirth being removed from life's equation is that it would remove the great checks and balances to human's spiritual life. Afterall, it's sheer human nature to do weird things just because they can. That's exactly why humans still have to resort to the law of the land with all kinds of penalties for violating it. Imagine if the law was completely removed? What if there're absolutely no penalties for murdering, stealing, embezzlement, etc? While there're certainly some folks who still naturally follow the rule, it wouldn't require a rocket scientist to predict a massive uptick in crimes, violence, and mass chaos in the society. That's human nature, one does because one can. Similarly for those following the spiritual path when it comes to the concept of rebirth.
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