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Question: (unedited)
Thank you for your answer. You were right, i am still confused. What Buddha said is most plausible ( i cannot say that it is true because i sincerely don't know), but there are still some problems: is there a point to this dream that i am creating for myself, or , am i just doing it for fun ?
; since enlightenement is like waking up from a dream (or so i hear), could enlightenement be just another level of awareness ( could an enlightened person wake up from the dream of enlightenement)? Also, if the mind has supreme power, why is there any pain in the world (there could be only pleasure, and thus, no need for enlightenement )? There is also another important issue : i think (though i am not sure) that living beings (and even objects) are just manifestations of the same mind that cannot recognize itself, not actual individuals from 31 buddha lands that can reincarnate according to their karma ( i find this reincarnation "thing" childish ).Is reincarnation misunderstood ?
Hope to hear from you soon,
P.S: I cannot consider myself anything but simple since i am so utterly confused and unaware.
My comments:
Hi again,
Before plunging into troubled waters trying to make you more confused, please allow me to comment on the recommended manner of learning the Buddha's teachings. Please remember that the Buddha's teachings are very profound and at most time strike deep into our inadequate ability to understand them. This is because we have never been brought up to think and analyze these esoteric concepts discovered by the Buddha. In order to understand them it would take a period of time through deep thinking, conscious analyzes, and a change of mind-set. In modern parlance, we need a new paradigm in our thinking, setting aside our stereotype mentality, polluted with prejudices and childish ideosyncrasies. So please be patient with yourself and let the Buddha's teachings slowly gel in your mind which is now ready to receive the truth. Let time be our teacher.
Now your comment: "since enlightenement is like waking up from a dream (or so i hear), could enlightenement be just another level of awareness ( could an enlightened person wake up from the dream of enlightenement)?
My comment: Enlightenment means awakened. Enlightenment is no longer a dream. If one is awakened, how can one be awakened again?
Your question: "Also, if the mind has supreme power, why is there any pain in the world (there could be only pleasure, and thus, no need for enlightenement )?"
My comment: The Buddha reminded us that when our bodies are sick, do not let our minds be sick too. The pain in this world is physical pain. Pleasure in this world cannot last forever.
Your final "confusion": "There is also another important issue : i think (though i am not sure) that living beings (and even objects) are just manifestations of the same mind that cannot recognize itself, not actual individuals from 31 buddha lands that can reincarnate according to their karma ( i find this reincarnation "thing" childish ).
My comment: Your "31 Buddha lands" is actually the 31 planes of existence. There is nothing to do with the Buddha. In fact the Buddha being fully enlightened, is no longer stuck in these 31 planes of existence.
Your final question: "( i find this reincarnation "thing" childish ).Is reincarnation misunderstood ?
My comments: The Buddha revealed the true nature of this life, which comprises not only this body but a very important concept of mind and consciousness. Buddhists emphasize on the latter aspects. It is this consciousness that is keeping us "alive and conscious". Pervading this life-form is the mind. We can term this as "mind-consciousness". This mind-consciousness is in a state of flux, always moving on without our worldly knowledge. It took the powerful mind of the Buddha to discover this process of mind activities. The Buddha discovered the universal law of cause and effect (Law of Kamma), which governs ALL living beings, irrespect of race, time, and space (location). The universal law states irrefutably that any volitional action will definitely produce a corresponding reaction. This is the law of physics. This is also the law of life!
Whatever we did in this life and in our past lives, the cumulative effects will gradually and surely produce corresponding results in this life or future lives. When this body is gone, the mind-consciousness will take on another life-form befitting the cumulative effects that one had generated, such that the next life-form will exist in an environment commensurate with that type of accumulated effects, such that the appropriate results will actualize themselves onto that new life-form. If the results are to be a happy one, then the mind-consciousness will seek to be reborn in a conducive place where it will enjoy its fruits. On the other hand, if the results are to be a miserable one then it will seek rebirth in a miserable environment. This explains the inequalities of all life-forms in this world.
"Reincarnation" is a different concept from "rebirth". You can say that if you believe in reincarnation, you will believe in rebirth, because rebirth simply means another birth following death. The Buddha revealed the process of rebirth of mind-consciousness. There is no permanent entity or what you may call "soul" in the Buddha's explanation of rebirth.
The Tibetans believe that an exact permanent entity transmigrate into a new life-form when a person dies. This is reincarnation. This is not the Buddha's concept of "rebirth".
Happy thinking with lots of patience, and the truth will be revealed. Sunshine!
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