Expert: Justin Choo - 5/21/2008

Question
I personally tend to gravitate towards Buddhist thought however; I have seen some major questions that need answering. I have actually sent the following questions/statements to a buddhist center.

Let me begin, while reading an essay called "What Makes You not a Buddhist", I have seem to have found a contradiction. It is stated that in order to be a Buddhist one must believe that all things are impermanent.

This causes a couple of problems. In Buddhist doctrine Karma is an eternal cycle that is not created and therefore not destroyed. It is defined as cultivating both negative and positive merit which will ultimately decide ones state of rebirth or realm of rebirth. The obvious problem is that this contradicts that all things are impermanent. Another problem has to do with the buddhist belief that the universe is eternal, which also contradicts the belief that all things are impermanent.

Another belief is that all emotion is pain, which seems to pose its own problem. In Buddhism suffering comes from attachment to the five skandhas or aggregates as well as lacking the practice of the eightfold path, realization of the four noble truths, and precepts. However, this does not explain or support the Buddhist belief that all emotion is pain.

Another question particularly for Tibetan Buddhism is why do they exclusively claim that they are the reincarnation of Buddahs and or the direct companions of the Buddha. Why not in Vietnam, China, Japan, or India as he/they was/were before? Why are there not reincarnations of the Buddha or Buddhas in the United States?

There is also the Buddhist belief of emptiness or no-self. This has been explained as follows: we are made up of five aggregates which are formed by Karma. When we die these aggregates die and when we are reborn Karma brings new aggregates together to form our rebirth. This leads to there being no soul or spirit. So if we are to be ultimately liberated from the bonds of samsara (rebirth) then what do we truly exist as and on what realm (according to Buddhism) will we be in? Because if we have "no self" yet can be ultimately liberated then we must be something or must exist as something or must at least have the awareness that "I am now liberated and have passed beyond rebirth".
Finally, there is belief in atheism (for some Buddhist) however, many of the sacred text such as “Shantideva’s Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life” and “The Tibetan Book of the Dead” calls for making offerings to a particular deity or deities. Furthermore one of the six realms of existence happens to be one of gods or devas.  Wouldn’t this conclude that Buddhism is closer to a polytheist belief rather than an atheist one?
I hope to get adequate answers and insight on these questions. Thank you for your time.
                                                                                                                             Tabor  

Answer
Hi Tabor,

I shall try my best to comment on your questions.  However, if you are not completely satisfied with my comments, please don't despair.  Continue to study the teachings of the Buddha and slowly analyze them.  It will come a day that you will realize for yourself all the answers you are searching for.  Initially, there ought to be seemingly unresolvable contradictions.  This is so because the Buddha's teachings are different from our conventional thinking.

<<  It is stated that in order to be a Buddhist one must believe that all things are impermanent. >>
Actually Buddhists are not required to "believe" in anything.  It is up to the individuals to decide. They may not agree with or believe in many things the Buddha said, but that doesn't mean that they cannot follow the other teachings which they can agree with.

We need to use words to describe the Buddha's teachings.  And as you know words may at times fall short of our expectations; especially so in Buddhism where we are using the English language to express what were originally spoken in Maghadian dialect by the Buddha.  Be that as it may, we shall try our best.

<<Karma is an eternal cycle >>

"Impermanence" means "never last forever".  As you have rightly said, Kamma is an eternal cycle.  The phenomenon of kamma never changes.  But the operation of kamma is not static, as you said "an eternal cycle", a dynamic process.  

<< Another belief is that all emotion is pain, which seems to pose its own problem. >>
I have not come across this saying.  Maybe in this case what is meant is that since we allow ourselves to emerse in emotions, in the final analysis we suffer pain: pain when the emotion is negative; pain when the emotion is positive but having lost it after awhile.


<< Another question particularly for Tibetan Buddhism is why do they exclusively claim that they are the reincarnation of Buddahs and or the direct companions of the Buddha. >>
Your guess is as good as mine.  We must not just accept everything we read.  If we do, there will be a lot of conflicting ideas.   In the final analysis, we must use our common sense and human intelligence to study the Buddha's teachings.  That is what the Buddha advised us to do.

<< There is also the Buddhist belief of emptiness or no-self. >>
This is going to be a mouthful.

Let us first talk about the concept of "self" or "soul".

First we have to define what is "soul".  I take it as meaning "a continuity of the same permanent self that exists after death".  

The three characteristics of all phenomena or existence are impermanence, unsatisfactoriness and insubstantiality.  The third characteristic is also explained as "no-soul".  The Mahayanists concept of "emptiness" is closely associated with this.  The Pali term is "anatta"..."no self".  The Buddha's teachings stand aloft in this concept of "anatta".

A physical being is composed of the physical body and consciousness which is a form of energy.  This "etheral energy" gives live to form.  Without this energy the form is dead.  However when this physical form is worn out and fails to function, the etheral energy takes on another form to start a new cycle.  This process is called rebirth.
"Rebith" takes on a totally different perspective.  It views existence as an on-going process, just like the electric current lighting up a bulb.  The "bulb" is like the physical body.  When this bulb is blown, the current is still there and when a new bulb is fixed on, it lights up again.  So you can see that there is a continuity in the electric current, but the current flowing through is not the same at any one moment.  Our existence is in this state of flux.  When the body is dead, the life energy seeks another form to "reborn".  The type of rebirth will depend on the nature of this store-house of life energy.  If this store-house of energy has more wholesome characteristics, then it will seek rebirth in a more conducive environment.  On the other hand, if it has more negative characteristics, then its rebirth will be in a more unwholesome environment.  As the life force is always in a flux, there is no permanent and unchanging soul, but a changing personality that exists throughout.  To describe this process of rebirth, the Buddha used the term "Not exactly the same, yet not totally different".  Another example will be a lighted candle.  It is not the same light that we see, but not totally different.

Now we come to "emptiness".  This concept of emptiness can only be understood if one understands the concept of Anatta.  It takes some time and a lot of contemplation to understand Anatta.  The underlying concept of Anatta is that in the final analysis, there is nothing in this world which we can call our own.  As such it is "empty".  The Pali term is called Sunnata ( pronounce: Soon - ya - ta).  If one can really accept this concept then one is free from the clutches of the miseries of this world.  Our existence is mere emptiness.  What we are experiencing in life IS real; not "emptiness".  It is the whole futile process of living (existence) that is "emptiness".  Now let us be an observer of a life cycle of a butterfly.  First the egg, then the caterpillar, followed by the pupa in the chrysalis, and finally emerged the butterfly.  All this process took only a few weeks, and the butterfly will die after another two weeks.  As an observer, we can SEE the futility of this cycle which is real; but don't we see the "emptiness" in this process?  As far as the butterfly is concerned, it is a real life.  As far as we observers are concerned, it is just a passing passage of one very short life.  This to me relates very well to the concept of "emptiness".  Imagine the butterfly to be you, maybe you could see this "emptiness" for real!


<< Wouldn’t this conclude that Buddhism is closer to a polytheist belief rather than an atheist one? >>
"Atheist" is one who does not believe in the existence of the Creator God".  In this context, we can't even say that Buddhists are atheists because in the first place, they maintain that there is no such person.  So "believe" is a non-event.  There is nothing to believe!

With regards to gods and devas, these are the higher beings existing in different (higher) planes of existence. The Buddha revealed that there are other planes of existence which we can't see with our naked eyes. We can only see in 3 dimensions. What about 4th, 5th, and other dimensions? These beings generally referred to as "devas" in Buddhist terminology. There are good and bad devas. These devas have higher powers than us and can sometimes help or harm us. You may equate this as good and bad "angels" or "sprites". Within this definition, "spirits" fall into this category.

I think that's enough.

Please come back if you need further clarifications.

Smile from justinchoo :-)