Expert: John Willemsens aka Advayavadananda - 3/9/2009

Question
Hi John, I've asked a couple of questions before and I have just one more topic that I'm unclear on. Buddhism is based on reason not faith, yet a Buddhist will believe that karma effects, to some degree, what happens to us after we die.  However, since no one really knows what happens to us after we die, how can a Buddhist make this statement if not based on faith?

Answer
Hello Marc,

If one is absolutely certain that we shall after we die be reborn here or elsewhere and equally convinced of the validity of the law of karma as usually understood, then there is no question of faith, but of conviction, mistaken or not.

I personally do not believe at all in rebirth and, as for karma, it is, in our Advayavada view, pratitya-samutpada i.e. the immanent universal dynamic principle of existence, as it also operates incessantly herenow at our sentient level.

Also please see http://www.euronet.nl/~advaya/qanda3.htm for more on karma, etc. Please feel free to revert to this interesting subject.

Kind regards,
Advayavadananda.