Expert: Alex Wilding - 4/9/2011

Question
QUESTION: I've interst in Buddist Philosphy.I don't know much .Perhaps my question will be bit kiddish

Buddha gained enlightenment/Nirvana/Moksha,then why are his so many rebirths,the latest one being Revered Dalai Lama?

ANSWER: Hi Sonia,
It's OK, we all start somewhere.
However, I don't think there are any branches of Buddhism who claim that the Buddha has been reborn, and the Dalai Lama is certainly not held to be the Buddha reborn. Perhaps you've been reading the popular press!
Sometimes people say things like "Wow, so-and-so is really a Buddha! Amazing!" (So-and-so will normally deny this, of course!)
I hope that helps
Alex W

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QUESTION: Buddhist philosphy believes in karma .Every one has to pay for deeds in consecutive rebirths that means an exploiter in this birth woulh have a tough time in next birth. But what about the pain of the sufferer who had been exploited.Thanx for your earlier reply.

ANSWER: Hi Sonia,
There are two parts to the answer to your very good question.
The first part is that *in some cases* the person suffering had themselves caused suffering in the past, and had somehow drawn this bad situation on themselves.
But it is very important to recognise that this does not cover all cases – indeed, it cannot logically cover all cases – and that in reality we do not know what is behind any particular series of events. It is always, always necessary to have compassion for the person suffering, and it is never, never right to assume that they somehow "deserved" it. When we come to think it through, we can see that it is quite impossible for literally everything that happens to us to be the result of our own past actions.
Both logic and "scripture" tell us that all sorts of causes play into any given situation, and past karma is only one of them. Some things do happen to us unfairly.
The Buddhist point of view is that one of the problems with wrong actions (which is a very simple idea – it is actions that cause suffering) is that they keep us stuck in the cycle of suffering, and as a result we suffer both from the consequences of our past actions, and also, in general, anyway. It does not seem to be very helpful to think in terms of a minutely accurate accounting system in the sky. If we act in ways that harm others we will be in a mess - some of our acts may come back to us quite specifically, but the main point is that we will be in a messy, painful situation with a messy mind.
I hope that helps a bit
AW

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QUESTION: Reference you above reply.It means sufferer perhaps had been exploiter  earlier,and to settle the accounts he was made  exploiter in next birth,and  thus become bad person and  the start a circle where the innocent sufferer becomes bad  and as he become he become suffere in consecutive birth. further the sufferer or exploiter never realize what good or bad they did in their previous birth,hadtheygot memory perhaps circle of suffering and exploitation never get repeated.Thanx for earlier answer and patient response.

Answer
Hi Sonia,
If I understand what you are saying, I think you have illustrated why it is ridiculous to think that karma is the *whole* story. The Buddhist idea is certainly that karma plays *some* part, and perhaps *in the long run* a very important part. But there are serious logical flaws in the suggestion that it arranges in detail for everything that happens.
All the best
Alex W