3.1.9 Karma and Samsara

Question 1

What is Samsara?

Answer 1

This cycle of life – death – rebirth is called Samsara.

Question 2

Do Buddhists believe in reincarnation? Why?

Answer 2

Buddhists speak of rebirth or re-becoming NOT reincarnation. Reincarnation is the belief that that soul comes to inhabit another body, as Buddhists do not believe there is a permanent self this is not possible.

Question 3

What is an analogy that illustrate the idea of no permanent self and rebirth?

Answer 3

It is like the seed that becomes the tree – the tree is different to the seed but has developed out of the seed and as such the essential ingredients are the same.

Question 4

What do Buddhists think karma is - what affects our future?
Positive and negative Karma?
How is it worked out? (4)

Answer 4

• A person’s karma is the accumulated effects of his or her actions – what we do, think and say will affect our future.
• Positive karma will bring about positive effects => fruitful/wholesome karma not good karma.
• Negative karma will bring about negative effects => unfruitful/unwholesome karma not bad karma.
• Karma is worked out in this life and in future lives which are linked to our own.

Question 5

What does what a person will be develop out of, and what does this mean? (3)

Answer 5

• What a person will be later develops out of what he or she has been before, this means we are constantly
  being reformed (or changed) as a result of karma.
• When a ‘person’ is reborn they are not the same person who previously existed because they have been changed by their karma.
• Just as the tree develops out of the seed, so the reborn person develops out of the person who existed previously.

Question 6

How do we change our own karma with future actions? (3)

Answer 6

• When the effects of our actions come about we add more actions to it – we respond with further actions and so we change our own karma.
• People often create and recreate the same Karma; negative actions lead to negative effects which lead to negative responses/ actions.
• People often get stuck in one state, for example, a person might get stuck in the state of anger.

Question 7

Why is it important to develop the right state of mind in terms of Karma? What does the mind produce? (4)

Answer 7

• If our choices are made in a state of ignorance we are likely to make the wrong choices which will lead to suffering.
• This is why it is important to remove ignorance and develop wisdom and develop the right states of mind.
• The mind produces the thought – which leads to the action – which results in positive or negative Karma.
• We are what we think; thoughts produce action.

Question 8

How does the Buddha explain that a well-developed mind prevents negative actions and negative karma in the Dhammapada? - quote

Answer 8

“Just as rain breaks through an ill-thatched house, so passion penetrates an undeveloped mind.
Just as rain does not break through a well-thatched house, so passion never penetrates a well-developed mind”

Question 9

What is unwholesome karma caused by? (2 bullet points)

Answer 9

• Unwholesome Karma is caused by the three poisons – this is why they are placed at the centre of the wheel of life as they keep the cycle of rebirth turning.
• The 3 poisons are not sins – they are psychological states or drives which are inherent in humans.

Question 10

What process do Buddhists view Karma as and what don’t they view it as?

Answer 10

Buddhists do not view karma as a reward or punishment – it is just the process of cause and effect.