Karma And Rebirth Flashcards
What is karma?
Bad actions lead to consequences and negative effects in our lives
What is The dictionary definition from Christmas Humphreys about Karma?
“The law of cause and effect”
Which watch of the night is karma?
The 2nd watch
Which watch of the night is rebirth?
The first watch of the night
What is pratitiyasmutpada?
The belief that everything is connected. Everything is caused by something else
What is an example for pratitiyasmutpada? (Thich Nach Hanh)
Seeing the universe in a piece of paper
What watch of the night did the Buddha see Pratitiyasmutpada?
The third watch
What is Samsara?
The cycle of birth, death and rebirth. Escaping samsara is the main goal
What is Nirvana?
Extinguishing the three fires of desire.
The only true escape from suffering for Theravada Buddhists is Nirvana
What are some analogies for “if we don’t have a soul, what is reborn?”
The analogy of the baby and the analogy of the candle
Explain the analogy of the baby
Me as a baby is obviously not the same as me today. Neither physically nor emotionally nor in the way I perceive the world.
The only way it makes sense to say we are the same is by saying the baby caused me today
Explain the analogy of the candle
If we like to candle in the morning, the same by the end of the day is brighter, hotter and bigger. It isn’t the same flame but it was caused by it.
Rebirth is like lighting a new candle with the old before the flame finally dies out
