Wisdom of Buddhism - Issue 4

Causation and reincarnation are two important concepts in Buddhism. I have already talked about the law of causation in the last lecture. In this lecture, I will explain what reincarnation means. The concept of reincarnation has been around for a long time in human history and has appeared in many cultures. Why is the concept so common? We should investigate it with an open mind.

I once read a news story about a person who could tell what happened to him in his past life after being hypnotized. He told his hypnotizer what his name was, the whereabouts of his birth place, and why he was sent to a prison. Based on the details provided, the hypnotizer tried to look for the prison and the records of such a prisoner. He concluded that the story was true and there was such a person. How can we account for this? Some may argue that the person was perhaps possessed by the spirit of the prisoner. Even so, we have to first accept the existence of ghost spirits.

To support the concept of reincarnation, we need to first establish a proof for the immortality of the spirit or the soul. This is not an easy task. This relates to the questions I have asked before: is the soul material or non-material? Is it a kind of energy or not?

What is the nature of the soul? What is the origin of thoughts? Are they from the brain or from the heart? From the medical point of view, the heart does not help “thinking”; it is just an organ responsible for pumping blood. The Chinese word for “thought” combines two words – the mind and the field. This implies that thoughts arise from the “mind field”. The mind is the centre of our thought.

We often hear people say “follow your mind”. This implies an attention to your guiding thought or the strongest desire. What is the central thought of your life? Do you know the purpose of your life? Are you looking for the good or the bad? If your guiding thought is for the good, then your mind will be good. If it is for the bad, then your mind won’t be kind. We must remember the guiding or central thought of our mind.

Many people believe that thoughts come from the brain. In fact, they are not. Let’s assume they are…When I gave the early lectures on “Wisdom of Buddhism”, I mentioned that humankind live their lives in an endless pursuit of desires and are often manipulated by their own desires. Desires and thoughts are two concepts closely related to each other. How can we “desire” things if there is no “thought”? Can you imagine a situation in which people desire something without thinking?

After saying thoughts come from the brain, we now need to examine what the brain is. Is it energy or non-energy?

A: It is energy.

What about the material stuff in the world? Is material perishable or imperishable?

A: It is imperishable. Scientists have already proven this point.

Yes, according to the law of material immortality, matter is imperishable. What scientists meant by this is the fact that all materials are formed by energy. Energy is imperishable. It does not disappear, but only changes in form. This is what Buddha says: “When conditions come together, things arise; when conditions disengage, things come to an end.” This is the “principle of arising and ending”.

The human brain is an energy cluster that carries our thought and spirit. When people die, the brain cells will also decay and “die”, but the energy of the brain continues to survive. The spirit that clings to this energy cluster therefore still exists in the world.

Some scientists have examined this by using infrared light, which can capture the layer of light that covers the human body. The light is a kind of energy that changes color along with thoughts and emotions. When we are calm and peaceful, this light is crystal clear. However, once the mind is full of anxiety (such as when one is angry or in a bad mood), the light immediately turns turbid.

This clearly shows that thoughts and emotions can affect or control our energy. Some studies also show that people (such as yogis or qigong masters) who are well trained to have control of their mind and thoughts (or people with a strong mind) can actually determine the light of their bodily energy and can direct where this energy goes. When they begin to work on their “mind power”, the energy will travel from their fingertips to a certain destination. Also, when a qigong master passes his qi energy to a person, that person will feel a crowd of air (qi) pressing towards him. This is to say, thoughts can control energy. We may also consider the operation of radio wave. It also shows that the energy in space helps transmit messages and thoughts.

Let’s examine the structure of our thoughts. What are the necessary conditions for the formation of thoughts? Why do we have the ability to think? How does the brain generate thoughts?

All these are important questions in Buddhism and for humankind. Human beings cannot stop thinking and their daily life is guided by their thoughts. But how well do they understand their own thinking? If we do not understand the nature of thought, we will not be the master of our thoughts. It is extremely important to examine the structure of thoughts and how they arise. Don’t you agree?

A: Thoughts arise from our tendency to distinguish between things and make differentiations.

Are you saying we have the ability to identify differences by comparing and contrasting things? What are the conditions for us to have this ability?

A: Because we have feelings.

This is not the answer yet. People have feelings, and they may just have feelings about different things without making distinctions. What are the conditions that make us want to compare things?

A: When there are more than one thing. For example, we will start making comparisons when there are more than one fan. When we see the second one, we will be reminded about first one.

Correct. Then what conditions make us notice that there are two fans and start to compare them?

A: Memory.

Right, if we cannot remember what we feel, what a world will that be? Without memory, we will be living in a world of endless (fragmented) scenes. Everything will just be like a passage, and we pass through them one by one. There won’t be any comparison, such as the difference between square and circle, or long and short.

Let me sum up. Thoughts are constituted by endless comparisons and contrasts. Without these, we won’t be able to think. We have thoughts because we are able to organize what we “feel” and put them in order. We compare, differentiate and contrast the “scenes” taken from our surroundings. To be able to do this, one needs to have memory. But this is only one of the necessary conditions. What else do we need to generate thoughts? Let’s discuss further in the next lecture.

To be continued......

It is important to note that Buddhism is not knowledge from the book, but rather wisdom to be applied to daily living and everyday practices. Many people hold the misconception that Buddhism makes one passively accept life as it is and evade reality. Contrary to this, the Master teaches us the significance of living in and for the present moment. The Master can always help those searching for help to distance from disturbing thoughts and stubborn worldly attachments. If you would like to listen to more of the Master's lectures and have deeper understanding of Buddhism, please contact: <ciel1992@yahoo.com.hk>