Comments on: Rebirth, Craving http://japanlifeandreligion.com/2008/12/05/rebirth-craving/ My life as a father, Buddhist and Japanophile. Sat, 11 Jun 2011 01:53:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Gerald Ford http://japanlifeandreligion.com/2008/12/05/rebirth-craving/#comment-2359 Gerald Ford Fri, 05 Dec 2008 10:39:45 +0000 http://nihonshukyo.wordpress.com/?p=1897#comment-2359 I suppose we all are, or Buddhism'd be real easy. As for the craving question, the brain is just part of physical form, one of the five aggregates, so it is not necessarily connected to the mind. The mind is a composite of the body (including the brain), plus the other four aggregates. The mind couldn't exist without the brain, blood-flow, etc, but the mind wouldn't exist either if all it was was inert matter either. All five aggregates are constantly arising as one remains in contact with the world. For example, if one tastes a bowl of cereal, the tasting of that cereal leads to more arising of the aggregates in the order of form (tongue touching the cereal), sensation (tasting), perception (realizing you're tasting), mental fabrication (cereal is good) and consciousness, and back around again, like a cycle or wheel. Speaking of cycles, check out the Twelve Links of Dependent Arising, sometimes called the Twelve-fold Chain of Causation. Bhikku Bodhi has a nice explanation here: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bodhi/wheel277.html#tda On how this relates to rebirth: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bodhi/bps-essay_46.html Hope that helps. Enjoy! I suppose we all are, or Buddhism’d be real easy.

As for the craving question, the brain is just part of physical form, one of the five aggregates, so it is not necessarily connected to the mind. The mind is a composite of the body (including the brain), plus the other four aggregates. The mind couldn’t exist without the brain, blood-flow, etc, but the mind wouldn’t exist either if all it was was inert matter either. All five aggregates are constantly arising as one remains in contact with the world. For example, if one tastes a bowl of cereal, the tasting of that cereal leads to more arising of the aggregates in the order of form (tongue touching the cereal), sensation (tasting), perception (realizing you’re tasting), mental fabrication (cereal is good) and consciousness, and back around again, like a cycle or wheel.

Speaking of cycles, check out the Twelve Links of Dependent Arising, sometimes called the Twelve-fold Chain of Causation. Bhikku Bodhi has a nice explanation here:

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bodhi/wheel277.html#tda

On how this relates to rebirth:

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bodhi/bps-essay_46.html

Hope that helps. Enjoy!

]]> By: Marcus http://japanlifeandreligion.com/2008/12/05/rebirth-craving/#comment-2358 Marcus Fri, 05 Dec 2008 10:36:07 +0000 http://nihonshukyo.wordpress.com/?p=1897#comment-2358 No, just one more! :) See you in the Pure Land Joe! :) No, just one more! :)

See you in the Pure Land Joe! :)

]]> By: Joe http://japanlifeandreligion.com/2008/12/05/rebirth-craving/#comment-2357 Joe Fri, 05 Dec 2008 04:26:25 +0000 http://nihonshukyo.wordpress.com/?p=1897#comment-2357 Nice post, Gerald. I would want to ask how craving arises without a brain or body to sustain the craving. I suppose the Buddha believed that craving didn't need a physical vehicle to carry on. Craving runs deep and I notice how I thoroughly enjoy thinking, being, etc. Looks like I'm slated for quite a few more lifetimes! Nice post, Gerald. I would want to ask how craving arises without a brain or body to sustain the craving. I suppose the Buddha believed that craving didn’t need a physical vehicle to carry on.

Craving runs deep and I notice how I thoroughly enjoy thinking, being, etc. Looks like I’m slated for quite a few more lifetimes!

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