Travel And Scenic Photography 101
BN: But in the Tipitaka, you have so many references from the Buddha himself that refer to rebirth. Even in the Dhammapada we have these two verses that the Buddha announced after he became enlightened which refer to rebirth and the ending of rebirth. And doesn't "dependent origination"--which Batchelor accepts-- include the notion of rebirth?
Does the Seller Try to Sell You on Emotion? Meaning, does the Thai amulet seller try to get you very emotional about having to purchase this amulet to make you happy or realize a fortune of good luck? Hype in every form is usually contrary to how the good intentioned and genuine Buddhist amulet sellers present themselves.
Massage Therapy is a well-known and well-documented remedy for inducing relaxation and reducing mental stress. In particular, traditional Thai massage with its slow meditative and rhythmic compressions, yoga-like stretches, and passive joint movements seemed to be an ideal tool for someone like Harvey.
Through all the stages with my teacher, I felt times of joy. My teacher taught me not to have expectations; rather just to practice, to be content at all the stages of the practice just as it would unfold, to be in the moment. You don't say: "I'm trying hard to be enlightened." You don't focus on a future goal. So much of Vipassana is to accept things just as they are, not to want things to be different. Experience exactly what you are experiencing. The Pali word, khanti, patience, has a deep meaning: that you just trust the unfolding of reality, to accept life and consciousness as they come to you.
MZC: That's wonderful. You are focusing on the individual human being; you are listening and learning as well. You are opening your heart to the retreatants and enquiring with them. You're asking what makes one happy and peaceful in the midst of particular life circumstances. Do you experience that some of the retreatants, even in the midst of problems, which will continue, find some insight into what happiness might be? Perhaps they discover the joy of serving others as well as getting to know their own mind-hearts?
theravada I don't like the word "rebirth." I prefer to use the word "relinking." In the Abidhamma, we learn that what exist are conditions. Mind is a reality. Because mind is within material, it doesn't move from one place to another. Perhaps this is difficult. Matter is something which moves, occupies space. One characteristic of mind is that it does not move. What makes mind arise is the existence of conditions, the laws of conditionality. That's why the term "relinking" is more appropriate to understand that when we die, we are "reborn." It's not that some mind is reborn in another. Another mind arises and it is related to the previous mind according to certain conditions.
MZC: Batchelor is specifically talking about the rebirth in the Indian philosophy where there is a rebirth of the individual soul or atma, which goes from life to life. Batchelor says that the Buddha was not interested in whether this is true or not, whether there is even a soul, if "the mind is different from the body." And further, we cannot know the answer to such questions.
