I think you are one of the best channels ever. I am subscribed and also to your web site. I truly enjoy and appreciate your teachings. You introduced this teaching with "that old chestnut" and I would just like to say that it is not nor ever will be "that old chestnut" IMHO. "That old chestnut" is part of the sacred mysteries of life itself and we can never have enough teachings or understandings of it. My whole life is thanks to my karma. My future life will be thanks to my karma. My past lives were also created by my karma. It is never ending until we transcend it and "that old chestnut" is a deep mystery that should be taught and retaught with the greatest of respect. We need to bring back an understanding of karma in the west and introducing it by calling it "that old chestnut" is doing a great disservice (dare I write desecration?) to the profundity of what it is , how we live it and how we understand it and transmit it. I think you are an excellent teacher but I am prepared to stand alone (if necessary) in my opinions and living experience of karma. It is a recurring truth that needs be explained, discussed over and over again. “We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time." (T.S.E) With much metta and gratitude to you.
Certainly, karma is front and central to the Buddha's teachings. As mentioned in another reply to a comment on this talk, the Wheel of Life is all about karma and rebirth. And you are quite right Buddhism requires us to take on board a specific understanding of karma that the Buddha taught in order to make sense of the practice of Buddhism. The 'old chestnut' was a throwaway line, as I'm sure you understand because I get asked often about past lives, that is reincarnation, and karma. It was this that was the cause of my exasperation. Personally, I do accept past lives as well as future lives, but this is not central to the practice of Buddhism. It is so, that the Buddha talked about past and future lives and it is clear from the scriptures that knowledge of them accompanied insight as the arhats were said to have knowledge of them. However, the Buddha did not teach that they had to be investigated in order to walk the way. What was necessary was the awareness of the motivations of the heart and discernment of skilful and unskilful actions as it is these actions that are determinate of future being both in this life and future incarnations.
@@thezengateway8578 Thank you so much for replying and I do understand your exasperation and I think your reply is insightful and pertinent. Thank you. Past lives and reincarnation is only the opening of the door. Thank you again for taking the time to reply to me.
Theravadins often claim that you can see your past lives directly through concentration (jhana; upon leaving which you can direct your mind to see them). Do you subscribe to this view? Have you had direct knowledge of this sort? This is an important question to answer if we want to help build confidence among practicioners. Unfortunately, what I've heard here has been answered in the same fashion in countless places, and does not inspire confidence. I'm humbly asking for help, please give us a more straightforward asnwer, so that people like myself can benefit. Thanks! ps. not asking out of curiosity, I find it genuinely an obstacle in my practice and a hinderance regarding which practices to focus on. Getting a firm answer would be very helpful.
Certainly the Buddha talked of past lives also not out of curiosity but to explain a present predicament or problem for someone. For example why someone was blind in this life etc. It is said that upon his awakening he saw the past lives and future lives not only of himself but of all beings. So, past lives is definitely a thing in Buddhism. Karma is very much front and central in the teachings and the Wheel of Life is all about how karma works. But we must remember that it is not that 'I' am reincarnated but the effects of past causes and it is in this way that he taught karma. To know that certain actions of body, speech and mind produce certain effects and that we had better be careful how we act. If we read the Satipatthana sutra which contains the Buddha's instructions for practice he does not investigate past lives but we do investigate motivations for our actions. (When a monk is angry he knows his heart it angry). That effect (anger in the heart) is a result of past actions and that is what is important to know because future results will be dependent upon what happens to that anger. If it flows into action then the seeds of future suffering continue to be laid down. If it is not acted upon then that particular lineage of action-result is stopped. Thus it is not past lives in the reincarnation sense rather the components of the effects from past actions that are important.
I think you are one of the best channels ever. I am subscribed and also to your web site. I truly enjoy and appreciate your teachings. You introduced this teaching with "that old chestnut" and I would just like to say that it is not nor ever will be "that old chestnut" IMHO. "That old chestnut" is part of the sacred mysteries of life itself and we can never have enough teachings or understandings of it. My whole life is thanks to my karma. My future life will be thanks to my karma. My past lives were also created by my karma. It is never ending until we transcend it and "that old chestnut" is a deep mystery that should be taught and retaught with the greatest of respect. We need to bring back an understanding of karma in the west and introducing it by calling it "that old chestnut" is doing a great disservice (dare I write desecration?) to the profundity of what it is , how we live it and how we understand it and transmit it. I think you are an excellent teacher but I am prepared to stand alone (if necessary) in my opinions and living experience of karma. It is a recurring truth that needs be explained, discussed over and over again.
“We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time." (T.S.E)
With much metta and gratitude to you.
Certainly, karma is front and central to the Buddha's teachings. As mentioned in another reply to a comment on this talk, the Wheel of Life is all about karma and rebirth. And you are quite right Buddhism requires us to take on board a specific understanding of karma that the Buddha taught in order to make sense of the practice of Buddhism. The 'old chestnut' was a throwaway line, as I'm sure you understand because I get asked often about past lives, that is reincarnation, and karma. It was this that was the cause of my exasperation. Personally, I do accept past lives as well as future lives, but this is not central to the practice of Buddhism. It is so, that the Buddha talked about past and future lives and it is clear from the scriptures that knowledge of them accompanied insight as the arhats were said to have knowledge of them. However, the Buddha did not teach that they had to be investigated in order to walk the way. What was necessary was the awareness of the motivations of the heart and discernment of skilful and unskilful actions as it is these actions that are determinate of future being both in this life and future incarnations.
@@thezengateway8578 Thank you so much for replying and I do understand your exasperation and I think your reply is insightful and pertinent. Thank you. Past lives and reincarnation is only the opening of the door. Thank you again for taking the time to reply to me.
❤
Of course, it's very materialist. It's called Casual Determinism.
Theravadins often claim that you can see your past lives directly through concentration (jhana; upon leaving which you can direct your mind to see them). Do you subscribe to this view? Have you had direct knowledge of this sort? This is an important question to answer if we want to help build confidence among practicioners. Unfortunately, what I've heard here has been answered in the same fashion in countless places, and does not inspire confidence. I'm humbly asking for help, please give us a more straightforward asnwer, so that people like myself can benefit. Thanks! ps. not asking out of curiosity, I find it genuinely an obstacle in my practice and a hinderance regarding which practices to focus on. Getting a firm answer would be very helpful.
Certainly the Buddha talked of past lives also not out of curiosity but to explain a present predicament or problem for someone. For example why someone was blind in this life etc. It is said that upon his awakening he saw the past lives and future lives not only of himself but of all beings. So, past lives is definitely a thing in Buddhism. Karma is very much front and central in the teachings and the Wheel of Life is all about how karma works. But we must remember that it is not that 'I' am reincarnated but the effects of past causes and it is in this way that he taught karma. To know that certain actions of body, speech and mind produce certain effects and that we had better be careful how we act. If we read the Satipatthana sutra which contains the Buddha's instructions for practice he does not investigate past lives but we do investigate motivations for our actions. (When a monk is angry he knows his heart it angry). That effect (anger in the heart) is a result of past actions and that is what is important to know because future results will be dependent upon what happens to that anger. If it flows into action then the seeds of future suffering continue to be laid down. If it is not acted upon then that particular lineage of action-result is stopped. Thus it is not past lives in the reincarnation sense rather the components of the effects from past actions that are important.
@@thezengateway8578 💙🤍❤